Latest News: Technologies
Two studies point the way to cleaner syngas-to-hydrocarbons processes
The production of commercially important hydrocarbons from synthesis gas (syngas; mixtures of H2 and CO) using the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process is a key strategy for making fuels and chemicals from a range of non-petroleum feedstocks. But F-T processes are relatively…
Nickel-based catalyst could allow recycling of mixed polyolefin waste
Among the major challenges facing efforts to chemically recycle common waste plastics is that many methods require a pure stream of a single type of polymer to be effective. Now, researchers at Northwestern University (NU; Evanston, Ill.; www.northwestern.edu), led by…
Dual-action nanocomposite combines adsorption and photocatalysis for wastewater treatment
Pharmaceutical residues, particularly from antibiotics, are extremely difficult to fully remove from wastewater using traditional bulk-treatment methods, wherein antibiotic compounds are often only partially broken down. Even at trace amounts, antibiotic fragments can accumulate and wreak havoc on natural ecosystems.…
Ultra-rapid electron curing streamlines electrode manufacturing
A new electron-curing system has demonstrated a high-speed, solvent-free production process for powerful battery electrodes at industrial scale. The production process, operated by Kodak Co. (Rochester, N.Y.; www.kodak.com) using the RaiCure™ platform developed by Ateios Systems Inc. (Newberry, Ind.; www.ateios.com),…
Novel electrolyzer reshapes power conversion and efficiency for green-hydrogen production
Eliminating the traditional electrolyte from electrolysis, a new electrolyzer design is aiming for higher efficiencies and lower costs in green hydrogen production. Tobe Energy (Oklahoma City, Okla.; www.tobe.energy) has developed a high-voltage all-stainless-steel electrolysis system that operates at much lower…
Considerable scaleup underway for continuous carbon-fiber recycling
Carbon-fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) are used in a broad range of products, including automotive parts, construction materials and many others. Economically recycling these materials has proven challenging due to their multi-material makeup. Typically, they are chopped into pellets or strips…
“Chemical sorting” process improves separation rate of solid contaminants from automotive waste
Processes to reuse plastics from end-of-life vehicles are complicated by solid contaminants — including pre-embedded metal and rubber components of different sizes and reinforcing glass fiber. Currently, recycling solids-containing waste-plastic parts is accomplished by physical sorting processes. Honda (Tokyo, Japan;…
First continuous and scalable ambient pathway to electrically conductive plastics
Electrically conductive plastics, also known as conjugated polymers, bring many cutting-edge benefits for flexible sensors, medical devices, energy-storage systems and more. They are currently produced at relatively small volumes and come with extremely high prices. A novel technology discovered at…
Improved version of PFAS capture-and-destruction technology commissioned in Germany
Following regulations for drinking water, increasingly stringent limits for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in industrial wastewater are anticipated, necessitating improved technology to handle higher rates of removal, as well as to destroy the compounds in concentrated samples. Gradiant (Boston,…
CO2-utilization technology makes renewable acrylonitrile
Nearly all of the currently produced building-block chemical acrylonitrile (AN) results from the ammoxidation of propylene, a process that requires precise heat control and generates several toxic side products, such as hydrogen cyanide. The startup company Mars Materials (Houston, Tex.;…