Processing & Handling
Using sunlight to incorporate CO2 into alpha-amino ketones
The research group of Masahiro Murakami at Kyoto University (Kyoto, Japan; www.sbchem.kyoto-u.ac.jp/murakami-lab) have synthesized a promising pharmaceutical precursor using only sunlight (as energy source) and CO2 (as co-reagent). The solar-driven process involves two consecutive reactions (diagram): first, light transforms an…
A dosing unit for microliter volumes
The new micro dosing unit Type 7615 is a high-precision diaphragm pump for exact dosing in the microliter range. Comprised of three valves, the dosing unit doses 5 µL in one stroke with an accuracy of ±2%. The maximum flowrate…
Handle acids and caustics with this non-metallic drum pump
The portable, non-metallic Flex-I-Liner rotary peristaltic pump evacuates drums and totes containing acids, caustics, salts, chlorides and reagent-grade chemicals without corrosion of the pump or contamination of the fluid. The self-priming design of the Flex-I-Liner has no seals to leak…
A starch-based cationic polymer for oil recovery
Cationic polymers have been used in the petroleum industry as shale-control agents, demulsifiers, blocking agents, and filtrate reducers for drilling fluids, but process complexity and high cost have limited their application. Now researchers from Zhejiang Normal University (Jinhua; www.zjnu.edu.cn) and…
A highly active catalyst for making NH3
The research groups of Hideo Hosono and Michikazu Hara at the Materials and Structures Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology (TiTech; Yokohama, Japan; www.msl.titech.ac.jp) have developed a high-performance catalyst for the synthesis of ammonia. In the laboratory, the catalyst is found…
A photocatalyst for destroying viruses
Meanwhile, professor Kazuhito Hashimoto at the University of Tokyo (Japan; www.light.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp) has developed new photocatalyst materials based on copper-titanium oxide, which exhibits superior antiviral effectiveness and enhanced antibacterial properties compared to existing systems. Developed with support from NEDO, this new…
A patented process produces battery-grade lithium
Lithium producer Galaxy Resources Ltd. (Perth, Western Australia; www.galaxylithium.com) says that lithium carbonate product from its wholly owned Jiangsu Lithium Carbonate Plant has achieved battery grade quality using the company’s patented process (flowsheet). The Jiangsu plant is located in the…
CPI Machinery: Commissioning, Startup and Piping
When it comes to rotating machinery (pumps, compressors, gas turbines, steam turbines, turbo-expanders, and others) operating in the chemical process industries (CPI), installation, piping, support, pre-commissioning, commissioning and startup play crucial roles. Machinery maintenance and repair can be quite costly,…
Handle heavy-duty abrasive materials with this slide gate
The Titan Series TSG valve is designed to meet the most demanding applications involving heavy-duty abrasive materials, such as sand, gravel, coal, whole grains, metal powders or minerals. The TSG Valve handles dry material in gravity-flow applications where positive material…
Flexibility and abrasion resistance offered by this diaphragm
The new DEPA Nopped S Diaphragm features an innovative “nopped” surface, designed to create advantageous flow conditions emulating the effect of golf-ball dimples. The use of Santoprene as its core material — a substance uniting elastomer (EPDM) and polypropylene —…