Nuclear Summer: The new wave of nuclear reactors
Summer 2025 signalled a new era for UK nuclear technology with the investment of nearly £17bn in new reactors – the first to be built since 1995. Maria Burke reports
Leader: Powering up - the challenges facing the energy sector
Energy – its availability but most importantly, its cost – remains a critical concern for the chemical industry, particularly in Europe. Industry leaders and trade bodies have been increasingly vocal about the impact of high energy costs which are tilting the playing field in favour of imports over local production.
Applied chemistry highlights: Two-in-one electrochemistry, artificial tongues and more
Nigel P. Freestone from the University of Northampton discusses selected research papers from recent journal issues for Issue 1 2026 of C&I magazine.
Sustainable technology: Building greener circuit boards
Electronic waste is fast accumulating in our environment, and printed circuits boards are major components. Now, researchers are exploring ways to make them more sustainable. Anthony King reports.
Chemistry finds signs of ancient life in rocks billions of years old
Combining state-of-the-art chemical techniques with artificial intelligence (AI), an international team of researchers has uncovered the faint chemical echoes left by living organisms inside ancient rocks that formed over 3.3bn years ago. The same methods could be applied to samples from Mars or other planetary bodies to determine whether they once supported life.
Microbial conversion of sugars into biochemicals - a look at five options
The sugarcane industry could be the source of new feedstock opportunities for the sustainable production of chemicals.
Comment: Are AI-designed molecules patentable?
Artificial intelligence is changing the way new molecules and materials are discovered, from pharmaceuticals to materials, enabling rapid screening and exploration of large design spaces. These advances bring new challenges for intellectual property strategy. In this article, we investigate how patent systems handle innovations where AI plays a pivotal role, and how that might impact IP strategies.
EU briefs - news from the chemistry industry in Europe
Read the news in brief from the EU from C&I Magazine Issue 1 2026.
Comment: Prioritise TCO when making equipment investment decisions
When making any investment decision, particularly when purchasing high-value processing equipment, capital cost is usually one of the first things to be considered. But a far more accurate metric is actually the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) or Total Expenditure (totex). This applies as much to heat exchangers and thermal processing systems as any other equipment.