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Plasma plays a part in cleaner ammonia production
Despite the abundance of nitrogen and hydrogen, industrial ammonia synthesis remains an energy-intensive process. Electrochemical methods have been suggested as potentially lower-energy alternatives to traditional ammonia synthesis, but these newer technologies often struggle with achieving key performance metrics. By integrating…
New screening method reveals microbial enzymes for breaking down PET
Breaking down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into its constituent monomers under mild conditions is a key goal of plastics recycling. Knowledge of how many naturally occurring enzymes are capable of breaking down PET, and which would be most effective in industrial…
Editor’s page: The expanding role of AI in process operations
Respondents to a Q4 2024 survey of industrial leaders conducted by the ARC Advisory Group (Dedham, Mass.; www.arcweb.com) ranked artificial intelligence (AI) first, by a relatively large margin, among the digital technologies that they expect to be the most impactful…
Expanded database tool for olivine samples
Olivine, a magnesium-iron silicate mineral, is common in the earth’s subsurface, and can sometimes contain other valuable elements, such as cobalt, manganese and nickel. Olivine has been explored as a possible sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide in carbon-capture methods that…
Aerogel insulation
A pilot plant intended to manufacture silica aerogel products for different applications, including spray insulation, is being planned by the company Aeroskin Tech AG (Zurich, Switzerland; www.aeroskintech.com). Aerogels are dried gels that maintain their volume when dried, and have nanoscale…
Algae-based wastewater treatment with lower energy consumption
Algae show promise for removing nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen from wastewater due to their natural absorption abilities. However, the widespread use of algae-based wastewater treatment is limited by challenges related to system footprint, mass transfer and maintaining optimal conditions…
Efficient cavitation-based method for challenging oil separations
Many separation processes depend on chemical or thermal principles, such as solvent extraction or distillation, but in some cases, mechanical methods can provide effective separations with lower cost and energy requirements. Eirex (Vaughan, Ont., Canada; www.eirex.ca) has developed a proprietary…
A new motor designed with sanitary processing in mind
Launched at the International Production & Processing Expo 2025, Baldor-Reliance Food Safe SP5+ motor (photo) is said to be the world’s first IP69-certified ultra-premium efficient motor. Built for food and beverage applications, the motor’s IP69-rated stainless-steel construction is engineered to…
Business News: March 2025
Plant Watch LG Chem set to commence production of bio-based acrylic acid February 13, 2025 — LG Chem Ltd. (Seoul, South Korea; www.lgchem.com) will commence the production of bio-based acrylic acid in the second quarter of 2025, with plans to…
Show Preview: Interphex
Interphex 2025 (www.interphex.com) is taking place April 1–3 at the Javits Center in New York City. This event is targeted at professionals in the pharmaceutical manufacturing and biotechnology sectors. An exhibit hall with over 500 exhibitors will show-case the latest…