Mobile Navigation

Processing & Handling

Integration of CO2 direct air capture and alcohol-to-jet fuels manufacturing

A feasibility study is underway for the world’s first commercial facility that integrates direct air capture (DAC) of atmospheric carbon dioxide with gas fermentation of CO2 and production of aviation fuels. LanzaTech (Chicago, Ill.; www.lanzatech.com) and Carbon Engineering (Squamish, B.C.;…

Safer, more sustainable control of runaway polymerization

Runaway polymerizations of acrylic monomers can lead to catastrophic fires and explosions in production plants and storage terminals, as well as during transportation. Special chemical products called shortstop inhibitors are used to minimize the likelihood of runaway polymerization reactions. A…

Sanitize, Analyze and Optimize Bioprocessing Operations

Better designs and improved monitoring and control technologies lead to higher efficiencies While bioprocessing can be challenging due to the sanitation requirements and exacting processes, new technologies are allowing bioprocessors to more easily sanitize, analyze and optimize their processes in…

Facts At Your Fingertips: Design Considerations for Pneumatic Conveying

Attention to the design of bulk-solids pneumatic-conveying pipelines can help avoid conveying-system problems, such as low conveying rates, plugging, excessive wear-and-tear in the conveying line, high conveying-system pressure drop, product breakage, fines generation and product cross-contamination. This one-page reference provides…

Technology Profile: Production of Linear Alpha Olefins

Linear alpha olefins (LAOs) are hydrocarbons with the chemical formula CnH2n, characterized by linear chains and one double bond at the alpha position (Figure 1). Such hydrocarbons are important chemical intermediates, widely used in several industrial and consumer products according…

A System Approach with Flow Analysis

Taking a system approach to find the root cause of a problem can be more beneficial than simply replacing a problematic pump. This article explains why We want the best reliability with anything that we work with. In a plant…

CE Podcast: Swagelok engineers discuss grab-sampling

In this episode of the Chemical Engineering podcast, senior editor Scott Jenkins speaks with Matt Dixon and Karim Mahraz, both engineers at Swagelok and experts on grab-sampling systems. Matt and Karim discuss the most common problems associated with grab sampling…

Recently Published Books for the CPI: September 2021

Here are recently published books with relevance to the chemical process industries (CPI). September 2021.  Engineering of Power Plant and Industrial Cooling Water Systems. By Charles F. Bowman and Seth N. Bowman, CRC Press, 2021, 174 pages, $71.96. 2021 Guide…

An integrated thermochemical process makes advanced biofuels from biomass

Bionext and its partners — a consortium of six industrial companies — have successfully completed the test program on BioTfueL demonstration units, setting the stage for commercialization of the thermochemical process that makes low-carbon-footprint sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other…

Electrochemistry Spreads its Wings

New electrochemical processes are being developed to help CPI companies reduce their carbon footprint For over a century, electrochemistry has played a crucial role in the chemical process industries (CPI), and many chemicals are still produced using traditional electrochemical processes,…