Graphene has been touted as a “super” material, boasting ultra-high strength, superconductivity and many more superlative properties, but, as a planar two-dimensional material, its commercial use has been limited in terms of reactivity, since reactions can only occur at the…
Improved catalysts and reconfigured reformer designs make steam-methane reforming the most scalable, industry-ready source of ‘blue’ H2 For many decades, steam-methane reforming (SMR) has been, and still is, the technology of choice for the large-scale production of synthesis gas (syngas;…
Electrolyzers are typically associated with the production of “green” hydrogen from water and renewable electricity, but a new device borrows from traditional electrolyzer principles to convert CO2 into propane. A team of researchers from the Electrochemical Energy Materials and Devices…
Construction is underway by AIR Co. (Brooklyn, N.Y.; www.aircompany.com) for a commercial demonstration plant capable of converting captured carbon dioxide into fuel-grade paraffins, as well as ethanol and methanol, in a single step. The facility will be a larger version…
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; Germany; www.kit.edu) have developed a new class of materials — enzyme foams. Normally, foaming modifies the enzyme structure and enzymes lose their biocatalytic activity. The new protein foams, however, are said to…
Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) has developed a chemolysis process for recycling polycarbonate back into monomers. In laboratory trials, the process has been shown to recycle waste streams with more than 50% polycarbonate content into monomers, closing the loop to…
Operations have begun at leading chemical producer Qixiang Tengda’s new propylene oxide complex in Zibo City, China (photo), using technology from Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany) and thyssenkrupp Uhde GmbH (Dortmund, Germany). The technologically integrated setup offers significant ecological and…
Metso Corp. (Helsinki, Finland; www.metso.com) has optimized its existing rotary kiln technology and launched RotarEkiln, an electrically powered, indirectly heated rotary kiln. The electric heating system of the RotarEkiln provides a sustainable alternative to conventional fuel-powered indirect rotary kilns. The…
Most plant-based bioprocesses involve growing plants in outdoor fields or greenhouses, but this is hindered by local climates and available space, and typical product yields are very low per plant, especially for natural active molecules used in pharmaceutical and healthcare…
Processing iron ore is the most carbon-intensive step in the steelmaking process, often using coal as an energy source. A new technology, called Molten Oxide Electrolysis (MOE) aims to decarbonize the iron-ore process through electrification. “In the MOE cell, an…