Processing & Handling
A hybrid acid catalyst makes levulinate from cellulose
Ken-ichi Tominaga and colleagues at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST; Tsukuba, Japan; www.aist.go.jp) have developed a hybrid catalyst system that can be used to convert cellulose into levulinic acid. The catalyst consists of two types…
Nano-engineering infuses growing coatings market
The continuous quest to maximize process efficiency and boost product performance, in which all sectors of the chemical process industries (CPI) are engaged, is driving demand for technologically advanced coatings. And engineering at the nanoscale level is an increasingly common…
A method to produce an iron-titanium alloy for H2-storage
A new and inexpensive way to produce TiFe — an alloy with potential as a material for reversibly storing hydrogen — has been developed by the research groups of professors Zenji Horita and Etsuo Akiba at Kyushu University (Fukuoka, Japan;…
Single-Use Strategies
Single-use equipment has come a long way from its modest origins as a convenient storage and transportation method. As a matter of fact, recent market trends and business drivers have made disposable equipment, with its inherent benefits, so attractive to…
MOFs that reversibly capture CO2
An Australian team has developed a structure made of a metal organic framework (MOF) that captures and then releases CO2 using natural sunlight. The team includes researchers from: CSIRO Division of Materials Science and Engineering, (Clayton South, Victoria; www.csiro.au) the…
A continuous process to make graphene
An inexpensive and scalable process that uses supercritical (SC) liquids to make large quantities of graphene is being developed by the group of professor Itaru Honma at the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University (Sendai; db.tagen.tohoku.ac.jp), in…
A bi-metallic nanocluster catalyst for highly selective asymmetric C–C formation
Shu Kobayashi and his research group at the University of Tokyo (Japan; www.chem.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/users/synorg/index_e.html) have developed a ruthenium-silver nanocluster catalyst for the highly selective 1,4-addition reaction for the formation of asymmetric carbon-carbon bonds. Previously, the group had used its polymeric incarceration…
Valve position indicators that tell more than just on or off
The 2040 digital position indicator uses a colored light signal, visible from a distance, to show the open or closed position of a valve. Four different color signals are used: open and closed by yellow and green. At the…
Direct-acting solenoid valves for use in harsh environments
Introduced last month, these two intrinsically safe solenoid valves (photo) have Ex ia IIC T6 certification. The solenoid operators are designed for use on the 327 range of direct-operated solenoid valves, and are available in epoxy-coated aluminum or stainless steel.…
A mixer equipped with special finger blades
A new agitator-blade design for this company’s Double Planetary Mixer features two identical rectangular stirrers with upward rake fingers. Designed to rotate on their own axes, while also orbiting the mixing vessel on a common axis, the stirrers are ideal…