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Processing & Handling

First industrial-scale plant uses CO2-lean cement production

By replacing part of cement clinker with calcined (thermally activated) clay, CO2 emissions in cement production are lowered by up to 40%, according to thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG (Essen, Germany; www.thyssenkrupp-industrial-solutions.com), which developed the technology known as “polysius activated clay.”…

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Facts at your Fingertips: Nucleation Phenomena in Crystallization

Industrial crystallization processes are widely used in the chemical process industries (CPI) for their ability to separate and purify products in a single step, often to greater than 99.9% purity. Crystal growth proceeds after nucleation, a molecular aggregation process whereby…

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Technology Profile: Production of Vinyl Chloride Monomer

This column is based on “Vinyl Chloride Production from Ethylene and Chlorine – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/vinyl-chloride-production-cost. Vinyl chloride (also known as vinyl chloride monomer, VCM and chloroethene) is an organochloride…

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Low-Cost Techniques for NOx Reduction

An understanding of the available NOx-reduction strategies will help engineers to select the best technique to improve the performance of their combustion processes Pollution due to oxides of nitrogen — frequently abbreviated as NOx — is regulated with varying degrees…

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Turning Up the Heat on Valve Train Safety

Despite their nearly universal use in industrial combustion processes, valve trains are not widely understood. Here are some guidelines to help ensure their safe and effective operation Does your manufacturing facility have a smoke stack? If it does, it also…

Chemical Activity Barometer Sinks in April, ACC says

The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), fell 5.5 percent in April on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a downwardly revised 2.9 percent decline in March.…

The Trouble with Turndown: Avoiding Problems from Excessive Design Margins

When plants are built with excessive design margins, problems can arise when operating under turndown conditions. This article helps explain how overdesign tends to occur and how to avoid problems when operating at turndown Operating under turndown can be problematic,…

Information on hazards of manufacturing hand sanitizer offered by DEKRA N.A.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers and the general public are facing shortages of hand sanitizers, and many manufacturers are augmenting their facilities produce the necessary ingredients. DEKRA North America (Atlanta, Ga.; www.dekra.us) is warning of the…

U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes fall amid COVID-19, ACC says

The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that with the effects of COVID-19 fully affecting in the U.S. economy, U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes fell 5.0 percent in March, accelerating from a 0.5 percent decline in February. Of…

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Principles of Agglomeration: Pelletizing Processes

Pelletizing, a tumble-growth agglomeration process, offers many potential benefits to processors handling bulk solid materials. This article provides an overview of how agglomerate pelletizing works and the important elements that must be considered Pelletizing, a form of agglomeration (particle size…