Last month, the European Parliament (Brussels, Belgium) approved a new air-quality directive, which sets, for the first time, binding standards for fine particles. The directive on air quality is one measure outlined in the 2005 Thematic Strategy on air pollution…
Gulf Ethanol Corp. (Houston, Tex.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7368-541) recently acquired an exclusive license to the vortex-implosion-disintegrator technology developed by Meridian BioRefining (Dallas, Tex.). This high-velocity, high-pressure process can turn biomass into an easily processable cellulose powder in 5 – 10 s. The…
UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7368-542) has partnered with the University of Southern California’s (USC) Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute (Los Angeles; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7368-543) to develop and commercialize new technology to transform carbon dioxide into clean-burning alternative fuels. USC developed fundamental chemistry…
Animal and vegetable oils and fats are a key renewable feedstock for making detergents, soaps, lubricants, paints, coatings, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, as well as additives for plastics, rubber and textiles. However, a consequence of the current EU renewable-energy policy is…
Megtec Systems (Glen Waverly, Victoria, Australia; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6902-542) has announced the first power plant fueled by methane emissions from coal-mine ventilation air. Traditionally, CH4 released during coal excavation requires dilution in ventilation air because it is explosive at concentrations between 5…
Traditionally, the cogeneration of steam and electricity has been restricted to plants that generate superheated steam, making the recovery of energy losses from saturated steam impossible for many industrial sites ranging from distilleries to pharmaceutical plants and pulp-and-paper mills. At…
At the Chem Show last month (New York; Oct. 30 – Nov. 1), Resodyn Acoustic Mixers Inc. (Butte, Mont.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6902-531) demonstrated its new, impeller-free mixing technology, which induces microscale turbulence through the propagation of acoustic waves. Dubbed ResonantAcoustic Mixing (RAM),…
A pressure-swing-adsorption (PSA) system for hydrogen purification that operates at "tens of cycles per minute," versus one cycle every 4 – 10 min for conventional PSA, will have its first commercial-scale demonstration at an ExxonMobil refinery in France. Developed by…
Ethanol production is an energy-intensive process in which about 50% of the cost is for distillation and dehydration of the ethanol. A membrane system that does the same job, but reduces the energy consumption by up to 50%, has been…
Japan Oil, Gas, & Metals National Corp. (JOGMEC; Kawasaki; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6902-534) and six private companies have established a research consortium to build a confirmation test-plant for a new Japanese gas-to-liquids (JGTL) process. Construction on the 500-bbl/d facility, located at Niigata, Japan,…