Chemical Engineering March 2021 - 8

novation Lab, and a spinoff of KIT.
The second process consists of
printing a 3-D scaffold onto the surfaces
of which the thermoelectric
ink is applied. Work is underway to
commercialize the printed thermoelectric
system.
STRONGER COMPOSITES
Ceramic matrix
composites
(CMCs) are incredibly strong
materials used in jet engines,
gas turbines and cutting tools
for nickel superalloys. Aluminum
oxide is hard and chemically inert,
and tungsten carbide is used as
a superhard material, but past efforts
to create an Al2O3-WC CMC
yielded unsatisfactory results.
Recently, a study by Japanese
scientists, published in Scientific
Reports, shows that adding
zirconium atoms results in improved
Al2O3-WC CMCs.
Previously, no group had developed
an Al2O3-WC CMC with a
bending strength greater than 1
gigapascal (GPa), which meant
that those earlier Al2O3-WC CMCs
could not outperform the existing
CMC materials. In an attempt to
achieve a greater bending strength,
a team led by scientists from Nagoya
University (www.nagoya-u.
jp), in collaboration with NGK Spark
Plug Co. (both Nagoya, Japan),
found that adding in small amounts
of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) during
the creation of Al2O3-WC CMCs
yielded " superhard " Al2O3-WC
CMCs with bending strengths
greater than 2 GPa. Notably, the investigators
achieved these considerable
bending strength improvements
with a relatively modest
addition of ZrO2. The additive represented
less than 5% of the mass
of the finished Al2O3-WC CMCs,
which is less than the amount of
additive usually present in additiveenhanced
CMCs. Atomic-resolution
scanning transmission electron
microscopy revealed that the
Zr atoms were located in thin layers
between sheets of Al2O3 and WC,
adding strength to the interfaces,
which are generally weak points in
the composites.
STRONGER POLYMERS
Toray Industries, Inc. (Tokyo,
Japan; www.toray.com) has created
a new polymer that retains the
outstanding thermal resistance,
rigidity and strength of polyamide
6 (PA6), while having a bendingfatigue
limit that is 15 times that of
(Continues on p. 9)
8
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
MARCH 2021
Sustainable enzyme-based production of
macrocyclic lactones for fragrances
P
lanned commercial-scale production
of macrocyclic gammalactone
molecules using an enzymatic
process will supply the
flavors and fragrances market with sustainable
alternatives to existing processes
based on synthesizing petroleum-derived
molecules or isolating molecules from natural
sources.
The synthetic biology company Conagen
Inc. (Bedford, Mass.; www.conagen.
com) recently announced the commercial
development of natural musk-scent compounds
based on lactone (cyclic ester)
chemistry for inclusion in scented formulations
of colognes, perfumes, cosmetics,
personal care products, household
cleaners, air-care products and candles.
The company says it plans to have its
initial commercial product available to
cosmetics customers through commercial
partner Blue California, by mid-2021.
The company anticipates additional compounds
will enter commercial production
in the subsequent months.
The commercial-scale process for producing
the macrocyclic lactones is based
on proprietary synthetic biology and metabolic
engineering
platform technologies
developed by Conagen. In the case of
musk scents, plant-derived lipids are converted
into desired lactones using enzymatic
conversion in bioreactors. " We have
become very effective at maximizing the
efficiency of the enzymatic reactions, " explains
Casey Lippmeier, vice president of
innovation at Conagen, " and we specialize
in scaling up processes from microliter
volumes to tons. " In addition to a more
sustainable route to desired molecules, the
platform technology allows the production
of molecular structures that are not accessible
with conventional industrial synthesis.
The company has more than 14 different
microorganisms that it uses for microbial
strain development. From there, Conagen
scientists engineer new metabolic
pathways and fermentation processes for
a target molecule. Along with sustainable
ingredients for the flavors and fragrances
market, Conagen is using its platform technologies
to develop compounds for nutritional
supplements, food ingredients, specialty
chemicals and others.
Conagen
Musk scents, derived
from plant lipids
Enzymatic bioconversion
process in bioreactors
Effi cient enzmatic reaction
create lactones, which are often
not accessible by conventional
synthesis
Modular NGL recovery
H
oneywell UOP (Des Plaines, Ill.;
www.uop.com) has adapted its
recycle-split-vapor (RSV) technology
for natural-gas liquid (NGL) recovery
into a new, modular offering, RSV2,
which enables quick retrofitting of existing
gas-processing plants with minimal downtime.
" The RSV2 technology can increase
ethane recovery up to greater than 99%, "
explains John Wilkinson, general manager
of UOP's Ortloff Engineers division. " In addition,
when operating in full ethane-rejection
mode, the technology can increase propane
recovery up to greater to than 99%. "
The RSV2 technology functions by recycling,
cooling and condensing a highpurity
product stream, providing a new reflux
stream to an extension of the existing
column, which enables both higher-purity
products, as well as increased capacity
through the gas-processing plant, adds
Wilkinson. The RSV2 technology owes
its
recovery effectiveness to its ability to
overcome the equilibrium limitations of
existing gas-subcooled process (GSP) designs
by providing a leaner reflux stream
to the column, in both the recovery and
rejection modes of operation. Honeywell
UOP will install its first RSV2 units for Brazos
Midstream (Fort Worth, Tex.; www.
brazosmidstream.com), which will see the
company upgrading two 200-million-ft3/d
cryogenic gas-processing plants in the
Texas Permian Basin. For this project, UOP
expects that its technology will improve
upon the traditional GSP techniques by
increasing NGL recovery rates from 92 to
nearly 100%, leading to significantly better
operating margins, says David Dickinson,
leader of UOP's Midstream business.
Scaleup and
commercialization of
musk molecules
Perfumers, cosmetics and
personal care products
http://www.conagen http://www.nagoya-u http://www.uop.com http://www.brazosmidstream.com http://www.toray.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
Chemical Engineering March 2021

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