It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (ASRY) has signed new agreements with leading Italian companies Fincantieri and Roboze to boost naval shipbuilding and repair and establish the Kingdom of Bahrain’s first smart plant dedicated to additive manufacturing.
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“These important strategic partnerships will further strengthen ASRY’s capabilities as the leading maritime fabrication and repair facility across the Arabian Gulf region,” said ASRY CEO Dr. Ahmed Al Abri.
ASRY’s partnership with Fincantieri, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups will see the companies jointly assess opportunities for the design and construction of surface naval vessels up to 80 meters in length for domestic use by the Navy and the Coast Guard.
Signed by ASRY CEO Dr. Ahmed Al Abri and Eugenio Santagata, General Manager of the Naval Vessels Division of Fincantieri, the partnership agreement will also explore the design and construction of similar-sized offshore units, as well as potential export contracts in the Gulf region.
Additionally, the two companies will collaborate on maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for naval, commercial, and offshore vessels, as well as the exchange of know-how in ship design and production processes optimization.
ASRY also signed a partnership agreement with Italian company Roboze, a global leader in additive manufacturing technologies for high-performance super-polymers and composite materials.
The agreement will establish Bahrain’s first industrial facility dedicated to advanced additive manufacturing. The new smart plant will be located within ASRY’s facilities in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Signed by Dr. Al Abri and Alessio Lorusso, CEO of Roboze, the agreement will create an industrial hub designed to directly support marine MRO operations, as well as the oil & gas, energy, aerospace, and defense sectors, which require access to high-performance, lightweight, and durable components for sustained operations.
ASRY and Roboze will jointly define and engineer the new production infrastructure, integrating industrial 3D printing, advanced super-polymer processing, composite manufacturing, and digitalized workflows.
The partnership agreement brings together ASRY’s industrial and maintenance expertise with Roboze’s technological leadership in additive manufacturing with high-performance materials—recognized by the Kingdom of Bahrain as a “Strategic Technology of Interest.”
The new facility with cut downtime, optimize spare-parts management, and provide on-demand production of critical components, minimizing logistics costs and dependency on foreign suppliers.
Dr. Al Abri said: “This partnership strengthens our MRO capabilities and expands access to advanced technical components that are essential to the industries we serve.”
Mr. Lorusso said: “Working with ASRY allows us to introduce a concrete, operations-driven production model tailored to the needs of high-demand sectors, from marine repair to critical applications in energy and defense.”
The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.
Tuesday, December 02, 2025
New method reveals pollen's UV resistance linked to sporopollenin chemistry
By analyzing the autofluorescence intensity of sporopollenin in the pollen wall, researchers have identified a significant link between UV absorption and environmental radiation levels.
Land plants, especially spores and pollen, face numerous environmental stressors, including harmful UV-B radiation. As sessile organisms, they are exposed to UV without the protective buffer of water, making their survival dependent on efficient UV defense mechanisms. Sporopollenin, a robust polymer found in the outer layer of pollen and spores, has been identified as a key player in absorbing UV radiation, preventing damage to the delicate DNA within these reproductive units. However, variations in sporopollenin chemistry across plant species have made it challenging to establish a universal marker for UV resistance. Existing research has focused on specific compounds like para-coumaric acid (p-CA) and ferulic acid (FA), which are known to absorb UV radiation. Yet, no single marker has universally linked sporopollenin chemistry to UV resistance across different plant species.
A study (DOI:10.48130/seedbio-0025-0016 ) published in Seed Biologyon 10 October 2025 by Ying Xiao’s & Jing-Shi Xue’s team, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Shanghai Normal University, offers new insights into how plants adapt to UV stress, with potential applications in plant evolution and environmental adaptation studies.
The research focused on quantifying the Integral of Sporopollenin Autofluorescence Intensity (ISAI) in pollen and spores using Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy (LSCM). This method measures the autofluorescence emitted by the pollen wall when exposed to UV radiation, reflecting its capacity to convert harmful short-wave UV radiation into less damaging long-wave visible light. The researchers analyzed pollen from 55 plant species, including 18 Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes, and found that ISAI values varied significantly depending on the ecological exposure to solar irradiance. Plants in high-radiation environments, such as seed plants exposed to direct sunlight, exhibited higher ISAI values compared to those in shaded habitats, like pteridophytes and bryophytes. This correlation indicates that ISAI can serve as a reliable indicator of UV resistance, with species flowering during high solar radiation seasons showing particularly elevated ISAI levels. Further analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes demonstrated that ISAI is heritable, with a negative correlation between ISAI values and pollen germination decline under UV-B treatment. Genetic analysis showed that phenylpropanoid phenolics, including para-coumaric acid and ferulic acid, are essential components of sporopollenin responsible for the observed ISAI variations, confirming their role in UV-B protection. These findings highlight the importance of sporopollenin chemistry in pollen UV resistance and propose ISAI as a novel metric for studying plant adaptation to UV environments.
The ISAI method provides a non-destructive, efficient way to assess pollen UV resistance, a critical factor for plant reproductive success. This tool is especially useful for studying the effects of environmental factors on plant adaptation, offering a new approach to exploring how plants evolve to cope with changing UV radiation levels. By linking sporopollenin autofluorescence to UV resistance, ISAI could also be applied in ecological and evolutionary research, offering insights into plant responses to climate change and UV stress.
This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31900165), Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (2019-01-07-00-02-E00006), Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (17DZ2252700, 18DZ2260500, and 21DZ2202300), and the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (Grade C) of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (GZC20231699). We would like to thank Dr. Zong-Xin Ren (Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences) for the helpful comments on the manuscript.
Seed Biology (e-ISSN 2834-5495) is published by Maximum Academic Press in partnership with Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory. Seed Biology is an open access, online-only journal focusing on research related to all aspects of the biology of seeds, including but not limited to: evolution of seeds; developmental processes including sporogenesis and gametogenesis, pollination and fertilization; apomixis and artificial seed technologies; regulation and manipulation of seed yield; nutrition and health-related quality of the endosperm, cotyledons, and the seed coat; seed dormancy and germination; seed interactions with the biotic and abiotic environment; and roles of seeds in fruit development. Seed biology publishes a wide range of research approaches, such as omics, genetics, biotechnology, genome editing, cellular and molecular biology, physiology, and environmental biology. Seed Biology publishes high-quality original research, reviews, perspectives, and opinions in open access mode, promoting fast submission, review, and dissemination freely to the global research community.
A new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study demonstrates a commercially viable method for extracting lithium — a critical element used in rechargeable batteries and susceptible to supply chain disruptions — from used battery waste using an electrochemically driven recovery process.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study shows that lithium — a critical element used in rechargeable batteries and susceptible to supply chain disruption — can be recovered from battery waste using an electrochemically driven recovery process. The method has been tested on commonly used types of lithium-containing batteries and demonstrates economic viability with the potential to simplify operations, minimize costs and increase the sustainability and attractiveness of the recovery process for commercial use.
The study, led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Xiao Su, describes a process that leaches metals from batteries into an organic solvent, then uses an electrochemical cell in which a polymer-coated electrode is used to capture lithium.
“The main challenge is the presence of other metals in lithium recovery streams, particularly in organic leachates, which is a common way to dissolve spent batteries for recycling,” Su said. “To overcome these challenges, we’ve introduced a copolymer that captures lithium selectively directly from organic solvents and that can be electrochemically regenerated.”
The study findings are published in the journal ACS Energy Letters and were co-led by former graduate student Nayeong Kim, with contributions from postdoctoral researchers Johannes Elbert and Hee-Eun Kim and undergraduate student Chengxian Wu.
In the lab, Su’s research team dismantles batteries and leaches out metals into an organic solvent, creating a mixture containing lithium and other metals. They then moved the solvent into an electrochemical cell with an electrode coated with a specially designed copolymer that specifically captures lithium ions from the mixture, much like a sponge.
“The lithium-filled electrode is then put into a new solution, and a voltage is applied,” Su said. “That triggers the polymer to release the captured lithium ions, which are collected, while leaving other metals behind in the original leachate. This electrochemical regeneration allows for repeated cycles of selective, efficient lithium recovery from waste batteries.”
Su’s research in resource recovery typically includes an economic viability analysis, and this study follows with that hallmark.
“We found that, using a three-stage approach, the recovered lithium could be produced at a cost that is economically favorable compared to current lithium market prices,” he said.
This means the new method could be significantly less expensive or at least cost-competitive with existing methods of lithium production. Su said that while the proof-of-concept results are very promising, there is still room for more work in scaling up the system as well as process modeling to validate their findings further.
“These results help highlight the broad applicability of electrochemical separations for metal recycling, not only in water, but also from organic solvents that are commonly used to leach waste batteries. We envision this work helping establish a more circular, sustainable supply chain for lithium, enhancing supply security and potentially reducing the environmental impacts associated with other forms of lithium extraction, such as mining.”
Editor’s note: To reach Xiao Su, email x2su@illinois.edu. The paper “Redox-active crown ether copolymer for selective lithium recovery from spent lithium-ion battery” is available online. DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.5c01901. Chemical and biomolecular engineering and civil and environmental engineering are part of The Grainger College of Engineering.
Redox-active crown ether copolymer for selective lithium recovery from spent lithium-ion battery
Scientists use textile ash to create extremely strong cement
Lithuanian researchers are developing new ways to turn textile waste into energy and high-performance cement materials, offering sustainable solutions for two resource-intensive sectors – textiles and construction.
Researchers at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) are developing new ways to turn textile waste into energy and high-performance cement materials, offering sustainable solutions for two resource-intensive sectors – textiles and construction.
Waste is no longer just a problem; it can become a valuable resource. Scientists at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) in Lithuania are exploring how textile waste can be converted into energy or incorporated into the production of cement and concrete. Such solutions reduce environmental pollution, support the circular economy and open new opportunities for industry.
Every year, several billion tonnes of waste are generated in the European Union. The EU is currently updating its waste management legislation to transition to a more sustainable circular economy model. Unlike the traditional linear system – where resources are extracted, used, and discarded – the circular economy focuses on reducing waste through smart product design, reuse, repair, recycling, and more sustainable consumption. Particular attention is directed toward textiles and construction, two sectors with high environmental footprints.
The challenge of textile waste
Managing textile waste remains a global challenge. Most textile products are still incinerated or landfilled, and only a small share is recycled or reused. In Europe, only a fraction of post-consumer textiles is collected separately, and just a few per cent of used clothing is transformed into new products – fibre-to-fibre recycling technologies are still emerging.
Currently, most recycled textile materials are repurposed into low-value products such as cleaning cloths, insulation or padding. Recycling synthetic clothing is particularly difficult due to the additives used in production, which complicate sorting and processing. Microplastics are also released during washing or treatment. Because most garments consist of fibre blends, incineration and landfilling remain the most common disposal methods – yet direct incineration increases CO₂ emissions and environmental pollution.
Using textile waste in the cement and concrete industry
One promising direction for higher-value reuse is the incorporation of textile-derived materials into other resource-intensive sectors, such as cement and concrete production.
“The cement industry, especially clinker firing processes in rotary kilns, contributes significantly to environmental pollution. This is why researchers are actively seeking ways to reduce the amount of conventional cement in cement-based mixtures by replacing it with alternative binders or fillers,” says Dr Raimonda Kubiliūtė of the KTU Faculty of Chemical Technology.
Across the cement and construction sectors, scientists are developing innovative strategies to reduce the share of ordinary Portland cement without compromising – and sometimes even improving – material performance. Reducing clinker content is also essential for lowering CO₂ emissions. Recent research supports this direction: a 2025 Springer publication demonstrated that calcined smectitic clay waste can partially replace Portland cement in LC3-type binders while achieving competitive compressive strengths, highlighting the potential of industrial waste as a viable supplementary material.
Initial findings from KTU researchers working at the interface of the textile and cement industries show that adding 1.5% of recycled polyester fibre derived from discarded clothing can increase concrete strength by 15–20% and significantly improve freeze–thaw resistance.
Textile ash significantly increases strength
Thermal treatment of textile waste at 300 °C in an inert environment produces carbon-rich granules with high calorific value. Their use as an alternative fuel could reduce reliance on fossil resources. However, as with other fuels, their combustion generates secondary waste – ash.
The mineral and chemical composition of ash varies depending on the type of fuel, which means its effect on the strength and durability of cementitious materials can differ widely. KTU studies have shown that textile ash can replace up to 7.5% of conventional cement and increase the compressive strength of cement samples by up to 16% under standard curing conditions.
“This technological solution not only reduces CO₂ emissions during cement production but also provides an innovative and environmentally friendly approach to textile waste management,” adds Dr Kubiliūtė. While the production of alternative fuels from textile waste is still in its early stages in Lithuania and elsewhere, the potential of this area is increasingly recognised.
The research described above is part of the project “Production of Alternative Fuel from Textile Waste in Energy-Intensive Industries (Textifuel)”, carried out by KTU and the Lithuanian Energy Institute.
We are producing more textiles than ever before: worldwide, well over one hundred million tons of textiles are manufactured every year – more than twice as much as in the year 2000. This makes it increasingly important not to simply throw away old textiles, but to recover them in an environmentally friendly way.
That is often not easy – especially when it comes to blended fabrics, such as mixtures of cotton and polyester. At TU Wien, a new method has now been developed to separate and recycle such mixed textiles efficiently – in a remarkably simple way, using menthol and benzoic acid, two non-toxic substances.
Five minutes is all it takes
“What may be surprising at first: both menthol and benzoic acid are solid at room temperature. But together they form a liquid – a so-called deep eutectic solvent. This novel liquid is a powerful, non-toxic and easy-to-produce solvent with a wide range of possible applications,” explains Andreas Bartl from the Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering.
When this new solvent is heated to 216 °C, a fascinating process begins: within just five minutes, the components of the mixed textiles separate from each other. The polyester dissolves completely, while the cotton remains unchanged. It can then be washed, dried and reused, and the polyester portion precipitates upon cooling, is separated, and can also be recycled. With recovery rates of 100% for cotton and 97% for polyester, the process achieves an almost complete recycling – a result that conventional methods have not been able to reach so far.
Separating, not breaking down
“The truly remarkable thing about this new process is that neither the cotton nor the polyester is damaged or chemically altered,” says Andreas Bartl. “Our analyses show that the cotton fibres remain stable and retain their typical properties – they can even be spun into new yarns again. And the polyester also remains unchanged: its structure and melting temperature are the same as before. This demonstrates how gentle and efficient this recycling process is.”
Until now, polyester has usually been chemically broken down during recycling, split into smaller molecular building blocks. The new method, by contrast, preserves the polymer chains intact – which means that the material quality is maintained.
A promising approach
So far, the process has only been tested in the laboratory, but the research team led by Nika Depope and Andreas Bartl sees great industrial potential in it. Both the recovered cotton and the recycled polyester can be used for a wide range of applications – for example for new yarns, fibres, nonwovens or technical textiles.
The team is currently working on making the process even more energy-efficient, since the required temperature of 216 °C is a drawback in terms of energy consumption. However, the researchers are confident that further optimisations are possible – and that the method could in future be used on an industrial scale.
