Chemical Engineering
LG Chem and Zeiss announce alliance on photopolymer film for holographic displays
Zeiss (Jena, Germany; www.zeiss.com), known worldwide for expertise in optics and photonics, and LG Chem (Seoul, South Korea; www.lgchem.com), a leader in advanced materials, announced their strategic alliance that stands for robust, sustainable, and innovative photopolymer film supply on industrial…
November 2025 editorial roundup
The following is a video of senior editors Mary Page Bailey and Scott Jenkins discussing some of the highlights from the November 2025 issue of Chemical Engineering. To watch, click the video link below: YouTube Link https://youtu.be/11eYPn5G-MA
MOF story shows science’s strengths
In October, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize for chemistry to three pioneers who were instrumental in the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Richard Robson (University of Melbourne; www.unimelb.edu.au), Susumu Kitagawa (Kyoto University; www.kyoto-u.ac.jp and…
Novel electrolyzer reshapes power conversion and efficiency for green-hydrogen production
Eliminating the traditional electrolyte from electrolysis, a new electrolyzer design is aiming for higher efficiencies and lower costs in green hydrogen production. Tobe Energy (Oklahoma City, Okla.; www.tobe.energy) has developed a high-voltage all-stainless-steel electrolysis system that operates at much lower…
Considerable scaleup underway for continuous carbon-fiber recycling
Carbon-fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) are used in a broad range of products, including automotive parts, construction materials and many others. Economically recycling these materials has proven challenging due to their multi-material makeup. Typically, they are chopped into pellets or strips…
Decarbonizing with Large-Scale Heat Pumps
Decarbonizing industrial process heat is challenging. Heat pumps offer a path to convert previously unused waste heat into low-carbon steam Industrial operations are notoriously difficult to decarbonize, but a project currently underway in Germany illustrates that there are viable pathways…
Business News: November 2025
Plant Watch World-scale black pellet plant begins commercial operation in Vietnam October 14, 2025 — Idemitsu Kosan Co. (Tokyo; www.idemitsu.com) has commenced commercial operation of its newly constructed plant in Gia Lai Province, Vietnam, to produce black pellets (BP), a…
“Chemical sorting” process improves separation rate of solid contaminants from automotive waste
Processes to reuse plastics from end-of-life vehicles are complicated by solid contaminants — including pre-embedded metal and rubber components of different sizes and reinforcing glass fiber. Currently, recycling solids-containing waste-plastic parts is accomplished by physical sorting processes. Honda (Tokyo, Japan;…
First continuous and scalable ambient pathway to electrically conductive plastics
Electrically conductive plastics, also known as conjugated polymers, bring many cutting-edge benefits for flexible sensors, medical devices, energy-storage systems and more. They are currently produced at relatively small volumes and come with extremely high prices. A novel technology discovered at…
Improved version of PFAS capture-and-destruction technology commissioned in Germany
Following regulations for drinking water, increasingly stringent limits for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in industrial wastewater are anticipated, necessitating improved technology to handle higher rates of removal, as well as to destroy the compounds in concentrated samples. Gradiant (Boston,…