Latest News
Small-angle X-ray scattering reveals catalyst degradation routes for CO2RR
The CO2 electrochemical reduction reaction (CO2RR) has intrigued scientists for decades as a way to make fuel and chemicals from the greenhouse gas CO2. Prior research identified copper as a CO2RR catalyst, and has revealed the active sites where electrocatalysis…
Sustainability aids business success
The momentum continues for sustainability projects, as successful sustainability programs are found to be essential for business success Last month, this column discussed the continuing momentum of sustainability…
Adapting thin-film polymers for membrane separation of liquid hydrocarbons
Thin-film polymer membranes have been very effective for industrial-scale desalination of seawater, but have not been used for separation of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures because oil-separation membranes tend to absorb oil components and swell, which eliminates their size-sieving ability to separate…
New lithium-battery production concept offers smaller footprint and higher energy efficiency
The market for lithium-ion batteries continues to grow, driven by demands for consumer electronics, renewable energy storage and electric vehicles. The manufacture of these batteries is itself energy-intensive, with production steps that typically involve creating a slurry for a wet-coating…
A new demonstration plant expands the horizons of post-consumer recycling
Operations are planned to start up soon at a first-of-its-kind recycling demonstration plant in Monthey, Switzerland. Employing a proprietary reaction technology developed by DePoly S.A. (Sion, Switzerland; www.depoly.co), the plant is set to treat up to 500 tons/yr of polyethylene…
Rotary Kiln Repair and Replacement
Rotary kilns, essential in catalyst production, require diligent maintenance. Key considerations are presented here Rotary kilns are essential to catalyst production, facilitating the thermal treatment conditions necessary to help ensure that catalysts can meet performance expectations as efficiently as possible.…
Managing Safety Across Development Stages
For novel process technologies, each development stage brings new safety obligations. This guide provides a practical framework for navigating safety responsibilities from early R&D to commercialization Developing new process technologies — especially those involving hazardous materials or operations at high…
Focus on: Mobile Devices and Apps
Interoperability initiative for edge computing devices This company is the newest member of the Linux Foundation’s Margo Initiative (margo.org), a collaborative open-standards project designed to make edge applications, devices and orchestration software work together seamlessly across multi-vendor industrial automation environments.…
Business News: July 2025
Plant Watch Tosoh to construct new chloroprene rubber plant in Japan June 13, 2025 — Tosoh Corp. (Tokyo; www.tosoh.com) plans to increase its production capacity for chloroprene rubber (CR) by adding a second CR production facility at its Nanyo Complex…
Barrier Management: Driving Process Safety Improvement
The barrier-management approach to process safety can help organizations better understand and proactively address the risk inherent in their operations Facilities in the chemical process industries (CPI) have many barriers in place to prevent or limit the effects of a…