In The News
Microbial electrolysis produces hydrogen from organic waste
A modular, fuel-cell-like assembly featuring specially developed microbial communities is capable of producing pure hydrogen from a wide range of organic wastes. Developed by startup company Electro-Active Technologies (Oak Ridge, Tenn.; https://electroactive.tech), the microbial electrolysis system is now in the…
Bowl-shaped electrode enhances CO2 reduction
An international group of scientists has created a bowl-shaped electrode that can efficiently convert CO2 into carbon-based fuels and chemicals. The group includes scientists from the University of Bath (Bath, UK; www.bath.ac,uk), Fudan University (Shanghai, China; www.fudan.edu.cn), and the Shanghai…
Pilot plant slated for a H2-based process to make DRI from iron-ore fines
The use of direct reduced iron (DRI; sponge iron) and hot briquetted iron (HBI) is expected to continue to grow due to the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the growing number of electric arc furnaces (EAFs) in service…
Poly-diketoenamines could allow closed-loop plastics recycling
Conventional plastics are difficult to recycle because end-of-life processing generally is either energy-intensive or alters the physical properties of the materials. A team of researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, Calif.; www.lbl.gov) and the University of California at…
MOFs that mimic leaves for enhanced performance
Chemists from the research group of Stefania Grecea at the University of Amsterdam’s (UvA; the Netherlands; www.uva.nl) Research Priority Sustainable Chemistry have devised a way to enhance the practical performance of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). By using leaves from the black…
Thermal insulation mimics polar-bear hair
Scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei; https://en.ustc.edu.cn), led by professor Shu-Hong Yu, have developed a thermal insulator that mimics the structure of individual polar-bear hairs, and have scaled toward a material made of many hairs.…
Temperature Measurement: New Instruments Designed to Take the Heat
Temperature measurement and control equipment is being re-vamped to stand up to challenges of the chemical process industries (CPI) While the basic premise of temperature measurement instruments hasn’t seen drastic changes in recent years, equipment is receiving updates that make…
A sound way to make MOFs
Researchers from RMIT University (Melbourne, Australia; www.rmit.edu.au) have demonstrated a “green” technique that can produce customized metal organic framework (MOF) compounds in minutes, harnessing the power of high-frequency (ultrasonic) sound waves. MOFs are extremely versatile materials that can be used…
Chementator Briefs
PDH catalyst Last month, Clariant's Catalyst business (Munich, Germany; www.clariant.com) launched its latest propane dehydrogenation (PDH) catalyst, Catofin 311, which is said to deliver greater selectivity and a longer lifetime than its predecessors, resulting in increased overall profitability for propylene…
Self-healing elastomers from waste lignin
Lignin — a component making up 25–35% of woody biomass — is underutilized as a byproduct of biofuels production and paper-making processes. Because of its abundance, low-cost and sustainability, lignin is being investigated as a raw material for making higher-value…