Chementator
Powerful palladium “plugs” make this hydrogen-separating membrane more durable
Palladium is widely used in membrane applications because of its extreme selectivity for hydrogen. However, conventional palladium membranes can be damaged at the high temperatures required for many processes that generate hydrogen for various subsequent uses, including the manufacture of…
Niobium-based anodes create high-speed lithium ‘highways’
By replacing traditional silicon or graphite anode materials with specially crystallized niobium, manufacturers can overcome some of the safety and power limitations of traditional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Echion Technologies Ltd. (Cambridge, U.K.; www.echiontech.com) has developed a proprietary mixed niobium-oxide active…
Method for breakdown and removal of siloxanes from fluids garners patent
Siloxanes — synthetic chains of alternating silicon and oxygen atoms — are widely used in personal care products, soaps, pharmaceutical formulations and other products, but are notoriously difficult to manage in production- and waste-fluid streams. Current approaches, including flaring and…
Measurement and modeling point the way toward optimization of mechanochemical recycling
The widely used plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can be depolymerized by reacting it with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) under strong mechanical impact from metal spheres in a ball mill. This type of mechanochemical route to recycling could alleviate some of the…
Two studies point the way to cleaner syngas-to-hydrocarbons processes
The production of commercially important hydrocarbons from synthesis gas (syngas; mixtures of H2 and CO) using the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process is a key strategy for making fuels and chemicals from a range of non-petroleum feedstocks. But F-T processes are relatively…
Nickel-based catalyst could allow recycling of mixed polyolefin waste
Among the major challenges facing efforts to chemically recycle common waste plastics is that many methods require a pure stream of a single type of polymer to be effective. Now, researchers at Northwestern University (NU; Evanston, Ill.; www.northwestern.edu), led by…
Ultra-rapid electron curing streamlines electrode manufacturing
A new electron-curing system has demonstrated a high-speed, solvent-free production process for powerful battery electrodes at industrial scale. The production process, operated by Kodak Co. (Rochester, N.Y.; www.kodak.com) using the RaiCure™ platform developed by Ateios Systems Inc. (Newberry, Ind.; www.ateios.com),…
CO2-utilization technology makes renewable acrylonitrile
Nearly all of the currently produced building-block chemical acrylonitrile (AN) results from the ammoxidation of propylene, a process that requires precise heat control and generates several toxic side products, such as hydrogen cyanide. The startup company Mars Materials (Houston, Tex.;…
Novel PVC-recycling process piloted in Ohio
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is among the world’s most widely used polymers. Recycling PVC via mechanical and high-temperature chemical processes is challenging due to its chlorine content.The startup company Plastic Back (Tel Aviv, Israel; www.plastic-back.com) aims to raise the rates of…
Novel electrolyzer reshapes power conversion and efficiency for green-hydrogen production
Eliminating the traditional electrolyte from electrolysis, a new electrolyzer design is aiming for higher efficiencies and lower costs in green hydrogen production. Tobe Energy (Oklahoma City, Okla.; www.tobe.energy) has developed a high-voltage all-stainless-steel electrolysis system that operates at much lower…