Latest News
Electrochemical route to extracting lithium ions from ‘black mass’ could lead to more efficient battery recycling
Black mass is the powdered material resulting from shredding end-of-life lithium-ion vehicle batteries. For effective recycling, lithium must be efficiently separated from this material, but conventional methods, such as smelting at high temperatures or dissolving in strong acids, require large…
Advanced Seals Enhance Safety and Reliability
Premium solutions prevent seal failure caused by extreme chemical process conditions Seals and gaskets are mission-critical components in the chemical process industries (CPI), where seal failure can have catastrophic consequences. While the corrosive and aggressive media and extreme operating conditions…
Business News: January 2026
Plant Watch Aster invests in expansion projects at Bukom petroleum refinery December 11, 2025 — Aster Chemicals and Energy Ltd. (Singapore; www.aster.com.sg) announced a significant investment program at its Bukom petroleum refining facility in Singapore. The project includes a $75-million…
Field-trials upcoming for salt-based thermal-energy storage demonstration program
Field trials are expected to begin shortly for a high-temperature thermal-storage demonstrator built by AED Energy (London, U.K.; www.aedenergy.com). The field trials follow the successful completion of a test program of the demonstrator at AED’s London facility. The test program,…
‘Preorganization’ strategies allow polymer degradation through self-deconstruction
Designing plastics that can be broken down easily after their use phase have often required a trade-off between stability and ease of deconstruction. Recent research by scientists at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, N.J.; www.rutgers.edu) opens a path to resolve that…
Project reveals insights about catalysts for microwave-assisted methane dehydroaromatization
Several situations, including when takeaway capacity is limited at remote oil-well sites, result in methane flaring. To avoid wasting that resource, several strategies have been explored to convert methane onsite into commercially useful liquid chemicals. One of the approaches is…
Focus On: Analyzers
This analyzer is designed to improve paper product quality The next-generation Wet End Analyzer (photo) is designed to help paper, board and tissue producers improve wet-end processes to achieve superior product quality, improved process stability and reduced operating costs. With…
Improving Recycling of Construction Materials with an Advanced Filter Press
An advanced membrane-chamber filter press improved material recovery and operating efficiency while lowering operating costs at a facility for the recycling of construction materials In today’s world, where resource conservation and sustainable practices are more important than ever, the RCO…
2025 CECPI updates: Sept. (prelim.) and July (final)
A federal government shutdown in the U.S. from October 1 to November 12, 2025 disrupted the release of producer price index (PPI) data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), so the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) is behind schedule.…
Mosaic to sell its potash assets in Carlsbad, New Mexico
The Mosaic Co. (Tampa, Fla.) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell Mosaic Potash Carlsbad, Inc., including the operations, assets and liabilities of the Mosaic mine in Carlsbad, New Mexico to International Minerals Carlsbad, LLC for $30…