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Deep borehole facilities

Dr Karl Travis joins the Independent Advisory Committee for the Deep Borehole Demonstration Center (DBDC)

The Deep Borehole Demonstration Center has added three experts to its Independent Advisory Committee. Dr Karl Travis joins Emeritus Professor Neil Chapman, who is Chair of the committee.

Mockup of Xerode’s dry electrode printing system
Mockup of Xerode’s dry electrode printing system, capable of continuous roll-to-roll manufacture.

Spinout spotlight: Xerode

Xerode, a spinout from the University of Sheffield’s School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering, is developing a solvent-free, dry digital printing process for coating battery electrodes.

Two DNA double helices locking together

Decades-old DNA mystery solved after strands are captured zipping together for the first time

Researchers have captured the moment two DNA molecules zip together, overcoming their identical negative charges to pair up, solving a mechanism that has puzzled scientists for more than 20 years.
An aerial view of a petrochemical plant in the evening with a blue sky in the background
The researchers have developed an open access dashboard that could help the industry prioritise interventions to become more sustainable.

Petrochemical industry emissions could rise 50 per cent, study suggests

Carbon emissions from the petrochemical industry could increase by 50 per cent by 2050, according to new research from the University of Sheffield, led by Dr Fanran Meng.
Grike Fell overlooking Sellafield

Government allocates £154m for plutonium disposal

Dr Lewis Blackburn is quoted in a BBC article about money that will be spent by the government to investigate how best to dispose of the 140 tonnes of radioactive plutonium it currently stores at a nuclear plant.

| BBC news
two men in hi-vis jackets shovel cement which is pouring from a tube

The green steel revolution is creating demand for new approaches to cement production, study finds

The UK’s race to reach net-zero is rapidly transforming two of its most carbon intensive industries – steel and cement. However new research warns that progress in one, could hinder the other with major implications on the nation’s climate strategy.
DNA molecules

Under or over? The twists and turns of genetic research

Using what is known as an atomic force microscope, advanced computer software and AI, researchers are able to visualise DNA molecules, trace their paths and measure them.
Firth court

Driving innovation with successful spinouts

This academic year has seen the incorporation of seven new spinout companies from the Faculty of Engineering. Five of these spinouts are from the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering.

Fiona Macleod stands in front of the reconstructed Banqiao dam
Fiona Macleod stands in front of the reconstructed Banqiao dam

The forgotten and the dammed: The hidden risks behind the world's water and waste reservoirs

Fifty years after the Banqiao dam collapse killed hundreds of thousands in China, Professor Fiona Macleod says deadly failures continue to expose the global threat of ageing infrastructure, climate extremes and toxic waste.

| The Chemical Engineer