Responses from 2015 CE ethics survey range from hopeful to cynical, and both similarities and differences emerge when compared to earlier surveys In October 2015, Chemical Engineering conducted a survey among chemical process industries (CPI) professionals about workplace ethics and…
A patented technology for infusing bubbles of elemental iodine into fluid or air can reduce microbial counts and potentially eliminate surface biofilms. Originally developed to remove biofilms from water lines in the dental industry, the technology is being used as…
Passage of the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act has created a long and challenging road ahead for U.S. EPA rulemaking On June 22, 2016, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (LCSA) was signed into law with…
A layered coating that acts as an organic semiconductor material allows building windows to generate electricity from direct, indirect, shaded, diffused and reflected sunlight, as well as from artificial light. Developer SolarWindow Technologies Inc. (Columbia, Md.; www.solarwindow.com) has designed and…
More intuitive software allows new users to address optimization and complex tasks Modeling and simulation software is finding more use in chemical processing facilities because software vendors are making it easier to use and, therefore, more accessible to a wider…
Researchers at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR; Singapore; www.a-star.edu.sg), led by Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, have provided another step toward replacing petrochemicals with renewable resources in the manufacture of synthetic fibers and plastics. The team has genetically modified Escherichia…
Last month, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO; Kawasaki, Japan; www.nedo.go.jp) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Innovation Agency (NIA; Bangkok, Thailand; www.nai.or.th) to work jointly on a project to demonstrate a manufacturing system…
Li-ion batteries Over the course of several battery charge/discharge cycles, microscopic fibers of lithium, called dendrites, sprout from the surface of the lithium electrode and spread across the electrolyte until they reach the other electrode. An electrical current passing through…
Scientists from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (Seoul; www.kist.re.kr) and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST; Ulsan, both Sout Korea; www.unist.ac.kr), led by UNIST’s professor Hyunhyub Ko, have developed smart adhesive pads — in the form…
Alcoa Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.alcoa.com) has developed a hybrid technique, called Ampliforge (diagram), that combines additive manufacturing (3-D printing) and advanced forging techniques to improve the performance and reduce the cost of metal aerospace components. The company has produced prototype…