Oji Holdings Corp. (OJI; www.ojiholdings.co.jp) and Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. (MCC; both Tokyo, Japan; www.m-kagaku.co.jp) have developed a continuous process for producing transparent sheets made from ultra-thin, wood-based cellulose nanofibers (CNF). Both OJI’s papermaking technology and MCC’s chemical treatment technology contributed…
Calculating the volume of a liquid in a vessel of a complex shape is a common task for chemical engineers. However, there are several difficulties associated with accurately carrying out this calculation. In my own experience as a chemical engineer,…
Since 1962, this company has been manufacturing horizontal and vertical centrifugal pumps to handle corrosive and abrasive fluids. The pumps are made of various thermoplastics (PP, PVDF, PE-UHMW, PFA, PTFE) or stainless steel (AISI 316, 316L, 904L and Hastelloy). The…
For 40 years, this company has developed and manufactured bellows-sealed globe valves (photo) for hazardous applications in the chemical, petrochemical and nuclear industries. The company’s complete range of manual, actuated on-off and control bellows-sealed globe valves is now EuroChlor approved,…
At AchemAsia, this company launched the new extrex EA, a localized extrusion pump suitable for most extrusion applications, delivering a differential pressure of up to 200 bars. The pumps are assembled in the company’s new facility in Shanghai, and integrate…
The EasiDrive portable valve actuator effortlessly opens and closes valves in petroleum refineries, power plants, paper mills and chemical processing plants. Generating a torque of up to 2,000 Nm, this tool enables a single operator to efficiently drive multiple valves…
Naomi Shibasaki-Kitagawa at Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan; www.che.tohoku.ac.jp/~rpel/) has developed a continuous reactor for making biodiesel fuel from low-quality waste, such as cooking oil. Her production process uses an expanded-bed reactor packed with an anion-exchange resin that has both catalytic…
Two new coating products for sand proppants used in hydraulic fracturing operations in the oil and gas industry overcome the challenges of traditional phenolic coatings, which can leach environmentally hazardous chemicals. The coatings, developed by Preferred Sands LLC (Radnor, Pa.;…
Researchers from the group of Atsushi Fukuoka at the Catalysis Research Center of Hokkaido University (Sapporo; www.cat.hokudai.ac.jp), and Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; Tokyo, both Japan; www.sdk.co.jp) have developed a new catalyst that efficiently decomposes biomass into sugars. The activated-carbon-based catalyst…
The research groups of Keiichi Fujishige at Tohoku University (Sendai, www.che.tohoku.ac.jp/~erec) and Daicel Corp. (Osaka, both Japan; www.daicel.com) have developed a process for making 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) from glycerin, a byproduct of biodiesel-fuel production. The researchers improved a catalyst developed by…