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Expanded database tool for olivine samples
Olivine, a magnesium-iron silicate mineral, is common in the earth’s subsurface, and can sometimes contain other valuable elements, such as cobalt, manganese and nickel. Olivine has been explored as a possible sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide in carbon-capture methods that…
UV-sterilized bioreactor could reduce costs for bioproducts
Capital intensity is among the current constraints on industrial-scale fermentation, because the hardware for steam sterilization of bioreactors is complex and expensive. After recently emerging from stealth status, the startup company Biosphere (Oakland, Calif.; www.biosphere.io) has launched a new reactor…
Aerogel insulation
A pilot plant intended to manufacture silica aerogel products for different applications, including spray insulation, is being planned by the company Aeroskin Tech AG (Zurich, Switzerland; www.aeroskintech.com). Aerogels are dried gels that maintain their volume when dried, and have nanoscale…
A new motor designed with sanitary processing in mind
Launched at the International Production & Processing Expo 2025, Baldor-Reliance Food Safe SP5+ motor (photo) is said to be the world’s first IP69-certified ultra-premium efficient motor. Built for food and beverage applications, the motor’s IP69-rated stainless-steel construction is engineered to…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Mass Transfer: Absorption and Stripping
Absorption and stripping are important mass-transfer operations within the chemical process industries (CPI). This one-page reference provides some basic information on the principles and applications of stripping and absorption in industrial chemistry settings. General operation In absorption, a solute from…
Editor’s page: The expanding role of AI in process operations
Respondents to a Q4 2024 survey of industrial leaders conducted by the ARC Advisory Group (Dedham, Mass.; www.arcweb.com) ranked artificial intelligence (AI) first, by a relatively large margin, among the digital technologies that they expect to be the most impactful…
Recycling fiber-reinforced polymers with oxygen-free static thermolysis
A new thermolysis technology developed by Composite Recycling (Ecublens, Switzerland; www.composite-recycling.ch) breaks down fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) into their fundamental constituents, enabling reuse as valuable feedstock for the creation of new composite materials. “Past efforts to recycle composites have allowed waste…
Cybersecurity Implications of IT and OT Convergence
As the “Industry 4.0” revolution progresses, the convergence of IT systems with OT systems presents significant security risks. Presented here are strategies to bridge the divide between the two areas and secure plant operations The convergence of information technology (IT)…
AGAE Technologies Announces Production of Rhamnolipid Biosurfactant From a Full-Scale Manufacturing Plant in Asia
AGAE Technologies (Corvallis; Ore.; www.agaetech.com), a U.S.-based leader in rhamnolipid production and technology, with its partners, has officially opened the largest retrofitted manufacturing plant complex in Asia. This manufacturing complex, covering 41,000 square feet, has the capacity to produce over…
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy awards feedstock allocation for joint LyondellBasell/Sipchem project
Sipchem (Sahara International Petrochemical Company; Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia; www.sipchem.com) and LyondellBasell (LYB; Houston, Tex.; www.lyondellbasell.com) have been awarded a feedstock allocation from the Ministry of Energy of Saudi Arabia supporting a joint feasibility study for a world-scale mixed feed…