GREEN CHEMICALS
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...
Doppelganger plastics: a desirable alternative?
What if a product existed to match PET’s practicality, but was environmentally superior? Dirk den Ouden, Vice President of Circular Chemicals, Stora Enso, says the move to a truly circular economy just got closer.
The problem with plastics - aside...
Lack of demand for sustainable chemicals blocks investment
Over 450 large-scale industrial projects in six of the world’s highest-emitting industries are seeking investment to start producing green commodities by 2030, according to analysis by the Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA).
Heavy industries responsible for approximately 30% of global emissions...
Organocatalysis: our golden ticket to a green future?
The high cost of traditional catalysis has accelerated the drive to sustainable alternatives, says trainee patent attorney Iain McLauchlan, JA Kemp.
Catalysts are specialised compounds that offer certain chemical reactions faster, lower energy pathways towards their products. They achieve this...
Microplastics solution ‘available today’
Most of the microplastics are caused by the fragmentation of ordinary plastic – now is the time to look to oxo-biodegradable solutions, says Michael Laurier, CEO of Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc.
Microplastics are seen as the main problem with plastics.
Some...
The importance of mass balance in chemical recycling
Global chemical recycling capacity has the potential to grow 8x by 2029 if all projects (including pre-FID) come to fruition, according to the ICIS Recycling Supply Tracker – Chemical. Analyst Joshua Dill investigates.
While chemical recycling capacities show signs of...
Sustainable Carbon for the UK Chemicals industry Ambition
Innovate UK launches Sustainable Carbon Ambition for chemicals industry
The UK advanced manufacturing base is fundamentally reliant on inputs from the chemicals industry.
However, the chemicals industry is inherently carbon and energy intensive, and unlike other industries, uses fossil resources as...
Measurement technology secures hydrogen processes
Hydrogen is the key element for a greener economy. Hardly any other area of the global economy is currently experiencing so much development and dynamism. Research, trials and tests are being conducted worldwide. No matter which technology ultimately prevails,...
Moving towards Green Energy and the Challenges That We Face
Chemical engineering, process safety and associated industries are built around the mutual core value of striving for a greener, more sustainable environment, and this can only become a realistic goal through collective efforts to make processes greener. The road...
Decarbonising the chemical industry: a path to net-zero emissions
By Yash Chawla, Chemical Expert and Strategic Project Manager at STX Group, global environmental commodity trading and climate solutions firm.
The chemical industry is integral to modern society, supplying essential materials for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture and more. However, it also...
Continuous metals monitor reveals environmental benefits
A new continuous metals monitoring technology has been trialled at a river by a talc production plant in Finland.
The trial assessed whether the sampling and analysis of large numbers of environmental water samples could be avoided.
“The results were extremely...
Next-generation bioinsecticides move closer to market after trial success
SOLASTA Bio, a UK agritech startup, has achieved a major milestone on the path to commercialisation with successful field trials of its groundbreaking green bioinsecticides.
SOLASTA Bio’s unique micro-peptide Insect Control Agents (ICAs), based on insect ‘neuropeptides’, demonstrated efficacy on...
scientists use laundry detergent enzyme to recycle single-use plastics
Novel method of chemical recycling achieves full degradation of plastics within 24 hours
Approach is 84 times faster than industrial composting
Breakthrough puts the circular economy for plastics within reach
Scientists at King’s College London have developed an innovative...
The chemicals industry: a barometer for clean energy transition
Outputs of chemicals in the U.S. are contracting and will continue to do so well into 2024. But there is hope – a rebound is projected for 2025. The top three opportunities from a global perspective include demand for...
The chemical industry’s sustainability ‘North Star’
The European chemical sector has been exceptionally resilient despite the significant economic uncertainty and supply chain disruptions after the pandemic. This resilience has helped mitigate the repercussions of global crises such as the conflict in Ukraine and the resulting...
Transforming concrete from a carbon problem to a carbon solution
Demand grows apace for technologies that can reduce CO2 emissions and/or efficiently remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Proposed solutions for sequestering CO2 are plentiful, but there are serious issues around how to verify these claims. Accurate measurement is a...
Enzymatic Recycling: could revolutionary enzyme ease PET packaging pressure?
A consortium of UK universities has been awarded £11.2 million to develop enzymatic recycling and help reduce plastic pollution, with a particular focus on low-energy and low-carbon solutions.
Steve Brownett-Gale, of pharmaceutical packagers, Origin, explains, “Research has led to a...
‘Overwhelming enthusiasm’ for green utility provision in petrochemicals
A new report and survey into utility provision in the petrochemical industry has identified overwhelming enthusiasm for sustainable practices, with almost all process engineers surveyed stating they would pay substantially more for greener equipment.
For Aggreko’s most recent whitepapers, titled...
Making polyurethane and nylon ‘infinitely recyclable
Protein Evolution, Inc. and Basecamp Research are developing novel enzymes to break down difficult-to-recycle plastic and textile waste and solve a major bottleneck in the fashion industry.
A collaboration between Protein Evolution, Inc., a biological recycling company working to decarbonise...
