For the first time, it has become possible to spin carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into a fiber that looks and acts like textile threads, yet has the electrical conductivity and strength of a metal. The breakthrough, which came after more than…
An Australian team has developed a new molecular sieve that allows carbon dioxide molecules to be trapped and stored. Contrary to the way molecular sieves usually work, allowing smaller molecules through, the new sieve acts like a trapdoor, and allows…
A water-recycling system for the oil-and-gas industries developed by Ecosphere Technologies Inc. (Stuart, Fla.; www.EcosphereTech.com) is designed to destroy bacteria and control corrosion in high-volume wastewater-treatment applications using a proprietary oxidation process. The technology, called Ozonix, improves the mass-transfer efficiency…
Nitrogen fixation The research groups of Yoshiaki Nishibayashi at the University of Tokyo (Japan; park.itc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/nishiba) and Kazunari Yoshizawa at Kyushu University (Fukuoka, Japan; trout.scc.kyushu-u.ac.jp/yoshizawaJ/indexe.html) have demonstrated the production of silylamine [N(SiMe3)3] from nitrogen gas using an iron-based catalyst. The reaction…
The surface engineering company MesoCoat, Inc. (Euclid, Ohio; www.mesocoat.com) recently started up a facility for manufacturing clad pipe for the oil-and-gas industry that uses the company’s proprietary fusion-cladding technology to apply corrosion-resistant alloys to carbon-steel pipes. Because the cladding can…
Soy polyurethanes Scientists at Battelle (Columbus, Ohio; www.battelle.org) have developed a water-based polyurethane (PU) that uses soy oil instead of petroleum to produce the polyol precursor. Whereas standard water-based PUs require adding N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) tolower viscosity, Battelle's process eliminates…
Researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST; Gaithersburg, Md.; www.nist.gov) have developed a relatively simple, fast and effective method of depositing uniform, ultrathin layers of platinum atoms onto a surface. The technique may lead to a…
A research team is using clusters of gold atoms at sub-nanometer sizes to enhance the photocatalytic production of hydrogen from water. Sustainable H2 production from a non-fossil-fuel source could have significant environmental and energy-efficiency benefits. The scientists, from Stony Brook…
Plans are underway to field-test a process that removes more than 90 % of the carbon dioxide from power-plant flue gas, while reducing both the energy input and operating costs by 50 % compared to conventional amine-based CO2-scrubbing technology. The…
A small-scale ceramic membrane reactor to convert natural gas to transportable liquids in a single step is being developed by Ceramatec, Inc. (Salt Lake City, Utah; www.ceramatec.com) under a $1.7-million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Advanced Research Project…