Biomass Corn stover is among the major feedstocks for biorefineries, and can be converted to bioethanol. When corn stover contains moisture above certain levels, it can clog conveyers and chutes during processing, leading to operational problems and process stoppages. To…
A newly launched modular waste-to-energy system is capable of delivering off-grid heat and power with competitive economics to a variety of locations, including military bases, remote sites and commercial installations, according to creator Enexor BioEnergy LLC (Franklin, Tenn.; www.enexor.com). Under…
Industrial heat pumps (diagram) are a relatively mature technology that converts low-temperature waste heat into a more usable heat at a higher temperature (above the “pinch point”). However, the technology has been limited to applications of up to 100°C. Now,…
Researchers from the Biological Systems Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST; Japan; www.oist.jp) have developed a bioelectrochemical system that uses bacterial communities to break down organic material from raw wastewater, and removes both nitrates…
Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries for storing large quantities of renewable energy (see Chem. Eng., September 2016, pp. 14–20), but they have always been too expensive for the mass market. Now, researchers at the…
The purification of seawater and wastewater for agriculture and human consumption is becoming increasingly important in water-scarce regions. Along with the removal of salt, rendering ocean water and wastewater suitable for humans and plants also involves removal of elements that…
Technologies designed to capture and store CO2 emissions from industrial operations are rapidly gaining traction, but finding ways to economically utilize the captured CO2 has posed challenges. A team of engineers from the University of California Los Angeles’ (UCLA; www.ucla.edu)…
Ethylene Toyo Engineering Corp. (Chiba, Japan; www.toyo-eng.com) has been awarded a contract for a project to construct an ethylene pilot plant, using waste-derived ethanol as raw material. The project is planned by Sumitomo Chemical Co. at its Chiba Works. Sumitomo…
A new demonstration plant will significantly scale up production of sustainable textile fibers made from cellulosic raw materials. TreeToTextile AB (Stockholm, Sweden; www.treetotextile.com), jointly owned by H&M Group, Inter IKEA Group, Stora Enso and LSCS Invest, has piloted a production…
A proprietary hydrometallurgical process known as Re-2Ox —originally conceived for the production of high-grade cobalt sulfate from mineral resources — is now showing promise in the field of battery recycling. “We did some preliminary test work and the technology was…