AkzoNobel N.V. (www.akzonobel.com) has partnered with Dutch start-up company Photanol (both Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.photanol.com) to manufacture specialty chemicals using a photosynthesis-like process that combines sugar production with fermentation in a single organism. Photanol has developed genetically engineered cyanobacteria that…
A method for using liquid CO2, rather than water, as a hydraulic fracturing fluid has been field-tested in a mid-continent oil well, and has benefited well productivity, according to developer Praxair Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com). Aside from enhanced well performance,…
Last month, Veolia Water Technologies (Birmingham, England; www.veoliawaterst.co.uk) introduced a new generation of biofilm carriers for moving-bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs). Trade-named AnoxKaldness Z-MBBR, the new carrier is the result of two decades of development work, says the company. Unlike conventional…
The research group of Masatsugu Morimitsu at Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan; www.doshisha.ac.jp) has developed an “evolutionary” electrowinning process for the production of rare and base metals that promises to reduce both the power consumption and environmental burden. The process features…
Graphene continues to show new, promising properties Researchers from Monash University (Melbourne, Australia; www.monash.edu.au) have discovered that graphene oxide sheets can change their structure and become liquid droplets spontaneously. Because graphene droplets change their structure in response to an…
An increasingly tight labor market for engineers in the chemical process industries (CPI) is pushing salaries for engineers higher, while a strengthening wave of retirements is driving efforts in several communities to address the gaps in experience and education. Data…
NORTH AMERICA American Chemical Soc. — Midwest Regional Meeting. American Chemical Soc. (Washington, D.C.). Phone: 800-227-5558; Web: acs.org Columbia, Mo. November 12–15 International Lubricants & Waxes Conference. AFPM (Washington, D.C.). Phone: 202-457-0480; Web: afpm.org Houston November 13–14 International…
Gaskets are relatively simple pieces of equipment in principle, yet are entirely critical in many types of chemical process industries (CPI) applications, including pipes and vessels. An understanding of gasket function, and of the forces and stresses acting on gaskets…
Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a chemical precursor used in the production of several industrially relevant compounds, such as adiponitrile for nylon production, methyl methacrylate for polymer manufacturing, sodium cyanide for gold recovery and for the production of methionine, which is…
From plastics and synthetics to fertilizers and fuel, the general public takes for granted so much of what the chemical process industries (CPI) produces, and the risks associated with CPI production facilities are not typically considered. That is, until the…