Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been widely used for high-performance fire-fighting and in the manufacture of durable goods for their chemical inertness, non-stick properties and fire resistance. They have also raised health concerns because they do not degrade in…
The research group of Yabing Qi at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST; Japan; https://groups.oist.jp/emssu), in collaboration with Shengzhong Liu at Shaanxi Normal University, China, has developed a simple method to fabricate thin (1µm) perovskite films that can be…
Shu Kobayashi and colleagues at the University of Tokyo (Japan; www.chem.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp) reported on two new catalysts for synthesizing fine chemicals using their continuous-flow reactor system. The first technology is a novel methodology using CsF.Al2O3 as a highly efficient, environmentally benign,…
Around 70% of all chemical products use chlorine in their manufacturing process. At the same time, the production of this important base chemical is one of the most energy-intensive processes in the chemical industry. In order to change that, thyssenkrupp…
Petroleum refineries must meet increasingly stringent levels for sulfur content in fuel, but the conventional hydrodesulfurization approach requires high-pressures and temperatures. Alternative Petroleum Technologies Corp. (APT; Reno, Nev.; www.altpetrol.com) has piloted an oxidative desulfurization technology, known as Sulfex, that can…
A new materials-discovery platform that relies on machine-learning enables scientists and engineers to conduct large-scale searches and predict material properties from atomic structure data. Known as Xaedra, the artificial intelligence platform allows users to define desired properties and quickly identify…
Furnaces used in the production of glass are normally equipped with fluegas-cleaning plants that have separate steps for the treatment of particulate matter, acid crude gases and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). GEA Group AG (Düsseldorf, Germany; www.gea.com) has developed a…
New adsorbent Last month, BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) launched Sorbead Air, an efficient adsorbent for drying compressed air. The adsorbents are hard, spherical beads of alumino-silicate gel that resist abrasion. Due to the beads’ large surface area and pore…
The first gold using a process without cyanide and without mercury has been produced using technology from CSIRO Minerals Technology (www.csiro.au) at a demonstration plant in the Western Australian goldfields town of Menzies. Cyanide is used in more than 90%…
Advances in sensing and imaging technologies have enabled new levels of accuracy in the measurement of bulk-solid materials stored in piles, silos and bins. BinMaster (Lincoln, Neb.; www.binmaster.com) and Stockpile Reports (Redmond, Wash.; www.stockpilereports.com) have collaborated to introduce the industry’s…