Propylene — one of the most important petrochemical feedstocks — has traditionally been supplied, together with ethylene, primarily from naphtha crackers. The recent exploitation of shale gas in North America is causing a shift to ethane cracking as a source…
A new method for removing uranium and other heavy metals (HMs) from wastewater has been developed by researchers at the University of Eastern Finland (Joensuu; www.uef.fi). The technology has been licensed by Oy Chemec AB (Espoo, Finland; www.chemec.fi), which plans…
Sludge dewatering Last month, Metso Corp. (Helsinki, Finland; www.metso.com) introduced what it claims to be the worlds first advanced solution — both measurements and control system — to optimize sludge dewatering at wastewater treatment plants. The Metso SDO (sludge…
A stabilized palladium catalyst system that can be used for making materials for organic solar cells and pharmaceuticals has been developed by the research groups of of Yoichi Yamada at Riken (Wako city; www.riken.jp) and Shigenori Fujikawa at the International…
Pressure Vessels Field Manual: Common Operating Problems and Practical Solutions. By Maurice Stewart and Oran T. Lewis. Gulf Professional Publishing, 2 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1020, Houston, TX 77046. Web: gulfpub.com. 2013. 498 pages. $79.95. Reviewed by Keith Kachelhofer, Hargrave Engineers…
Propylene is the second most important intermediate in the petrochemical industry after ethylene, and its global demand is dominated by the production of polypropylene. However, the growing use of natural gas from shale deposits as a raw material for steam…
Dust is a critical consideration in the chemical process industries (CPI) from both a process safety standpoint — as a potential fire and explosion hazard — and from an occupational safety standpoint — as a potential worker exposure hazard. Reinforcing…
Pressure vessels are common in the chemical process industries (CPI) and they range widely in size and complexity. Process engineers may be tasked with inspecting a new pressure vessel or with witnessing hydrostatic testing of a vessel. In addition, engineers…
Uhrig Laborde Sielaff Scheu Festge Bioformix, Inc. (Cincinnati, Ohio), a manufacturer of energy-efficient, sustainable polymer platforms, names Jeff Uhrig senior vice president of corporate strategy. Nadege Laborde becomes president of the industrial biotech business unit of Novasep (Pompey,…
Corrosion and deposition in boilers, steam turbines and many types of process equipment are among the most expensive causes of outages in utility and industrial steam plants. Deposits and scale buildup on heat-transfer surfaces reduce efficiency, and when allowed to…