Chem Archives - Engineers Journal

Latest Chemical Stories

Microplastics: Beginning of the end for land application of biosolids?September 9, 2019

Plastic is a hot topic - its ubiquity in the natural environment, impact on aquatic ecosystems and the emerging evidence of its impact on human health seem to make headlines every day, writes Dr David Tompkins

Chem

Removing carbon dioxide from power plant exhaustSeptember 9, 2019

Researchers are developing a battery that could both capture carbon dioxide in power plant exhaust and convert it to a solid ready for safe disposal

Chem

Heat shield just 10 atoms thick to protect electronic devicesAugust 26, 2019

Atomically thin materials could create heat-shields for mobile phones or laptops that would protect people and temperature-sensitive components and make future electronic gadgets even more compact

Chem

A material way to make Mars habitableJuly 29, 2019

Research suggests that regions of the Martian surface could be made habitable with a material - silica aerogel - that mimics Earth's atmospheric greenhouse effect

Chem

Chemists could make ‘smart glass’ smarter by manipulating it at the nanoscaleJuly 15, 2019

Chemists have devised a potentially major improvement to both the speed and durability of smart glass by providing a better understanding of how the glass works at the nanoscale

Chem

A new ‘golden’ age for electronics?July 1, 2019

Scientists have created materials that shrink uniformly in all directions when heated under normal everyday conditions, using a cheap and industrially scalable process. This potentially opens up a new paradigm of thermal-expansion control that will make electronic devices more resilient to temperature changes

Chem

Not by the book: How an Irish startup is transforming STEM learning in the classroomJune 13, 2019

It is widely accepted that getting children interested in STEM subjects from an early age should be encouraged as it provides a gateway for future interest in later years, and CleverBooks, is doing this by integrating modern technology into the teaching of these subjects, writes Ken Mitchell

Chem

New 3D-printed technology lowers cost of common medical testMay 29, 2019

A desire for a simpler, cheaper way to do common laboratory tests for medical diagnoses and to avoid 'washing the dishes' led researchers to develop a new technology that reduces cost and time

Chem

A step for a promising new battery to store clean energyMay 20, 2019

Researchers have built a more efficient, more reliable potassium-oxygen battery, a step towards a potential solution for energy storage on the nation's power grid and longer-lasting batteries in mobile phones and laptops

Chem

Layer of Protection Analysis: Key points to improve a layperson’s understandingMay 7, 2019

PM Group's Richard Coffey outlines a number of points to help improve communication and provide a better understanding of Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) among safety professionals, operations personnel and production managers

Chem

Crowd oil: Fuels from air-conditioning systemsMay 7, 2019

Researchers have proposed a method enabling air conditioning and ventilation systems to produce synthetic fuels from carbon dioxide (CO2) and water from the ambient air. Compact plants are to separate CO2 from the ambient air directly in buildings and produce synthetic hydrocarbons which can then be used as renewable synthetic oil

Chem

Need more energy storage? Just hit ‘print’April 23, 2019

Researchers from TCD and Drexel University develop a conductive ink made from a special type of material - MXene - used to print components for electronic devices. The ink is additive-free, and can print the finished devices in one step without any special finishing treatments

Chem

Agtech: The future of agriculture is computerisedApril 9, 2019

Machine learning can reveal optimal growing conditions to maximise taste and other features

Chem

Economic, environmental and operational feasibility study: Inline conditioning of buffers in chromatography applicationsMarch 26, 2019

Odhran O’Callaghan investigates the economic, operational and environmental consequences of full deployment of continuous buffer manufacturing in a biopharmaceutical process using an existing process as a case study

Chem

Engineers develop fast method to convert algae to biocrudeMarch 12, 2019

A team of chemical engineers have developed a new kind of jet mixer for creating biomass from algae that extracts the lipids from the watery plants with much less energy than the older extraction method - a discovery that puts this form of energy closer to becoming a viable, cost-effective alternative fuel

Chem

Lithium-air batteries can store energy for cars, houses and industryFebruary 26, 2019

Growth in the offer of renewable energy sources will mean increased demand for devices optimal for energy storing

Chem

First carbon fibres with uniform porous structureFebruary 12, 2019

Chemistry researchers use block copolymers to create first carbon fibres with uniform porous structure

Chem

3D printing of microfluidic devices: An experimental evaluation of selected printersJanuary 29, 2019

Katie Kilcoyne summarises the experimental evaluation of three, commercially available 3D printers, each employing a different mode of printing, with reference to printing of simple open, simple enclosed and complex enclosed microfluidic (MF) channels, for MF devices for potential LOC and/or continuous pharma manufacturing applications

Chem

Feasibility study on addressing the global water and energy challengesJanuary 15, 2019

Kevin O'Donovan describes the final-year research project he undertook, in which the feasibility of the use of aquaporin membranes for osmotically driven processes, specifically Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) and Forward Osmosis (FO), was investigated

Chem

What happens when materials take tiny hitsDecember 11, 2018

High-speed camera shows incoming particles cause damage by briefly melting surfaces as they strike

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