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Chemical Engineering

Technology Profile: Production of Sodium Hydroxide from Brine

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is a white, translucent crystalline solid that is widely used in the chemical process industries (CPI). NaOH is often referred to as caustic soda, due to its corrosive action on many substances: it decomposes proteins at room…

Process Analytical Technology Advances

Developments in laser technology and significantly increased computing power are making process analyzers available for new applications and even for closed-loop control Process analytical technology (PAT) has undergone rapid development in recent years. Further developments in laser technology, the miniaturization…

PAT is IIoT Ready

Combining process analytical technology (PAT) and the cloud for next-level productivity Process analytical technology (PAT) enables manufacturing and processing companies to continuously enhance their competitiveness in an increasingly fast-paced and demanding market (see part 1, “Process Analytical Technology Advances,” pp.…

Modularization: Managing Project Delivery Risk in the Time of COVID

Taking a modular approach to capital projects offers a pathway for companies to be proactive, rather than reactive, as they manage project risk in the time of COVID and potential similar disruptions in the future It has been more than…

Changing Fluids in a High-Temperature Heat Transfer Fluid System

Switching from one fluid to another in a heat transfer system requires an engineering evaluation. Here is what to include In well-designed and well-maintained heat transfer systems, heat transfer fluids generally last for a long time and function as intended.…

Improve aircraft fuel efficiency with ‘sharkskin’

Lufthansa Technik AG (Hamburg; www.lufthansa-technik.com) and BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) have developed a surface film, tradenamed AeroSHARK, that mimics the fine structure of a shark’s skin for reducing friction. The technology is to be rolled out on Lufthansa Cargo…

Converting woody biomass to intermediates allows carbon-negative products

Construction has begun on a market demonstration facility for manufacturing chloromethyl furfural (CMF) and hydrothermal carbon (HTC) from a variety of waste biomass feedstocks. With subsequent chemical transformation, these flexible intermediates can be converted into final products, such as polyethylene…

Chementator Briefs

Biomass Corn stover is among the major feedstocks for biorefineries, and can be converted to bioethanol. When corn stover contains moisture above certain levels, it can clog conveyers and chutes during processing, leading to operational problems and process stoppages. To…

Toray starts up advanced film-production capabilities at Mashima plant

Toray Industries, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) announced that new film-development machinery installed at its Mishima Plant has become fully operational. This new setup will enable the company to create advanced offerings for an increasingly sophisticated and diverse film market. The machinery…

Total announces name change to TotalEnergies

At the Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting, shareholders approved today, almost unanimously, the resolution to change the company’s name from Total to TotalEnergies SE, thereby anchoring its strategic transformation into a broad energy company in its identity. In tandem with…