At the European Coatings Show (April 21–23; Nuremberg, Germany), Bayer MaterialScience AG (BMS; Leverkusen, Germany; www.materialscience.bayer.com) will launch Pentamethylene diisocyanate (PDI), a new isocyanate with 70% of its carbon content originating from biomass. The eco-friendly hardner component is being evaluated…
Researchers at Toshiba Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.toshiba.co.jp) have developed an artificial photosynthesis system that uses solar energy to convert CO2 and water into CO with 1.5% efficiency — the highest efficiency achieved to date. The company believes the technology has…
The research group of Keiichi Tomishige at Tohoku University (Sendai, www.che.tohoku.ac.jp/~erec), in collaboration with Daicel Corp. (Tokyo, both Japan; www.daicel.com/en), has developed a catalytic reaction system that is highly efficient for synthesizing tetrahydrofuran (THF) — a widely used solvent and…
In hydraulic fracturing, high-pressure pumps force water bearing sand or ceramic proppants into a manifold, known as a missile, and subsequently into an oil or gas well. Exposure to the highly abrasive, proppant-filled fluids means the pumps require frequent maintenance…
A new low-pressure xylenes-production process combines toluene with methanol to yield a xylenes product stream with the possibility of no benzene byproduct. Known as GT-TolAlk and developed by GTC Technology (Houston; www.gtctech.com), the new process requires no hydrogen addition and…
Illumination is required for visual inspection of a process through a sight glass in a vessel or tank. A newly demonstrated light source, developed by L.J. Star Inc. (Twinsburg, Ohio; www.ljstar.com) and marketed as the LumiStar3000, is said to be…
Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (Umsicht; Sulzbach-Rosenberg; www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de) and RWTH Aachen University (both Germany; www.rwth-aachen.de) have developed a new phase-change material (PCM) trade-named CryoSolPlus. The PCM is a dispersion of solid paraffin beads and…
Gold mines using traditional cyanide-leaching extraction processes will benefit with the launch of a new technology allowing onsite production of sodium cyanide. The technology, developed by Synergen Met Pty Ltd (Brisbane, Australia; www.synergenmet.com), will eliminate a range of hazardous activities…
Researchers from North Carolina State University (Raleigh; www.ncsu.edu) and Qatar University (Doha; www.qu.edu.qa) have developed a new metal alloy that is claimed to have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than any other existing metal material. The low-density, nanocrystalline alloy — Al20Li20Mg10Sc20Ti30…
Last month, Novozymes (Copenhagen, Denmark; www.novozymes.com) launched a new enzyme, dubbed Eversa, which is said to be the first commercially available enzymatic solution to make biodiesel fuels from waste oils. The enzymatic process converts used cooking oil or other lower-grade…