Latest News
New bio-based concrete admixture is scaling up production
A new biomass-based liquid admixture for concrete uniquely combines the benefits of traditional performance-enhancing additives with decarbonization. Hydrous bio-graphene oxide (hBGO), developed by AlterBiota (Edwardsville, Nova Scotia, Canada; www.alterbiota.com), is a stable, high-solids dispersion that helps to improve strength and…
Efficient mixing and drying of battery recyclables
The Solidmix technology (photo) is suitable for the pre-drying of shredded battery scrap and has been optimized for the separation of the solvents contained in the batteries. By means of vacuum drying, the solvents can be quickly and reliably separated…
A biocatalytic process for producing nitriles — without cyanide
Nitrile compounds (R–N≡N) are important for the manufacturing of fragrances, pharmaceuticals, superglue and chemical-resistant gloves. Currently, such nitrile compounds require the use of highly toxic cyanide in their synthesis. Now, an alternative cyanide-free chemo-enzymatic cascade process is being developed by…
New structured packing introduced at Achema
At Achema 2024 (Frankfurt, Germany; June 10–15), Sulzer Chemtech (Winterthur, Switzerland; www.sulzer.com) revealed MellapakEvo (photo), the latest addition to its structured-packing product family. The MellapakEvo structured packing has been developed to enhance the efficiency and capacity of distillation columns, maximizing…
Electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 into a range of chemicals
At Achema in June, GIG Karasek GmbH (Gloggnitz, Austria; www.gigkarasek.com) introduced the ECO2Cell, an electrochemical CO2-recycling technology that utilizes proprietary catalysts to convert captured carbon dioxide into a range of chemicals. Using only water, CO2 and electricity as process inputs,…
Ethernet-APL: A game changer for the CPI
Ethernet-APL fulfills the promise to bring digitalization to every corner of a process plant. The fast and efficient communication of large amounts of data is barrier-free and reliable in potentially explosive areas. At 10 Mbit/s, the transmission of enormous amounts…
The next generation of pilot reactors launched at Achema
The Sakura and Sakura Mini next-generation premium pilot reactors (photo) incorporate the latest reactor-vessel technology to provide enhanced performance and efficiency for chemical process scaleup. Sakura includes vessels of up to 100 L, with the option to upgrade to this…
Suez and hte enter partnership to explore catalytic valorization of biomass
hte Co. (Heidelberg, Germany), a company specializing in high-throughput experimentation, entered into an R&D service agreement with SUEZ (Paris). This collaboration is focused on the screening of various catalytic materials to convert biomass-derived feedstocks into sustainable gases. This biomass valorization…
Maire completes the acquisition of engineering firm APS Evolution
MAIRE S.p.A. (Milan)announced that its KT - Kinetics Technology (Integrated E&C Solutions) subsidiary has finalized the acquisition of the entire share capital of APS Evolution S.r.l. APS Evolution S.r.l. is the parent company of Italy-based APS Designing Energy S.r.l. and…
Clariant Catalysts and KBR expand strategic collaboration to focus on low-carbon ammonia
Clariant AG (Muttenz, Switzerland) announced the expansion of its strategic cooperation with KBR, Inc. (Houston) in the field of ammonia production. The partners will continue collaborating on traditional ammonia projects while significantly increasing their focus on low-carbon and carbon-free “green…