Chementator
Chementator: Smart Shoes
IQTex (Hamburg; Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7372-553) has developed a ventilation element — integrated into the soles of shoes — that functions like a flower, which closes up in the rain and reopens when dry. As a result, stepping in a puddle causes…
Chementator: A New Way to Make Dispersions
At last month’s CosmoProf exhibition (April 10 – 14; Bologna, Italy), VMI-Rayneri (Montaigu, France; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7372-531) introduced a new vacuum-injection process for dispersing powder-like solids into liquids or pastes during the production of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food or other chemical products. Normally,…
Chementator: A Wastewater Treatment Plant Passes Pilot Test in China
The Jiashan Yao-chuang wastewater treatment plant in China’s Zhejiang Province has successfully pilot-tested a three-stage, biologically active reactor system that reduces effluent levels to within the nation’s Class 1A standards. (The standards require < 10 mg/L for biological oxygen demand…
Chementator: Diamond may be a pump’s best friend
Advanced Diamond Technologies, Inc. (ADT; Romeoville, Ill.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7371-533) has launched a new family of mechanical seals to improve efficiency, save energy and reduce costs in fluid-pumping systems. The patented UNCD (ultrananocrystalline diamond) Seals provide the benefits of a diamond at…
Chementator: This composite combines the unique properties of two new forms of carbon
Of all known materials, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have the highest thermal conductivity and mechanical strength as well as the ability to withstand the highest electric-current density, making them an attractive material for electric wiring, heat dissipation, field electron emission, and…
Chementator: Halogenated activated carbon reduces mercury emissions from a coal-fired plant
In its first full-scale test on a coal-fired power plant, halogenated activated carbon (AC) made by ADA-ES, Inc. (Littleton, Colo.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7371-537) has reduced mercury emissions by more than 90%. The significance of the results is that the plant burns western…
Chementator: A platinum-free catalytic converter
Nippon Steel Materials Co., Ltd. (NSM; Tokyo, Japan; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7371-538) has developed a new catalyst for combustion engines that contains 70% less precious metals than conventional catalytic converters. The catalyst is expected to not only lead to lower costs, but also…
Chementator: Switchgrass to syngas
Although theoretically promising 80% more energy than is required to grow and convert to cellulosic ethanol, switchgrass has proven to be a difficult fuel source to break down cost effectively. With $1 million from the U.S. Depts. of Agriculture (USDA)…
Chementator: Sugar-beet pulp may cut the cost of biodegradable plastic
Sugar-beet processors in the U.S. generate approximately 40 million tons of fiber-rich sugar-beet pulp every year as a byproduct of sucrose extraction. Most of it is used as livestock feed or in pet food. Researchers with the U.S. Agricultural Research…
Chementator: Nanozeolites
In cooperation with several universities, Clariant International Ltd. (Muttenz, Switzerland; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7371-543) has developed a process to manufacture high-quality nano-sized zeolite L (Linde Type L) in technical quantities. This new range of nano-scale aluminosilicates, tradenamed Lucidot, open up a new range…