Movers & Shakers
Read all the latest news about the movers and shakers in the chemical industry for September 2022.
Tackling the climate crisis
In this book, Griffith seeks to instruct and motivate us on the current unenviable state of our planet and presents the case for a rapid implementation of assiduous corrective action. Griffith’s basic idea is to call upon every individual on our planet to commit to being part of the solution and this means in practice reducing our carbon footprint as close as possible to zero.
Critical element
There is a lot of talk about Critical Materials (or sometimes Minerals) – indeed the UK Government has just issued a strategy on the subject.1 The topic is not new, and there have been a number of reports on the topic over the last 20 years. As a chemist, I should probably start by correcting the use of language – we are mostly talking about elements here!
Ultrasound patch
Engineers have designed a small ultrasound imaging device for continuous imaging of the body. The stamp-sized device sticks to the skin and produces continuous ultrasound images of the internal organs (Science, 2022, 377, 517).
Pan-coronavirus vaccine
Researchers at the UK’s Francis Crick Institute have shown that a specific area of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is a promising target for a pan-coronavirus vaccine that could offer some protection against new virus variants, common colds, and help prepare for future pandemics.
Probiotics for plants
Earlier in 2022, the European Commission proposed a new legal requirement for the EU to reduce pesticide use by 50% by 2030. So could microbes and microbial crop protection products help farmers to combat plant pests and diseases with fewer or no chemical inputs? Anthony King reports
Phage therapy for IBD
Researchers have developed a therapy that can target the bacteria behind inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) without damaging friendly gut bugs. The therapy is based on a combination of bacteria-killing viruses called phages.
Business digest
The latest business digest for C&I Issue 9 2022 with all the latest mergers and acquisitions in the chemical industry.
Fractured gas supply
The UK government has indicated its willingness to look at all possible energy options to end dependency on Russian gas and cope with spiralling prices. So could we bring back fracking as part of the solution? Maria Burke reports
Nanotube boost for batteries
Two battery manufacturers in China are to ramp up production of graphene nanotube dispersions. The graphene nanotubes will allow them to use fast-charging, increase energy density and reduce costs in the mass production of Li-ion battery cells, according to the company that developed the nanotechnology, OCSiAl, headquartered in Luxembourg.