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Environment, Health, Safety & Security

Newsfront: Dust collection: Clean up your act

When it comes to dust collection in the chemical process industries (CPI), there exists a wide variety of needs. For example, folks in dyes and pigments have a different set of dust collection challenges than those in the pharmaceutical industry,…

Cleaning syngas at high temperatures

RTI International (Research Triangle Park, N.C.; www.rti.org), in partnership with Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.) and the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE; Washington, D.C.), has developed a modular technology package that removes numerous contaminants — including sulfur, NH3, HCN, HCl…

Chementator: Two solid ways to remove CO2 from fluegas, one based on Na2CO3 . . .

While monoethanolamine (MEA) is the traditional solvent for scrubbing CO2 from fluegas, more effective methods, including solid absorbents, are being developed (see CE, December 2008, pp. 16–20). Sodium carbonate, for example, is the sorbent in a process being developed, with…

Chementator: Using membranes to lower the cost of CO2 capture

A new membrane is combined with a novel process design to reduce energy costs in a CO2 recovery system developed by Membrane Technology and Research Inc. (MTR, Menlo Park, Calif.; www.mtrinc.com). The two-step system uses a membrane made of a…

Pressure-Relief System Design

  Pressure relief systems are vital in the chemical process industries (CPI) for handling a wide variety of situations. They are used to prevent pressurization above a system’s design pressure; for venting during an unusual or emergency situation; and for…

Chementator: Oxy-combustion  

Last month, what is claimed as the first pilot plant in the world to demonstrate carbon-dioxide capture and storage (CCS) based on oxy-combustion came onstream next to Vattenfall´s 1,600-MW, lignite-fired Schwarze Pumpe power plant in Germany. The 30-MW pulverized-coal demonstration…

Chementator: Bio-based isoprene  

Genencor, a div. of Danisco A/S (Copenhagen, Denmark; www.danisco.com) and The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. (Akron, Ohio; www.goodyear.com) have started a research collaboration to develop a bio-based process for producing isoprene using renewable raw materials. Tradenamed BioIsoprene, the alternative…

Chementator: Smaller baghouses  

Last month, Donaldson Torit (Minneapolis, Minn.; www.donaldson.com) launched the Torit PowerCore dust collectors, which are up to 50% smaller than traditional baghouses. An extension of the firm’s patented PowerCore technology that has been proven in engine filtration, the new dust…

Chementator: Biomass-to-DME  

As part of the European BioDME project, Haldor Topsøe A/S (Lyngby, Denmark; www.topsoe.com) and Chemrec will design and build a new plant for producing dimethyl ether (DME). Located at the Smurfit Kappa paper mill in Piteå, Sweden, the facility will…

Newsfront: Combustion Equipment, Burning for You

As environmental regulations continue to get tighter regarding oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and other emissions, makers of burners and incinerators are working to develop equipment that not only meets or exceeds permissible emission levels, but also surpasses traditional operational capabilities.…