Latest News
Battery electrode binder allows easier recycling
Recovering valuable metals, such as cobalt and nickel, from used lithium-ion batteries is emerging as a key capability because of anticipated high battery demand and material shortages. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, Calif.; www.lbl.gov) have developed a technology…
This centrifugal sifter addresses labor-shortage costs
The Centri-Sifter M1 (photo) is a centrifugal sifter specially designed to help address the high costs associated with maintenance and recruiting, training and retaining skilled labor. The Centri-Sifter M1 sifts, scalps, de-agglomerates and dewaters granular materials ranging from dry bulk…
A new way to improve valve resiliency against flashing
Flashing occurs when the pressure of a fluid passing through a valve is lower than the same substance’s vapor pressure. This causes the fluid to boil — otherwise known as “flashing.” “By reducing flow capacity and eroding the valve itself,…
This coating boosts the efficiency of perovskite solar cells
Perovskite materials have great potential as a lightweight and low-cost option for solar panels, but in the past have not been seen as stable or durable enough for widespread use in large-scale solar-power installations. Now, a new coating developed by…
Sorption-enhanced methanation
The production of substitute (or synthetic) natural gas (SNG) by methanation of CO2 with hydrogen is energy intensive and also requires a purification step to remove the byproduct water and remaining reactants. To address these issues, researchers at The Swiss…
Business News: March 2023
Plant Watch Arlanxeo starts up new polybutadiene production line in Brazil February 14, 2023 — Arlanxeo B.V. (Maastricht, the Netherlands; www.arlanxeo.com) opened a new polybutadiene production line in Brazil. The new production line supplements Arlanxeo’s existing production capacity in Brazil…
Head to Toe Technology: Advances in Wearables
From headsets to gloves to fabric sensors, technologies that can be worn on the body are providing many new benefits for plant workers Apace with innovations in all “smart” technologies, wearable devices for industrial personnel are rapidly evolving to incorporate…
Focus on Process Chemicals
This synthetic leather is durable and abrasion resistant A prototype of the newly developed SilSense material for car seat covers (photo) was exhibited at the Auto Expo Components trade show (New Delhi, India; January 12–15). SilSense material is a non-animal…
World’s first 5G smartphone for hazardous areas
The IS540.1 (photo) is said to be the world’s first 5G smartphone for ATEX and IECEx zone 1/21. The intrinsically safe mobile device, which was also developed for use in 5G campus networks, offers extensive deployment scenarios ranging from predictive…
These radar level transmitters are Bluetooth enabled
The Rosemount 3408 level transmitter (photo) is a non-contacting radar device designed to optimize ease-of-use, leading to increased safety and enhanced plant performance. While the benefits of radar level measurement are widely acknowledged, the company says radars are still sometimes…