For separating two components with similar volatilities, extractive distillation is typically used, whereby a high-boiling, non-volatile solvent is added to "break the azeotrope" — a process that is both energy intensive and often involves the use of hazardous solvents. In…
Here, we present criteria needed for the intelligent, effective specification of trays for a distillation or stripping column. Among the key parameters and accessories during specification are column diameter, tray spacing, number of trays, number of passes, type of downcomers,…
Solvay Solexis S.p.A. (Bollate, Italy; www.solvaysolexis.com) has commercialized a new perfluorosulfinic acid (PFSA) polymer, tradenamed Aquivion, which was specifically designed for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Aquivion ionomer membranes are melt-extruded products based on the Short Side Chain (SSC)…
Crystallization is a method of solid-fluid separation in which pure chemical crystals are formed. Crystallization kinetics consists of three major phenomena: nucleation (the birth of a crystal), transfer of the solute from the supersaturated solution to the crystal surface, and…
Vogelbusch GmbH (Vienna, Austria; www.vogelbusch.com) has developed a patent-pending distributor system that it claims makes possible the adaption of simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography for use in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to this, SMB use has been limited to the…
A Filter Bag for Food, Drug and Beverage Applications Introduced by the manufacturer as the first series of filter bags specifically designed for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, Cleargaf filter bags (photo) promise full compliance with U.S. and European…
Market demand for water purification is driving reverse osmosis forward Increasingly, water has become one of the hottest topics of the decade. Estimates indicate that water usage has increased tenfold in the last ten years. A recent United Nations report…
After several years of proven operation in the food- and nutritional-products industry, a patented drying technology is now ready to be applied for any liquid or slurry product. Developed by MCD Technologies, Inc. (Tacoma, Wash.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7373-535), the Refractance Window (RW)…
ExxonMobil Corp. (Irving, Tex.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7373-537) plans to spend more than $100 million on a commercial demonstration of its Controlled Freeze Zone (CFZ) technology for removing carbon dioxide from natural gas. The plant, to be located at the company’s Shute Creek…
Packed Columns [1] A packed column is a vertical, cylindrical pressure vessel containing one or more sections of a packing material over whose surface the liquid flows downward by gravity, as a film or as droplets, between packing elements. Vapor…