Chemical Engineering March 2014 - 11

Edited by Gerald Ondrey
March 2014
Commercial debut for a low-cost
stationary energy-storage system
novel battery chemistry that uses a
water-based electrolyte has allowed
developer Aquion Energy Inc. (Pittsburgh,
Pa.; www.aquionenergy.com) to
achieve a low-cost and safe battery with
long cycle life for stationary energystorage
applications. The Aquion battery
technology, now entering its commercial
launch process, employs an
aqueous sodium-sulfate electrolyte. The
water-based electrolyte makes the battery
much safer than existing batteries
that use organic-solvent-based electrolytes,
says Jay Whitacre, chief technology
officer of Aquion and leader of the
research team at Carnegie Mellon University
(Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.cmu.edu)
that first developed the technology.
Sodium ions are used as the chargecarrying
agent in the battery, and the
electrodes are made from manganese
oxide (cathode) with a cubic spinel structure,
and a carbon composite material
(anode). The anode hosts pseudocapacitive
reactions of three different ions, Whitacre
explains, namely Na+, Li+ and H+.
A simple non-woven cotton fiber material
separates the electrodes in the battery.
A
" While these batteries
are excellent for long
cycle life, low-cost and
safety, we sacrifice somewhat
on energy density, "
says Whitacre, but for
stationary-storage applications,
energy density
is less of a concern
than it is for vehicle
batteries, where volume
and weight are critical,
he adds. The battery
systems consist of one
or more modular units
of a battery that the
company calls S10. Each
unit is capable of delivering 150 kWh of
power, and the battery cells can be linked
for increased power.
Aquion has completed construction on
a manufacturing line at its facility in
Pennsylvania. The company expects that
the batteries can be used in stationary
long-duration energy-storage applications,
such as microgrids, off-grid systems,
integration of wind and solar power
and others.
In-situ chemical remediation of soil and groundwater
G
Renewable 5-HMF
Last month, commercial-scale
eo-Cleanse International, Inc. (Matawan,
N.J.; www.geo-cleanse.com) has
developed a new method for ridding soil
and groundwater of chloromethanes,
Freon and other difficult-to-treat contaminants
without the need for digging
and offsite soil treatment. The GeoCleanse
process was inspired by research
at Washington State University by Rick
Watts, who found that hydrogen peroxide
could react with MnO2 to generate superoxide
radicals. These radicals can destroy
highly oxidized species, such as chloromethanes.
However, using H2O2 effectively
in the field is challenging because
the reaction between H2O2 and MnO2 is
difficult to control, says Dan Bryant, vice
president of Geo-Cleanse.
Geo-Cleanse developed a way to overcome
this challenge. By injecting phosphate
buffers that control the soil pH and
Note: For more information, circle the 3-digit number
on p. 68, or use the website designation.
form a ligand with manganese, the GeoCleanse
process is able to slow the reaction
between H2O2 and MnO2. The process
begins with an injection of sodium
permanganate into the soil, where reduced
manganese precipitates as MnO2.
Hydrogen peroxide is then injected to
react with the MnO2 and create the superoxide
radicals.
In the first field use of the technique,
Geo-Cleanse is remediating a brownfield
site in New Jersey that has been heavily
affected by chloromethanes. Concentrations
of chloromethanes were well over
1,000 mg/kg in soil and 20-80 mg/L in
groundwater. In the first field test, GeoCleanse
also found that the H2O2 reacts
with naturally occurring iron in the soil
to generate hydroxyl radicals that destroy
petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorobenzene
and chlorinated solvents, Bryant says.
production of high-purity 5-hydroxymethylfurfural
(5-HMF)
started at the Biochem-1 facility
operated by AVA Biochem
(Muttenz, Switzerland; www.
ava-biochem.com). In the first
phase, the facility will produce
20 metric tons (m.t.) per year
of 5-HMF - a compound that
has been identified as one of
the top ten platform chemicals
that can be used for making
polymers, resins and additives.
The production facility is
said to be the first in the world
to produce 5-HMF from renewable
feedstock using a modified
version of the hydrothermal
carbonization technology
(HTC), which was developed at
the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
(KIT; Karlsruhe, Germany;
www.kit.edu). HTC is a
process that converts an aqueous
suspension of biomass
into biochar, in a closed reactor
operating at high temperature
and pressure. KIT modified the
HTC method so that the formation
of solid materials from the
biomass is avoided.
AVA Biochem now offers
commercial-scale quantities
of 5-HMF with various levels
CHeMICAL enGIneerInG www.CHe.CoM MArCH 2014 11
(Continues on p. 12)
http://www.aquionenergy.com http://www.cmu.edu http://www.ava-biochem.com http://www.geo-cleanse.com http://www.kit.edu http://www.CHe.CoM
Chemical Engineering March 2014

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