The hydrothermal liquefaction of algae has been the subject of many studies because algae exhibit high photosynthetic activity and growth rate compared to other biomass, leading to increased CO2 absorption. The algae can grow in a wide variety of water…
Mechanical engineering students have been taught that true isothermal compression, while ideal from an energy-efficiency perspective, is not achievable. However, a late 1800s technology, the Taylor Compressor has delivered isothermal compression in large industrial applications for nearly a century. The…
Adipic acid, a precursor for the synthesis of nylon, is usually produced through nitric acid oxidation of cyclohexane, a process which has disadvantages, such as the emission of nitrous oxide — a greenhouse and ozone-depleting gas — as well as…
A specially designed electrode could improve the efficiency of removing suspended solids, oil or other contaminants from water in applications traditionally served by dissolved-air flotation (DAF). Developers at OriginOil Inc. (Los Angeles, Calif.; www.originoil.com) believe their electrolysis process overcomes limitations…
At the European Coatings Show (April 21–23; Nuremberg, Germany), Bayer MaterialScience AG (BMS; Leverkusen, Germany; www.materialscience.bayer.com) will launch Pentamethylene diisocyanate (PDI), a new isocyanate with 70% of its carbon content originating from biomass. The eco-friendly hardner component is being evaluated…
Plant Watch Dresser-Rand, Ener-Core to provide cogeneration system to Pacific Ethanol January 12, 2015 — Dresser-Rand (Houston; www.dresser-rand.com) will install a 3.5-MW cogeneration system at Pacific Ethanol Inc.’s (Sacramento, Calif.; www.pacificethanol.com) ethanol-production plant in Stockton, Calif. The system will utilize…
Researchers at Toshiba Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.toshiba.co.jp) have developed an artificial photosynthesis system that uses solar energy to convert CO2 and water into CO with 1.5% efficiency — the highest efficiency achieved to date. The company believes the technology has…
Activity in standards development, industry initiatives and R&D are fueling the growth of additive manufacturing (3-D printing) technology in industry The field of additive manufacturing (AM) — often referred to as three-dimensional (3-D) printing — has seen explosive growth in…
The research group of Keiichi Tomishige at Tohoku University (Sendai, www.che.tohoku.ac.jp/~erec), in collaboration with Daicel Corp. (Tokyo, both Japan; www.daicel.com/en), has developed a catalytic reaction system that is highly efficient for synthesizing tetrahydrofuran (THF) — a widely used solvent and…
To meet the needs of the chemical process industries, new valve materials and designs combat corrosion and leaks In the grand scheme of any chemical process, a valve might seem an afterthought. However, in reality, valves play as critical a…