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Protein-binding process supports selective rare-earth element separation
Isolating and purifying rare-earth elements (REEs) is extremely challenging and energy-intensive due to the difficulty in separating chemically similar REE ions. Traditional separation methods require solvent extraction or chelating agents and produce large volumes of hazardous waste, all with little…
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…
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…
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…
These “self-driving” bioreactor sensors are forging new fermentation frontiers
Ubiquitous in biomanufacturing, fermentation processes are complex and unpredictable when compared to traditional chemical-processing operations. From changing cell-growth rates to drifts in environmental conditions, typical control approaches can only react to predetermined setpoints rather than reliably maximize product output. A…
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…
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…
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…
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…