Mobile Navigation

Latest News: Technologies

Member Exclusive

Save energy (and more) with this hybrid compressor system for EOR

Last month, Lewa GmbH (Leonberg, Germany; www.lewa.de) and Burckhardt Compression AG (Winterthur, Switzerland; www.burckhardtcompression.com) signed an agreement to commercialize hybrid compression systems for enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) applications. EOR — injecting high-pressure CO2 into oil wells to both reduce the crude oil’s…

Member Exclusive

This fully functional Li-ion battery is flexible

A team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kaist; Daejeon, South Korea: www.kaist.ac.kr) and Seoul National University (www.useoul.edu) led by Kaist’s professor Keon Jae Lee, claims to have developed the first prototype of a fully functional all-flexible…

Member Exclusive

A nano cage made from a stack of benzenes

Professor Kenichoro Itami and his group at Nagoya University (synth.chem. nagoya-u.ac.jp) have synthesized a cage-type carbon nano-molecule, Carbon Nano-cage, composed of 20 condensed benzene rings — C120H78. The group used a procedure it developed four years ago to synthesize carbon…

Member Exclusive

A polymersome that releases its cargo where needed

Several drug delivery systems have been studied involving the encapsulation of molecules in a suitable structure and their transport through the human body. In particular, polymersomes — tiny hollow spheres that enclose a solution — formed using synthetic block copolymers…

Member Exclusive

Strain-hardening test method speeds HDPE pipe testing

A test method developed by SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corp.; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; www.sabic.com) scientists drastically reduces the time needed to evaluate slow-crack growth resistance in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) that is used in pressure pipes. The strain-hardening test method allows…

Member Exclusive

September Chementator Briefs

  Artificial photosynthesis Scientists at Panasonic Corp.(Osaka, Japan; www.pana sonic.com) have developed an artificial photosynthesis system that utilizes sunlight to convert CO2 to organic materials (mainly formic acid) at what is said to be the highest efficiency yet achieved (0.2%).…

Member Exclusive

This new pump system improves efficiency for desalination operations

A new hydraulically driven, positive-displacement-pump system can lower the energy requirements for pumping water by 10% in large seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plants, where electricity typically represents the largest cost. Recently launched by GE Water & Power (www.ge-energy.com) at…

Member Exclusive

A move toward bio-based malic acid, acrylic acid and butadiene

A move toward bio-based malic acid... Novozymes A/S (Copenhagen, Denmark; www.novozymes.com) has developed a strain of metabolically engineered Aspergillus oryzae fungus that is capable of producing the four-carbon, dicarboxylic acid compound malic acid. The chemical building block malic acid is…

Member Exclusive

A high-temperature F-T process demonstrated in China

Synfuels China Technology Co. (Beijing; www.synfuelschina.com.cn) says it has developed a high-temperature slurry Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process (flowsheet) that produces mainly clean diesel, naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) products, with unique features including: high productivity of proprietary catalyst; efficient recovery…

Member Exclusive

This osmium-based catalyst is rendered nontoxic by polymer incarceration

Professor Shu Kobayashi and his research group at The School of Science, University of Tokyo (Japan; www.chem.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/users/synorg/index_E.html) have developed an osmium-based catalyst for performing asymmetric syntheses of drug precursors. While showing the same catalytic performance of its predecessor — a…