Researchers from the College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University (Nanjing, China; www.njtech.edu.cn) have developed a new strategy for forming lithium ion-sieve membranes to achieve an efficient recovery of lithium ions from brine or seawater. Spinel lithium manganese oxide ion-sieves…
Site commissioning is underway at a facility in Nebraska that uses plasma pyrolysis to generate hydrogen gas and carbon black from natural gas without any local carbon dioxide emissions. The developer, Monolith Materials (Lincoln, Neb.; www.monolithmaterials.com), scaled up the process…
A new rejuvenator technology aims to improve the chemistry and service life of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). The Invigorate additive, developed by Colorbiotics (Ames, Iowa; www.colorbiotics.com) based on Iowa State University research (www.iastate.edu), helps overcome issues with asphaltene aggregation and…
A new project in Canada will build a pilot facility to demonstrate a carbon-neutral production strategy for battery-grade graphite materials. Nouveau Monde Graphite (Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Québec, Canada; www.nouveaumonde.ca) has signed an agreement with Olin Corp. (Clayton, Mo.; www.olin.com) to construct two…
DESALINATION The challenge for large-scale desalination is to improve the performance of membranes used for reverse osmosis. One promising method is to introduce artificial water channels (AWCs) into synthetic membranes, to imitate the aquaporins of biological proteins for transporting water.…
Platinum has been the main catalyst for hydrogen-producing reactions, but it has a low affinity for water molecules. This results in a slow rate of water electrolysis. Attempts have been made to combine metal-sulfide with platinum nanoparticles that promote water…
The recently launched H2@Scale project is integrating a number of elements necessary for the commercial-scale integrated production and use of renewable hydrogen. Hosted by the University of Texas at Austin (www.utexas.edu) and funded through the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy…
Ethylene Last month, Linde GmbH (Pullach, Germany; www.linde.com) and Shell (den Hague, the Netherlands; www.shell.com) announced an exclusive collaboration agreement on ethane-oxidative dehydrogenation (E-ODH) technology for ethylene production. The catalytic process is an alternative route to ethane steam cracking, offering…
A patented polymer material developed by Kraton Corp. (Houston; www.kraton.com) has shown rapid antimicrobial capabilities with expected long-lasting self-disinfecting efficacy. Currently pursuing regulatory review in the U.S. and other select countries for use as an antimicrobial agent, Biaxam is a…
A new modular process based on microwave-plasma reactors aims to efficiently convert natural gas into acetylene and H2 without combustion or CO2 formation. Transform Materials LLC (Riviera Beach, Fla.; www.transformmaterials.com) has designed a reactor that overcomes some of the previous…