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Molten-salt electrolysis process quickly scales up U.S. cobalt-refining capacity
A proprietary molten-salt electrolysis (MSE) process originally designed for battery manufacturing has now been re-optimized for North America’s first operational cobalt-refining plant. The DirectPlateTM MSE technology developed by Xerion Advanced Battery Corp. (Kettering, Ohio; www.xerionbattery.com; see Direct molten-salt electroplating cuts…
Selecting an Activated Carbon for Regenerable Steam Systems
In adsorption processes using steam to regenerate activated carbon, the carbon’s physical characteristics can greatly impact efficiency and optimization Processes using activated carbon as an adsorbent (Figure 1) can be ideal candidates for regeneration using hot fluids like CO2, CH4,…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Genetic Engineering Tools in Industrial Microbiology
Industrial fermentation using bacteria, yeast and other microbes to produce specific products has the potential to reduce future dependence on fossil-fuel-derived chemicals. To further the economic viability of industrial fermentation processes, engineers have turned to genetic modification to stimulate production…
Non-fluorinated coatings reach new heights with first oil- and water-repellent textile product
As industries and consumers have shown an increasing preference for water and oil repellents that do not include any fluorinated materials, significant efforts and years of research and testing have gone into developing non-fluorinated alternatives. AGC Chemicals Americas, Inc. (AGCCA;…
Product Focus: Seals and gaskets
This pump packing has a modular design The AMPS (Advanced Modular Packing System; photo) is a pump packing system designed to offer superior sealing efficiency and significantly reduce leakage and downtime while extending equipment life. It has a focus on…
Refining Intelligence: Transforming Operations with AI
When challenged by fragmented knowledge and time-intensive manual analysis, artificial intelligence helped to accelerate decision-making during operational events Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept in the chemical process industries (CPI) — it is a present-day driver of…
This single-pot reaction scheme could open the path to recycling used tires
Recycling vehicle tires is complicated because the rubbers used (including butadiene and polyisoprene) are highly cross-linked, and because pyrolysis-based recycling of the rubbers generates environmentally hazardous compounds like benzene and dioxins. Now, researchers at the University of North Carolina at…
Direct cryo-compression of gaseous hydrogen: the “best of both worlds” between liquefaction and compression
Safe and cost-effective storage represents one of the major hurdles in the widespread adoption of “clean” hydrogen in energy applications. A hydrogen-storage approach called cryo-compression is being poised as a bridge between high-density (but expensive) hydrogen liquefaction and cheaper (but…
Use of AI in Chemical Manufacturing
Artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be everywhere in industry, but the nuances of its application are not generally understood completely. Presented here are descriptions of the different subtypes of AI and their main applications currently in chemical processing The term…
Decision-Making with AI-Driven Insights
Chemical processors are harnessing the powerful fusion of advanced analytics and increasing artificial intelligence capabilities to optimize processes and enhance operational productivity As analytical technology matures throughout the process industries, a new generation of chemical process industries (CPI) engineers are…