Processing & Handling
Cost-efficient, on-purpose 1,5-PDO from bio-based starting material
Construction is underway on a demonstration plant for manufacturing 1,5-pentanediol (1,5-PDO) from bio-based furfural, a platform chemical that can be derived from plant-based hemicellulose sugars. The process under construction by the company Pyran Inc. (Madison, Wis.; www.pyranco.com) offers a lower-cost…
Fibrous catalyst support boosts yields and reduces coke buildup
A new fibrous catalyst-support material can enhance a wide range of industrial catalytic reactions, allowing higher yields and reduced coke buildup compared to pellet supports. Unifrax (Tonawanda, N.Y.; www.unifrax.com) leveraged its expertise in ceramic materials to develop the high-alumina fiber…
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,…
Technology Profile: Production of Adipic Acid
Adipic acid (hexanedioic acid; Figure 1) is among the most important aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, with about 2.5 billion kg produced annually. It is isolated as odorless, colorless crystals with an acidic taste. Adipic acid undergoes the reactions of carboxylic acids,…
Sieve Tray Stability Factor Based on Efficiency Data
Using a vast collection of experimental distillation-column data, sieve tray stability, and its influence on efficiency, are explored in terms of several physical and mechanical properties For trayed distillation columns, the concept of tray stability was introduced by the author…
Piloting a process that makes hydrogen and carbon from methane
Next year, construction will begin on an industrial-scale pilot plant to further develop a new process that decomposes methane into H2 and carbon. The process uses a thermo-catalytic decomposition (TCD) technology developed by Hycamite TCD Technologies Oy (Kokkola, Finland; www.hycamite.com).…
Technology Profile: Production of Nitrogen from Air
Nitrogen (N2) makes up 78% of ambient air (20.95% of air is oxygen). N2 is an inert (non-flammable) gas used in industrial plants to prevent undesirable chemical reactions from occurring. Nitrogen is the most common inert gas used in the…
Time and Length Scales of Mixing: The Macro Scale
Successfully scaling up a mixing process involves understanding several important timescale parameters that can impact chemical reactions and equipment performance Many industrial processes are defined by rates. For example, rates of mass and heat transfer, rates of reaction and rates…
Hydrogen Piping Systems: Mitigating Pitfalls by Design
This overview presents guidance for the safe design of piping systems that are used for the distribution of hydrogen gas Hydrogen gas is a very volatile fluid that has a high propensity to leak. This is a very dangerous and…