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Processing & Handling

Recently published books for April 2024

The following list is a selection of recently published books that may have relevance for parts of the chemical process industries (CPI):  Processing of Biomass Waste: Technological Upgradation and Advancement. Edited by Angana Sarkar and Ulla Lassi, Elsevier Press, March…

Preventing Clogs in Low-Flow Coriolis Mass-Flow Controllers

In low-flow applications, Coriolis mass-flow controllers can be susceptible to clogging due to their small orifice. Filtration can solve most common clogging issues. Here are tips for filtration and clog prevention Advanced material and catalyst research, as well as critical…

Biomanufacturing process minimizes CO2 loss in fermentation

Fermentation processes provide essential pathways for many chemicals, but are often hampered by high costs and low yields due to CO2 losses. To overcome these concerns, ZymoChem (San Leandro, Calif.; www.zymochem.com) has developed the patented Carbon Conservation fermentation technology. “Typically,…

Chementator briefs

Waste heat Last month, Evonik Industries AG (Essen; www.evonik.com) and Uniper (Düsseldorf, both Germany; www.uniper.energy) launched the Technical Options for Thermal Energy Recovery (TORTE) project in Gelsenkirchen. As one of the first phases of Evonik’s Herne Green Deal to sustainably…

A modularized method to make low-carbon methanol

Stranded methane in waste streams and flare gases at remote processing sites is a promising untapped resource. Now, with a new modular technology, companies can take advantage of this hydrocarbon-containing stream while also reducing their methane emissions. M2X Energy (Rockledge,…

Autonomous synthesis robot uses AI to speed up chemical discovery

Chemists at the University of Amsterdam (UvA; the Netherlands; www.uva.nl) have developed an autonomous chemical-synthesis robot with an integrated artificial-intelligence (AI)-driven machine learning unit. Dubbed “RoboChem,” the benchtop device can outperform a human chemist in terms of speed and accuracy,…

Bacteria engineered to produce spider silk in plastic ‘microbial upcycling’ project

Spider silk protein generates significant development interest due to its unique combination of properties, including high toughness and strength, extensibility, biocompatibility, thermal stability and others. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI; Troy, N.Y.; www.rpi.edu) have developed what is said to…

Accelerating scaleup for battery-grade silicon-enhanced graphite

Incorporating silicon into the anodes of electric vehicle (EV) batteries can result in lighter and longer-range batteries. However, this process requires large volumes of silane (SiH4) gas, the vast majority of which is currently produced in China. Now, a new…

A new project targeting emissions-free pulping

The Emission Free Pulping program aims to significantly reduce biomass burning and increase the product yield of wood material used for pulping from approximately 50 to around 70%. The five-year, €15-million program is jointly led by VTT Technical Research Centre…

Upcycling polyethylene into thermoplastic polyurethane

A first-of-its-kind plastics-recycling technology is being demonstrated in a new pilot plant in India. Novoloop (Menlo Park, Calif.; www.novoloop.com), in partnership with Aether Industries (Gujarat, India; www.aether.co.in), is developing an integrated pilot plant to scale up Novoloop’s Lifecycling technology, which…