Latest Chemical Stories
Waste not, want not: engineering water, energy and food solutions from natureSeptember 12, 2017
Part of this year's RebelBio cohort in Cork, NuLeaf Tech uses biochemical and ecological biomimicry to turn wastewater into a resource, using engineered wetlands, microbial fuel cells and vertical farming. Rachel Major and Ari Ochoa report
Self-sufficient wastewater treatment: energy recovery from sewage sludgeAugust 29, 2017
Karla Dussan and Rory Monaghan describe the economic and environmental benefits of sludge management through integrated anaerobic digestion and thermal conversion, while acknowledging the technical challenges of its implementation
Why chemical engineers — not just economists — are key to a circular futureAugust 1, 2017
Amidst the growing interest in the ‘circular economy’ as a way to improve resource efficiency, Prof Roland Clift argues that we need a better understanding of the term - and chemical engineers might hold the answer
Engineers develop biodegradable microbeads from cellulose for cosmetics industryAugust 1, 2017
The biodegradable cellulose microbeads come from cellulose, a sustainable source that could potentially replace harmful plastic microbeads that contribute to ocean pollution
Heat transfer systems – thermal fluid maintenance to maximise productivityJuly 18, 2017
Clive Jones outlines three considerations for manufacturers operating thermal fluid heat transfer systems to minimise downtime and safeguard the system's future for the long term
Water might have first been formed deep within Earth’s mantle, say UCD engineersJuly 18, 2017
The new theory, based on research carried out by chemical engineers in UCD, offers an alternative explanation as to how the life-giving liquid might have originated on Earth. Jamie Deasy reports
Computer system predicts products of chemical reactions to aid industrial processesJuly 3, 2017
Chemical engineers have developed a machine-learning system trained on thousands of experimental reactions to predict a reaction’s major products, which could aid the design of industrial processes for drug manufacturing
Chemical engineers develop new way to clear pollutants from waterJune 20, 2017
Engineers have developed a new way to remove toxic micropollutants, including pesticides and pharmaceuticals, from water, even when present in extremely low concentrations
Esterification: the essential processes and what they entailJune 6, 2017
Esterification is the equilibrium reaction of acids and alcohols to form esters and is one of the most practiced technologies in the chemical industry. Brian Tarbit takes a closer look at the processes behind esterification and what must be considered
Why engineers in project management should consider an ATEX Route MapMay 23, 2017
Richard Coffey outlines the main phases of a project and describes how an ATEX Route Map approach can help project managers to navigate their way through a typical project where explosive atmospheres can arise
No sweat – engineers design moisture-responsive workout suitMay 20, 2017
Ventilating flaps in the responsive fabric open and close in accordance with an athlete’s body heat and sweat. These flaps are lined with live microbial cells that shrink and expand in response to changes in humidity
Mega is out and bio is in: biomanufacturing is the future of chemical productionMay 9, 2017
Engineers propose that the future of chemical production lies in decentralised biomanufacturing facilities that will push innovation and achieve efficiency not possible at today's megaplants
Optimisation of film-coating suspension mixing for vessel scale-upMay 9, 2017
Rebecca Power, a chemical and biopharmaceutical engineering student at Cork Institute of Technology, outlines the final-year research project she undertook as part of her industrial placement in a pharmaceutical company
MOREFISH research project: engineering sustainability in Irish aquacultureApril 24, 2017
We outline the challenges and opportunities facing Irish aquaculture, the MOREFISH collaborative research project being carried out in NUI Galway and Athlone IT, and how engineers can play a major role in the future success of this sector
Engineers invent process to produce renewable car tyres from biomassApril 24, 2017
The new technology produces automobile tyres from trees and grasses in a process that could shift the tyre-production industry away from fossil fuels and toward using renewable resources found right in our backyards
Optimisation of a multi-component distillation column in Whitegate RefineryApril 11, 2017
Cork Institute of Technology chemical and biopharmaceutical engineering student Naina Thomas describes the final-year research project that she undertook at Irving Oil's Whitegate Refinery facility last autumn
Automated manufacturing technology offers fast peptide synthesis for new drugsApril 11, 2017
New research has resulted in a machine that can rapidly produce large quantities of customised peptides. This technology could rapidly generate new drugs to test on diseases including cancer and diabetes
How solar energy can be transformed into synthetic fuelMarch 28, 2017
New research has looked into how solar energy can be transformed into sustainable fuel. The resulting new procedure uses the sun's thermal energy to convert carbon dioxide and water directly into synthetic fuel
Chemical engineers boost bacteria’s productivity by improving yield of useful chemicalsMarch 28, 2017
Chemical engineers have shown that they could significantly enhance the yield of glucaric acid, a chemical precursor to products such as nylons and detergents, by shutting competing metabolic pathways in the cells
Resource consumption and process performance of wastewater treatment plantsMarch 14, 2017
E. Doherty, G. McNamara, L. Fitzsimons and E. Clifford outline the best methods of measuring, auditing and benchmarking for process optimisation in Irish wastewater treatment plants