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Direct degradation of microplastics in wastewater

Microplastic pollutants in wastewater are notoriously difficult to treat, and can stem from many common sources, ranging from personal-care products to textiles. A new treatment technology developed by a team of researchers from Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS;…

A two-step process reduces nitrous oxide emissions

Last month, Lanxess AG (Cologne, Germany; www.lanxess.com) inaugurated a new plant in Lillo/Antwerp, Belgium to reduce the nitrous oxide emissions that are generated during the production of caprolactam. The €10-million investment breaks down approximately 500 metric tons (m.t.) of N2O…

Sustainable enzyme-based production of macrocyclic lactones for fragrances

Planned commercial-scale production of macrocyclic gamma-lactone molecules using an enzymatic process will supply the flavors and fragrances market with sustainable alternatives to existing processes based on synthesizing petroleum-derived molecules or isolating molecules from natural sources. The synthetic biology company Conagen…

Anaerobic fermentation process using human gut microfauna

Industrial-scale production of protein-rich food additives based on anaerobic fermentation is slated to begin later this year at a former bioethanol site in Minnesota. The facility will use a fermentation process developed by White Dog Labs (WDL; Newark, Del.; www.whitedoglabs.com)…

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Crystallization: Contributing to Circularity

In a variety of industrial applications, crystallization technologies contribute to the circularity of manufacturing processes and supply chains Crystallization is a major unit operation in the chemical process industries (CPI), typically used for separating and purifying materials in a wide…

A microreactor for continuous formation of Grignard reagents

Today, synthetic routes to about 10% of the top 50 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) include one or more Grignard reactions, which are used to form C–C bonds. Normally, the reaction is performed batch-wise in continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSTRs), with Grignard…

A major project targets sustainable urea production

A consortium, led by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO; The Hague; www.tno.nl), has received an exceptional grant of €21 million from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Framework Program to investigate and develop the potential of…

Bacteria for wastewater treatment

Researchers from the National University of Singapore (www.nus.edu.sg), led by associate professor He Jianzhong, have found a new strain of bacterium called Thauera sp. strain SND5, which is capable of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification and phosphate removal from wastewater. The…

Magnetic field cures adhesives faster with less energy

Conventional adhesives, such as epoxy, are designed to cure using moisture, heat and light. Curing is necessary to cross-link and bond the glue with the two secured surfaces as the glue crystallizes and hardens. Now, scientists from Nanyang Technological University…

Plant Watch: February 2021

Plant Watch Linde to build world’s largest PEM electrolyzer in Germany January 14, 2021 — Linde plc (Guildford, U.K.; www.linde.com) will build, own and operate the world’s largest proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer plant at the Leuna Chemical Complex in Germany.…