A catalytic process to selectively break carbon-carbon bonds within the polymer chains of polyethylene and polypropylene could allow the use of waste plastics to make biodegradable surfactant molecules. Researchers led by the Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics (iCOUP) at…
Although the oceans contain about 5,000 times more lithium than what is found on land, the low concentrations (about 0.2 parts per million (ppm)), as well as the predominance of other larger ions (sodium, magnesium and potassium) makes Li extraction…
Extracting Li Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, Ltd. (Changwon, South Korea; www.doosanheavy.com) has developed technology for recovering lithium carbonate from waste batteries. Li2CO3 is a key material that is used in batteries in electronic devices, such as laptops and mobile…
A new predictive analytics tool for heat-transfer-fluid (HTF) life expectancy uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms built around HTF sample analysis data. The tool, known as Fluid Genius, is designed to provide recommendations for extending fluid life and maintaining HTF systems.…
Construction is underway of a prototype system designed to extract natural bioactive product compounds from plants using supercritical glycerin as the extraction solvent. The initial target for the process is to extract cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other active compounds…
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP; Potsdam-Golm, Germany; www.iap.fraunhofer.de) have developed a process for embedding active enzymes into plastics. This has been difficult before, since plastics are normally processed at temperatures above 100°C. The technology offers…
In order to handle the growing volume of waste textile materials, recycling processes must begin significantly scaling up. Lenzing AG (Lenzing, Austria; www.lenzing.com) and Södra (Växjö, Sweden; www.sodra.com) are joining forces to scale up the OnceMore textile-recycling process, which is…
A cyclic activated-sludge (AS) process, trademarked te-cyc, combines biological treatment and solids settlement in a single treatment step, thereby significantly reducing the footprint compared to a conventional AS plant, which requires three separate processes — primary settlement tanks, aeration tanks…
Lufthansa Technik AG (Hamburg; www.lufthansa-technik.com) and BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) have developed a surface film, tradenamed AeroSHARK, that mimics the fine structure of a shark’s skin for reducing friction. The technology is to be rolled out on Lufthansa Cargo…
Construction has begun on a market demonstration facility for manufacturing chloromethyl furfural (CMF) and hydrothermal carbon (HTC) from a variety of waste biomass feedstocks. With subsequent chemical transformation, these flexible intermediates can be converted into final products, such as polyethylene…