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Evonik upgrades to renewable energy for production of high-performance foam
Specialty chemical maker Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) has upgraded the production of the high-performance foam ROHACELL® at its main site in Darmstadt, Germany, to use only electricity from renewable energy sources. As a result, Evonik’s High Performance Polymers…
U.S. Department of Energy announces funding for battery-related research ‘Innovation Hubs’
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE; Washington, D.C.; www.energy.gov) today announced $125 million in funding for two Energy Innovation Hub teams to provide the scientific foundation needed to seed and accelerate next generation technologies beyond today’s generation of lithium…
PPG expands coatings production capacities in Malaysia
PPG (Pittsburgh, Pa.) announced that it has expanded operations in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia to include the production of non-stick coatings for kitchenware, industrial bakeware and low friction applications. The plant now has additional capacity to support growing regional coatings demand…
AtkinsRéalis to design major vaccine manufacturing facility in Canada
AtkinsRéalis Group Inc. (Montreal, Queb., Canada) has won a mandate from Jubilant HollisterStier, a leading global pharmaceutical contract manufacturer, to provide detailed design for the expansion of their sterile injectable facility in Montreal as part of Canada’s Biomanufacturing and Life…
Motiva licenses UOP process technologies for new aromatics complex in Texas
Motiva Enterprises, LLC (Houston) announced that it has advanced its aromatics project by executing a license for Honeywell UOP's aromatics technologies and is now undertaking engineering and design work. The project, planned for construction at Motiva's Manufacturing Complex in Port…
This integrated technology effectively destroys PFAS — even short-chain compounds
The prevalence of the various per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — compounds that are notoriously difficult to break down — in the water supply is causing global concern. A new partnership between Element Six (Oxford, U.K.; www.e6.com) and Lummus Technology…
First industrial demonstration of plasma-based CO2 conversion
Plasma technology is being explored as an avenue for many molecular conversions, such as methane reforming. Now, for the first time, a plasma-based CO2-conversion technology is being demonstrated industrially. The proprietary technology, developed by D-CRBN (Antwerp, Belgium; www.d-crbn.com), is being…
Biofuels production via co-fermentation of sugar and CO2 takes a step forward
Co-fermentation processes that can consume both sugars and CO2 are emerging as a promising technology to enhance product yield and reduce emissions in biofuels production. A team of scientists at Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Okla.; www.okstate.edu) are working to accelerate…
This electrolysis reactor requires no external electricity source
Electrolyzers are the key technology for producing “green” hydrogen using renewable energy. However, a new reactor platform aims to facilitate electrolysis without the need for any external electricity. The Electroless Coupled Exchange Reduction Oxidation technology platform (eXERO), developed by Utility…
Recycling process allows fast depolymerization of post-consumer mixed textiles
Recycling rates for post-consumer textile waste are very low (<0.5%) because the fabrics often consist of tightly interlaced synthetic and natural fibers that require costly sorting and separation processes, and because they often contain dyes and additives that must be…