INDUSTRY 4.0
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‘Shared Reality’ can transform outdated, complex industrial sites into continuously updated, intelligent 3D models within days.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...
Incorporating artificial intelligence into your chemicals & materials business
We have been talking about artificial intelligence in the chemical industry for more than five years now. In the beginning, the conversations revolved mostly about whether it would have an impact. Today, we will talk about how.
In fact, nearly...
Innovation in Flow Chemistry: tackling Solid Management
An innovative program aims to optimise the management of parasitic solid compounds generated during chemical reactions. Trials will focus on applications within the pharmaceutical industry and the production of high-value compounds in fine chemistry.
Flow chemistry has seen significant advancements...
Commercially viable process for manufacturing established with new class of metals
Nanostructured high entropy alloys – metals made from a chaotic mix of several different elements – show a lot of promise for use in industries such as aerospace and automotive because of their strength and stability at high temperatures...
AI identifies new materials for carbon capture
Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials can be used in many different applications, from catalysts to energy converters, writes Jared Sagoff.
Generative AI techniques, machine learning and simulations give researchers new opportunities to identify environmentally friendly metal-organic framework materials.
Carbon capture is a...
Researchers achieve quantum key distribution for cybersecurity in novel experiment
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated that advanced quantum-based cybersecurity can be realised in a deployed fiber link.
Their results, published in Optica, validate an earlier proof-of-principle laboratory experiment by ORNL scientists in 2015.
The...
Industrial-scale centre-cut purification: innovating TIDE production with continuous chromatography
Purification is often a bottleneck in the peptide and oligonucleotide (TIDES) production process, but after the establishment of the first industrial scale continuous chromatography system for center-cut purification, TIDES manufacturing is entering a new era of seamless large-scale production.
In...
Why the chemical industry hasn’t embraced AI … yet
The vast majority of executives in the chemical industry recognise the need for heightened investment in AI, so why isn’t it happening? Benson Wang, product director for Profet AI, explains.
Eighty per cent of chemicals executives surveyed for a recent...
What’s next for nitinol
With its extreme flexibility and resistance to damage, the metal alloy, nitinol, has become an essential resource in medical devices manufacturing and other leading-edge industries.
However, until recently, manufacturers of nitinol products have faced challenges as the alloy can be...
‘Industry first’ for instant secure transfer of analytical methods and results data
Successful proof of concept at GSK employs data transfer via cloud to facilitate secure and efficient collaboration across companies, labs and time zones.
The Pistoia Alliance has announced an industry first for its Methods Hub project.
The cloud-based collaborative tool now...
Cloud-based data security at the highest level
Cloud-based systems for plant process management (PPM) deliver significant benefits in terms of access, convenience, and handling. But are they safe to be used in sensitive industries like chemical or pharmaceutical manufacturing? The answer is yes … if designed...
Powering a Green Transition for Chemical Manufacturers
Private wireless networks and their supporting monitoring systems can guide the sector’s green digitilisation journey, says David De Lancellotti, Enterprise Head of PWLS Campus, CNS Cloud and Network Services at Nokia.
As one of the largest industrial energy consumers, reducing...
The Challenges of Streamlining Materials Discoveries for OEMs
Michael Helander, founder and CEO of OTI Lumionics, explains how manufacturers can streamline processes such as quantum computing simulations and materials development for faster, cheaper and more accurate results.
The materials we had ten years ago are lending the path...
