A new low-cost, safe and environmentally friendly method for removing polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) from water has been developed by researchers from Flinders University (Adelaide, Australia; www.flinders.edu.au). PFAS are commonly used in non-stick and protective coatings, lubricants and aviation fire-fighting…
Gold is usually leached from ore using hazardous substances, such as cyanide, mercury, aqua regia and others. Although there has been some progress in developing bioleaching technology, such methods still require mining and processing the ore before micro-organisms can go…
A new retrosynthesis platform enables users to work backwards from a target molecule to optimize synthesis pathways. MilliporeSigma’s (Burlington, Mass.; www.sigmaaldrich.com) Synthia software uses sophisticated algorithms backed by a database of over 72,000 coded reaction rules to provide precise pathways…
Researchers from RMIT University (Melbourne, Australia; www.rmit.edu.au) have demonstrated a “green” technique that can produce customized metal organic framework (MOF) compounds in minutes, harnessing the power of high-frequency (ultrasonic) sound waves. MOFs are extremely versatile materials that can be used…
Hydrogen gas is used widely in industry, including in metal annealing, float-glass production and silicon wafer manufacturing, among others, but greater than 80% of the H2 used for these processes is typically vented or flared as waste. A new electrochemical…
The transition-metal-catalyzed reduction of nitrogen is an alternative to the traditional energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process for producing ammonia. In these reaction systems, metallocenes or potassium graphite are typically used as the reducing reagent, and conjugate acids of pyridines or related compounds…
The first high-strength, wrought-aluminum alloy powder designed for use in additive manufacturing (3-D printing) applications is moving into commercial production. The powder was developed by HRL Laboratories (Malibu, Calif.; www.hrl.com) for use in laser powder-bed fusion 3-D printers. The company…
Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing; www.cas.cn) and Yangzhou University (Jiangsu, China; www.yzu.edu.cn) have developed a technique for disinfecting water by using graphitic carbon nitride sheets. They claim their technique purifies water in 30 minutes, killing more than…
Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.; www.eastman.com) is ready to commercialize a new chemical-recycling technology that can handle a wide variety of mixed plastic waste, including plastic materials that cannot be handled by conventional recycling processes. “We are modifying the front…
Sulfur control Preferential Oxidation Catalysis — a new catalytic solution from Haldor Topsoe A/S (Lyngby, Denmark: www.topsoe.com) — has been industrially proven to effectively remove undesired hydrogen sulfide in lean off-gases from viscose production at a significantly lower cost than…