microbial fuel cell yields hydrogen from biomass

Molybdenum disulfide made byultrasonic spray pyrolysis

Workers at the University of Illinois inUrbana-Champagne have mademolybdenum disulfide catalystparticles by a new process whichimproves their catalytic activity.Droplets of aqueous ammoniumtetrathiomolybdate and colloidal silicaare sprayed into a furnace, Theproduct is leached with hydrofluoricacid which removes the silica, leavingparticles of highly active molybdenumdisulfide.

European Chemical News, 25 July 2005, 83 (2157),25

Microbial fuel cell yields hydrogenfrom biomass

Ion Power Inc and the PennsylvaniaState University have come up with aprocess that allows bacteria togenerate four times as muchhydrogen directly from biomass thatcan be produced by fermentationalone. The technology, which utilisesa new electrically-assisted anaerobicmicrobial fuel cell (MFC), may capturehydrogen for fuel from renewablesources for clean transportation. Itwas discovered that by boosting theelectrochemical potential in a fullyanaerobic MFC circuit with a voltageof 250 mV or higher, bacteria aregiven enough energy to destroy thefermentation by-products at theanode. More than 95% of the acetatewas used, with a concomitantrecovery of 90% of the electrons ashydrogen gas in a fully oxygen-freecell.

Chemical Engineering Progress, Jun 2005, 101 (6),13-14

ENVIRONMENTAre catalytic converters on portableequipment safe?

The EPA has proposed settingemission standards for exhausts fromportable equipment such aslawnmowers and chain saws, whichwould require the fitting of catalyticconverters. However, the hightemperatures reached by theseconverters could cause fires, eg in drygrass. The Senate is requiring several

US agencies to review all suchregulations before they are approved.

AEEC Newsletter, May-Jun 2005, 6

Plastic wastes converted to aromatichydrocarbons

Three Japanese organisations arecollaborating in developing a catalyticprocess for converting waste plasticsinto aromatic hydrocarbons. Theorganisations are the MuroranInstitute of Technology, the KanagawaIndustrial Technology Institute, andIshikawajima-Harima HeavyIndustries. Gallium-containing zeoliteMFI has been used as the catalyst,but other zeolites have been shown towork too. At IHI’s facilities inYokohama, a demonstration plant witha capacity of recovering 600 gbenzene, toluene, and xylene from 1 kg of waste plastics is to beestablished.

Japan Chemical News, 7 Jul 2005, 46 (2325), 3

Remove dust and pollutants with thiscatalytic filter

Madison Filter Ltd of Haslingden, UK,and Haldor Topsoe A/S of Lyngby,Denmark, have jointly developed theCerafil TopKat (CTK) ceramic candlesthat comprise a concoction of metaloxide catalysts for destroying dioxins,volatile organic compounds, andoxides of nitrogen (NOx). The filter issaid to make fluegas cleanup andNOx removal easier and investmentcosts cheaper. A better than 99% dustremoval ability has been achieved bythe filter in two commercialapplications.

Chemical Engineering (New York), Jul 2005, 112 (7),16

Johnson Matthey technology winsaward

Johnson Matthey has been presentedwith a Premier Award by BusinessCommitment to the Environment(BCE). The award winningtechnologies, named AquaCat andSmopex, offer an environmentallyadvanced route for recycling metal,including materials that may not besuitable for traditional recoverytechniques. The Smopex technology,a fibrous scavenger that selectivelyattracts metals from solution, is

already being used in the recovery ofmetal down to parts per billion levelsand where materials are unsuitablefor transport. Smopex has received adrug master file number from the USFood & Drug Administration for usewithin pharmaceutical applications.AquaCat uses supercritical wateroxidation technology to ‘burn’ materialsand thereby recover valuable preciousmetals. The process uses very littleenergy, and the gaseous emissionsusually requiring treatment followingmetal recovery are so low that they arenot detected.

Press release from: Johnson Matthey Catalysts,Orchard Road, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 5HE, UK.Tel: +44 (0)1763 253000. Website:http://www.matthey.com (1 Jul 2005)

PATENTSSulfur-tolerant SOx trap for 3-wayexhaust catalysts

These are structured, layered catalystparticles. The object is to remove SOxbefore it poisons the NOx removalcatalyst beneath. The top layercontains a material such as magnesiaor hydrotalcite which reversiblyadsorbs the SOx.

US 6,923,945, Engelhard Corp, Iselin, NJ, USA, 2 Aug2005

Thermal spray process for applyingcatalytic coating

The purpose is to provide a catalyticcoating to vehicle radiators so thatthey destroy atmospheric ozone. Thecoating of copper, which becomescopper oxide, is applied by a thermalspray process.

US 6,924,249, Delphi Technologies Inc, Troy, MI, USA,2 Aug 2005

Ethylbenzene removal in xyleneisomerization

Isomerization of xylene mixtures tothe more valuable p-xylene iscomplicated by the presence ofethylbenzene which is difficult toremove. In this process, theethylbenzene is first de-alkylated tobenzene and ethylene using anintermediate pore-sized zeolite.

US 6,924,405, ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc,Houston, TX, USA, 2 Aug 2005

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F O C U S O N C A T A L Y S T S