Scientists at Kao Corp. (KAO; Tokyo, Japan; chemical.kao.com) have discovered an enzyme that has the potential for producing large quantities of medium-chain (C12) fatty acids (FAs), which are the main components of natural oils, such as palm-kernel and coconut-palm oils.…
Last month in Ovadan-Depe, Turkmenistan, construction began on a plant that will produce gasoline from natural gas. When the plant starts up approximately four years from now, it will produce 15,500 barrels per day (bbl/d) of synthetic gasoline using the…
Crystal Solar Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.; www.xstalsolar.com) is preparing for high-volume production of silicon wafers using a process that forms the wafers directly from trichlorosilane (TCS) gas using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) epitaxy process that can significantly lower the…
Edeniq Inc. (Visalia, Calif.; www.edeniq.com) announced progress in building demonstration facilities in Brazil and China that feature the company’s proprietary process for converting cellulosic biomass into industrial sugar for fermentation or catalytic conversion (diagram). In Brazil’s São Paulo state, Edeniq…
Last June, Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; Tokyo, Japan; www.sdk.co.jp) started commercial operation of its new 100,000-ton/yr ethyl acetate plant at Oita Complex. The new plant is the first commercial facility in Japan to use the company’s proprietary production-process technology. The…
The adixen vacuum dry pump is said to meet current and future challenges of cutting-edge procedures in the coatings industry (LED/OLED, flat/touch panel and solar). The multistage roots vacuum pumps of the ADH series are designed for challenging processes where…
The Fisher Fieldview DVC6200p series of digital valve controllers is an ideal solution for applications in which accessibility, extreme temperatures (up to 120°C), extreme vibration or confined space make integral mounting difficult or impractical. Industries such as pulp and paper,…
Hayward Flow Control Thermoplastic butterfly valve enables many stopping positions With its advanced, one-piece thermoplastic design and construction, the patent-pending BYV Series Butterfly Valve offers a variety of design advances, including a hand lever that features a 72-spline interlock mechanism…
This company has launched a new generation of dry-running shaft seals for agitators. In addition to the known benefits of this type of mechanical seal, the new SeccoMix1 is also silent running and has been prototype-tested for use in ATEX…
By means of high-pressure water, various incrustations can be removed inside of autoclaves, reactors, spray towers and vessels. The pump unit discharges high-pressure water (up to 1,600 bars) through the company’s Tank Cleaning Head Nozzles. The water jet cuts through…