Latest News
Functionalized ceramic particles allow for heat-rejecting coatings
NanoTech Materials Inc. (Houston; www.nanotechmaterials.com) is expanding its commercial partnerships for the use the company’s Insulative Ceramic Particle (ICP) technology, which can be used in fireproof coatings, as well as in a range of applications for roof coatings that lower…
A new manufacturing approach for heavy-duty ceramic membranes
Membranes are widely used in a variety of industrial separation processes, but the polymeric materials that make up many membranes are not durable enough to handle extreme conditions, such as processes with low pH or hazardous-metal content. Membrion, Inc. (Seattle,…
A next-generation membrane for durable fuel cells and electrolyzers
Hydrogen fuel cells and electrolyzers will be crucial technologies as the global energy transition progresses. However, both devices are often hampered by issues with durability and material costs — mainly associated with their membrane elements — which have slowed their…
Storing and processing anhydrous hydrogen chloride as an ionic liquid
Hydrogen chloride is an important byproduct of the chemical industry, with over 9-million ton/yr generated by industrial chlorination processes, such as the production of chloromethanes and polymers (polyurethanes and polycarbonates). Although HCl can be easily recovered by gas scrubbing with…
Improving sodium-ion batteries with nanocellular graphene
Nanocellular graphene (NCG) is a specialized form of graphene that achieves a large specific surface area by stacking multiple layers of graphene and controlling its internal structure with a nanoscale cellular morphology. Although the material has the potential to improve…
Electrochemical sensor selectively detects dangerous bacteria
Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt (www.uni-frankfurt.de) and Kiel University (both Germany; www.uni-kiel.de) have developed a new sensor for the detection of bacteria. It is based on a chip with a surface coating that ensures only very specific microorganisms, such as…
Business News: May 2024
Plant Watch Celanese expands production capacities for acetic acid and VAE April 9, 2024 — Celanese Corp. (Dallas, Tex.; www.celanese.com) started up a new production unit for vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) in Nanjing, China and completed several downstream debottlenecking projects…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Representing Particle Size and Geometry
Particle size and shape, as well as particle size distribution (PSD) are key determinants of bulk solids behavior [1–4]. A particle can be defined as a single unit of material having discrete physical boundaries that define its size. Particle science…
Show Preview: Achema 2024
The 34th edition of Achema, World Forum and Trade show for the process industries, takes place June 10–14 at the fairgrounds of Frankfurt am Main, Germany (www.achema.de). More than 2,700 exhibitors from over 50 countries will be presenting a diverse…
A Holistic Approach to Asset Risk Management: Is it All or Nothing?
By combining mechanical integrity and reliability programs into a single framework, plants can streamline their asset maintenance strategies and mitigate all types of risk Asset maintenance first hit the headlines during the late 1980s when it became a target for…