Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS; Ibaraki, Japan; www.nims.go.jp), along with Harvard University (Cambridge, Mass.; www.harvard.edu) and the University of Connecticut (Storrs, Conn.; www.uconn.edu), have designed a new imaging device that uses structural colors — visible colors that change…
Stainless steels are common materials for process equipment and components in the chemical process industries in large part because of their corrosion resistance. This one-page reference reviews the properties of stainless steels with regard to corrosion resistance. Passive layer Stainless…
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore; www.ntu.edu.sg) have developed a technique to convert waste paper, from single-use packaging, bags and cardboard boxes, into electrodes, which can be made into rechargeable batteries that power mobile phones, medical equipment and…
New equipment and systems for high-throughput and parallel experiments are speeding the development of catalysts and optimizing processes for both traditional and emerging industries High-throughput screening has been used for many years in the pharmaceutical industry, especially for drug discovery.…
Isosorbide is a glucose-derived, rigid, secondary diol monomer that can impart favorable mechanical, barrier and thermal properties to condensation polymers, such as polyesters. However, for the past two decades, it has not been possible to synthesize fully bio-based poly (isosorbide…
Developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; Cambridge, Mass.; www.mit.edu), these durable, flexible solar cells are glued to a strong, lightweight fabric, making them easy to install on a fixed surface. They are one-hundredth the weight of…
BTX extraction A newly launched series of blended solvents for the extraction of benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX) from a variety of feeds shows improved performance over single solvents, while avoiding environmentally problematic solvent components. The series, known as BTX…
Granular activated carbon (GAC) can be used to remove polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from groundwater and drinking water, but current methods to regenerate spent GAC are costly and require high temperatures of greater than 1,000°C. A team of scientists at Battelle…
Microorganisms populate nearly any habitat, no matter how hostile it is. Their great variety of survival strategies is of huge potential in biotechnology. However, most of these organisms are unknown, because they cannot be cultivated. To make better use of…
The following lists recently published books of relevance to the chemical process industries (CPI): The Other Side of Safety: Moving from Results-Based to Behavior-Based. By Robert Palmer, CRC Press, 2023, 154 pages, $71.96. A New Approach to HAZOP of Complex…