In The News
Replacing a pressurization blower with a turbocharger reduces energy use
Reductions in power consumption by over 30% have been observed at a full-scale formaldehyde production plant by introducing a new design in which a pressurization blower is replaced by a turbocharger that is powered by the exhaust gas from the…
A cheaper way to destroy organic contaminants?
An ultraviolet oxidation process for the destruction of water-borne organic contaminants that combines UV with chlorine, rather than hydrogen peroxide, is being developed by MIOX Corp. (Albuquerque, N.M.; www.miox.com). The company’s Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) promises to be less expensive…
March Chementator Briefs
Microelectrode Although antimony electrodes have been used for decades to measure pH, they only allow for measuring pH changes at a certain distance from electrodes or corroding surfaces. Now, researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish…
A continuous process to make graphene
An inexpensive and scalable process that uses supercritical (SC) liquids to make large quantities of graphene is being developed by the group of professor Itaru Honma at the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University (Sendai; db.tagen.tohoku.ac.jp), in…
A bi-metallic nanocluster catalyst for highly selective asymmetric C–C formation
Shu Kobayashi and his research group at the University of Tokyo (Japan; www.chem.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/users/synorg/index_e.html) have developed a ruthenium-silver nanocluster catalyst for the highly selective 1,4-addition reaction for the formation of asymmetric carbon-carbon bonds. Previously, the group had used its polymeric incarceration…
Successful operation of high-pressure, entrained flow gasification
On the way to the production of environment-friendly fuels from biomass residue, the Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT; Karlsruhe, Germany; www.edu), in cooperation with the technology partner Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions, has realized another important milestone: the second process…
Outotec grows its maintenance services by acquiring Scanalyse
Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.outotec.com) has signed an agreement to acquire Scanalyse Holdings Pty Ltd., an Australian-based software technology company with operations in Australia, Brazil, Chile and the U.S. Scanalyse provides services in process equipment condition and performance monitoring. The…
Caloric awarded contract to build a methanol reformer in Indonesia
Caloric Anlagenbau GmbH (Gräfelfing, Germany; www.caloric.com) has been awarded a contract for the engineering and manufacturing of a new hydrogen generation plant from a major chemical company in Indonesia once again. The plant will be able to produce 700 Nm³/h…
BASF to open R&D technology center for battery materials in Japan
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) will open a new Research and Development Laboratory and an Application Technology Center for Battery Materials in Amagasaki, Japan. The facilities will be fully operational by the end of 2013. The laboratory will focus on…
Toyo awarded ammonia project in Indonesia
Toyo Engineering Corp. (Toyo; Chiba, Japan; www.toyo-eng.co.jp) has been awarded a contract to build an ammonia plant for PT Panca Amara Utama (PAU), a subsidiary of PT. Surya Esa Perkasa Tbk. (SEP), one of Indonesia’s leading LPG producing companies. The…