It is difficult to fully separate many solvents from water. An ethanol solution containing 4 wt.% water is an azeotrope: the vapour has the same composition as the liquid when boiled. Such mixtures cannot be separated by standard distillation. Pervaporation uses a membrane to separate such mixtures, writes Dr Cilian Ó Súilleabháin. 

Max O’Neill summarises his final-year research project which investigated and analysed forward osmosis including membrane characterisation and the variables which contribute to the efficiency of the process.

Serena Foley, a chemical and biopharmaceutical student at Cork Institute of Technology, describes her final-year research project that identified factors contributing to downtime during changeover operations at an API site and recommended preventative measures.

Last year was an amazing year in the world of electric vehicles (EV), and there has been no shortage of eye-catching headlines, from the government’s new plan for 1,000,000 electric cars by 2030, to the Hyundai e-Kona and Tesla Model 3 arriving on our shores, writes University College Cork's John Hayes.

The government’s Climate Action Plan envisages a large role for electric transport, and John Hayes — a senior lecturer at University College Cork and an expert in the area — guides us through its origins and whether the technology can replace our petrol engines.