Chemical Engineering
Printable gel electrolytes support bespoke battery architectures
Unlike conventional liquid electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries, gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) are immobilized within a polymer network, which reduces leakage risks, thereby improving mechanical and thermal stability. However, current methods for GPE fabrication result only in two-dimensional planar films,…
Eco-friendly method for making MOF-encapsulated enzymes expands possibilities
Enzyme-based biocatalysts are a key aspect of industrial green-chemistry initiatives, but they often don’t have the required stability to perform in industrial settings. A strategy for allowing enzymes to function longer and under harsher conditions has been to encapsulate them…
Electro-extraction technique unlocks copper in waste streams
Initiatives to increase electrification and build digital infrastructure for artificial intelligence are among the trends increasing demand for copper (and other critical materials), prompting efforts to identify new sources of the metal. The startup company SiTration (Watertown, Mass.; www.sitration.com), a…
A more straightforward condensation route from bioethanol to linear alcohols
Linear alcohols, such as butanol, hexanol and octanol are widely used in coatings, adhesives, surfactants, detergents, lubricants, cosmetics and many other products, as well as fuels. Typical industrial methods for producing these alcohols rely on fossil resources and low-selectivity mechanisms…
Alkaline thermal process generates hydrogen fuel from mixed plastic waste
A team of researchers from the Ewha Women’s University (Seoul, South Korea; www.ewha.ac.kr) and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA; www.ucla.edu) have taken a step toward addressing one of the main challenges in plastics recycling — economically processing…
SLB to acquire thermal management firm Kelvion for around $3.4 billion
SLB N.V. (Houston, Tex.) announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Kelvion Holding GmbH (Herne, Germany), a global provider of thermal management and heat exchange technologies. The acquisition strengthens SLB's Data Center Solutions business with critical thermal management technologies…
Air Products expands hydrogenation capabilities at Allentown chemicals and refinery process lab
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (Allentown, Pa.), the world's largest supplier of hydrogen, today announced that it has expanded the hydrogenation capabilities of its state-of-the-art Chemicals and Refinery Process Lab located at its Global Corporate Headquarters in Allentown, Pennsylvania. "The…
Germany’s first CO2 export terminal takes a step closer to commercial development
Ambrian Energy GmbH (Bremen, Germany) and Messer SE & Co. KGaA (Bad Soden, Germany) announce that the planned joint venture "CarbonBridge" has successfully received antitrust approval from the European Commission. This milestone paves the way for the development of the…
Ammobia and Lummus Technology partner on modular ammonia-production technology
Ammobia Inc. (San Francisco, Calif.), a developer of breakthrough low-cost, modular ammonia production technology, announced an agreement with Lummus Technology LLC (Houston, Texas) to license and deploy Ammobia's ammonia production system. Through this partnership, Ammobia's production technology is to be…
OMV Petrom expands green hydrogen production capacity at Petrobrazi refinery
OMV Petrom S.A. (Bucharest, Romania) announced the delivery of all seven modules for its second green hydrogen electrolyzer, with a capacity of 35 MW, at the Petrobrazi refinery. Together with the previously announced 20-MW unit, the total installed green hydrogen…