An Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) team created and tested two different formulations for stationary batteries that could utilize CO2 from industrial sources while storing energy from wind turbines and solar panels. Consisting of two electrodes in a saltwater solution,…
Traditionally, many polymerization reactions are carried out batchwise in reactor vessels, with the reaction taking place in solution, emulsion or in a melt. This procedure reaches its limits if, for example, the reaction is very exothermic or the viscosity increases…
In a first-of-its-kind trial project, a CO2-removal method known as enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is being combined with biotechnology to accelerate atmospheric CO2 sequestration. FabricNano (London, U.K.; www.fabricnano.com) and Veolia (Paris, France; www.veolia.com) have embarked on a partnership wherein enzymes…
Calcium-sulfonate complex greases are widely used in applications in the pulp-and-paper, marine and steel-manufacturing sectors. Within an ever-volatile lithium market, calcium-sulfonate greases are increasingly seen as a reliable alternative to lithium-based greases. However, typical methods for preparing high-performance calcium-sulfonate grease…
Plant Watch Agilyx polystyrene depolymerization plant commissioned in Japan June 7, 2024 — Agilyx ASA (Tigard, Ore.; www.agilyx.com) announced that its depolymerization technology was successfully demonstrated during commissioning of Toyo Styrene’s 10-ton/d chemical recycling facility in Japan. The recycling plant…
A research team led by Kenneth C. Neyerlin at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL; Golden, Colo.; www.nrel.gov), with members from Argonne National Laboratory (Lemont, Ill; www.anl.gov) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Tenn.; www.ornl.gov) has developed a membrane electrode assembly…
New membranes enable traditional water treatment and emerging energy transition applications While membranes and filters have provided a reliable and cost-effective solution for water desalination, purification and treatment as well as specialty process separations, innovative membrane and filtration technologies are…
At the 2024 Spring Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE; www.aiche.org), a team from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL; www.netl.doe.gov) presented on a recently patented technology for the removal of critical and heavy metals from wastewater…
Brewers’ spent grain (BSG) is the most significant byproduct of the beer-brewing industry, making up 85% of the total waste. Globally, about 36.4 million ton/yr of spent grain are produced. This spent grain is typically discarded after its primary use…
New packings and trays encourage effectiveness and energy efficiency in traditional and emerging applications Equipment for distillation, absorption, stripping, extraction and phase separation plays a major role in the chemical process industries (CPI). However, separation processes are notoriously energy intensive,…