First in-situ refractive-index sensor for bioreactor monitoring
Process monitoring in biotechnology processes is critical to maximizing product yield and optimizing nutrient consumption.…
Commentary
Plan and re-plan
FRI is lucky to have survived a simple valve-tray project. A few years ago, the…
In The News
Chementator
A new class of polymers that utilize CO2
A new plastic made from CO2 and butadiene has been synthesized by Kyoko Nozaki and…
Biomass torrefaction plant undergoing expansion
A biomass torrefaction plant run by New Biomass Energy LLC (NBE; Quitman, Miss.; www.newbiomass.com) is…
A copper catalyst with promise for utilizing CO2 in organic synthesis
Scientists from the A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) Institute for Chemical and Engineering…
Renewable surfactant can replace solvents for cleaning
A nonionic surfactant that is derived from renewable chemicals can outperform common solvents in a…
Demonstration of a new CO2-methanation process
The first phase of a study on the feasibility of producing methane from CO2 has…
The launch of a new bioethylene-production process
Last month, a new bioethanol-dehydration process was introduced by its developers Axens (www.axens.net), IFP Energies…
Covered lagoons treat wastewater and make biogas, too
The world’s first installation of the so-called Cohral technology — deploying a covered lagoon for…
May Chementator Briefs
Carbon nanofibers Researchers at North Carolina State University (Raleigh, N.C.; www.ncsu.edu), in conjunction with…
New mass spec technique requires no sample preparation
A research group at Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, N.J.; www.stevens.edu) has developed a new…
Tight-oil Tightrope for U.S. Refiners
North American production of crude oil, driven by a rapid increase in output of “tight…
Business News
Foster Wheeler awarded contract for steam-reformer heater in Kazakhstan
Foster Wheeler AG (Zug; Switzerland; www.fwc.com) says that a subsidiary of its Global Engineering and…
Dow awards Fluor EPC contract for Saudi RO-membrane manufacturing facility
The Dow Chemical Company (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) has awarded Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) the…
BASF to build new PAG plant in Ludwigshafen
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) today announced the construction of a new plant for polyalkylene…
UOP Oleflex technology selected for another propylene project in China
UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.; www.uop.com) , a Honeywell company, announced that Guangdong Peng Zun…
BASF to produce LFP cathode materials in Germany
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) today announces the launch of commercial production of LFP (lithium…
UOP Russell modular equipment to process natural gas in Louisiana
UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.; www.uop.com), a Honeywell company, announced today that PennTex Midstream Partners…
Evonik starts isophorone facilities in China
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) has commenced an integrated production complex for isophorone and…
B&W to acquire international industrial products and services firm MEGTEC
The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W; Charlotte, N.C.; www.babcock.com) says that its subsidiary, Babcock &…
Clariant Catofin catalyst chosen for isobutylene project in China
Clariant (Munich, Germany; www.clariant.com) says that its Catofin catalyst will be used in a new…
BASF and Yara plan to build ammonia plant in Freeport
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) and Yara (Osöo, Norway; www.yara.com) have made good progress with…
BASF and Sinopec to build a new NPG-production plant in Nanjing
BASF SE (Ludwogshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) and Sinopec (Beijing, China; www.sinopec.com) will build a new world-scale…
Air Products technology supplies gases for glass factory in Czech Republic
Air Products (Lehigh Valley, Pa.; www.airproducts.com) has recently installed an air separation unit (ASU) for…
BASF evaluates natural gas-based investment in the U.S.
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) is evaluating an investment in a world-scale methane-to-propylene complex on…
Borealis invests in capacity expansion for crosslinked polyethylene, and more business news
Plant Watch Lanxess inaugurates new high-tech plastics plant in Brazil April 10, 2014 — Lanxess…
Technical & Practical
Ethanol from the Direct Gasification of Biomass
Increasing global demand for energy and a drive to develop renewable energy sources have focused…
Unlocking the Secrets of Plate-and-Frame Heat Exchangers
Plate-and-frame heat exchangers, or plate heat exchangers (PHEs), are a type of compact heat exchanger.…
Piping-System Leak Detection and Monitoring for the CPI
Leaks in a chemical process industries (CPI) facility can run the gamut from creating a…
Fired Heaters: Best Practices for the Control of Fuel Gas
Large petroleum-refining complexes often have dozens of fired heaters, making broad-based competency in this area…
Three Insights for Managing Legacy Data
Existing chemical process industries (CPI) facilities possess years, if not decades, of legacy engineering information.…
Facts at Your Fingertips
Centrifugal Pump Maintenance
Optimal functioning of centrifugal pumps over time depends on sound maintenance practices. The following material…