News & Intelligence

Rainbow has updated its BioCCS methodology to align with the EU CRCF framework, including biochar as an eligible CO2 capture module. This alignment could enhance the adoption of biochar in carbon capture and storage strategies within the EU.

Boeing and Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials are testing prototype cabin sidewall panels made from pyrolysis-derived recycled carbon fiber under Mitsubishi's KyronTEX material line, while separate simulation research found a scaled-down wing spar built from recycled carbon fiber performed within acceptable stress margins compared to a virgin-fiber equivalent. Recycled carbon fiber remains limited to non-structural or secondary aerospace applications due to unresolved fiber length, alignment, and surface sizing deficiencies, with primary structural qualification requiring years of additional testing and supply chain development.

Researchers and engineers are evaluating graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide as adsorbents, antifouling coatings, catalytic supports, and modified membrane layers within industrial water treatment systems targeting COD removal, biofouling control, and reverse osmosis feed protection. The graphene sector faces a clear scaling challenge, as industrial adoption of these carbon nanomaterials depends on demonstrating mechanical stability, resistance to chemical cleaning cycles, controlled delamination, and validated cost-per-cubic-meter performance in pilot tests using real effluent matrices.

Terrance Barkan of the Advanced Carbons Council and Dr. Andrew Pollard of the UK's National Physical Laboratory discussed how measurement science, standardization, and materials verification underpin the commercialization of graphene and other advanced carbon materials. For the sector, the conversation highlights that without validated characterization methods and traceable measurement standards, reproducible manufacturing and scalable deployment of carbon nanomaterials — including graphene, carbon nanotubes, and emerging MXenes — remain unachievable.

Anton Paar launched the Brabender AbsorptoMeter, an automated instrument that measures oil absorption numbers (OAN and COAN) in powders including carbon black, recovered carbon black, graphene, and battery electrode materials, supporting ASTM and ISO test methods. The system automates a previously manual testing process for carbon black and graphene characterisation, with software-controlled titration, real-time torque monitoring, and enterprise data integration via OPC UA and Brabender WebAPI.

Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory used a 36 Tesla magnet to observe a previously unknown flat-band state in pristine graphene that emerges at integer multiples of an applied magnetic field, publishing the findings in Physical Review Letters. The tunable band structure could inform the design of graphene-based Hall sensors and resistance metrology standards.