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Custom powder containers streamline material transfer

These new powder containers (photo) feature a custom design that streamlines material transfer in a personal-care-product manufacturing process. Developed for a major private-label manufacturer, the powder containers set FDA-compliant, polyethylene bulk containers within durable, steel frames in a configuration that…

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A fungus converts cellulose directly into a platform chemical

Conventional bioprocesses use three separate steps to convert cellulose into products, such as bioplastics and biofuels. The consolidated bioprocess (CBP) combines all steps — cellulase production, cellulose hydrolysis and product fermentation — in a single reactor. Using the natural abilities…

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CO2-to-methanol conversion improved with catalyst-support ion swap

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL; Oak Ridge, Tenn.; www.ornl.gov) and a team of interdisciplinary scientists tripled the yield of methanol in the catalytic hydrogenation reaction of carbon dioxide by introducing hydrides into the catalyst support material. The researchers…

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Chementator Briefs

Lime Injection Engineers at the Institute for Technologies of Metals (ITM) at the University of Duisburg-Essen (Duisburg, Germany; www.uni-due.de), together with Fritz Winter Eisengießerei GmbH & Co. KG (FW; Stadtallendorf; Germany) and the FEhS – Building Materials Institute e.V. (Duisburg)…

A new reactor system for producing polymers

Traditionally, many polymerization reactions are carried out batchwise in reactor vessels, with the reaction taking place in solution, emulsion or in a melt. This procedure reaches its limits if, for example, the reaction is very exothermic or the viscosity increases…

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A closed-loop hydrometallurgical process for low-carbon iron processing

Electrification will be a key factor in decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors, but challenges arise in applications that require very high temperatures, such as steel production. The intense heat requirements for converting iron ore into metal contribute significantly to the CO2 emissions…

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This patented process improves grease handling

Calcium-sulfonate complex greases are widely used in applications in the pulp-and-paper, marine and steel-manufacturing sectors. Within an ever-volatile lithium market, calcium-sulfonate greases are increasingly seen as a reliable alternative to lithium-based greases. However, typical methods for preparing high-performance calcium-sulfonate grease…

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Innovative Membranes Empower Processes

New membranes enable traditional water treatment and emerging energy transition applications While membranes and filters have provided a reliable and cost-effective solution for water desalination, purification and treatment as well as specialty process separations, innovative membrane and filtration technologies are…

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Business News: July 2024

Plant Watch Agilyx polystyrene depolymerization plant commissioned in Japan June 7, 2024 — Agilyx ASA (Tigard, Ore.; www.agilyx.com) announced that its depolymerization technology was successfully demonstrated during commissioning of Toyo Styrene’s 10-ton/d chemical recycling facility in Japan. The recycling plant…

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Reducing CO2 to formic acid

A research team led by Kenneth C. Neyerlin at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL; Golden, Colo.; www.nrel.gov), with members from Argonne National Laboratory (Lemont, Ill; www.anl.gov) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Tenn.; www.ornl.gov) has developed a membrane electrode assembly…