Ionic liquids are being investigated as a way to break down cellulosic plant material in biofuels-production processes. A significant hurdle to their use is the fact that ionic liquids are toxic to the microbes used in biofuel production. Researchers from…
A newly developed process for manufacturing cyclohexasilane (CHS; Si6H12) offers a lower-cost and safer pathway to a material whose molecular architecture allows a wider range of material possibilities than alternative starting materials for several important silicon-based products. CHS can be…
Last month, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO; Kawasaki, Japan; www.nedo.go.jp) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Innovation Agency (NIA; Bangkok, Thailand; www.nai.or.th) to work jointly on a project to demonstrate a manufacturing system…
Li-ion batteries Over the course of several battery charge/discharge cycles, microscopic fibers of lithium, called dendrites, sprout from the surface of the lithium electrode and spread across the electrolyte until they reach the other electrode. An electrical current passing through…
Scientists from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (Seoul; www.kist.re.kr) and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST; Ulsan, both Sout Korea; www.unist.ac.kr), led by UNIST’s professor Hyunhyub Ko, have developed smart adhesive pads — in the form…
Alcoa Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.alcoa.com) has developed a hybrid technique, called Ampliforge (diagram), that combines additive manufacturing (3-D printing) and advanced forging techniques to improve the performance and reduce the cost of metal aerospace components. The company has produced prototype…
Researchers from Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.; www.cornell.edu) have developed an oxygen-assisted, Al/CO2 electrochemical cell that converts CO2 into a useful product while producing electricity. This represents a possible paradigm shift from most current carbon-capture models, says Lynden Archer, the James…
Plant Watch Cepsa to build new m-xylene unit under supply agreement with Indorama August 9, 2016 — Following a supply agreement with Indorama Ventures Public Ltd. (IVL; Bangkok, Thailand; www.indorama.net), Compañía Española de Petróleos S.A.U. (Cepsa; Madrid, Spain; www.cepsa.com) will…
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.; www.jacobs.com) has acquired the patent rights for Bayqik quasi-isothermal sulfuric acid converter technology and other related technology from Bayer AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.bayer.com). Under the terms of the agreement, the technology transfer includes all…
Global Bioenergies (Evry, France; www.global-bioenergies.com) and Cristal Union have announced that their subsidiary, IBN-One has awarded the first engineering contracts for its bio-isobutene plant to Technip (Paris, France; www.technip.com) and IPSB. Following a consultation process by IBN-One in spring 2016,…