Chemical Engineering :: Article Archives :: Chementator

Displaying 1 - 20 of 44 stories.

May 1, 2013

One-pot synthesis of sugars from biomass

Researchers from the group of Atsushi Fukuoka at the Catalysis Research Center of Hokkaido University (Sapporo; www.cat.hokudai.ac.jp), and Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; Tokyo, both Japan; www.sdk.co.jp) have developed a new catalyst that efficiently decomposes biomass into sugars. The activated-carbon-based catalyst achieves high yields of both C6 and C5...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/One-pot-synthesis-of-sugars-from-biomass_10445.html

May 1, 2013

Making 1,3-PDO from glycerin

The research groups of Keiichi Fujishige at Tohoku University (Sendai, www.che.tohoku.ac.jp/~erec) and Daicel Corp. (Osaka, both Japan; www.daicel.com) have developed a process for making 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) from glycerin, a byproduct of biodiesel-fuel production. The researchers improved a catalyst developed by Fujishige to be applied to a rather simple reaction process. They are expecting that...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/Making-13-PDO-from-glycerin_10446.html

April 1, 2013

A hybrid acid catalyst makes levulinate from cellulose

Ken-ichi Tominaga and colleagues at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST; Tsukuba, Japan; www.aist.go.jp) have developed a hybrid catalyst system that can be used to convert cellulose into levulinic acid. The catalyst consists of two types of acid: indium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate (In(OTf)3), a Lewis acid; and p-toluenesulfonic acid...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/A-hybrid-acid-catalyst-makes-levulinate-from-cellulose_10368.html

March 1, 2013

A bi-metallic nanocluster catalyst for highly selective asymmetric C–C formation

Shu Kobayashi and his research group at the University of Tokyo (Japan; www.chem.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/users/synorg/index_e.html) have developed a ruthenium-silver nanocluster catalyst for the highly selective 1,4-addition reaction for the formation of asymmetric carbon-carbon bonds. Previously, the group had used its polymeric incarceration (PI) method to form metallic nanoclusters supported on a polystyrene-based...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/A-bi-metallic-nanocluster-catalyst-for-highly-selective-asymmetric-C-C-formation_10265.html

January 1, 2013

A low-cost route to ultrathin Pt films

Researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST; Gaithersburg, Md.; www.nist.gov) have developed a relatively simple, fast and effective method of depositing uniform, ultrathin layers of platinum atoms onto a surface. The technique may lead to a reduction in the amount of precious metal needed for catalyst applications, such as catalytic converters in automobiles and hydrogen...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/A-low-cost-route-to-ultrathin-Pt-films_10058.html

January 1, 2013

Nanoparticles help generate hydrogen

A research team is using clusters of gold atoms at sub-nanometer sizes to enhance the photocatalytic production of hydrogen from water. Sustainable H2 production from a non-fossil-fuel source could have significant environmental and energy-efficiency benefits. The...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/Nanoparticles-help-generate-hydrogen_10060.html

January 1, 2013

Membrane reactor may reduce wastage of natural gas

A small-scale ceramic membrane reactor to convert natural gas to transportable liquids in a single step is being developed by Ceramatec, Inc. (Salt Lake City, Utah; www.ceramatec.com) under a $1.7-million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA, Washington, D.C.; www.doe.gov). The goal is to monetize the...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/Membrane-reactor-may-reduce-wastage-of-natural-gas_10067.html

January 1, 2013

Using sunlight to incorporate CO2 into alpha-amino ketones

The research group of Masahiro Murakami at Kyoto University (Kyoto, Japan; www.sbchem.kyoto-u.ac.jp/murakami-lab) have synthesized a promising pharmaceutical precursor using only sunlight (as energy source) and CO2 (as co-reagent). The solar-driven process involves two consecutive reactions (diagram): first, light transforms an alpha-methylamino ketone into an energized, cyclic...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/Using-sunlight-to-incorporate-CO2-into-alpha-amino-ketones_10068.html

January 1, 2013

A step towards artificial photosynthesis

A photocatalyst that reduces CO2 into carbon monoxide is being commercialized by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co. (Tokyo, Japan; www.tcichemicals.com/en/jp/index.html). Developed by Osamu Ishitani and his research group at Tokyo Institute of Technology (TiTech; Japan; www.chemistry.titech.ac.jp/~ishitani/index-jp.htm), the catalyst is a step towards artificial photosynthesis whereby CO2 can be converted into...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/A-step-towards-artificial-photosynthesis_10076.html

December 1, 2012

A new photocatalyst for VOC destruction

A process for manufacturing fine particles of titanium dioxide that exhibits a high level of photocatalytic activity has been developed by Showa Titanium Co., a subsidiary of Showa Denko K.K. (SDK, Tokyo; ww.sdk.co.jp). The product has been developed in collaboration with professor Bunsho Ohtani at Hokkaido University with support from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/A-new-photocatalyst-for-VOC-destruction_9968.html

December 1, 2012

A highly active catalyst for making NH3

The research groups of Hideo Hosono and Michikazu Hara at the Materials and Structures Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology (TiTech; Yokohama, Japan; www.msl.titech.ac.jp) have developed a high-performance catalyst for the synthesis of ammonia. In the laboratory, the catalyst is found to be an order of magnitude more efficient than commercial ruthenium-based catalysts because it cuts the energy...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/A-highly-active-catalyst-for-making-NH3_9976.html

December 1, 2012

A photocatalyst for destroying viruses

Meanwhile, professor Kazuhito Hashimoto at the University of Tokyo (Japan; www.light.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp) has developed new photocatalyst materials based on copper-titanium oxide, which exhibits superior antiviral effectiveness and enhanced antibacterial properties compared to existing systems. Developed with support from NEDO...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/A-photocatalyst-for-destroying-viruses_9978.html

November 1, 2012

A new catalyst enables lower-temperature H2 production using the sulfur-iodine cycle

Among the many different ways being investigated for making hydrogen “from water” is the so-called sulfur-iodine (S-I) cycle, which involves three chemical reactions whose net products are H2 and O2: the decomposition of sulfuric acid into SO2, H2O and O2; the decomposition of hydrogen iodide into H2 and I2; and the regeneration of H2SO4 and HI by the Bunsen reaction (I2 + SO2 + 2H2O → 2HI...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/A-new-catalyst-enables-lower-temperature-H2-production-using-the-sulfur-iodine-cycle_9891.html

October 1, 2012

New catalysts for Baeyer-Villiger oxidation reactions

Kazuaki Ishihara and his group at Nagoya University (Japan; www.ishihara-lab.net) have established a new, environment friendly reaction technology — using Baeyer-Villiger oxidations — for selectively oxidizing ketones into esters. The reaction uses hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant, and has potential as a safer alternative to the conventional industrial route for making the nylon precursor...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/New-catalysts-for-Baeyer-Villiger-oxidation-reactions_9766.html

September 1, 2012

This osmium-based catalyst is rendered nontoxic by polymer incarceration

Professor Shu Kobayashi and his research group at The School of Science, University of Tokyo (Japan; www.chem.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/users/synorg/index_E.html) have developed an osmium-based catalyst for performing asymmetric syntheses of drug precursors. While showing the same catalytic performance of its predecessor — a microencapsulated osmium oxide in a polymer — the new catalyst system is not...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/This-osmium-based-catalyst-is-rendered-nontoxic-by-polymer-incarceration_9626.html

August 1, 2012

Knowledge-based approach to catalyst development

Petroleum-derived ethylene normally contains traces of acetylene, which interferes with the conversion of ethylene into polyethylene (PE). Because it is difficult to separate it, the acetylene is selectively hydrogenated to ethylene — without subsequent hydrogenation to ethane — using a palladium-based catalyst. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/Knowledge-based-approach-to-catalyst-development_9528.html

July 1, 2012

Development Speeds up In Catalysis

There might be as many categories of catalysts as there are chemical processing applications. And, no matter what the specialty or application, most catalyst producers are in a constant state of research and development in order to meet the demands of their chemical processing customers, as well as to develop innovative catalysts for new applications and growing market areas. Recent efforts of some of the...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/Development-Speeds-up-In-Catalysis_9441.html

July 1, 2012

A step closer to replacing platinum in catalytic converters

The research group of Masaru Ogura, an associate professor at the Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo (www.u-tokyo.ac.jp), has clarified the degradation mechanism and the role potassium carbonate plays in the catalyst systems used for reducing soot from the exhaust of diesel engines. Based on its studies, the group has proposed a new catalyst system with enhanced tolerance to catalyst...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/A-step-closer-to-replacing-platinum-in-catalytic-converters_9445.html

July 1, 2012

Making carboxylic acids from alkynes and CO2

The research groups of professor Yasuyuki Tsuji and assistant professor Tetsuaki Fujihara at Kyoto University (Japan; www.ehcc.kyoto-u.ac.jp) have developed a copper-catalyzed reaction for synthesizing carboxylic acids, such as acrylic acid, using carbon dioxide as a raw material. The reaction involves the hydrocarboxylation of alkynes with CO2 over a Cu catalyst. Two copper-based complexes showed high...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/Making-carboxylic-acids-from-alkynes-and-CO2_9448.html

June 1, 2012

‘Visible’ photocatalyst

The research groups of Masahiro Miyauchi at Tokyo Institute of Technology (www.eim.ceram.titech.ac.jp) and Kazuhiko Hashimoto at the University of Tokyo (www.light.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp) have developed a photocatalyst that is highly active for the destruction of volatile organic compoiunds (VOCs) using visible radiation. The catalyst, a culmination of a five-year project supported by New Energy and Industrial...
http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/Visible-photocatalyst_9363.html

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