Bringing recognition to high-quality chemical engineering performance has been a priority for this magazine since its founding more than 105 years ago. To signify this, Chemical Engineering will present its Kirkpatrick Award for Chemical Engineering Achievement at a…
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a commercially available biodegradable polymer used in many nonfood products as an alternative to petrochemical-derived polymers. However, PLA's physical properties limit its use in many applications. Scientists at the USDA’s Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC; Wyndmoor,…
Improved profitability in the refining industry has brought a wave of investment aimed at raising capacity, boosting product quality and operating flexibility, and increasing refiners’ ability to deal with difficult feedstocks. Greater integration with petrochemical complexes and, in…
When a 300,000-m.t./yr plant starts up in 2010 at Bayer’s integrated site in Shanghai, China, it will be the first world-scale application of a new process for producing toluene diisocyanate (TDI) developed by Bayer MaterialScience AG (BMS; Leverkusen, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6895-531).…
An integrated energy scheme that combines the generation of substitute natural gas (SNG) from coal, coproduction of biofuel and electricity and near-zero emissions of carbon dioxide, is being developed by Arizona Public Service (APS, Phoenix; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6895-532), Arizona’s largest utility, with…
“Green” diesel fuel that can be blended with petroleum-derived diesel fuel has been produced from vegetable oil in a process developed jointly by UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6895-533) and Eni S.p.A. (Milan, Italy). The fuel is a “premium diesel…
Biodiesel fuel is typically produced by the transesterification of vegetable oil or animal fats in a batch operation that takes about 1-1/2 h. Hydro Dynamics, Inc. (HDI; Rome, Ga.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6895-534) claims to have cut the residence time to 2–3 s…
Following up on its success with the world’s first commercial plant to use a new oil-recycling process, Puralube GmbH (Elsteraue, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6895-538) plans to build a second plant near the first one, in Zeitz/Elsteraue. Scheduled for startup at the end…
Compressors and Modern Process Applications. By Heinz P. Bloch. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030. Web: wiley.com. 2006. 339 pages, $99.95. Reviewed by Stanley S. Grossel, Process Safety & Design, Inc., Clifton, N.J. This is…
Dow Epoxy, a business unit of Dow Chemical Co. (Midland Mich.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6895-541) has selected Shanghai Chemical Industry Park as the site for its 150,000-m.t./yr glycerine-to-epichlorohydrin (GTE) plant and a 100,000-m.t./yr liquid-epoxy-resins plant. Both plants are expected to startup in the…