Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL; Oak Ridge, Tenn.; www.ornl.gov) have demonstrated an efficient desalination process using a porous graphene-based desalination membrane. While the thinness of the freestanding graphene (roughly 0.3 nm) allows for significantly higher flux than traditional…
Particle-size analysis methods are changing for the better, reducing rework and improving yield Particle-size analysis plays an important role in many chemical processes that involve dry powders and granules, fibers, suspensions, emulsions, gels, sprays, inhalants and the like. Processors rely…
Developments from the 2015 AFPM annual meeting frame a picture of the current state of the U.S. petroleum refining industry On a broad level, the outlook for the U.S. petroleum-refining industry remains bright, despite a recent decline in crude oil…
By controlling material interfaces at the nano-scale, Modumetal Inc. (Seattle, Wash.; www.modumetal.com) has developed a method for creating a new class of alloys with precisely defined properties through nanolamination. In this process, a part, such as a valve or fastener,…
At the end of March, Dyneon GmbH (Burgkirchen, Germany) — a fully owned subsidiary of 3M Co. (www.3m.com) — together with its cooperating partners, the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, the University of Bayreuth and the institute InVerTec, opened the world’s first…
Today, the cost of enzymes continues to make bioethanol uncompetitive as a fuel. Eliminating the need for amylases, which are used to hydrolyze starch into fermentable sugars, would be a key step toward reducing the operating costs for producing bioethanol.…
Nanocellulose pilot Sappi Ltd. (Johannesburg; South Africa; www.sappi.com) will build a pilot-scale plant for low-cost nanocellulose (Cellulose NanoFibrils; CNF) production at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus (Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands; www.brightlands.com). The pilot plant will test the manufacturing of dry re-dispersible CNF…
A new study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL; Golden, Colo.; www.nrel.gov) demonstrates the conversion of lignin-derived compounds to adipic acid, an important precursor for making nylon and other chemicals. The new route offers a “greener” alternative to conventional…
Biomass is a recalcitrant, heterogeneous matrix of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin that resists microbial and enzymatic breakdown. Overcoming this recalcitrance is the major economic barrier to the conversion of biomass to sugars or other chemicals. Heat, acid and other chemicals…
Adgex Ltd. (Sydney, Australia; www.adgex.com) is marketing a plant, tradenamed “Green Blaze,” for processing organic raw materials by means of high-speed ablative pyrolysis. According to the company, the plant (flowsheet) can be adapted to convert into synthetic fuel almost any…