http://www.che.com Chemical Engineering en-us 2013 Thu, 23 May 2013 11:10:04 EDT 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... http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/10445.html Wed, 1 May 2013 0:00:00 EDT 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... http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/10446.html Wed, 1 May 2013 0:00:00 EDT 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)... http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/10368.html Mon, 1 Apr 2013 0:00:00 EDT 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... http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/10265.html Fri, 1 Mar 2013 0:00:00 EST 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... http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/10058.html Tue, 1 Jan 2013 0:00:00 EST 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/10060.html Tue, 1 Jan 2013 0:00:00 EST 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.... http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/10067.html Tue, 1 Jan 2013 0:00:00 EST 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... http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/10068.html Tue, 1 Jan 2013 0:00:00 EST 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... http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/10076.html Tue, 1 Jan 2013 0:00:00 EST 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... http://www.che.com/chementator/catalysis/9968.html Sat, 1 Dec 2012 0:00:00 EST