Chemical Engineering
BP to cease production at Kwinana Refinery and convert to fuel import terminal
bp Australia announced that it will cease fuel production at its Kwinana Refinery and convert it to an import terminal, helping to ensure ongoing security of fuel supply for Western Australia. The refinery, near Fremantle, has provided fuels for Western Australia…
A microwave-plasma process that efficiently makes hydrogen and acetylene
A new modular process based on microwave-plasma reactors aims to efficiently convert natural gas into acetylene and H2 without combustion or CO2 formation. Transform Materials LLC (Riviera Beach, Fla.; www.transformmaterials.com) has designed a reactor that overcomes some of the previous…
A novel, structural, carbon-negative cement
Magnesia cements have been around for thousands of years, and have been explored extensively over recent decades primarily because of their capacity to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere at ambient temperatures. Until now, however, their use has been limited to…
Nanoparticles improve lubricant performance in friction and wear prevention
Nanoscale materials have been added to engine lubricants to enhance performance for some time, but the use of such materials has been limited by their inability to remain suspended in the oils, and by their tendency to darken the color…
New investment announced in platform technology for bio-based monomers
Zymergen (Emeryville, Calif.; www.zymergen.com) recently announced $300 million in new investments for the company’s fermentation-based platform technology that generates novel bio-based monomers for specialty products applications. Combining synthetic biology with machine-learning-enhanced automated screening, Zymergen’s technology has demonstrated the capability to…
Acetylene-selective MOFs for ethylene purification
Ethylene is an important petrochemical, but it may contain traces of acetylene that can destroy the catalysts used in downstream processes. The separation of ethylene and acetylene is difficult, and the main method, distillation, is energy intensive. A potential alternative…
Business News: November 2020
Plant Watch Solvay inaugurates second bio-based solvent plant in Brazil October 15, 2020 — Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) inaugurated its second manufacturing plant in Brazil for its bio-based solvent marketed under the name Augeo. Installed in the company’s industrial…
Mitigate Dust Hazards With Good Equipment and System Design
By carefully considering equipment and plant design in processes involving powdered materials, fugitive dust issues can be reduced significantly Powdered ingredients that unintentionally leak from equipment in a manufacturing plant are known as fugitive dust. The risks associated with fugitive…
Propionic Acid Production from Propionaldehyde
This column is based on “Propionic Acid Production from Propionaldehyde – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/propionic-acid-production-cost. Propionic acid (also known as propanoic acid) is a carboxylic acid commonly found in nature, mainly…
Software Powers the CPI
IIoT technologies have enabled software platforms that are more powerful than ever, but fundamental engineering principles are still at the heart of next-generation digital transformation It is clear that the emergence of industrial internet of things (IIoT) technologies has greatly…