Researchers from North Carolina State University (Raleigh; www.ncsu.edu) and Qatar University (Doha; www.qu.edu.qa) have developed a new metal alloy that is claimed to have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than any other existing metal material. The low-density, nanocrystalline alloy — Al20Li20Mg10Sc20Ti30…
Last month, Novozymes (Copenhagen, Denmark; www.novozymes.com) launched a new enzyme, dubbed Eversa, which is said to be the first commercially available enzymatic solution to make biodiesel fuels from waste oils. The enzymatic process converts used cooking oil or other lower-grade…
Researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA; www.ucla.edu) Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have created what is claimed to be the first surface texture that can repel all liquids, no matter what material the…
Global Bioenergies (Evry, France; www.global-bioenergies.com) says that last month it developed a proprietary strain of microorganism that directly produces propylene by the fermentation of glucose. The company claims this is the first time propylene has been produced entirely by a…
An encapsulated, biodegradable drilling-fluid additive designed to reduce friction on drill bits and piping inside oil wells has been demonstrated successfully in more than 30 wells across North America following its launch in mid-2014. The lubricant product, known as Encapso,…
Researchers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technologys (AIST) Interdisciplinary Research Center for Catalytic Chemistry (Tsukuba, Japan; www.aist.go.jp) have developed a new reaction process to synthesize aromatic urethane — a promising starting material for the production of…
Meanwhile, a new class of highly fluorinated polymers is being developed at the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; Karlsruhe, Germany; www.kit.edu) that repels both water and oil. Last month, IMT was awarded €2.85 million funding…
If the word “modular” brings to mind a trailer office parked on site, it’s time to revisit modular systems. Today’s modular system go well beyond office space and tool sheds, and can contain almost anything from a skid-mounted filtration system…
Enzymes, nature’s catalysts, have been used in industrial processes for centuries. Now, they are coming into their own in the chemical process industries (CPI). As green chemistry becomes an industry mantra, pressures to reduce product cost, facility carbon footprint and…
A wide range of factors must be taken into account before selecting the most appropriate reforming technology From the agrochemicals sector to steel production, from petroleum refineries to chemicals production — many sectors of the chemical process industries (CPI) would…