In The News
Biomass pretreatment approach can reduce enzyme requirements
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…
Making fuels from almost any organic material
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…
An electrochemical process to mimic photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is one of the best ways to convert carbon dioxide into renewable energy and at the same time, reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. In plants, there are two main steps in photosynthesis: First, water is split…
Targeting Methane Emissions
New sensor, sealing and vapor-recovery technologies aim to reduce methane emissions On January 14, the Obama Administration announced a new goal to cut methane emissions from the oil-and-gas (O&G) sector by 40–45% from 2012 levels by 2025. The announcement builds…
Process Control Provides A Holistic View
Integration between instruments and systems allows manufacturers to align process parameters with business performance As technological advances in instrumentation and control continue to progress, processors are beginning to realize that not only can their process control system keep a watchful…
Scaleup for a test facility to grow algae for biofuels
The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO, Kawasaki; www.nedo.go.jp) and partners IHI Corp. (Tokyo; www.ihi.co.jp), Kobe University (www.kobe-u.ac.jp) and Neo-Morgan Laboratory Inc. (NML; Kawasaki, all Japan; www.neo-morgan.com) have completed construction on an outdoor test site with 1,500-m2 of…
Perfluorinated compounds may pose a risk to firefighters
Perfluorinated compounds — firefighting foams — such as perfluorooctane sulfonates (PFOS) have been used as fire suppressants, but some of them, such as perfluoroalkyl acids have been associated with serious environmental contamination. Also, several new fluorinated surfactants have been developed…
BASF plans worldwide expansion of PVP production; and more business news
Plant Watch Prayon to build food-grade sodium hexametaphosphate plant in Georgia February 11, 2015 — Prayon S.A. (Engis, Belgium; www.prayon.com) plans to build a manufacturing plant for food-grade sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) in Augusta, Ga. Projected capacity of the new SHMP…
Carbon fibers enhance swine wastewater treatment
Takahiro Yamashita and colleagues at the Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO, Tsukuba, Japan; www.naro.affrc.go.jp) have developed an aerobic bioreactor that can reduce nitrous oxide emissions by nearly 90% in the treatment of…
March Chementator Briefs
Composite coating A new composite material that prevents metal corrosion, even under extreme conditions, has been developed by researchers from the INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials GmbH (Germany; www.inm-gmbh.de). The patented composite consists of layers of particles placed…