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CO2 captured in stationary energy storage battery
An Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) team created and tested two different formulations for stationary batteries that could utilize CO2 from industrial sources while storing energy from wind turbines and solar panels. Consisting of two electrodes in a saltwater solution,…
Acoustic damping for production facilities
Basotect thermoset melamine resin foam (photo) offers outstanding acoustic properties. Because of its fine, open-cell foam structure, it can achieve sound-absorption values in the mid- and high-frequency ranges. Moreover, sound absorbers made from Basotect reduce the echo caused by reverberation…
A closed-loop hydrometallurgical process for low-carbon iron processing
Electrification will be a key factor in decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors, but challenges arise in applications that require very high temperatures, such as steel production. The intense heat requirements for converting iron ore into metal contribute significantly to the CO2 emissions…
A new reactor system for producing polymers
Traditionally, many polymerization reactions are carried out batchwise in reactor vessels, with the reaction taking place in solution, emulsion or in a melt. This procedure reaches its limits if, for example, the reaction is very exothermic or the viscosity increases…
Enzyme-treated rock particles are accelerating carbon sequestration
In a first-of-its-kind trial project, a CO2-removal method known as enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is being combined with biotechnology to accelerate atmospheric CO2 sequestration. FabricNano (London, U.K.; www.fabricnano.com) and Veolia (Paris, France; www.veolia.com) have embarked on a partnership wherein enzymes…
The next generation of pilot reactors launched at Achema
The Sakura and Sakura Mini next-generation premium pilot reactors (photo) incorporates the latest reactor-vessel technology to provide enhanced performance and efficiency for chemical process scale-up. Sakura includes vessels of up to 100 L, with the option to upgrade to this…
CO2-to-methanol conversion improved with catalyst-support ion swap
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL; Oak Ridge, Tenn.; www.ornl.gov) and a team of interdisciplinary scientists tripled the yield of methanol in the catalytic hydrogenation reaction of carbon dioxide by introducing hydrides into the catalyst support material. The researchers…
Portable compressors that are easy to transport
Powerful, lightweight, quiet, versatile and easy to transport: these are the key features of the smallest models in the e-power portable compressor range, the Mobilair M10E and M13E (photo). Together with the Purpac F16 support frame, which includes a compressed…
A fungus converts cellulose directly into a platform chemical
Conventional bioprocesses use three separate steps to convert cellulose into products, such as bioplastics and biofuels. The consolidated bioprocess (CBP) combines all steps — cellulase production, cellulose hydrolysis and product fermentation — in a single reactor. Using the natural abilities…
People drive digital success
In 1851, the year that the first America’s Cup sailboat race was contested, the top speed for a wind-powered vessel was 10 knots. Over the next 100 years, top sailboat speeds barely budged, but by the mid-1970s, top sailing speed…