A new recycling process claims to significantly reduce the complexity of recovering graphite from spent lithium-ion battery (LIB) materials by leaching out impurities rather than leaching out metal. By extracting impurities and recovering high-grade graphite, the Hydro-to-Anode technology, developed by…
A mixed-salt process (MSP) designed to reduce the costs and increase the energy efficiency of removing carbon dioxide from post-combustion fluegas is advancing in two related projects. In the first, a 10-MW engineering-scale demonstration plant for the MSP is under…
A new catalytic recycling method that avoids harsh processing conditions could widely expand the recyclability of a broad range of plastics, including polycarbonates, polyesters and mixed-waste feeds. Researchers from the Center for Sustainable and Circular Technologies (CSCT; www.ccst.ac.uk) at the…
Utilizing rare-earth elements (REEs), such as for permanent magnets in renewable energy applications, requires costly chemical separations that generate large volumes of waste. A process featuring new diglycolamide (DGA)-based ligands and liquid-liquid extraction exhibits more effective separation of individual REEs,…
As the cost of renewable energy decreases, many organizations are looking to electrify their operations to reduce carbon emissions. One promising area for decarbonization is industrial heating, which accounts for a large fraction of global emissions. However, heating networks in…
2D polymer Chemical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; Cambridge; www.mit.edu) have synthesized two-dimensional sheets of polyaramide. The achievement, described in a February issue of Nature, is said to be the first time a polymer has been grown…
Last month, Cemex, S.A.B. de C.V. (Cemex; Monterrey, Mexico; www.cemex.com) and Synhelion SA (Lugano, Switzerland; www.synhelion.com) successfully connected the clinker production process with the Synhelion solar receiver to produce solar clinker. The milestone is a first step towards fully solar-driven…
Converting propane to propylene by oxidative dehydrogenation with CO2 is an alternative route to conventional propane dehydrogenation, but existing catalysts for this conversion are not very efficient. Now, in a study described in a recent issue of Nature Catalysis, researchers…
The presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater and groundwater has garnered increased attention as a health and environmental issue because of their recalcitrance and bioaccumulation. To complement existing PFAS separation technologies, the Battelle Memorial Institute (Columbus, Ohio;…
A new ultra-rapid plasma-based process could significantly expand the availability of premium materials for battery applications. Developed by 6K, Inc. (North Andover, Mass.; www.6kinc.com), UniMelt is a single-pass, continuous process that employs a proprietary microwave torch technology to create a…