Gate Gate valves are designed to operate fully open or fully closed; When fully opened, there is very little pressure drop across the valve, and when fully closed there is good sealing against pressure. With the proper mating of a…
The techniques used for sterilization have a major impact on product quality and safety where pristine processing is needed The inactivation and elimination of bacteria are pressing issues in the chemical process industries (CPI) where high-purity conditions are needed. High…
Chisso Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.chisso.co.jp) has established a new joint-venture (JV) company to produce solar grade silicon using a new process that was first developed by Chisso and subsequently refined, jointly, by the three JV partners: Chisso (50% share), Nippon…
Flowserve Corp. (Dallas, Tex.; www.flowserve.com) has introduced the Valtek Valdisk high-cycle seat, claimed to be a "breakthrough" seat design for Valtek butterfly valves. The new seat design is made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, and offers an ANSI/FCI 7-0-2 class…
Researchers at the University of Surrey (U.K., www.surrey.ac.uk) have discovered a method to make ultra-small, pure crystals of buckminsterfullerene (C60). Lozenge-shaped crystals can be made with widths of 80 nm — much smaller than the 400 nm minimum size predicted…
Researchers at the U.S. Dept.of Energy’s Ames Laboratory (Iowa; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7374-538) have developed a new method for synthesizing various magnetic nanoparticles by mimicking bacteria that produce nano-scale magnetite (Fe3O4) naturally. Despite commercial applications ranging from localized drug delivery to magnetic inks…
A simple, fast and clean process to make esters without a catalyst is being developed by Chemicrea Inc. (Tokyo; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7374-539) with the support of New Energy & Industrial Technology Development Organization (Kawasaki), and Gifu University (Gifu, all Japan). The process…
The use of palladium on carbon powder supports (Pd-CP) has traditionally been a commercially viable means of catalyzing deprotection reactions, despite also requiring substantive quantities of precious metal and limiting the selection of solvents due to low hydrogenation activity. However,…
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7374-542) has developed a new class of enzymes, called enoate reductases, which can be used for the asymmetric synthesis of chiral intermediates, such as esters and aldehydes. The modified biocatalysts, which the company has patented, are…
The Dow Performance Fluids, a business of Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7374-546) has introduced a new high-temperature cleaning solvent for cleaning polymer-process reactor vessels, pipelines, heat exchangers, pumps and other equipment impaired by polymer residue. Dow HT-Solve 515 —…