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Recovering rare earth metals from used light bulbs

Up to now, used energy-saving light bulbs have been processed by recycling firms that recover the various components, such as glass, metal, plastics and mercury. However, the remaining luminescent powders, which contain high concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs), are…

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A new process for high-purity MnO2

Mesa Minerals Ltd. (Perth, Australia; www.mesaminerals.com.au) has developed an alternative hydrometallurgical method for converting low-grade manganese oxide ores to electrolytic manganese dioxide of high purity for use in alkaline and lithium-ion battery production. The company claims its process consumes about…

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Spray drying converts a medicinal cactus into a powder

A process to spray-dry Aloe vera for use in the food and cosmetics industry has been developed by GEA Niro (Søborg, Denmark; www.niro.com). The process is expected to offer an efficient and economical alternative to freeze drying, as well as…

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February Chementator Briefs

    DuPont acquisition Last month, DuPont (Wilmington, Del.; www.dupont.com) announced its plans to acquire Danisco, a global enzyme and specialty food ingredients company, for $5.8 billion in cash and assumption of $500 million of Danisco’s net debt. Danisco is…

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This TSA process promises to slash costs for CO2 separation

A post-combustion process capable of separating CO2 from fluegas at one-third the cost of alternative separation processes has been developed by Inventys Thermal Technologies, Inc. (Burnaby, B.C., Canada; www.inventysinc.com). Tradenamed VeloxoTherm (VX), the patented process is now being tested together…

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Oxalate-munching bacteria slash energy costs of alumina refining

A biological process for the destruction of sodium oxalate at Alcoa’s Kwinana alumina refinery in Western Australia has proven to be an extremely robust technology. Alcoa’s residue technical manager, David Cooling, says the plant has achieved an oxalate destruction rate…

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A cleaner, more-efficient process for making high-grade steel

Phosphorous impurities in steel can lead to detrimental properties, such as reduced hardness and resistance to corrosion. Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. (SMI; Tokyo and Osaka, Japan; www.sumitomometals.co.jp) has enhanced its SRP (simple refining process) for removing phosphorous from pig iron…

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Direct ammonia synthesis at room temperature

Researchers at the University of Tokyo (Japan; park.itc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/nishiba/index.html) have developed a new catalyst that enables the direct synthesis of ammonia at ambient conditions. The breakthrough is a step toward an alternative to the energy-intensive, century-old Habar-Bosch process, which requires high…

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Slag heaps: a new source of precipitated calcium carbonate

Two waste products — carbon dioxide and industrial wastes — are combined to obtain marketable mineral products in a process being developed by startup company CarbonX Inc. (Santa Barbara, Calif.; www.carbonxinc.com). The process produces precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and silica…

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Fast results from this water toxin biosensor

A new system for detecting chemical or biological contaminants in water is made possible by analyzing the swimming pathways of one-celled protozoa that are introduced into the water sample. Alterations of the protozoa’s swimming mechanics, relative to a clean water…