In a typical bulk-solids pneumatic-conveying system, an air mover is used to generate the necessary air flowrate and pressure required to transport a solid material through a pipeline at a given rate. This one-page reference discusses the operating mechanisms and…
This past year was one of the best in a decade for the chemical process industries (CPI), according to the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC; Washington, D.C., www.americanchemistry.com) year-end report [ 1]. The report details that output of U.S. chemical producers…
Developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; Cambridge, Mass.; www.mit.edu), these durable, flexible solar cells are glued to a strong, lightweight fabric, making them easy to install on a fixed surface. They are one-hundredth the weight of…
BTX extraction A newly launched series of blended solvents for the extraction of benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX) from a variety of feeds shows improved performance over single solvents, while avoiding environmentally problematic solvent components. The series, known as BTX…
Bauxite residue (red mud) is a byproduct from the smelting of aluminum. Like other waste slags from the metallurgy industry, bauxite residue is traditionally put into hazardous-waste landfills, although it contains a mixture of valuable raw materials in low concentrations.…
Granular activated carbon (GAC) can be used to remove polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from groundwater and drinking water, but current methods to regenerate spent GAC are costly and require high temperatures of greater than 1,000°C. A team of scientists at Battelle…
A collaborative research group in Japan has engineered a self-sustaining device that can detect the presence of COVID-19 particles or droplets in air. The device, which requires no batteries, employs a magnetostrictive clad plate composed of iron, cobalt and nickel,…
Spring-loaded pressure-relief valves (PRVs) often use bellows to ensure balanced operation. Data analysis from 30,000 PRV service records across different industries and valve brands shows a bellows failure rate between 2 to 6%, according to Emerson (St. Louis, Mo.; www.emerson.com).…
Lotte Fine Chemicals (LFC) received the world’s first commercial shipment of 25,000 metric tons of independently certified clean (blue) ammonia from SABIC Agri-Nutrients (SABIC AN) and Saudi Aramco (Aramco). The shipment, dispatched from King Fahad Industrial Port at Jubail, Saudi…
Lummus Technology (Houston) announced it has been awarded a contract by Zhangzhou CHIMEI Chemical Co. Ltd. for digitalization services at their petrochemical facility in Gulei, Fujian Province, China. "This award builds on the previous technology license Lummus provided to CHIMEI…