Latest News
Synthetic enzyme mimicry breaks open new aromatic reaction pathways
Mimicking enzyme-like behavior for synthetic chemistry is a growing field of exploration in sustainable chemical production, unlocking potential new reaction routes that eliminate waste and unwanted byproducts. A team of chemists from Penn State University (State College, Pa.; www.psu.edu) has…
Canada takes the stage with major energy and mineral investments
The first-ever Canada Investment Summit, held Sept. 14–15 in Toronto, along with other recent funding initiatives and global partnerships, put the spotlight on Canada’s support for innovation and competitiveness in energy, manufacturing and critical materials. The Summit convened investors from…
Recovering Valuable Chemicals from Vapor Streams Using Absorption
Absorption can pull a high-value component out of an air stream and return it for reuse, often at a lower cost than destroying it Many chemical and biological processes produce a vapor stream that is primarily air, but contains a…
Low-voltage, membrane-free electrolysis produces hydrogen and FDCA
A new approach to the traditional alkaline electrolyzers used to produce “green” hydrogen from water eliminates the membrane and introduces a new reaction mechanism at the anode, enabling the production of a high-value plastic precursor, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). Developed at…
Focus On: Level Measurement
This level transmitter can reduce installation costs The Rosemount™ 3408 Wireless level transmitter with non-contacting radar (photo) reduces the complexity, time and costs associated with installing cabling in automated measurement points. By eliminating measurement blind spots and the need for…
Business News: October 2026
Plant Watch Evonik breaks ground on €80-million biotechnology expansion in Slovakia September 14, 2026 — Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) has broken ground on a new biotechnology expansion project at its Fermas site in Slovakia, part of the €80-million…
Scaleup planned for system that can decarbonize furnace-based processes
Technology spun out from the University of Birmingham (www.birmingham.ac.uk) and developed by the startup PeroCycle Ltd. (Cambridge, U.K.; www.perocycle.com) is aimed at low-cost decarbonization of blast-furnace and direct-reduced-iron (DRI) steel-making operations, along with other furnace-based industrial processes, like glass-making. The…
New plasma-powered process directly converts methane to graphene oxide
Researchers at Texas A&M University (College Station; www.tamu.edu) have developed a fundamentally new route to graphene oxide (GO) synthesis using non-thermal atmospheric plasma — a method that sidesteps the toxic chemicals and scalability limitations that often constrain conventional production approaches.…
Offtake agreement inked for system that produces methanol from stranded methane economically
In late August, technology developer Emvolon, a spinout company from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; Cambridge, Mass.; www.mit.edu), signed an offtake agreement with Freepoint Commodities LLC (www.freepoint.com) for methanol produced commercially via Emvolon’s technology starting in spring 2027. The…
Innovating Inspection: Advanced Nondestructive Testing in Hydrocarbon Plants
Nondestructive testing (NDT) can play a key role in ensuring safety at petrochemical and related plants. Provided here is an overview of available technologies for NDT, including capabilities and limitations, as well as training standards Inspection and maintenance of petroleum…