In The News
Slash costs with this advanced sulfuric-acid alkylation process
Alkylate — the main component in high-octane gasoline — is produced by catalytic reaction of C3–C5 olefins with isobutane in the presence of strong acid catalyst. Although there has been progress in the use of solid-acid catalysts (see, for example,…
Making hydrogen (and carbon) by cracking methane in molten metal
A process that converts methane into hydrogen and carbon black has been developed by researchers at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS; Potsdam; www.iass-potsdam.de) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; Karlsruhe, both Germany; www.kit.edu). In a joint project…
These robust organosilane-based membranes promise benefits
A new desalination membrane has been developed by an industry-academia collaboration team, led by professor Toshinori Tsuru at Hiroshima University (Japan; http://home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/membrane/en/index.html). The work is the culmination of a five-year project that began in 2011 with support from the Japan…
Dow and DuPont to combine in massive merger; and more business news
Plant Watch Dow to increase capacity for glycidyl methacrylate at Freeport site December 10, 2015 — The Dow Chemical Co. (Dow; Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) plans to complete a debottlenecking project at its Freeport, Tex. facility to increase capacity for…
Progress on E.U. project to produce rare earth elements from Greenland
A refinery pilot test was successfully completed on the Kvanefjeld rare-earth (RE) project located in the southern tip of Greenland, about 10 km from Narsaq. The project is wholly owned by Greenland Minerals and Energy Ltd. (Perth, Western Australia; www.ggg.gl).…
Chementator Briefs
Ultrafiltration A new ultrafiltration fiber can increase permeability by 35% compared to previous generation fibers for wastewater treatment, according to developer Dow Water & Process Solutions (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com). The XP Fiber was incorporated into the companys commercial UF modules,…
43rd Kirkpatrick Award: Winner Announced
Five companies are honored for innovation in chemical engineering Last month at the Chem Show (New York, N.Y.; November 17–19), Chemical Engineering ( CE) had the pleasure of honoring this year's finalists and the winner of the 2015 Kirkpatrick Chemical…
A new catalyst removes cyanide from wastewater
Chemists at the University of Amsterdam (UvA; the Netherlands; www.uva.nl) have discovered a new catalytic method for removing cyanide ions from industrial wastewater. The heterogeneous catalyst — discovered jointly by Paula Oulego Blanco, Raveendran Shiju and professor Gadi Rothenberg from…
Combustible Dust Standard Gets a Facelift
While NFPA 652 creates a general set of requirements for mitigating explosion hazards, equipment providers improve offerings to assist with compliance The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA; Washington, D.C.; www.nfpa.prg) recently released the first edition of NFPA 652 Standard on…
This ‘ultrabattery’ makes its commercial debut
Ecoult Energy Storage Solutions (Sydney, Australia; www.ecoult.com) is entering the commercial and residential energy-storage markets with an “ultrabattery,” which was developed by CSIRO (www.csiro.au), with contributions from Furukawa Battery Co. (Yokohama, Japan; www.furukawadenchi.co.jp) and funding from the Australian and Japanese…