With a separate algae-based technology, Algal Scientific has invented a sterile fermentation process for making beta-1,3-glucan from algae that has lower costs than those associated with fermenting the molecule with yeast. Beta-1,3-glucan is a polysaccharide that boosts immune-system function in…
Technology developed by Algal Scientific Corp. (Northville, Mich.; www.algalscientific.com) uses algae to remove soluble organics, nitrogen and phosphorous from medium- to high-strength wastewaters in a single step. The technology is an alternative to multistep treatment processes involving the use of…
Conventional hydrogen-based systems designed to store electrical energy (from solar arrays, for example) typically feed electricity to a proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) electrolyzer to generate H2 from water. This H2 is then compressed and stored in a cylinder, or as a metal…
In April, a demonstration plant started up that makes bioethanol from cassava residue — a byproduct of tapioca production. The demonstration plant, located at the cassava starch plant of EBP Ethanol Co. in Sa Kaeo Province, Thailand, is part of…
Pilot bioreactor A next-generation photobioreactor is scheduled to be installed in June at the Orlando, Fla. pilot facility of biofeedstock company Proterro (Ewing, N.J.; www.proterro.com). Proterro is working with advanced fabrics and engineering firm ILC Dover (Dover, Del.; www.ilcdover.com)…
Last April, Siemens Energy (Erlangen, Germany; www.siemens.com/energy) introduced the Siemens organic Rankine cycle (ORC) modules, which enable operators of industrial plants to generate power from low-temperature (around 300°C) waste heat. Unlike a conventional Rankine cycle, which converts water to steam,…
Last month, a new bioethanol-dehydration process was introduced by its developers Axens (www.axens.net), IFP Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN; both Rueil-Malmaison, France; www.ifpen.fr) and Total Refining & Chemicals (Brussels, Belgium; www.totalrefiningchemicals.com). Tradenamed Atol, the process is said to be the most profitable…
The world’s first installation of the so-called Cohral technology — deploying a covered lagoon for anaerobic wastewater treatment — was completed last March at Oakey Abattoir Pty Ltd. in the farming region of Darling Downs, in southern Queensland, Australia. The…
Carbon nanofibers Researchers at North Carolina State University (Raleigh, N.C.; www.ncsu.edu), in conjunction with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, Tenn.; www.ornl.gov) have produced, via a plasma-enhanced vapor deposition process, vertically aligned carbon nanofibers using an acetone and…
A research group at Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, N.J.; www.stevens.edu) has developed a new mass spectroscopy technique, called helium-plasma-ionization mass spectrometry (HePI-MS), that enables direct sampling of materials without the need for rigorous sample preparation, as is required for…