Kinetic and economic analysis of reactive capture of dilute carbon dioxide with Grignard reagents

Carbon Dioxide Utilisation (CDU) processes face significant challenges, especially in the energetic cost of carbon capture from flue gas and the uphill energy gradient for CO2 reduction. Both of these stumbling blocks can be addressed by using alkaline earth metal compounds, such as Grignard reagents, as sacrificial capture agents. We have investigated the performance of these reagents in their ability to both capture and activate CO2 directly from dried flue gas (essentially avoiding the costly capture process entirely) at room temperature and ambient pressures with high yield and selectivity. Naturally, to make the process sustainable, these reagents must then be recycled and regenerated. This would potentially be carried out using existing industrial processes and renewable electricity. This offers the possibility of creating a closed loop system whereby alcohols and certain hydrocarbons may be carboxylated with CO2 and renewable electricity to create higher-value products containing captured carbon. A preliminary Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) of an example looped process has been carried out to identify the electrical and raw material supply demands and hence determine production costs. These have compared broadly favourably with existing market values

Manufacturing of Unidirectional Stitched Glass Fabric Reinforced Polyamide 6 by Thermoplastic Resin Transfer Moulding

This study aims to address barriers which remain to adoption of reactive thermoplastic resin transfer moulding in terms of knowledge and equipment. Glass fibre reinforced polyamide 6 composites with ~52% fibre volume fraction and ~1% voids were produced within 5 min using thermoplastic resin transfer moulding by injection of low viscosity monomer precursors and in-situ polymerisation. Unidirectional laminates were produced using injection pressures of around 10% of those required to achieve the same fibre volume fraction and degree of wet-out using a typical thermoset RTM resin, negating the need for expensive equipment. The equipment and process employed are described in detail and the quality and properties of the polymer matrix and composite laminates were characterised extensively in terms of chemical, thermo-morphological and mechanical properties. The paper demonstrates the high quality parts that can be achieved by accurately controlling some of the most important parameters

Shareholder Wealth vs. Stakeholder Interests? Evidence from Code Compliance Under the German Corporate Governance Code

In order to better differentiate the drivers of corporations’ actions, in particular shareholder wealth and stakeholder interests, the paper explores the significance of the comply or explain-principle and its underlying enforcement mechanisms more generally. Against this background, compliance rates with specific provisions may shed a light on companies’ reasons for following the code. An analysis of these rates at the example of distinct provisions of the German Corporate Governance Code is therefore entered into. In light of the current corporate governance debate and the legitimacy problems that are raised, among the code provisions that exemplify these questions very well are those regulating incentive pay, severance pay caps, and age limits for supervisory board members. Their analysis will lay a basis for an answer to the question about what motivates companies to comply with the code. The motivation then paves the way to arrive at a further specification of the determinants of the regulatory evolution of the Code and the range of stakeholders and their concerns that enter into it