In The News
A ‘greener’ route for making red pigments
Early this year, Lanxess AG (Cologne, Germany; www.lanxess.com) will start production of bright red iron-oxide pigments at its Ningbo, China production site. The production facility will utilize — for the first time — the Ningbo Process, a highly sustainable production…
These CeO2 nano-rods store a lot of O2 at low temperatures
Automobile catalytic converters contain cerium-based co-catalysts to enhance the overall effectiveness of the converter by absorbing and releasing oxygen to convert CO into CO2. Existing emission control systems typically use CeO2-based materials, such as solid solutions of ceria and zirconia,…
Coral enhances the removal of mercury from wastewater
A convenient route for the fabrication of a bio-mimetic, coral-like nanoporous γ-Al2O3 with a higher capacity to adsorb Hg(II) in aqueous solution than those of commercial Al2O3, has been reported by a research group from Anhui Jianzhu University (Hefei City,…
Alkylate process featuring a solid-acid catalyst can use multiple feedstocks
A recently announced process based on a novel solid-acid catalyst is effective at producing high-quality alkylate from a variety of feedstocks, including methanol. Technology developer Exelus Inc. (Fairfield, N.J.; www.exelusinc.com) says its technology converts methanol and mixed-butanes to high-octane alkylate.…
Removing harmful metals from wastewater with crab shells
Copper and cadmium exist naturally in the environment, but human activity can increase their concentrations to a point where they become a health hazard. Conventional wastewater treatment to remove those metals includes chemical precipitation, coagulation, flocculation, ion exchange, membrane filtration,…
Chementator Briefs
PET recycling Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can be quickly depolymerized into virgin monomers using a patented process that was developed, and is being scaled up by Ioniqa Technologies BV (Eindhoven, the Netherlands; www.ioniqa.com). The company recently finalized a multi-million-euro funding round…
Dow and DuPont to combine in massive merger; and more business news
Plant Watch Dow to increase capacity for glycidyl methacrylate at Freeport site December 10, 2015 — The Dow Chemical Co. (Dow; Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) plans to complete a debottlenecking project at its Freeport, Tex. facility to increase capacity for…
A step forward for bio-based butadiene
Increased use of ethane from shale deposits as a feedstock for ethylene production has focused attention on the growing need for on-purpose production of butadiene, which has traditionally been produced primarily as a byproduct of conventional ethylene production from naphtha.…
A hybrid solar cell that utilizes waste heat to boost efficiency
Scientists from Yonsei University (Seoul, South Korea; www.yonsei.ac.kr) led by Prof Eunkyoung Kim, have developed a hybrid solar cell to enhance the photo-conversion efficiency of a solar cell with a thermoelectric device operated by photothermally generated heat. The efficiency was…
Dry adhesive technology mimics gecko’s feet
A dry adhesive technology inspired by the microscopic hairs on gecko’s feet is said to be the first of its kind to be commercialized. Known as Setex, the technology was developed by nanoGriptech Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.nanogriptech.com), a company spun…