Natural wax coating Researchers from Aalto University (Finland; www.aalto.fi) have developed a new way of making garments water-resistant, without using toxic chemicals. The treatment is non-toxic, and does not impair breathability. The coating uses carnauba wax from Brazilian palm-tree leaves.…
Researchers at the City University of New York Energy Institute (ccny.cuny.edu) have developed a low-cost battery based on manganese dioxide and zinc that reaches voltages of greater than 2 V, a first-time achievement that could allow batteries with these low-cost…
On September 19, Focus-On (Dordrecht, the Netherlands; www.focus-on-process.com) — a new, 50:50 joint-venture (JV) of Samson AG (Frankfurt am Main; www.samson.de) and Krohne GmbH & Co. KG (Duisburg, both Germany; www.krohne.com) — introduced its new “intelligent process node,” a device…
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU; Singapore; www.ntu.edu.sg) have developed a device for atmospheric monitoring that can identify a wide range of airborne gases and chemicals instantly. The prototype device is portable and suitable for rapid deployment by agencies to…
Plant Watch Arkema to expand PVDF plant in Changshu October 15, 2019 — Arkema (Colombes, France; www.arkema.com) will increase the capacity of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) at its Changshu, China plant by approximately 50%. The expanded capacity is scheduled to come…
Last month, Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) and Siemens AG (Munich, both Germany; www.siemens.com) launched a second phase of their joint research project, Rheticus II, which aims to develop a test plant that will use CO2 and water, as…
Carbon fibers are typically fabricated by the oxidation of a polymeric fiber, such as polyacrylonitrile (PAN) at 200–300°C, which generates a large amount of exhaust air containing several hundred parts per million (ppm) of hydrogen cyanide and ammonia. This is…
A new carbon-utilization technology developed by SeeO2 Energy Inc. (Calgary, Alta., Canada; www.seeo2energy.com) takes advantage of thermodynamics in a high-temperature electrolyzer to efficiently convert carbon dioxide into CO and O2 with 100% selectivity. Based on the principle of a reversible…
Researchers at the University of South Florida (USF; Tampa, Fla.; www.usf.edu) have developed a microbial metabolic pathway that allows enzymatic conversion of one-carbon compounds into multi-carbon intermediate chemicals. The bioconversion process, which takes place in genetically engineered bacteria, could enable…
Removal of phosphorus and other nutrients from wastewater is critical to preventing harmful algal blooms in coastal waters. Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) — which relies on microbial communities that consume phosphate, reducing its concentration in the wastewater — has…