Latest News: Technologies
A less expensive alternative to platinum for water electrolysis
A suitable catalyst for splitting water to make hydrogen must exhibit high H2-conversion efficiency, excellent durability, and must operate well under low voltage. For an efficient H2-evolution reaction, the catalyst must be able to trigger proton reduction with minimal overpotential…
New glass electrolytes yield safer, more efficient batteries
A glassy solid-state electrolyte (SSE) developed by researchers from the University of Texas at Austin (UT; www.utexas.edu) will aid in the evolution of safer, longer-lasting rechargeable batteries. A major concern with the use of lithium- and sodium-ion batteries is the…
A pilot project to capture rainwater for wine production
A pilot project set up by the University of California Davis (UC Davis; Davis, Calif.; www.ucdavis.edu), GE Water & Process Technologies (Trevose, Pa.; www.gewater.com) and wine-industry service provider Winesecrets LLC (www.winesecrets.com) seeks to capture rainwater for use in wine production,…
Peltier refrigeration expands into untapped applications
When compared to traditional refrigeration cycles, Peltier (thermoelectric) technology has many benefits, including no moving parts and no hazardous refrigerant chemicals. However, it has not yet been widely adopted into large-scale industrial processes (due to poor efficiency, inability to scale…
Hydronium ions as charge carriers
Scientists at Oregon State University (Corvallis; www.oregonstate.edu) have for the first time demonstrated the use of hydronium ions (H3O+) as charge carriers. The research opens another avenue of exploration for high-power, sustainable batteries for stationary power-storage applications. The research team,…
Chementator briefs
Efficient distillation Toyo Engineering Corp. (Toyo; Chiba, www.toyo-eng.co.jp) has completed construction for an energy-saving distillation system used in a project for Maruzen Petrochemical Co. (Tokyo, Japan; www.chemiway.co.jp). This system, tradenamed SuperHIDiC, has achieved an energy saving of over 50% compared…
Remove pollutants from wastewater with this nano-tailored coating
Researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR, Singapore; www.a-star.edu.sg) have developed low-cost, environmentally friendly iron-hydroxide coatings with unique fin-like shapes that absorb large amounts of pollutants, such as dyes, from drinking water, by means of a simple…
Heap leaching targets nickel from laterite
The NiWest Nickel Laterite Project located at Murrin Murrin in the North Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia, has the potential to become a significant long-term, low-cost nickel producer through the development of heap leaching. The project is 100% owned by…
Single-step production of high-purity silicon demonstrated
Achieving silicon of acceptable purity for solar-energy applications typically requires several purification steps. Now, a new process has been demonstrated that can produce high-purity Si from low-quality quartz in a single step. The PureVap technology from PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (Montreal,…
Chemicals from bagasse
Toray Industries, Inc. (www.toray.us) and Mitsui Sugar Co. (both Tokyo, Japan; www.mitsui-sugar.co.jp) have started a six-year project to demonstrate the production of useful materials from bagasse, with support from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Org. (NEDO; Kawasaki City,…