Chemical Engineering September 2021 - 8

Applying an electric charge to graphene oxide
foam, the researchers can capture uranium
in solution, which precipitates out as a condensed
solid crystal. The foam may be reused
up to seven times without losing its electrochemical
properties. " Within hours, our process
can purify a large quantity of drinking
water below the EPA [U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency] limit for uranium, " says Li.
The research is described in a recent article
in Advanced Materials. Researchers from Argonne
National Laboratory, Taiwan's National
Chiao Tung University, and the University of
Tokyo also participated in the research.
OPTIMIZATION
Imubit (Houston; www.Imubit.com) has
raised $50 million to bring its Closed-Loop
Neural Networks to every process manufacturing
plant around the globe. The company's
Closed Loop Neural Network platform is an
artificial intelligence (AI) process optimization
solution that enables hydrocarbon processing
plant operators to discover, engineer and
monetize process optimization opportunities
considered impossible until now. Powered by
its patent-pending Deep Learning Process
Control technology, Imubit's solution allows
the plant to continuously execute its most
profitable operational strategies.
KRILL PROTEIN
On behalf of Aker BioMarine (Oslo, Norway;
www.akerbiomarine.com), GEA AG (Düsseldorf,
Germany; www.gea.com) will design and
deliver the world's first pilot plant for hydrolyzing
krill protein. Aker BioMarine fishes for Antarctic
krill - tiny shrimp-like crustaceans - and
uses them to develop ingredients for functional
foods, aquaculture and animal feed. Slated to
come online in late 2022, the new pilot plant will
produce a highly concentrated protein isolate
destined for food and beverages. The partners
signed the engineering, procurement and con(Continues
on p. 9)
Increasing recovery of metals from refractory mine tailings
E
8
nviroGold Global Ltd. (Toronto, Ont., Canada; www.
envirogoldglobal.com) has filed a patent application
for a proprietary electrochemical process designed
to achieve advanced metal recoveries from refractory
ores with reduced capital expenditures (capex) compared to
industry standard solutions.
" The residual metals contained in tailings are commonly
encapsulated in refractory ores, and it is estimated that
the value of precious metals currently locked up in tailings
storage facilities and old mine sites exceeds $1 trillion, increasing
by $20 billion/yr, " says Mark Thorpe, EnviroGold
Global's CEO. " Further, as the proportion of refractory
gold reserves continues to increase globally, we believe
the ability to achieve advanced metal-recovery rates and
attractive economics from the processing of refractory
ores provides better environmental outcomes, expands
the company's addressable market and creates an enduring,
competitive advantage. "
" Refractory ores resist conventional metal extraction due
to an impervious mineral matrix surrounding super-fine
metal particles, " explains chief technology officer Brock Hill.
" The complex processes required to significantly improve
extraction from these ores can drive substantial increases in
a project's capex and opex (operating expenditures), often
rendering otherwise attractive resource recovery opportunities
uneconomic. EnviroGold Global's patent-pending
process is designed with advanced electrochemical technology
to induce changes in the metal-bearing matrix and
achieve superior metal-recovery rates, " he says.
This process, in conjunction with other proprietary solutions
developed for the removal of environmental contaminants,
including cyanide, allows EnviroGold Global
to provide a compelling value proposition for mine site
owners while reclaiming and recharging natural resources,
the company says. (For more on electrochemistry,
see the Newsfront on pp.12-16.)
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
SEPTEMBER 2021
A
new fibrous catalyst-support
material can enhance a wide
range of industrial catalytic
reactions, allowing higher
yields and reduced coke buildup
compared to pellet supports. Unifrax
(Tonawanda, N.Y.; www.unifrax.com)
leveraged its expertise
in ceramic
materials to develop the high-alumina
fiber catalyst support (photo)
that can accommodate several different
types of catalyst payloads, the
company says.
" The fiber support has a highly
defined microstructure and porosity,
which generates higher specific
surface area and more tortuous
pathways. This promotes increased
interactions between the feedstock
molecules and the catalyst active
sites, which are coated onto the fiber
material, " explains Ashley Cuthbertson,
director of platforms program
management at Unifrax.
The company developed a propriFibrous
catalyst support boosts yields and
reduces coke buildup
Unifrax
etary process for coating different
catalytic metals onto the fibrous
surface in a way that prevents the
metals from migrating when in use.
Unifrax has also developed a way
to customize the support for different
processes. " Individual reactors
often require customized product
forms for the catalyst and support, "
comments Kevin Siters, FlexCat
technical lead with Unifrax.
" Our FlexCat product forms are
custom-designed for each system,
taking into account pressure drop,
flowrates and reaction residence time;
and when coupled with an optimized
catalyst formulation they are loaded
modularly into the reactor. "
In
recently completed testing at
high-throughput testing company hte
GmbH, the fiber-supported catalyst
was shown to increase product output
by 20% compared to the conventional
substrate in a model propane
dehydrogenation reaction, while also
generating 50% less side products
per cycle. Another advantage of the
fibrous catalyst support is its light
weight - one-tenth the weight of
conventional supports - which allows
faster loading and unloading and
less downtime, Siters points out.
Unifrax has partnered with various
catalyst makers to deliver processready
products, on which a number of
users are currently conducting commercial
validation testing.
http://www.Imubit.com http://www.unifrax.com http://www.akerbiomarine.com http://www.gea.com http://www.envirogoldglobal.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
Chemical Engineering September 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering September 2021
