Chemical Engineering
Scaled up facility under construction for single-step, CO2-to-fuels process
Construction is underway by AIR Co. (Brooklyn, N.Y.; www.aircompany.com) for a commercial demonstration plant capable of converting captured carbon dioxide into fuel-grade paraffins, as well as ethanol and methanol, in a single step. The facility will be a larger version…
Immobilizing enzymes as a stable, active foam
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; Germany; www.kit.edu) have developed a new class of materials — enzyme foams. Normally, foaming modifies the enzyme structure and enzymes lose their biocatalytic activity. The new protein foams, however, are said to…
Breaking New Ground: AI’s Role in Biomanufacturing
Advanced technologies employing artificial intelligence (AI) and deep-learning models can reshape product inspection and quality control in bioprocesses, but users must understand both the capabilities and limitations of such digital platforms for optimal implementation Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the…
Piloting a chemical-recycling process for polycarbonate plastics
Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) has developed a chemolysis process for recycling polycarbonate back into monomers. In laboratory trials, the process has been shown to recycle waste streams with more than 50% polycarbonate content into monomers, closing the loop to…
Preventing Dust Explosions with Flow Analysis
Dust collection systems are often designed using simple rules of thumb that may not be sufficient for proper operation. Flow analysis can ensure that the systems meet requirements The presence of dust is one of the many potential causes for…
Unlocking the commercial feasibility of graphene-based water sensors
A new, non-intrusive screening method developed by researchers from the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) at the University of Chicago (pme.uchicago.edu), as well as Argonne National Laboratory (Lemont, Ill.; www.anl.gov) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (www.uwm.edu), shows promise for…
Solar cells integrated into car hoods
In recent years, some car manufacturers have developed vehicles that integrate photovoltaic cells into the roof — the easiest surface to use for onboard solar-power generation. Now, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE; Freiburg, Germany;…
IOCL awards propylene purification contract to Nuberg EPC
Nuberg EPC (New Delhi, India), a global engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company, has been awarded the PPP contract by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) for the design, engineering, manufacturing, supply and commissioning of a Propylene Purification Package at IOCL…
Eastman to sell Texas City operations to Ineos for $490 million
Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.) announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Texas City Operations, located in Texas City, Texas, to INEOS Acetyls, a global manufacturer and supplier of acetic acid and related chemicals owned by…
DuPont opens new adhesives plant in China
DuPont (Wilmington, Del.) has officially opened its new adhesives production facility in Zhangjiagang (ZJG), East China. The new facility will produce adhesives to serve customers in the transportation industry, primarily in lightweighting and fast-growing vehicle electrification applications. The facility, with…