A proprietary nanoscale catalyst and an updated engineering design have allowed higher conversion rates for transforming the heaviest fractions of crude oil, known as vacuum residue, into high-value transportation fuels, such as diesel. Developed by UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.;…
Last month, W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore; Elkton, Md.; www.gore.com) introduced what is claimed to be the worlds first 20-nm-rated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filter that is available in a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) cartridge. Compared to conventional filtration media, this new…
A proprietary nanoscale catalyst and an updated engineering design have allowed higher conversion rates for transforming the heaviest fractions of crude oil, known as vacuum residue, into high-value transportation fuels, such as diesel. Developed by UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.;…
Solar thermal power The first solar-thermal power plant in Southeast Asia fed its full output of 5 MW into Thailand’s public grid for the first time late January. The facility — designed and built by Solarite GmbH (Duckwitz, Germany; www.solarlite.de)…
Researchers from the Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Monash University (Clayton, Victoria, Australia; www.monash.edu), have reported on a new composite polymer hydrogel with light-absorbing particles incorporated within it, that can be used as draw agents in the forward osmosis (FO) process…
Fine polyester fibers Teijin Fibers Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; teijinfiber.com), the core company of the Teijin Groups polyester-fiber business, is commercializing a new version of its Nanofront, high-strength polyester nanofiber with a diameter of 400 nm — nearly half that…
Harnessing renewable energy by catalytic dissociation and synthesis of ammonia has shown promise for distributed power applications, according to a team from the Center for Energy at the University of Western Australia (www.uwa.edu.au), led by professor Dongke Zhang. In the…
Professor Kenichiro Itami and coworkers at at Nagoya University (Nagoya, Japan; synth.chem.nagoya-u.ac.jp) have developed a new, next-generation type of cross-coupling reaction for synthesizing biphenyl compounds — one of the most important backbone structures for pharmaceutical and electronics chemicals. The chemists…
Acidity is a critical parameter in the chemical process industries, and accurate measurements of pH can be important indicators for process quality control. A refreshed understanding of pH measurement can help to overcome process-specific challenges to measurement and to select…
An organosilica material with unique structural properties due to its nanoscale architecture has been used to extract hydrocarbons and other organic contaminants from water. Marketed as Osorb by ABS Materials Inc. (Wooster, Ohio; www.absmaterials.com), the nanostructured glass represents a platform…