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Making 1,3-PDO from glycerin

The research groups of Keiichi Fujishige at Tohoku University (Sendai, www.che.tohoku.ac.jp/~erec) and Daicel Corp. (Osaka, both Japan; www.daicel.com) have developed a process for making 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) from glycerin, a byproduct of biodiesel-fuel production. The researchers improved a catalyst developed by…

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Simplified CO2-to-methanol process uses copper-oxide nanowires

A process developed by researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington (www.uta.edu) uses copper-based semiconductor nanoscale-rod arrays and solar radiation to carry out a photoelectroreduction of carbon dioxide to methanol. The process offers a pathway to utilize the greenhouse…

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First application of sulfuric acid heap leach to vanadium

Following a positive feasibility study, American Vanadium Corp. (Vancouver, B.C.; www.americanvanadium.com) will construct the world’s first sulfuric acid heap-leach mining operation for vanadium at a specific geologic formation in central Nevada, known as Gibellini Hill. The project is currently in…

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A hybrid acid catalyst makes levulinate from cellulose

Ken-ichi Tominaga and colleagues at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST; Tsukuba, Japan; www.aist.go.jp) have developed a hybrid catalyst system that can be used to convert cellulose into levulinic acid. The catalyst consists of two types…

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Nano-engineering infuses growing coatings market

The continuous quest to maximize process efficiency and boost product performance, in which all sectors of the chemical process industries (CPI) are engaged, is driving demand for technologically advanced coatings. And engineering at the nanoscale level is an increasingly common…

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A method to produce an iron-titanium alloy for H2-storage

A new and inexpensive way to produce TiFe — an alloy with potential as a material for reversibly storing hydrogen — has been developed by the research groups of professors Zenji Horita and Etsuo Akiba at Kyushu University (Fukuoka, Japan;…

Single-Use Strategies

Single-use equipment has come a long way from its modest origins as a convenient storage and transportation method. As a matter of fact, recent market trends and business drivers have made disposable equipment, with its inherent benefits, so attractive to…

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MOFs that reversibly capture CO2

An Australian team has developed a structure made of a metal organic framework (MOF) that captures and then releases CO2 using natural sunlight. The team includes researchers from: CSIRO Division of Materials Science and Engineering, (Clayton South, Victoria; www.csiro.au) the…

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Production facility for stabilized sodium slated for startup

A new plant for manufacturing sodium silicide (Na4Si4;diagram), a non-flammable, air-stable powder that reacts with water to generate pure hydrogen, is under development near Niagara Falls, N.Y. by SiGNa Chemistry Inc. (New York; signachem.com). Scheduled for startup in the third…

Focus on Seals & Gaskets

Avoid pipe corrosion with this spacer Trelleborg Group Flexspacer has been developed to effectively create an air gap between topside pipelines and thermal insulation, thereby avoiding the corrosion that can occur when using traditional insulation systems such as mineral wool.…