Plant Watch Arlanxeo starts up new polybutadiene production line in Brazil February 14, 2023 — Arlanxeo B.V. (Maastricht, the Netherlands; www.arlanxeo.com) opened a new polybutadiene production line in Brazil. The new production line supplements Arlanxeo’s existing production capacity in Brazil…
Recovering valuable metals, such as cobalt and nickel, from used lithium-ion batteries is emerging as a key capability because of anticipated high battery demand and material shortages. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, Calif.; www.lbl.gov) have developed a technology…
The production of substitute (or synthetic) natural gas (SNG) by methanation of CO2 with hydrogen is energy intensive and also requires a purification step to remove the byproduct water and remaining reactants. To address these issues, researchers at The Swiss…
From headsets to gloves to fabric sensors, technologies that can be worn on the body are providing many new benefits for plant workers Apace with innovations in all “smart” technologies, wearable devices for industrial personnel are rapidly evolving to incorporate…
This synthetic leather is durable and abrasion resistant A prototype of the newly developed SilSense material for car seat covers (photo) was exhibited at the Auto Expo Components trade show (New Delhi, India; January 12–15). SilSense material is a non-animal…
The new Series PI (photo) is a variable-area flowmeter that utilizes a spring-loaded piston. The fluid flow in the application causes this piston to move along the axis of a precision-tapered shaft, creating a variable orifice in direct proportion to…
The IS540.1 (photo) is said to be the world’s first 5G smartphone for ATEX and IECEx zone 1/21. The intrinsically safe mobile device, which was also developed for use in 5G campus networks, offers extensive deployment scenarios ranging from predictive…
Five common mistakes associated with implementing predictive maintenance tools are discussed here, along with five ways to avoid them Predictive maintenance (PM) implementation can be a daunting task. There are many factors to consider and many ways that things can…
By minimizing, or even eliminating, the need for blowdowns in steam systems, precoat filter demineralizer systems can greatly contribute to water-conservation efforts Steam is essential in any chemical process plant, primarily for generating heat and power. Power generation (the largest…
The inherent characteristics, requirements and special concerns of pilot- and laboratory-scale distillation columns differ from those of commercial-scale equipment. The scale-related differences of distillation assemblies are presented here Distillation processes at any scale share many of the same theoretical and…