Aluminum smelting operations require molten cryolite, also commonly called bath, to serve as the electrolyte and dissolve alumina. A typical smelter produces excess bath over time, and there are few markets for reuse or recycle of this material, especially as…
Establishing novel materials and systems is challenging for new companies. However, startup companies can streamline their research and drastically accelerate product development with effective tools and strategies While long-standing organizations are often challenged with digitizing large volumes of unstructured historical…
For product developers, understanding a substance’s biodegradability is essential in many applications to ensure compliance with toxicity and environmental regulations. Aropha, Inc. (Cleveland, Ohio; www.aropha.com) has developed a platform for biodegradability testing that reaches far beyond the typical breadth of…
This company’s purpose-built perfluoroalkoxy (PFA)-coated ribbon blender (photo) is engineered to meet the needs of sensitive and challenging applications where stainless steel or carbon steel may not be suitable. The interior of the trough, the double ribbon agitator, bolted stub…
A new approach to enzyme engineering has overcome many of the operating challenges associated with large-scale bio-based manufacturing processes by designing enzymes that can thrive outside living cells, eliminating complexity and improving reaction yields. eXoZymes’ (Monrovia, Calif.; www.exozymes.com) cell-free enzyme…
A team of scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL; Richland, Wash.; www.pnnl.gov) recently unveiled a modified version of the “superalloy” Inconel 617, in which cobalt — a component of the alloy that is also a critical material with significant…
One way to develop safer, more-sustainable chemical processes is to substitute potentially harmful chemicals with less-risky alternatives. Organic solvents, which are widely used in industrial processes, can pose health, safety and environmental risks. Researchers at Rice University (Houston, Tex.; www.rice.edu)…
The new CablePro tubular drag conveyor (photo) is designed with components that offer chemical compatibility, including corrosion-resistant coatings and polished stainless-steel tubing. It is equipped with self-lubricating disks, which are injection-molded directly onto a pre-stretched, oil-lubricated stainless-steel braided cable with…
Decreasing the dependence on expensive platinum-group metals like iridium is vital for the expansion of “green” hydrogen production via proton-exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis. Efforts to develop lower-iridium catalytic components for electrolysis have typically focused on mixing iridium into a…
Effective measurement of corrosion on process equipment and plant structures offers several benefits to plant operators. These include providing early warnings about damaging process conditions that could lead to corrosion-induced failures, establishing correlations between changes in process parameters and their…