Latest News: Technologies
A German research project aims to make methanol from biomass or CO2
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; Germany; www.kit.edu) is cooperating with research institutions and industry partners to develop a novel process chain for the synthesis of methanol, either without the use of fossil resources or by reusing CO2 from undesired…
Design project for ‘clean coal’ oxyfuel combustion pilot plant
A group of organizations, lead by the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI; San Antonio, Tex.; www.swri.org) has begun a project to design a power-generation pilot plant featuring a flameless, pressurized oxyfuel combustion technology that allows the capture of 100% of the…
Additives retain starch in cardboard recycling
Starch is essential for imparting strength to corrugated cardboard boxes, but millions of tons of starch are lost in cardboard recycling processes annually because conditions are ripe for bacteria to thrive, and the microorganisms degrade starch by converting it to…
Cost-effective LGF-PP process
A new process for making long glass fiber polypropylene (LGF-PP) concentrates (glass-fiber-containing plastic pellets) allows a higher glass-fiber content than is possible with conventional processes. Plastics maker Trinseo (Berwyn, Pa.; www.trinseo.com) has developed the process, which is capable of making…
Chementator Briefs
Bio foam control Last month, Novozymes A/S (Bagsvaerd, Denmark; www.novozymes.com) introduced Fermax, an enzyme protease that prevents foam development during the sugarcane ethanol fermentation process, while delivering improved control and replacing chemicals. For an average size plant, trialing partners experienced…
This mine is the first to target scandium
Scandium International Mining Corp. (Sparks, Nev.; www.scandiummining.com) is about to become the first company to achieve production from a primary scandium mine, with its project near the small town of Nyngan, New South Wales, Australia. The production of scandium from…
Chementator Briefs
Cotton dyes Cotton Inc. (Cary, N.C.; www.cottoninc.com) and Archroma (Reinach, Switzerland) have collaborated to present what they believe is the first ever dye derived from cotton-plant residues. EarthColors is Archroma’s method of creating dyes in warm, ternary shades from natural…
Commercial MOFs on the horizon
A partnership between materials company NuMat Technologies (Skokie, Ill.; www.numat-tech.com) and The Linde Group (Munich, Germany; www.the-linde-group.com) is set to bring metal-organic-framework (MOF) materials into the mainstream industrial-gas sector. Touted for their extremely high surface area and adsorption capacity, MOFs…
Plasma oxidation disinfects water without the addition of chemicals
A new technology that uses plasma to kill bacteria and simultaneously oxidize organic material in water systems offers a non-chemical alternative to water treatment in several industry sectors, such as food and beverage, power generation, oil and gas and others.…
Tin-based catalyst for photodecomposition
Daylight-driven photocatalysts have attracted much attention in the context of “green” technology for reducing pollutants. Although a number of active materials have been reported and their applications are rapidly increasing, many are discovered after enormous experimental efforts. Now, Isao Tanaka…