Chemical Processing

PsiQuantum, a U.S.-based quantum computing company, the University of Tokyo and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, said they have launched a partnership to develop education and training programs for Japan’s emerging quantum workforce. The initiative is supported by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization under the Post-5G Information and Communication Systems program for 2025–2027.

Improving the efficiency and reliability of propene production could lower energy demand and operating costs in one of the chemical industry’s most important plastic precursor supply chains, according to researchers at UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. Propene is a key feedstock for polypropylene production, and current industrial routes are energy intensive and prone to catalyst degradation.

Armstrong Industrial, a division of Armstrong Fluid Technologies headquartered in Toronto, Canada, said it has formed a strategic partnership with Hystar, a Norway-based developer of proton exchange membrane (PEM) stacks, to deliver modular hydrogen production systems for industrial applications. According to an emailed press statement, the partnership will provide integrated hydrogen plants ranging from 1 MW to 20 MW, with the ability to scale to larger capacities.

Cashco, a provider of pressure management solutions headquartered in Ellsworth, Kansas, has acquired 3B Controls, a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of specialized storage tank safety equipment. Cashco is a portfolio company of May River Capital.

The Dow Chemical Company announced that CEO Jim Fitterling will become executive chair effective July 1, 2026, with COO Karen Carter appointed chief executive officer and joining the board at that time. According to the announcement, the leadership transition follows a multi-year succession planning process aimed at maintaining continuity as it executes its strategy as a materials science company.

According to the company, the expansion will increase output of premium grades of colloidal silica used in emissions control catalysts, electrical steel coatings and non-stick coatings. The company said bringing production closer to regional customers will enable shorter lead times and improve supply reliability for manufacturers scaling industrial processes.

Schneider Electric and Microsoft have expanded their collaboration to deploy AI-powered, software-defined automation for industrial applications, including green hydrogen production. The companies said the collaboration integrates Schneider Electric’s open automation platform with Microsoft Azure cloud, AI and edge infrastructure to support industrial digitalization.

Researchers at Rice University have demonstrated a new way to activate oxygen using lanthanide metals, a breakthrough that could expand catalyst design strategies for small-molecule transformations in chemical processing. The study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, shows how lanthanides—previously considered ineffective for this type of chemistry—can be enabled to bind and activate dioxygen through π interactions.

The Global Impact Coalition (GIC) has published findings from an automotive plastics circularity pilot in which eight chemical and materials companies collaborated to recover and process plastic from 100 end-of-life vehicles, confirming technical feasibility while identifying economics and supply chain coordination as the primary barriers to commercial scale.

Southern Energy Renewables Inc., a biomass gasification technology provider, and Axens, a provider of oil and biomass conversion solutions, have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the development of sustainable aviation fuel and related projects, with an initial focus on a planned biomass-to-fuels facility in Louisiana.