A process developed by Lehigh Technologies (Lehigh; Tucker, Ga.; www.lehightechnologies.com) for embrittling and milling rubber from end-of-life vehicle-tire material is capable of generating micron-scale rubber particles that can be used in a host of rubber, foam and plastic products to…
Air Fuel Synthesis Ltd. (AFS; Darlington, U.K.; www.airfuelsynthesis.com) has recently demonstrated a process for producing carbon-neutral liquid hydrocarbon (HC) fuel from air-captured carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The proof-of-concept demonstration facility, located at Teesside, England produces 5–10 L/d of liquid HCs.…
Last month marked the completion of the three-year, €3.6-million E.U.-funded research project, Self-assembled Polymer Membranes (SelfMem). Coordinated by the Institute of Polymer Research at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG; Germany; www.hzg.de), with twelve partners from industry and academia in Israel, Canada…
Kazuaki Ishihara and his group at Nagoya University (Japan; www.ishihara-lab.net) have established a new, environment friendly reaction technology — using Baeyer-Villiger oxidations — for selectively oxidizing ketones into esters. The reaction uses hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant, and has potential…
A challenge in the development of polymer-electrolyte membrane fuel cells is the durability and electrocatalytic activity of platinum-based electrocatalysts. The sluggishness of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) causes the fuel cell performance to be limited by the cathodic reaction, and…
Last month, Lewa GmbH (Leonberg, Germany; www.lewa.de) and Burckhardt Compression AG (Winterthur, Switzerland; www.burckhardtcompression.com) signed an agreement to commercialize hybrid compression systems for enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) applications. EOR — injecting high-pressure CO2 into oil wells to both reduce the crude oil’s…
Advanced Algal Technologies (Sydney, Australia; www.advancedalgal.com) has signed a $100-million deal with Fuzhou Xiangli Enterprise Management Consulting (Fuzhou, China) — an LED-lighting manufacturer — for a license to build 500 algal-farming-conveyor modular units per year. These units will be used…
Wacker Chemie AG (Munich, Germany; www.wacker.com) has commercialized a solvent-free coating for electrical insulators. Powersil 570 Plus is said to be the world’s first insulator coating based on a patented silicone-in-water emulsion technology. Its viscosity displays a strong dependence on…
Linde Gases (Murray Hill, N.J.; www.linde-gases.com) has developed a novel cryogenic technology that promotes uniformity in the formation of ice crystals during freeze-drying (lyophilization) processes for proteins, vaccines and other injectable pharmaceutical products. Lyophilization involves freezing a solution of the…
Masaru Nakamichi, leader of the Blanket Technology Group, Naka Fusion Institute, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA, Ibaraki, Japan; www.naka.jaea.go.jp) has developed a new fabrication technology that enables the mass-production of beryllium intermetallic compounds (beryllides), which are advanced, efficient neutron multipliers…