Separation Processes Archives - Chemical Engineering

New structured packing introduced at Achema

Chemical Engineering — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The MellapakEvo structured packing has been developed to enhance the efficiency and capacity of distillation columns, maximizing performance while minimizing energy consumption with a lower pressure drop. The new design allows it to offer up to 40% greater efficiency compared to MellapakPlus 252.Y at similar capacity, or 20% more capacity compared to MellapakPlus 452.Y at similar efficiency. The comparisons were confirmed by an independent, international organization.

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Biomimetic membrane may have promising applications

Chemical Engineering — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Researchers have pioneered a novel method for creating thin, energy-converting membranes that mimic the structure and function of biological cell membranes. This discovery, described in a recent issue of Nature, could have significant applications in fields ranging from implantable artificial electric organs to water desalination. By carefully controlling the conditions under which two immiscible water-based solutions interact with the opposing sides of these membranes, the researchers created defect-free membranes that are just 35 nm thick.

The new technique leverages the interface of an aqueous two-phase system to form and stabilize these membranes.

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CO2 captured in stationary energy storage battery

Chemical Engineering — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

An Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) team created and tested two different formulations for stationary batteries that could utilize CO2 from industrial sources while storing energy from wind turbines and solar panels. Consisting of two electrodes in a saltwater solution, the battery pulls atmospheric CO2 into its electrochemical reaction and releases only valuable byproducts. The CO2 batteries form carbonate byproducts that dissolve in the battery’s electrolyte solution. Battery design can be tuned to remove the byproducts for use in other industrial processes, the ORNL researchers say.

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Enzyme-treated rock particles are accelerating carbon sequestration

Chemical Engineering — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In a first-of-its-kind trial project, a CO2-removal method known as enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is being combined with biotechnology to accelerate atmospheric CO2 sequestration. FabricNano and Veolia have embarked on a partnership wherein enzymes applied to rocks are being used to permanently store atmospheric CO2 via ERW. This ERW trial, located near Bicester, U.K., involves large-particle basalt rock fines sourced from local mining operations. When spread over the ground, the rocks react with CO2 in rainwater to permanently store it.

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Innovative Membranes Empower Processes

Chemical Engineering — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

New membranes enable traditional water treatment and emerging energy transition applications While membranes and filters have provided a reliable and cost-effective solution for water desalination

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Air Products Membrane Solutions Breaks Ground on Manufacturing Expansion in Missouri

Scott Jenkins — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 18:18:52 +0000

Air Products (Lehigh Valley, Pa.; www.airproducts.com), a leader in the production of gas separation and purification membranes, today hosted a groundbreaking event at the site of a $70 million expansion of its Missouri Manufacturing and Logistics Center in Maryland Heights, near St. Louis, Missouri. The investment, which is Air Products Membrane Solutions’ largest ever, is driven by growing […]

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Functionalized ionic liquids enhance L-L extraction of Ga and Ge

Chemical Engineering — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Gallium and germanium are considered critical materials due to their multiple uses in semiconductors, optics, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and other high-technology applications. Current solvent-based extraction methods for recovering these elements suffer from significant drawbacks, such as low separation efficiency, poor selectivity and the generation of large amounts of waste solvents. Funding jhas been awarded for a two-year project to develop technology that uses functionalized ionic liquids (ILs) for extraction of Ga and Ge from aqueous waste products resulting from copper mining.

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Isotope-enrichment process starts commercial production

Chemical Engineering — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Traditional isotope enrichment to separate radioactive atoms is highly capital intensive, and the supply chains for the materials are constrained, with the majority of enriching capability located in Russia. In a bid to expand isotope availability and lower costs, ASP Isotopes Inc. recently began commercial production of isotopes at a facility in South Africa. The company says it is now enriching 14C and 28Si isotopes using technology that drastically cuts the capital cost of separation and does not produce waste materials (radioactive or otherwise).

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A versatile sorbent that can clean metals from wastewater at a lower cost

Chemical Engineering — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

At the 2024 Spring Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE; www.aiche.org), a team from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL; www.netl.doe.gov) presented on a recently patented technology for the removal of critical and heavy metals from wastewater (diagram). The Multi-Functional Sorbent Technology (MUST) is composed of an epoxy-amine crosslinked polymer network immobilized within the pores of a silica support.

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Extracting useful proteins from beer-brewing leftovers

Chemical Engineering — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Brewers’ spent grain (BSG) is the most significant byproduct of the beer-brewing industry, making up 85% of the total waste. Globally, about 36.4 million ton/yr of spent grain are produced. This spent grain is typically discarded after its primary use in brewing beer. While some efforts are made to repurpose BSG in applications, such as animal feed, biofuel production or composting, a substantial portion still ends up in landfills, generating greenhouse gases, such as methane and CO2. After exploring new uses for the BSG proteins, researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore’s Food Science and Technology (FST) program have developed a method that extracts over 80% of the available protein in BSG.

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