INDUSTRY 4.0
The wireless revolution in level monitoring
Jenny Leion, senior chemical industry manager at Emerson, explains how an expanding range of wireless level technologies is helping chemical manufacturers extend measurement coverage and improve operational efficiency across even the most remote assets.
Accurate and reliable level monitoring is...
Genome project plans to build proprietary wild yeast discovery platform
A large new proprietary library of wild yeast strains aims to accelerate the discovery and commercialisation of natural yeast species for a wide variety of high-value industrial applications.
Renaissance BioScience Corp. are specialists in bioengineered yeast that provides solutions for...
Breadcrumbs could offer fossil-free production of everyday goods
The humble breadcrumb could hold the key to cutting out fossil fuels from one of the chemical industry’s most widely used reactions, according to a new study.
Scientists have found a one-pot microbial formula that uses waste bread to replace...
White biotechnology is being shaped by regulation and tech
White biotechnology is a key step in a circular economy, enabling the transformation of waste to industrially useful chemicals via a sustainable process. Felix Wei, IDTechEx, delves into two of the key market drivers for industrial biomanufacturing: government policy...
Chemically ‘stapled’ peptides used to target difficult-to-treat cancers
Researchers at the University of Bath have developed a new technology that uses bacteria to build, chemically stabilise, and test millions of potential drug molecules inside living cells, making it much quicker and easier to discover new treatments for...
Unlocking ultra-high-pressure reserves: a milestone for advanced chemistry
When Beacon Offshore Energy’s Shenandoah field achieved 100,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) after 75 days, it didn’t just exceed all regional ramp-up benchmarks and set a new performance standard for deepwater operations.
It validated decades of innovation in...
The use of AI in chemical R&D and the rise of GNNs
Investment in materials and chemicals AI has attracted major focus, but the real industry breakthrough is the shift away from large language models (LLMs) to graph neural networks (GNNs), which are proving far more accurate for molecular prediction and...
AI chemistry platform could ‘reshore drug discovery & materials manufacturing’
A new form of chemistry is ‘reinventing’ the process of discovering and manufacturing small molecules.
Excelsior Sciences is developing the novel approach that ‘machines can do and AI can use’ to enable closed-loop drug discovery.
Small molecules, the class of chemical...
Making a success of the UK’s industrial strategy
While government recognition for the chemicals industry is welcome, some areas lack detail. Duncan Lugton, Head of Policy & Impact at IChemE, analyses the strategy.
The UK government’s industrial strategy aims to strengthen economic growth by focusing on foundational...
Playing ‘catch-up’ in digital process safety management
Iain Mackay, SVP, PSM at Sphera, discusses how overcoming human barriers to digital transformation in the chemical industry can bolster performance and safety.
Post-pandemic, the speed of digitalisation in the chemical industry has accelerated by 56%.
However, many businesses often lack...
AI hallucinations are eroding trust in lab tools – but there are solutions
As scientists and researchers seek to integrate AI more deeply into daily lab workflows, tackling the issue of false or misleading information is a top priority, says Andrew Wyatt, Chief Growth Officer, Sapio Sciences.
AI is increasingly important for biopharma...
Unlocking Efficiency: VEGA’s Digital Toolbox for Chemical Plants
The chemical industry is under constant pressure to enhance safety, efficiency and transparency, all while managing increasingly complex production systems. At the same time, plants must evolve beyond traditional operating boundaries. Field-level digitalisation is a key enabler here –...
Turning PFAS risk into an opportunity for the chemical industry
From ski wax to food wrappers, and nonstick cookware to semiconductors, the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” has spread widely thanks to their unique properties, such as the ability to repel water...
Measurement is key to achieving sustainability goals at chemical plants
Improving energy efficiency is fundamental to reducing carbon dioxide emissions and achieving sustainability goals. Michael Machuca and Jimmie Soderstrom from Emerson provide practical and actionable ways to make improvements without the need for major capital investments.
Energy efficiency measures are...
Self-driving lab transforms materials discovery
Argonne researchers have used Polybot, an AI-driven automated material laboratory, to produce high-conductivity, low-defect electronic polymer thin films, writes Amber Rose.
Plastic that conducts electricity might sound impossible. But there is a special class of materials known as “electronic polymers”...
Chemical engineers create new nanofiltration membrane
A new sustainable plant-based membrane that works without fossil-fuel materials and toxic solvents has been created by a team at University of Bath.
Membranes are a crucial part of everyday life, used in cleaning our drinking water, treating sewage, and...
How electron microscopy accelerates the development of low-carbon technologies
Kate Vanderburgh, Sr. Product Specialist, Thermo Fisher Scientific, explains how electron microscopy (EM) drives material innovation to support sustainable, low-carbon technologies and combat climate change.
With critical deadlines approaching for the 2026–2031 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), countries are under increasing...
Unveiling the structure of a photosynthetic catalyst that turns light into hydrogen fuel
13 years of research come to life with a high-resolution view of a hybrid catalyst that combines platinum nanoparticles and protein complexes.
Argonne and Yale researchers shed light on the structure of a photosynthetic hybrid for the first time, enabling...
3 lessons from deploying digital twin technology in high-risk industries
‘Shared Reality’ can transform outdated, complex industrial sites into continuously updated, intelligent 3D models within days. Thomas Grand, Director of Operations (Chief Operating Officer) at Samp, explains all.
As global industries strive for operational resilience, safety, and sustainability, high-risk sectors...
Digital transformation: A catalyst for innovation and sustainability in specialty chemicals
By Ana Khanlari, PhD, Solution Marketing Director, AspenTech
The specialty chemicals sector is navigating a period of profound transformation. Fuelled by evolving market demands and increasing regulatory oversight, companies are under greater pressure to innovate and meet sustainability goals.
BCC Research...
‘Atomic Scissors’ technology to combat global plastic waste crisis
Pioneering technology breaks down plastic waste at the atomic level.
A revolutionary ‘Atomic Scissors’ technology looks set to represent a significant leap forward in the fight against plastic pollution.
Repolywise, a start-up founded by Oxford University researchers, has unveiled the cutting-edge...
New method in fight against forever chemicals
ETH Zurich researchers have used a technology known as ‘piezocatalysis’ to break down hazardous PFOS chemicals in water with the help of nanoparticles and ultrasound.
The method has shown promising results in the laboratory, with tests showing that it degraded...
Colourful comebacks – How coloured plastics can participate in the circular economy
Updating pigment and polymer processes will boost your sustainability credentials, says Genevieve Pugh, Associate, Patent Attorney, Mewburn Ellis LLP.
Single-use plastic, particularly for packaging of household goods, is almost inescapable in our everyday lives. It is estimated that in the...
MOF specialist raises £8m to scale up UK manufacturing facility
Promethean Particles, a chemical manufacturing company specialising in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), has closed a £8m financing round. The investment was led by Mercia Ventures and Aramco Ventures, with participation from existing investors including the Midlands Engine Investment Fund I...
A diamond solution to PFAS
Element Six (E6), a pioneer in the development and manufacturing of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond solutions, and Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced an exclusive global partnership that will leverage a...
Chemical group invests £250m at key industrial cluster
Mitsubishi Chemical Group UK Ltd, part of one of the world’s largest chemical producers, has committed to invest in a new production line at Saltend Chemicals Park.
Preparatory works have begun for construction of the new production line, which will...
Use process safety management with mechanical integrity to drive operational excellence
Process safety management delivers significant benefits for any chemical processing plant. Yet all too often, organisations view risk from a compliance angle. Javier Castro, ABS Consulting, says that seeing the value of process safety through mechanical integrity programs can...
Energy density breakthrough in Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate cell chemistry
Integrals Power has made a breakthrough in Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) cathode active materials for battery cells. Applying its propriety materials technology and patented manufacturing process, the company has overcome the drop in specific capacity compared that typically...
Ethernet-APL: Revolutionising Process Automation for the Chemical Industry
The chemical industry, like many other process industries, is undergoing a digital transformation. Ethernet-APL (Advanced Physical Layer) is at the forefront of this evolution, enabling seamless data communication in even the most challenging environments. By bringing Ethernet to every...
Facility advances new-era nuclear research
The creation of a cutting-edge facility has established the University of Leeds as the UK’s leading experimental nuclear institution in the field of multiphase fluid flow.
The unique centre will help train the next generation of scientists and engineers in...
