Optimizing electrochemical processes is one of the challenges in developing technologies for renewable energies. New research findings could provide assistance here.

The chemistry equipment firm Asynt has introduced a new waterless condenser – Condensyn Maxi which proves beneficial for large-scale synthetic chemical reactions in the laboratory. It also assists scientists to scale up their experiments from small benchtop synthesis to large volume jacketed reactor vessels.

In the background of rising demand of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, Lotte Chemical and Sasol Chemicals have plans to explore a joint project to develop an electrolyte solvents production plant. Sasol’s site near Lake Charles in the U.S. and Marl in Germany are being considered for the project.

Semi-permeable polymer membranes are an efficient way to produce clean water. To overcome existing challenges such as fouling, US researchers have now used computational methods to advance membrane technology.

The companies Shell USA and Shell Midstream Partners (SHLX) have executed a definitive agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which Shell USA will acquire all of the common units representing limited partner interests in SHLX for a total value of approximately 1.96 billion dollars.

India's chemical industry is one of the fastest growing in the world and contributes 3.4 % to the global chemical industry. A dedicated focus on developing sustainable specialty chemicals and investing significantly in R&D and technology is trending in this burgeoning sector.

Tata Chemicals Europe has launched the first industrial scale carbon capture and usage plant in the UK. The plant is expected to capture 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Also, CO2 captured from energy generation emissions is being purified to food and pharmaceutical grade which will then be used as a raw material to produce sodium bicarbonate.

Waste water is more than just mud. In some industrial processes it is full of valuable raw materials, such as traces of the rare metal gallium. In order to recover them, researchers from Freiberg have now tested a new biotechnical process — and filtered metal ions out of the wastewater using a peptide gel.

The European Commission has organized a two-day event wherein 30 plus start-ups funded by the European Innovation Council will share their innovative solutions with 13 of the leading chemical companies and associations in the region with an aim to contribute to the European Green Deal.

China has announced massive investments in one of the country's largest petrochemical industry sites. In Zhanjiang, at the southern tip of the People's Republic in Guangdong Province, another 45.2 billion dollars is being pumped into a Verbund site which will focus on petrochemicals and steel production over the next five years. The German chemical giant BASF is right in the middle of all this.