Processing & Handling
Decarbonizing cement production using solar-thermal energy
Last month, the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE; Washington, D.C.; www.energy.gov) awarded $3.2 million in funding for the Solar MEAD project, which aims to decarbonize cement production. This joint project is headed by Cemex, S.A.B. de C.V. (Cemex; Monterrey, Mexico;…
A new milestone for durable fuel-cell membranes
For the first time, a hydrocarbon-based membrane has passed the performance and durability testing standards set by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE; Washington, D.C.; www.energy.gov) for heavy-duty fuel-cell applications. Typically, membranes in fuel cells are made of perfluorinated materials…
Converting waste polyolefins to isoalkanes
Chemical recycling of waste polyolefins is difficult to achieve economically partly because of the stability of carbon-carbon bonds in the plastics. In a new approach, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL; Richland, Wash.; www.pnnl.gov) and the Technical University of…
KBR Launches SCOREKlean — a Zero Emissions Olefins Technology
KBR (Houston) announced today the launch of SCOREKlean, a proprietary ethylene and propylene process technology utilizing 100% hydrogen-fueled burners for zero emissions from the ethylene cracking furnaces. By achieving zero emissions from ethylene cracking furnaces, SCOREKlean will play a major…
Canatu increases CNT film production capacity
Carbon nanomaterial developer Canatu Oy (Vantaa, Finland) has upgraded its carbon nanotube (CNT) film manufacturing to meet the rising demand for ADAS heater products in the automotive industry. Canatu has improved its step-and-repeat (SAR) CNT film production line by adding…
Shell Blue Hydrogen Process wins Humber H2ub process design package contract
The international energy company Uniper SE (Düsseldorf, Germany), and Shell UK Ltd. (London), have awarded Shell Catalysts & Technologies a contract to deliver a process design package for the Humber H2ub project, using the Shell Blue Hydrogen Process (SBHP). The…
This coating boosts the efficiency of perovskite solar cells
Perovskite materials have great potential as a lightweight and low-cost option for solar panels, but in the past have not been seen as stable or durable enough for widespread use in large-scale solar-power installations. Now, a new coating developed by…
Chementator briefs
ODC Technology Last month, Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) started up a new world-scale facility for the production of chlorine in Tarragona, Spain. It is the first world-scale production plant for chlorine based upon the oxygen-depolarized cathode (ODC) technology invented…
Integrated capture and conversion of CO2 to methanol
Processes that capture carbon dioxide from industrial fluegas and simultaneously convert it into useful chemicals are desirable because they offer an opportunity to produce CO2-derived chemicals more efficiently and economically than conventional approaches, where costs are driven up by the…
More sustainable curing technology for coil coatings
Coil coating is a continuous process for producing prepainted sheets of metal (steel or aluminum), which can then be fabricated into various building and other materials. Because organic coating materials are used, the process requires substantial energy for the curing…