Intelligent — and thorough — preparation of a process-design-basis document can make the difference between a high-quality design for a chemical-process project and a poor one. The process-design-basis document represents the owner’s instructions to the design engineering organization…
The infrared approach to temperature monitoring is especially useful in situations where process temperatures are extremely high, the target is in motion, and the need to avoid contaminants is significant Accurate temperature measurement can often be quite challenging, especially in…
Custom-built blower packages address specific needs This company’s blower packages (photo) are custom built to address specific requirements for elevation, temperature, noise reduction and application. Two models are available: intermediate pressure (15 psig) and low pressure (8 psig). The intermediate-pressure…
Battelle (Columbus, Ohio; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5830-544) has licensed the Samms technology, developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL; Richland, Wash.), to Steward Environmental Solutions (Chattanooga, Tenn.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5830-545). Samms (self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports) is a technology that can be tailored to selectively…
Bayer MaterialScience AG (BMS; Leverkusen, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5830-546) has developed a new process for producing toluene diisocyanate (TDI), a precursor for making flexible polyurethane foam. Without disclosing details, BMS says the process reduces investment costs by 20–30%, and energy consumption by…
Fluxome Sciences A/S (Lyngby, Denmark; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5830-547) has been granted patents in both the U.S.and Europe for a method to improve bioethanol production by engineering the ammonia assimilation in yeast. By modifying the redox metabolism, it is possible to reduce the…
Last month, Clyvia Technology GmbH (Wegberg, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5830-548), a fully owned subsidiary of Clyvia Inc. (Las Vegas, Nev.), was granted a German patent for its proprietary fractional depolymerization process for converting waste material into heating oil and diesel fuel. The…
ATMI Life Sciences (ATMI; Hoegaarden, Belgium; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5830-549) and Pierre Guérin SAS (Mauze sur le Mignon, France; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5830-550) have formed an alliance to design, manufacture and market disposable fermentors and bioreactors. ATMI’s proprietary mixing system (which features a paddle integrated into…
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL; Calif.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5830-551) have constructed a membrane of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on a silicone chip, which has the potential to reduce the energy costs of desalination by up to 75%, compared to conventional…
NexGen Technologies, LLC (Farmington Hills, Mich.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5830-552) has commercialized a next-generation of engineered surface treatments that imparts wear-resistance, anti-galling, anti sieze and reduced friction to a wide range of substrates. The treatment process involves a proprietary plasma-delivery system operating at…