Industrial Applications of Chemistry
80 real-world industrial processes powered by chemistry
Biodiesel Production by Transesterification
Converting vegetable oils into renewable diesel fuel
Biodiesel is produced by transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fats with methanol in the presence of an alkaline catalyst, …
Biogas Production by Anaerobic Digestion
Turning organic waste into renewable methane fuel
Anaerobic digestion (AD) converts organic waste (agricultural residues, food waste, sewage sludge, animal manure) into biogas (60% CH₄, 40% CO₂) …
Hydrogen Fuel Cell (PEMFC) Electrochemistry
Generating electricity from hydrogen with only water as exhaust
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) convert hydrogen and oxygen directly into electricity and water through electrochemical reactions, achieving 50-60% …
Hydrogen Production by Steam Methane Reforming
The dominant source of industrial hydrogen worldwide
Steam methane reforming (SMR) produces approximately 95% of the world's hydrogen by reacting natural gas with steam over a nickel …
Lithium Extraction from Brine for Battery Production
Harvesting the lightest metal from salt flats and geothermal waters
Lithium is extracted from continental brines (salt flats in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia — the 'Lithium Triangle') by solar evaporation and …
PEM Water Electrolysis for Green Hydrogen
Splitting water with renewable electricity for zero-carbon fuel
Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity and a solid polymer electrolyte membrane. …
Photovoltaic Silicon Solar Cell Manufacturing
Converting sunlight to electricity with semiconductor chemistry
Crystalline silicon solar cells are manufactured through a series of chemical and physical processes that create a p-n junction on …
Uranium Fuel Enrichment by Gas Centrifuge
Concentrating the fissile isotope for nuclear power
Uranium enrichment increases the concentration of the fissile isotope U-235 from its natural abundance of 0.72% to 3-5% for nuclear …