GREEN CHEMICALS
CCUS: powering our industrial regeneration?
With £9.4 billion earmarked in funding, Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) has been positioned as a critical net zero tool, and a driver of industrial regeneration, skills development and international collaboration. Duncan Lugton, head of policy and impact...
Green chemistry, grey areas – understanding patent protection for sustainable materials
Peter Youle, Senior Associate at Marks & Clerk, explains what green materials, production processes and formulations are (and aren’t) protectable under current IP law and offers actionable tips where the chemical sector may struggle.
Awareness and appreciation of environmental issues...
From boardroom scepticism to c-suite priority: the evolution of bio-based chemicals
Over the past three decades, sustainability in chemicals has gone from being a side note to a fundamental boardroom issue, says Bettina Brierly, Chief Commercial Officer, Celtic Renewables.
In the past, bio-based chemicals were regarded as a curiosity and superfluous...
enaDyne plans to transform chemical production with non-thermal plasma catalysis technology
The Leipzig-based company pioneers fully electric, modular, non-thermal plasma catalysis reactors that convert CO2 into valuable chemicals while abating hard-to-treat emissions, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical manufacturing processes.
German start-up enaDyne -which specialises in fully electric, non-thermal plasma...
Pyrolysis oil: decarbonising petrochemicals one drop at a time
Nirav Shah, Global Director (Growth Fields, Re-refining, LNG/Gas processing) at Evonik, explores the integration of pyrolysis oil into refining and petrochemical processes, the hurdles that come with this, and the innovative solutions driving adoption at scale.
Sustainability initiatives have been...
Rubber recycling breakthrough could “slash” emissions
A UK company is believed to be the first plastic chemical recycling specialist to commercialise ‘char’, a byproduct of its TAC™ chemical recycling process.
Launched under the name TACFILLER by Plastic Energy, the company claims the product “offers a lower-carbon,...
From compliance to competitive edge: why emissions reporting is a must for chemical sector
George Hudson, UK Business Development Manager for GoNetZero, explains why accurate emissions reporting is now essential for compliance and credibility.
Accurate emissions reporting is not just about compliance anymore – it is fast becoming a baseline expectation for doing business.
The...
Net Zero, Smarter: Flexible Energy Solutions
Discover how forward-thinking leaders are turning decarbonisation into a competitive edge
The UK chemical manufacturing sector remains a powerhouse of the economy,
underpinning around 96% of all manufactured goods and contributing £25 billion to GDP
each year, as stated by the Chemical...
Red tape, green chemistry: Turning sustainability regs into a growth catalyst
Sustainability regulations are a make-or-break moment for the industry. However, instead of treating regulation as a cost center, what if chemical firms could use digital tools to turn sustainability into a growth driver, says Stephen Reynolds, Industry Principal, Chemicals,...
Industrial waste turned into world-first green chemistry
A major research centre to position the UK as a global leader in clean technology has been launched by the universities of Newcastle, Sheffield and Nottingham.
Great British (GB) Chemicals will help replace fossil petrochemicals and recycling industrial waste using...
Who Will Lead the Plastics Revolution?
Europe’s chemical recycling requires over €400 billion in cumulative capex to compete with virgin plastics production – who will lead?
Despite impending mandates and ambitious corporate targets, chemical recycling in Europe remains nascent today mostly due to unattractive economics, according...
Measurement holds key to leaner, cleaner performance in chemical industry
Producing many of the everyday products that we take for granted, the chemical industry is a major contributor to air and water emissions, as well as a significant consumer of energy. Peter Cologne, UK & Ireland Sales Manager for...
New lab and pilot plant for feedstock renewables firm
Bedford-based C-Source Renewables is celebrating a major milestone with the opening of its new microbiology and waste valorisation laboratory and pilot plant.
The company – which specialises in sustainable waste solutions - began as a university dissertation and has since...
INEOS Invests £30m to slash emissions at Hull site by 75%
INEOS has completed a major £30 million investment at its Hull manufacturing site, converting the facility to run on clean-burning hydrogen instead of natural gas.
The result is a 75% cut in carbon emissions – the equivalent of taking around...
Turning emissions into valuable products
Many processes which were once considered waste can now be valorised. Dr Alexander Krajete, CEO of emissions treatment specialist Krajete, explores how waste gases can be repurposed into useful products.
missions valorisation pathways
Valorisation is the process of increasing the value...
Mass-spectrometry technique boosts enzyme screening speed by up to 1000 times
Scientists have developed a new technique to screen engineered enzyme reactions, which could lead to faster and more efficient creation of medicines and sustainable chemicals.
Enzymes are proteins that catalyse chemical reactions, turning one substance into another. In labs, scientists...
Reduce and remove: The two-pronged approach to the PFAS problem
The discussion surrounding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), driven by the persistence and bioaccumulation of these “forever chemicals” in ecosystems and human bodies, has reached a critical juncture.
With some 5,000 PFAS compounds utilised in industries from food packaging to...
Worm Slime Could Revolutionise the Future of Sustainable Bioplastics
McGill researchers aim to harness the natural process that lets slime shift from liquid to fibre.
A new discovery about the slime ejected by velvet worms could revolutionise sustainable material design, according to a study by McGill University researchers.
Their findings...
e-methanol plans for CO2-reduced supply chains
The HyLion network in Scotland plans to produce CO2-reduced hydrogen from renewable energies and convert it into e-methanol
The network’s overarching aim is to establish a transnational, European end-to-end supply chain for CO2-reduced hydrogen and e-methanol. The plan is to...
Spotlight on Scottish ABE biorefining champions
A Scottish company is poised to lead a new era in chemicals manufacturing after its core technology was cited as key to the country’s low carbon future.
Celtic Renewables is one of only a few companies worldwide using the ABE...
High-End Circular Solvents: A Path to Sustainability
Stuart Barker, Commercial Manager EU & UK at Indaver Solvents, explains how recycled solvents provide high-quality materials as part of a carbon-positive circular economy.
Solvents are used ubiquitously throughout the chemical industry as intermediates, fuels, and as components of a...
How measurement technology is advancing sustainability in the chemical industry
As sustainability becomes a growing priority in chemical manufacturing, VEGA is helping companies optimise processes and reduce environmental impact through state-of-the-art level and pressure measurement solutions.
These sensors monitor processes in real time, providing accurate data on levels, pressures, temperatures,...
A genuine way to tackling the industry’s vast energy consumption
The chemical sector is responsible for 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, emitting around 2 billion metric tons of CO2 per year. In today’s climate emergency, where the planet is on track for a catastrophic 3.1°C increase in temperature...
Hydrogen research hub funds 10 new UK projects
Funding totalling £3 million has been awarded to researchers developing new technologies to unlock the carbon-saving potential of hydrogen and low-carbon liquid fuels.
The grants have been handed out by the UK Hub for Research Challenges in Hydrogen and Alternative...
Systems engineering of ‘cell factories’ offers sustainable alternative
Engineers from The University of Warwick’s Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre and Imperial College London’s Department of Bioengineering have unveiled how to engineer microbial ‘cell-factories’ to boost the manufacture of high-value chemicals that are used in everyday products like domestic...
World’s largest polylactic acid production facility unveiled
Emirates Biotech has selected Sulzer as the technology provider for its upcoming Polylactic Acid (PLA) production plant in the United Arab Emirates. The facility will be constructed in two phases, each with an annual capacity of 80,000 tonnes, resulting...
Decarbonised chemicals, plastics gain momentum with multiple production pathways
Momentum is building in the zero-to-low carbon chemicals and plastics space with many different pathways to production that will give customers more options to reduce their carbon footprint.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat, as the English...
UK bio-based Materials Regulatory Network is launched
The network aims to accelerate adoption of sustainable chemicals and materials through improved regulation and standards.
BB-REG-NET, the UK’s first regulatory science network for bio-based and biodegradable materials, has launched with the help of a £474,135 award from Innovate UK.
The...
Bayer acquires Camelina assets to advance biofuels
Bayer has acquired camelina germplasm and intellectual property assets from Smart Earth Camelina Corp. to meet growing demand for renewable fuel.
With the addition of camelina crops to Bayer’s portfolio, Bayer hopes to expand its leadership position in biomass-based feedstock...
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...
