In The News
Redox Flow Batteries Charge Forward
Developments in redox flow batteries are moving at a tremendous pace to meet the growing need for large-scale energy-storage systems, which are used for stabilizing electric power distribution The global energy-storage market is expected to double, from 1.4 GWh added…
A process to treat tight emulsions and intractable oily wastes
Spent invert drilling fluids, slop oil, rag layers, and tank bottoms often present as very tight emulsions having high brine and solids fractions that render them difficult and economically unfeasible to break and separate by traditional means, says Ron Drake,…
Mobile Apps for Increasing Process Efficiency
Industrial mobile apps help chemical processors overcome process, maintenance and inventory issues Due to the portability and propagation of smartphones and tablets, mobility is all around us. Plugging in on the fly has become second nature in our personal lives…
Environmentally safe oil-sands extraction
Processing oil sands is a mechanically intense process that involves pumping steam underground to emulsify crude petroleum. The procedure presents what MCW Energy Group (Toronto, Ont.; www.mcwenergygroup.com) CEO and former Exxon executive Jerry Bailey calls an “environmental nightmare.” Among the…
Emerging Applications for Traditional Dryers
Traditional classes of drying equipment are being adapted for use in a growing number of applications, and more complex analysis and process control are helping to optimize processes The chemical process industries (CPI) are full of processes in which a…
CO2 in biomass pre-treatment
Ionic liquids are being investigated as a way to break down cellulosic plant material in biofuels-production processes. A significant hurdle to their use is the fact that ionic liquids are toxic to the microbes used in biofuel production. Researchers from…
New process for cyclohexasilane offers lower cost and improved safety
A newly developed process for manufacturing cyclohexasilane (CHS; Si6H12) offers a lower-cost and safer pathway to a material whose molecular architecture allows a wider range of material possibilities than alternative starting materials for several important silicon-based products. CHS can be…
Recover chemicals from sugarcane bagasse using the half the energy
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…
Chementator Briefs
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…
A smart adhesive that ‘turns on’ at body temperature
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…