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Using algae to clean wastewater

Technology developed by Algal Scientific Corp. (Northville, Mich.; www.algalscientific.com) uses algae to remove soluble organics, nitrogen and phosphorous from medium- to high-strength wastewaters in a single step. The technology is an alternative to multistep treatment processes involving the use of…

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AkzoNobel inaugurates membrane-electrolysis plant in Germany, and more business news

Plant Watch Kemira to build sodium chlorate plant for pulp mill in Brazil May 9, 2014 — Kemira Oyj (Helsinki, Finland; www.kemira.com) will supply sodium chlorate to Klabin’s new pulp mill in Paraná, Brazil. Kemira will build, own and operate…

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This PEM fuel cell has H2 storage built-in

Conventional hydrogen-based systems designed to store electrical energy (from solar arrays, for example) typically feed electricity to a proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) electrolyzer to generate H2 from water. This H2 is then compressed and stored in a cylinder, or as a metal…

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This demonstration plant makes bioethanol from tapioca residue

In April, a demonstration plant started up that makes bioethanol from cassava residue — a byproduct of tapioca production. The demonstration plant, located at the cassava starch plant of EBP Ethanol Co. in Sa Kaeo Province, Thailand, is part of…

Grappling with Graphene: The race to commercialization

In the ten years since its first isolation by a pair of physicists, the single-atom-thick carbon allotrope known as graphene has been extolled as a “miracle material” for everything from television screens to tennis rackets to superabsorbent fabrics. What excites…

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June Chementator Briefs

  Pilot bioreactor A next-generation photobioreactor is scheduled to be installed in June at the Orlando, Fla. pilot facility of biofeedstock company Proterro (Ewing, N.J.; www.proterro.com). Proterro is working with advanced fabrics and engineering firm ILC Dover (Dover, Del.; www.ilcdover.com)…

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Recover waste heat with ORC technology

Last April, Siemens Energy (Erlangen, Germany; www.siemens.com/energy) introduced the Siemens organic Rankine cycle (ORC) modules, which enable operators of industrial plants to generate power from low-temperature (around 300°C) waste heat. Unlike a conventional Rankine cycle, which converts water to steam,…

Reduce energy costs by combining wastewater treatment and desalination

New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO; Kawasaki, Japan; www.nedo.go.jp) and Global Water Recycling and Reuse Solution Technology Research Assn. (GWSTA) have developed a new water-treatment system that integrates seawater desalination with recycle water from a sewage treatment plant.…

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Imitating nature leads to a better catalyst

An inexpensive and scalable composite catalyst that is said to outperform platinum for oxygen reduction in metal-air batteries and fuel cells has been developed by a research team led by professor Jaephil Cho from Ulsan National Institute for Science and…

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Foster Wheeler awarded contract for steam-reformer heater in Kazakhstan  

Foster Wheeler AG (Zug; Switzerland; www.fwc.com) says that a subsidiary of its Global Engineering and Construction Group has been awarded a contract by Marubeni Corp. for the engineering and material supply of a new Terrace Wall steam reformer heater, including…