Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL; Richland, Wash.; www.pnnl.gov) has developed a hydrothermal liquification (HTL) process that converts sewage sludge directly into “biocrude oil,” which can then be refined by conventional methods into liquid fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and jet…
The glass industry’s needs are extremely diverse, and manufacturers demand stability and precision in their furnace operations. Air Products (Lehigh Valley, Pa.; www.airproducts.com/glass) has released an advanced burner, the patent-pending Cleanfire HR e, which is said to be the first…
Last month, the first compact plant to produce synthetic fuels from solar energy and CO2 extracted from air was commissioned in Finland, as part of the Soletair project, which is coordinated by the Technical Research Center of Finland (VTT: Espoo;…
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; Germany; www.kit.edu) is cooperating with research institutions and industry partners to develop a novel process chain for the synthesis of methanol, either without the use of fossil resources or by reusing CO2 from undesired…
A group of organizations, lead by the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI; San Antonio, Tex.; www.swri.org) has begun a project to design a power-generation pilot plant featuring a flameless, pressurized oxyfuel combustion technology that allows the capture of 100% of the…
Starch is essential for imparting strength to corrugated cardboard boxes, but millions of tons of starch are lost in cardboard recycling processes annually because conditions are ripe for bacteria to thrive, and the microorganisms degrade starch by converting it to…
A new process for making long glass fiber polypropylene (LGF-PP) concentrates (glass-fiber-containing plastic pellets) allows a higher glass-fiber content than is possible with conventional processes. Plastics maker Trinseo (Berwyn, Pa.; www.trinseo.com) has developed the process, which is capable of making…
Plant Watch GTC to provide aromatics extraction technology to JG Summit’s Batangas site November 11, 2016 — GTC Technology US LLC (Houston; www.gtctech.com) has signed an agreement with JG Summit Petrochemical Corp. (Mandaluyong City, the Philippines; jgspetrochem.com) to provide its…
Insights about complex CPI workforce issues come from a variety of sources, including survey data on corporate attitudes, salary and diversity The chemical process industries (CPI) continue to face an interconnected web of workforce challenges, including the retirement wave of…
Modern technology tackles CPI’s air-emissions concerns Air emissions monitoring and control is a major concern for all chemical processors, but the product being manufactured, the process used to make it, the resulting byproducts and pollutants, and the location of a…