In The News
A photocatalytic platform for CO2 utilization
As more and more CO2 is finding its way into carbon-capture systems instead of the air, the demand for new technologies that actually utilize CO2 is also rising. A new photocatalysis platform developed by New Iridium (Boulder, Colo.; www.newiridium.com) can…
A new class of proton-conducting materials operates at lower temperatures
A new material could open the door to more effective protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs). PCFCs are a promising energy source that employ specialized ceramic materials to conduct protons (instead of electrons) at much lower temperatures than typical solid-oxide fuel…
This photocatalytic reactor system makes chemicals without fossil fuels
Last May, Emerson (St. Louis, Mo.; www.emerson.com) was selected by Syzygy Plasmonics (Houston; www.plasmonics.tech) to automate its all-electric photocatalytic reactor technology. Syzygy has developed, scaled and integrated its core technologies, incubated at, and licensed from, Rice University (Houston; www.rice.edu), into…
Photochemistry boosts the yield of chiral compounds
Isolation and purification of pure, active enantiomers is important in the development of active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products. However, recovering the desired optical isomer from a racemic mixture means half of the chemical produced — the undesired isomer —…
Recovering proteins — and more — from rapeseed
Last month, a pilot plant officially opened at the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes (CBP; Leuna, Germany; www.cbp.fraunhofer.de). The plant aims to further develop a process that recovers multiple products from rapeseed, including high-grade, pre-raffinate-quality rapeseed oil, a high-grade, protein-rich…
Lithium Extraction: Prime Time for Brine
Technologies to process lithium-containing brines are in high demand as manufacturers seek to improve recovery volumes and sustainability The two main sources of lithium — one of the most in-demand materials on earth — are mining from ores and extracting…
Use existing refinery infrastructure for hydrogen storage and transport
Hydrogen is a clear piece of the decarbonization puzzle for many industrial sectors, including petroleum refining, but a major challenge lies in the storage and long-distance transport of hydrogen in its gaseous form. One proposed solution is the use of…
Onsite bioelectrochemical treatment for ultra-concentrated wastewater
The combination of electrochemical principles and microbial activity is the backbone of a treatment technology designed specifically for ultra-concentrated and challenging industrial wastewater. The Bioelectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT) developed by Aquacycl (Escondido, Calif.; www.aquacycl.com) involves “microbial fuel-cells” that produce direct…
Business News: June 2023
Plant Watch Trinseo inaugurates new PC dissolution pilot facility in the Netherlands May 15, 2023 — Trinseo LLC (Berwyn, Pa.; www.trinseo.com) inaugurated its polycarbonate (PC) dissolution pilot facility in Terneuzen, the Netherlands. Dissolution recycling is a type of physical recycling…
Chementator Briefs
Using Waste Heat To convert large amounts of waste heat into electricity as efficiently as possible, turbines with a high degree of efficiency are required that work with a special conversion process — the organic Rankine cycle (ORC). In a…