This month, the newly released Foundation for Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF) was demonstrated at Shell Global Solutions (Amsterdam, Netherlands) — one of several demonstrations planned by the Fieldbus Foundation (FF; Austin, Tex.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7372-545). In Amsterdam, engineers constructed a DCS-controlled demo…
Photovoltaics manufacturer Konarka Technologies, Inc. (Lowell, Mass; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7372-546) has successfully performed the first use of drop-on-demand inkjet printheads for the fabrication of organic solar cells. Using a Dimatix Materials Printer (DMP) provided by Fujifilm Dimatix (edlinks.chemengonline.com/7372-547), Konarka’s process suggests an…
BP (London; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7372-548) and ConocoPhillips (Houston, Tex.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7372-549) have combined resources to start Denali — the Alaska Gas Pipeline. The pipeline will move approximately 4 billion ft 3 /d of natural gas to markets, and is said to be the…
CLC bio (Aarhus, Denmark; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7372-550) and partners from Danish research institutions and crop-enhancing firms have started a project to develop potatoes into a multipurpose crop, which is not only used for animal and human food, but also for energy (biofuel)…
GEA Procomac, a Division of GEA Niro Inc. (Hudson, Wisc.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7372-551) has received a letter of non-objection from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA; Washington, D.C.) for aseptic filling systems for low-acid, shelf-stable products. Used for filling PET containers,…
Last month, Henkel KgaA (Düsseldorf, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7372-552) introduced a new conversion coating process called TecTalis, which replaces zinc phosphate, thereby offering "significantly" reduced cost and environmental footprint, says the firm. The new technology is easily applicable in existing lines. The…
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…
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,…
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…
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…