Over decades of experimentation, molten-salt nuclear reactors have been shown to deliver high-temperature heat and extremely efficient electricity at reduced pressures. However, these reactors have yet to make the leap into widespread industrial adoption. Terrestrial Energy Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.; www.terrestrialenergy.com)…
Synthesis of methanol from carbon dioxide is among the key goals for net-zero-CO2 production of chemicals and fuels. Previous investigation has suggested that indium oxide could serve as an effective catalyst for this reaction, but the structural details of the…
A process for making pigments from cellulose for use in cosmetics, food and coatings applications has scaled up from a 1-ton/yr pilot unit to a process capable of generating multiple-hundreds of tons per year in a toll-manufacturing setting. The cellulose-derived…
Direct battery-recycling methods, such as re-lithiation — where depleted lithium is replenished directly onto cathodes via a solid-state reaction — hold many benefits over indirect methods, such as those relying on hydrometallurgy or pyrometallurgy, where cathodic structures are destroyed in…
A team of researchers at Iowa State University (ISU; Ames; www.iastate.edu) have developed a new bioreactor concept that streamlines production of value-added bioproducts at smaller scales by integrating three process steps (fermentation, product extraction and separation) into a single, compact…
This pressure transmitter works without a PLC The 4051S pressure transmitter (photo) provides local real-time control, eliminating the need for a separate device, such as a programmable logic controller. This functionality is provided by two relay switches, each of which…
Flexible intermediate bulk containers (fIBCs) are large, collapsible woven containers designed for transporting and storing of dry, flowable materials, such as powders, grains and granules, in industrial settings. This one-page reference summarizes the available options for flexible IBCs. Normally made…
Textile waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally, and there are limited options available to efficiently recycle end-of-life textiles into useful materials. A new recycling approach developed by Renasens (Stockholm, Sweden; www.renasens.com) utilizes supercritical CO2 to recover intact…
Conventional ethylene production via steam cracking of ethane or naphtha leads to the emission of 1 ton of CO2 for every ton of ethylene produced. Given the carbon intensity of the process and the annual volume of ethylene produced (300…
Ammonia is a critical input for agricultural fertilizers, but NH3 production is plagued by volatile prices, difficult global logistics and high CO2 emissions. A new NH3-production system from the startup TalusAg (Austin, Texas; www.talusag.com) addresses these challenges with a modular…