In The News
GEA to supply insulin-processing equipment for Julphar
GEA Group AG (Bochum, Germany; www.geagroup.com) recently received a €14-million order for insulin processing equipment from Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries Julphar (United Arab Emirates). Julphar’s new plant will make the life-saving drug more widely available to patients in the United Arab Emirates…
KBR: contract for Araromi Refinery Project
KBR Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com) has been awarded a contract by FPR Inc. (Houston) to provide Design and Early Engineering Services for the development of the Araromi Refinery Project in the OK Free Trade Zone (OKFTZ) in Nigeria. KBR will execute…
PEMEX chooses Prime-D technology
PEMEX Refinación (Mexico; www.ref.pemex.com) has selected Axens Prime-D technology for the production of ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) at its Salina Cruz, Minatitlan and Madero refineries. The scope of work will include license, pilot studies, optimization studies, basic and extended basic…
A device to measure density and viscosity non-invasively
Ultimo Measurement (Providence, R.I.; www.ultimompd.com) has developed technology for measuring density and viscosity of process fluids, loose solids and mixtures non-invasively — a percussion-based device that can be mounted on the outside of process tanks, pipes or other vessels. The…
CNTs show promise as a filter and a catalyst support
Carbon nanotube (CNT) membranes developed by researchers at Rice University (Houston; www.rice.edu) could have applications as nanoparticulate filters, and as nanoscale scaffolds for catalysts. The devices are silicon dioxide wafers with laser-bored holes (~500-µm dia.). The holed wafers are subjected…
An enhanced photocatalyst for making H2 from water
Kazuhiro Sayama and colleagues at the Solar Light Energy Conversion Group at Energy Technology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST; Tsukuba, Japan; unit.aist.go.jp/energy), have developed a cesium-treated tungsten oxide photocatalyst that shows a 19% quantum…
Combined CO2 mitigation and H2S removal
Last month at the Global Refining Summit (Rotterdam, the Netherlands; May 17–19), Swapsol Corp. (Monmouth Junction, N.J.; www.swapsol.com) introduced a completely new sour-gas-cleanup process that reduces hydrogen sulfide levels below detectable levels (under 4 ppb) while reacting with carbon dioxide…
H2 unit combines production, purification and compression
A recently developed hydrogen generation unit combines an autothermal, fluidized-bed methane reformer with a metal hydride compressor. Aside from combining the reforming, H2 separation and compression, which are part of conventional H2 generation (top diagram), the engineers behind the system…
Using DME to extract ‘green crude’ from algae
Algae has recently become an R&D focus for making third-generation biofuels because these oil-containing microorganisms reproduce so quickly and can be grown away from arable farmland. However, getting the oil from the cells — and the water — is energy…
Forward osmosis moves a step closer to commercialization
Oasys Water Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.; www.oasyswater.com) has commercialized a forward-osmosis (FO) membrane as the next step toward introducing its lower-cost desalination and water-reuse technology. The membrane, developed by Professor Menachem Elimelech, chair of chemical engineering at Yale University (New Haven,…