Aluminum smelting operations require molten cryolite, also commonly called bath, to serve as the electrolyte and dissolve alumina. A typical smelter produces excess bath over time, and there are few markets for reuse or recycle of this material, especially as…
A new approach to enzyme engineering has overcome many of the operating challenges associated with large-scale bio-based manufacturing processes by designing enzymes that can thrive outside living cells, eliminating complexity and improving reaction yields. eXoZymes’ (Monrovia, Calif.; www.exozymes.com) cell-free enzyme…
Decreasing the dependence on expensive platinum-group metals like iridium is vital for the expansion of “green” hydrogen production via proton-exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis. Efforts to develop lower-iridium catalytic components for electrolysis have typically focused on mixing iridium into a…
A team of scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL; Richland, Wash.; www.pnnl.gov) recently unveiled a modified version of the “superalloy” Inconel 617, in which cobalt — a component of the alloy that is also a critical material with significant…
VARO Energy (Zug, Switzerland) has reached agreement to acquire Preem Holding AB and Preem AB (Stockholm, Sweden), Sweden’s largest fuel company, through the purchase of 100% of the share capital of the parent company, Corral Petroleum Holdings AB (CPH), in…
Toyo Engineering Korea Ltd., a subsidiary of Toyo Engineering Corp. (Tokyo), has been awarded a contract by BGFecospecialty (BGFesp) for the construction of the plant to produce 50,000 tons per year of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF). Toyo-Korea will be responsible…
Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. (Tokyo) will make investments at two of its bases, the subsidiary SE Tylose GmbH & Co. KG (Wiesbaden, Germany) and the Naoetsu Plant (in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, Japan) to strengthen its pharmaceutical cellulose business. In Germany, a…
O-I Glass, Inc. () and Linde plc announced plans to install Linde’s proprietary OPTIMELT Thermochemical Regenerator (TCR) technology at O-I’s container glass plant in Holzminden, Germany. This collaboration is expected to significantly reduce both fuel consumption and fuel-based Scope 1…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB; Washington, D.C.; www.csb.gov) recently released its final investigation report into the November 19, 2023, fire at the Marathon Martinez Renewables facility in Martinez, CA. The incident seriously injured one employee, who suffered…
Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany) has announced that it will open a specifically developed, automated laboratory for optimizing coating and adhesive formulations to provide even better support to its customers in 2025. "With our automated laboratory, we can work together with…