Flashing occurs when the pressure of a fluid passing through a valve is lower than the same substance’s vapor pressure. This causes the fluid to boil — otherwise known as “flashing.” “By reducing flow capacity and eroding the valve itself,…
When searching for catalysts for the energy transition, materials consisting of at least five elements — so-called high-entropy alloys (HEAs) — are considered highly promising. But to find the right combination of elements and composition ratios needed for the best…
The production of substitute (or synthetic) natural gas (SNG) by methanation of CO2 with hydrogen is energy intensive and also requires a purification step to remove the byproduct water and remaining reactants. To address these issues, researchers at The Swiss…
Recovering valuable metals, such as cobalt and nickel, from used lithium-ion batteries is emerging as a key capability because of anticipated high battery demand and material shortages. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, Calif.; www.lbl.gov) have developed a technology…
Plant Watch Arlanxeo starts up new polybutadiene production line in Brazil February 14, 2023 — Arlanxeo B.V. (Maastricht, the Netherlands; www.arlanxeo.com) opened a new polybutadiene production line in Brazil. The new production line supplements Arlanxeo’s existing production capacity in Brazil…
From headsets to gloves to fabric sensors, technologies that can be worn on the body are providing many new benefits for plant workers Apace with innovations in all “smart” technologies, wearable devices for industrial personnel are rapidly evolving to incorporate…
Victrex plc (Thornton Cleveleys, U.K.) has announced priority investment to support expanding its medical division, Invibio Biomaterial Solutions, including the opening of a new product development facility in Leeds, UK, this month. As part of Victrex’s plans to accelerate future…
Givaudan International SA (Vernier, Switzerland) announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire certain cosmetic ingredients from Amyris, Inc. (Emeryville, Calif.) , including Neossance Squalane, the high-performant emollient, Neossance Hemisqualane, the plant-based silicone alternative and CleanScreen, a sustainable sun…
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany) announced that it is investing in a production-plant expansion for fumed aluminum oxide at its site in Yokkaichi, Japan. The facility will be the company’s first alumina plant in Asia, focusing on the production of…
Celanese Corp. (Dallas, Tex.) announced two joint venture (JV) actions with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Tokyo) to extend their longstanding strategic partnership. Celanese announced the signing of a term sheet to form a Food Ingredients JV with Mitsui, subject to…