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Chemical Engineering

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…

Modular waste-to-energy system is cost-competitive at smaller scales

A newly launched modular waste-to-energy system is capable of delivering off-grid heat and power with competitive economics to a variety of locations, including military bases, remote sites and commercial installations, according to creator Enexor BioEnergy LLC (Franklin, Tenn.; www.enexor.com). Under…

High-temperature heat pump promises significant energy savings

Industrial heat pumps (diagram) are a relatively mature technology that converts low-temperature waste heat into a more usable heat at a higher temperature (above the “pinch point”). However, the technology has been limited to applications of up to 100°C. Now,…

An electrotrophic system that treats swine sewage in one step

Researchers from the Biological Systems Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST; Japan; www.oist.jp) have developed a bioelectrochemical system that uses bacterial communities to break down organic material from raw wastewater, and removes both nitrates…

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…