This month, a demonstration experiment will begin on a new firing furnace for ceramics that is being developed by NGK Insulators, Ltd. (NGK; www.ngk.co.jp). The furnace is fired with hydrogen instead of fossil fuels, thereby reducing CO2 emissions. H2-fired combustion…
Recycling lithium batteries (LIBs) requires extensive use of hydrometallurgy, which requires multiple steps of extraction-stripping processes, each requiring separate reactors and different parameters. Although there have been attempts to devise a single-step, one-pot solution by partitioning the reactor using membranes,…
This summer, pilot trials will begin at a Buzzi Unicem S.p.A. (Casale Monferrato, Italy; www.buzziunicem.com) cement plant in Monselice, Italy, which will perform field tests of a new carbon-capture process developed by Nuada, the new tradename of MOF Technologies Ltd.…
Rare-earth elements (REEs) are difficult to separate because of their similar properties, so conventional methods are often costly and generate significant amounts of waste. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL; Oak Ridge, Tenn.; www.ornl.gov) have developed a new technique…
Last month, the world’s largest double re-slurry para-xylene crystallization unit was started as part of Shenghong Refining and Chemicals Co. Ltd.’s integrated refining/chemicals project in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China. Double re-slurry crystallization takes advantage of freezing-point differences among the three…
Plant Watch Evonik plans to double global PEBA production capacity April 14, 2023 — Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) is doubling its global capacity for polyether block amide (PEBA) with a twofold approach, including a major expansion of its…
As refiners respond to shifting product demand, pressure to decarbonize operations builds. Investments in low-carbon hydrogen technologies, process optimization and integration projects are on the rise The petroleum-refining sector sits in a unique place: global demand for refined products —…
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth (Germany; www.uni-bayreuth.de) have developed nonwoven materials that exhibit an unusual combination of high electrical conductivity and extremely low thermal conductivity. These composites of carbon and silicon-based ceramic can be manufactured and processed cost-effectively by…
Following a successful proof-of-concept to recycle spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using reagent extracted from fruit peel waste, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU; www.ntu.edu.sg) has partnered with Se-cure Waste Management Pte. Ltd. (SWM; Singapore; www.se-curewaste.com) to scale up the technology in…
A research team, led by scientists at the Center for Molecular Bioengineering (B CUBE) at the Technical University of Dresden (Germany; www.tu-dresden.de), has converted mineral shells of single-celled algae into lead-halide perovskites with tunable physical properties. The new perovskites have…