The oceans are the largest carbon reservoir on earth. So how can we harness them to remove even more carbon dioxide – but without damaging precious ecosystems? Maria Burke assesses the options
Read all the latest news about the movers and shakers in the chemical industry for June 2022.
India’s pharmaceutical exports have soared by 103% since 2013-14, establishing the nation as the ‘pharmacy of the world’, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. From $11.82bn in 2013-14, India’s pharma exports jumped to $24.46bn in 2021-22 – the country’s best-ever performance.
Some of the smallest gears ever created have been made in a lab – and made to rotate using light as the energy source (Nature Chemistry, doi: 10.1038/s41557-022-00917-0).
The days of dirty marine fuel are over, and the ships of the future will be powered by biofuels, methanol, ammonia, hydrogen or wind, reports Jasmin Fox-Skelly
India’s petrochemical demand is expected to triple by 2040, requiring a $240bn investment, according to a study by Engineers India. Booming consumerism means demand for the top 52 petchem products could soar to 87m t/year by 2040 – up from the current 26m t/year. Some $80bn of the $240bn investment required has been announced and is in various stages of execution, says the study.
A team of international researchers studying the root mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases, such as those that cause dementia, have discovered a potential new therapeutic route to untangling the clumps of protein that are a hallmark of most of these diseases. Finding ways to stop these misfolded proteins from building up in the brain is a key goal for research.
The same protein target for sulfonylurea drugs in diabetes may be promising as a target for treating Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers believe.
A new nano-enzyme can depolymerise lignin to generate low molecular weight products under mild conditions. Lignin is the second most abundant renewable carbon source on earth, but it is frequently burnt as fuel due to difficulties in degrading it to useful chemicals.
The latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published in April 2022 focused on climate change mitigation. It emphasised that current global mitigation pledges are not enough to limit global warming to 1.5°C. In the last decade we have experienced the highest decadal increase in greenhouse gas emissions in human history.