Spider silk strength enhanced by graphene-based materials

Researchers from the Graphene Flagship have demonstrated that graphene-based materials can be used to boost the properties of spider’s silk.The silk – produced naturally by the spiders, incorporating graphene and carbon nanotubes (rolled up graphene sheets) introduced in their environment – had enhanced mechanical properties of up to three times the strength and ten times the toughness of the unmodified silks.Read More

Velocys partners with British Airways, Suez for waste-to-jet fuel project

Velocys plc, a renewable fuels company has entered into a partnership to prepare the business case for a commercial scale waste-to-renewable-jet-fuel plant in the UK.Velocys will lead this initial feasibility stage of the project, for which all members of the partnership are providing funding.The members include:British Airways, UK’s largest international airline, which intends to fly with the jet fuel made in the plant. Read More

ISRO, NASA team finds presence of aerosol over Asia

A combined study by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and NASA have found a layer of aerosol, sub-micron size particles suspended in air, over the Asian region.The pollutant which was found after the study examined into satellite images, confirming the existence of the sub-micron size particle.Aerosol is produced from a variety of man-made and natural processes such as vehicle exhaust, waste-burning, windblown dust, volcanic eruptions and etc. Read More

AkzoNobel studying plans to build new cellulosic ethers plant

AkzoNobel’s speciality chemicals business is studying plans to build a world-class plant for its Bermocoll business, which supplies essential ingredients for the paint and buildings and construction industries.The study which is expected to be completed by the end of 2017 – is focused on creating a new facility to increase production capacity for ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose ether (EHEC) cellulosic ethers to help meet growing global demand.Read More