Latest News: Technologies
Membrane-free water electrolysis
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…
This cooling and water-harvesting system requires no heat
A novel technology for cooling and dehumidification is nearing commercialization through several strategic partnerships, including GE Vernova, BASF and Carrier Global. Montana Technologies’ (Ronan, Mont.; www.mt.energy) AirJoule technology employs a metal-organic-framework (MOF) desiccant material that exhibits higher water-uptake capacity and…
A new super-duplex tube tailored for acids
Last month at the AMPP Annual Conference + Expo 2024 (New Orleans, La.; March 3–7), Alleima AB (Sandviken, Sweden; www.alleima.com) introduced SAF 3006 (UNS S83071), a high-alloy duplex (austenitic-ferritic) stainless steel tailored to enhance corrosion resistance in acidic and caustic…
Recovering lithium with thermal-swing liquid-liquid deionization
Much of the planet’s lithium is contained in brine, but the concentration is often quite low, making it difficult to efficiently extract lithium — typical extraction technologies may only demonstrate 30–60% yield. Adionics (Les Ulis, France; www.adionics.com) has developed a…
Chementator Briefs
CO2 liquefaction Last month, Linde Engineering (Pullach, Germany; www.linde-engineering.com) signed a contract with Yara International ASA (Oslo, Norway; www.yara.com) to build a world-scale carbon dioxide liquefaction plant in Sluiskil, the Netherlands. The Sluiskil project forms a key part of Yara’s…
Completely recycled viscose for the first time
Researchers at Lund University (Sweden; www.lth.se) have succeeded in converting worn-out cotton sheets into new viscose fibers using a process that — for the first time — enables all of the viscose to be recycled. Current recycling methods often require…
Biomanufacturing process minimizes CO2 loss in fermentation
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,…
Chementator briefs
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…
A modularized method to make low-carbon methanol
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,…
Autonomous synthesis robot uses AI to speed up chemical discovery
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,…