Scientists at the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL; Upton, N.Y.; www.bnl.gov) and collaborators at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL; Laurel Hollow, N.Y.; www.cshl.edu) have genetically engineered a strain of duckweed (Lemna japonica) to produce high yields of…
Hollow silica particles (HSPs) are materials of interest for thermal insulation applications because of their very low thermal conductivity, but the particles pose health hazards and the powder is impractical to use, so scientists have been trying to incorporate HSPs…
Last month, Metso Outotec Corp. (Helsinki, Finland; www.mogroup.com) introduced NextGen Pelletizing — a visionary concept for the next generation of iron-ore pelletizing plants that strive to be carbon neutral and autonomous. According to the company, the combination of innovations —…
Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysis uses a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) that integrates the electrolyte membrane and electrode (diagram). Large-scale hydrogen conversion of electricity requires a large number of MEAs, which is a drawback for scaleup, because the MEA relies on…
E-Cracking Last month, construction began on the world’s first demonstration plant for large-scale, electrically heated steam cracker furnaces. The demonstration plant will be fully integrated into one of the existing steam crackers at BASF’s Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. It…
In August, Synhelion S.A. (Lugano, Switzerland; www.synhelion.com) became the first company in the world to produce synthesis gas (syngas) on an industrial scale using only solar heat as an energy source. The milestone occurred on the multifocus solar tower of…
At Achema 2022 (Frankfurt am Main, Germany; August 22–26), a new compressor designed for hydrogen service was launched by Aerzen Machinenfabrik GmbH (Aerzen, Germany; www.aerzen.com). “We consider this solution to be the game changer in the market,” said Michael Leitsch,…
Honeywell says that Biotrend Energy (Istanbul, Turkey) will apply Honeywell’s UpCycle process technology in Biotrend Energy’s planned plastics recycling factory in Turkey. The facility will convert mixed waste plastics into recycled polymer feedstock (RPF), enabling the development of a circular…
Thyssenkrupp Uhde (Dortmund, Germany) has won an order from Nippon Coke & Engineering Co., Ltd. (NCE; Tokyo, Japan) to build and supply a new low-emission, top-charge coke oven battery in Japan. The new battery will be installed at the Kitakyushu…
In Wunsiedel, Upper Franconia, one of Germany’s largest green hydrogen generation plants has been planned digitally and commissioned by Siemens AG (Munich, Germany), demonstrating the key role hydrogen can play in Germany’s energy future. Around one year after the official…