Sumitomo Chemical Co. (Tokyo, Japan) and the National Institute of Technology Asahikawa College announced that they will accelerate joint research on a catalyst and a process for low environmental impact commercial production of turquoise hydrogen, along with joint research into…
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen) and MAN Energy Solutions SE (Augsburg, both Germany) have entered into a strategic partnership to pursue the construction of an industrial-scale heat pump at the BASF site in Ludwigshafen. This project is intended to make an important…
The Green Chemistry Challenge Awards recognize scientific solutions to environmental problems that reduce hazards associated with the design, manufacture and use of chemicals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention sponsors the awards in…
Biogas plants play an important role in defossilization — anaerobic bacteria in these plants break down biomass to form biogas which, on average, comprises up to 60% methane and more than 40% CO2. While the biogas is used to generate…
A new membrane for separating emulsions is being fabricated using recycled carbon-fiber production scraps from aerospace manufacturing. “We think this is the first membrane of its type to be constructed from recycled carbon fibers,” explains Shuaifei Zhao, senior research fellow…
Plant Watch Solvay completes PVDF capacity expansion in Changshu June 13, 2022 — Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) has significantly increased production capacity for polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) at the company’s site in Changshu, China. Solvay has now more than doubled…
A new steam-fed electrolyzer aims to bridge the gap between liquid-water electrolyzers, many of which require exotic materials and intricate membranes, and solid-oxide electrolyzers, which require superheated steam and temperatures as high as 800°C. This ‘symbiotic’ electrolyzer, developed by Advanced…
Cellulosic ethanol Clariant AG (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com) has produced the first commercial cellulosic ethanol at its sunliquid production plant in Podari, Romania. The entire offtake is contracted with a multi-year agreement to Shell. Over the last six months, the plant…
Platinum is widely used for many catalytic reactions, and because the precious metal is so expensive, efforts have been ongoing to reduce the amount of Pt required to perform reactions. Among these efforts are the use of nano-dispersions, clusters and…
X-Materials (Orlando, Fla.; www.x-materials.com), the advanced materials division of Semplastics Inc., has developed a method for manufacturing a coal-containing ceramic polymer-composite material that is being used to make building materials, such as roofing tiles, as well as other products. According…