The high strength-to-weight ratio and robust mechanical properties of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) make them attractive for use in wind-power turbine blades, automobile components, and in airplanes and spacecraft. However, challenges — such as weak interfacial adhesion and poor recyclability —…
In January, specialty materials maker Celanese Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.celanese.com) beta-launched a remote-operations control room (ROCR) that allows hands-free queries of plant data for faster data gathering and decision-making. The ROCR leverages recent advances in generative-artificial intelligence (gen-AI)-powered natural language…
In late February, Yokogawa Electric Corp. (Toyko; www.yokogawa.com) announced that it has invested in and signed a memorandum on a business partnership with Tsubame BHB Co., Ltd. (Yokohama, Japan; tsubame-bhb.co.jp). Yokogawa is the latest to partner with Tsubame BHB, joining…
Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden; www.kth.se) have developed a way to decouple the production of hydrogen and oxygen in water electrolysis, thereby reducing the explosion potential of mixing the two gases. The method, described in a…
Fermentation processes provide essential pathways for many chemicals, but are often hampered by high costs and low yields due to CO2 losses. To overcome these concerns, ZymoChem (San Leandro, Calif.; www.zymochem.com) has developed the patented Carbon Conservation fermentation technology. “Typically,…
Waste heat Last month, Evonik Industries AG (Essen; www.evonik.com) and Uniper (Düsseldorf, both Germany; www.uniper.energy) launched the Technical Options for Thermal Energy Recovery (TORTE) project in Gelsenkirchen. As one of the first phases of Evonik’s Herne Green Deal to sustainably…
Stranded methane in waste streams and flare gases at remote processing sites is a promising untapped resource. Now, with a new modular technology, companies can take advantage of this hydrocarbon-containing stream while also reducing their methane emissions. M2X Energy (Rockledge,…
Chemists at the University of Amsterdam (UvA; the Netherlands; www.uva.nl) have developed an autonomous chemical-synthesis robot with an integrated artificial-intelligence (AI)-driven machine learning unit. Dubbed “RoboChem,” the benchtop device can outperform a human chemist in terms of speed and accuracy,…
Spider silk protein generates significant development interest due to its unique combination of properties, including high toughness and strength, extensibility, biocompatibility, thermal stability and others. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI; Troy, N.Y.; www.rpi.edu) have developed what is said to…
A wastewater treatment plant operated by Orange County (Calif.) Sanitation District is the site of the first installment, at a commercial facility, of a new supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) technology capable of producing clean water and minerals from waste slurries.…