In The News
This electrolysis cell produces high-purity iron
Processing iron ore is the most carbon-intensive step in the steelmaking process, often using coal as an energy source. A new technology, called Molten Oxide Electrolysis (MOE) aims to decarbonize the iron-ore process through electrification. “In the MOE cell, an…
A new approach to refrigeration with no global-warming potential
Traditional vapor-compression refrigeration relies on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as refrigerant fluids — a class of compounds with global-warming potentials (GWP) thousands of times higher than that of CO2. A new approach from scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL; Berkeley, Calif.;…
‘Printing’ new catalyst candidates onto a chip
Discovering new catalysts and materials for specific applications can be a tedious and time-consuming process involving labor-intensive tests and expensive samples. Technology developed by Mattiq (Skokie, Ill.; www.mattiq.com) enables the “printing” of tens of thousands of tiny material samples onto…
New adsorbent removes radioactive cesium ions from nuclear wastewater
One of the major byproducts of the nuclear fission process used for power generation is 137Cs, a radioactive isotope of Cs that has a half-life of 30 years and is often removed from nuclear-power-plant wastewater via selective adsorption using ion…
A biomimetic process to make soft fibers for smart textiles
For intelligent textiles to function effectively, they need to be strong, stretchable and electrically conductive. However, fabricating fibers that possess these three properties has been challenging. Drawing inspiration from how spiders spin silk to make webs, an international team of…
Business News: August 2023
Plant Watch UBE to expand silicon nitride plant July 13, 2023 — UBE Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.ube.com) plans to expand the silicon nitride production facility at its chemical complex in Ube, Japan. The facility is scheduled to go online in…
New solvents derived from biomass
Last month, Circa Group A/S (Oslo, Norway; www.circa-group.com) applied for patents for two new solvents for CO2 capture processes. The solvents, named Furatech:1 and Furatech:2, were developed over the last 12 months as part of the company’s platform molecule, levoglucosenone…
Chementator briefs
ISOPROPANOL Cepsa Química, S.A. (Palos de la Frontera, Huelva, Spain; www.cepsa.com) is constructing the first production plant to produce isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol), from renewable or circular materials, which the company says will make it the most competitive, innovative and environmentally…
Electrochemical amalgamation effectively removes mercury from concentrated H2SO4
It is well known that mercury is not only toxic, but is also highly mobile. As a result, Hg emissions from both industrial processes (gold mining, combustion of fossil fuels, cement production, waste incineration and more), as well as natural…
Carbon nanotube coating could expand the applications for superlubricity
When a sliding interface experiences a coefficient of friction (CoF) below 0.01, the situation is said to have superlubricity. In the past, superlubricity has been limited to the microscale in controlled environments, and to ceramic surfaces with polar-fluid lubrication. Now,…