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Validating hydrogen embrittlement models for steel tanks

Hydrogen is transported in steel tanks and pipelines. However, H2 causes embrittlement of steels by accumulating at microstructures called dislocations and at the boundaries between the individual crystals of which the steel is composed. The accumulation of hydrogen weakens the…

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Centralized control system infrastructure

At the ARC Industry Forum in February, Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS; Houston; www.honeywellprocess.com) released the Experion PKS IT Highly Integrated Virtual Environment (HIVE), a new technology that centralizes up to 80% of IT infrastructure used in project engineering. The PKS…

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Self-healing, recyclable solid electrolytes for Li-ion batteries

Energy-storage researchers have been in search of safer electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries, because of persistent concerns over possible overheating and fires resulting from dendrite formation in the anode. Solid polymer electrolytes have been explored to address these issues, but achieving…

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Commercializing vacuum-microwave drying for pharmaceuticals

Vacuum-microwave drying for pharmaceuticals is much faster than other techniques, such as freeze drying or air drying, but the difficulty in achieving homogenous microwave-energy distribution under vacuum conditions has made it difficult to scale up for commercial manufacturing. “What tends…

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Metabolic engineering allows robust, standardized fermentation that is predictive at scale

Production of bio-based chemicals has important environmental, cost and functional benefits, but historical approaches have lacked robustness to the commercial process environment and have proven costly to develop. A platform technology developed by DMC Biotechnologies (Boulder, Colo.; www.dmcbio.com) was designed…

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A direct route to adipic acid esters

Adipate diesters are building blocks of polyamides and polyesters, and are used in plasticizers, perfumes, lubricants, solvents, various pharmaceutical active ingredients and, in terms of quantity, mainly for the production of nylon. Currently, adipate diesters are produced industrially by oxidizing…

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Chementator Briefs

Ultrathin membrane Researchers led by professors Hideto Matsuyama and Tomohisa Yoshioka at Kobe University’s Research Center for Membrane and Film Technology (Japan; www.research.kobe-u.ac.jp) have developed an ultrathin, fouling-resistant membrane that separates oil from water. Described in a recent issue of…

New project aims to scale up rapid carbon-capture process

A new project is exploring a unique large-scale carbon-capture facility in the U.S. Technology developer Svante, Inc. (Burnaby, B.C., Canada; www svanteinc.com), is working with LafargeHolcim, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, LLC and Total S.A., to evaluate the construction of a…

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Reduce the humidity and make some electricity on the side

Researchers at the Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore (www.nus.edu.sg), led by professor Swee Ching Tan, have combined a moisture-absorbent gel with light-active materials to develop a humidity “digester” that dries ambient air while generating energy.…

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Japanese ‘clean coal’ demonstration project takes a step further

Construction has begun on the third step of a project to demonstrate the world’s first integrated coal-gasification fuel-cell (IGFC) combined cycle power plant with CO2 capture. The five-year, $73.3-million project is a collaboration of the New Energy and Industrial Technology…