Concrete Admixture Advanced concrete mixes often demonstrate a higher viscosity due to their low water contents. Although having a high level of workability, the concrete often appears harsh, sticky and therefore difficult to pump and process. To overcome these challenges…
Researchers from Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN; www.ibn.a-star.edu.sg) and Hydro-Quebec’s Research Institute (Montreal, Canada; www.hydro.qc.ca) have synthetized silicate-based “nanoboxes” that could greatly increase the energy capacity of lithium-ion batteries as compared to that of conventional phosphate-based cathodes. IBN’s…
IHI Corp. (IHI; Tokyo, www.ihi.co.jp) has commissioned its first prototype Twin IHI Gasifier (TIGAR) plant, which IHI designed and built at the Kujang Factory of PT Pupuk Indonesia Holding Co., Indonesia’s largest state-owned fertilizer company, 75 km southeast of Jakarta.…
Two families of newly developed products from specialty chemical maker Solenis (Wilmington, Del.; www.solenis.com) — a portfolio of fermentation aids and scale inhibitors — have the potential to improve the production of bioethanol and related fermentation processes. Solenis fermentation aids…
Construction has begun on a commercial prototype of a low-boiling-point solvent-extraction process for recovering used catalyst powder and slurry oil from a recalcitrant sludge produced in the fluid catalytic cracking units (FCCUs) of petroleum refineries. The process allows refiners to…
Many chemical process industries (CPI) operations generate gaseous byproducts that are impure and have low energy densities. Ener-Core Power Inc. (Irvine, Calif.; www.ener-core.com) has introduced a technology to extract valuable energy and heat from gases that would otherwise be wasted…
Hydrocracking Later this year, Albemarle Corp. (Baton Rouge, La.; www.albemarle.com) says it will add a new catalyst to its STARS (super type II active reactive sites) catalysts portfolio. Together with its Hydroprocessing Alliance partner, UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.; www.uop.com),…
In late April, Unifrax I LLC (Tonawanda, N.Y.; www.unifrax.com) and Haldor Topsøe A/S (Lyngby, Denmark; www.topsoe.com) signed a partnership agreement to begin a joint global effort to commercialize an innovative new line of catalytic filter candles. This new product family…
Researchers from the Dept. of Chemical Engineering of KU Leuven (Belgium; www.cit.kuleuven.be), in collaboration with KU Leuven chemists, have discovered a method to separate two rare-earth elements — europium and yttrium — with ultraviolet (UV) light. The study, published earlier…
The amino acid L-arginine plays a crucial role in our neurological and cardiovascular systems. It is sometimes consumed as a dietary supplement and its efficient industrial-level production is essential for its commercialization. L-arginine is a product of microbial fermentation and…