One additive intended for use in lead-acid batteries for micro-hybrid gasoline engines, and another for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, can improve battery performance. PBX51 is a performance additive designed to improve performance and lifetime for lead-acid batteries requiring high…
The Model TG-300 variable-speed low-flow pump is a positive displacement gear pump designed for smooth, continuous flows from 0 to 400 mL/min (0–5 gal/h). Fluids compatible with aluminum, steel, Viton and Teflon-wetted materials and viscosities of 30–600 cSt can be…
The HydroWhirl S tank washing nozzle range has been expanded to include ATEX-certified versions for use in atmospheres that are potentially explosive, while also meeting requirements for gas and dust approvals for all zones (0, 1 and 2). The HydroWhirl…
New biocomposite plastics that combine soybean-meal protein with conventional plastic resins allow significantly lower use of petroleum-based chemicals in polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) manufacturing. The new class of bioplastics incorporates soybean-meal protein, which is chemically bound to the PE…
The Atlas Syringe Pump XL allows automated volumetric dosing from 100 µL/min to 200 mL/min. The pump features two syringes that can be independently controlled or combined to enable continuous flow at pressures up to 6 bars. The pump is…
A Samsung petrochemicals facility in South Korea will be the first to feature a suite of energy efficiency technologies developed by UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill., www.uop.com) for improved aromatics production. A number of UOP aromatics-processing design features and materials…
A new process for generating sheets of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) eliminates several production steps used in the traditional process, offering greatly reduced energy use and improved polymer properties. Developed by Octal Petrochemicals LLC FZC (Muscat, Oman; www.octal.com), the direct-to-sheet PET…
The first commercial-scale biobutanol plant using the Gevo Integrated Fermentation Technology (GIFT) process is set to come online in mid-2012 at the former site of an ethanol facility in Minnesota. In late January, Gevo (Englewood, Colo.; www.gevo.com) was awarded a…
A naphtha-cracking process with improved yield, reduced coking and longer catalyst life is being developed in a five-year Japanese project led by professor Takashi Tatsumi at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (TiTech; www.titech.ac.jp), with participation from the National Institute of…
A proprietary nanoscale catalyst and an updated engineering design have allowed higher conversion rates for transforming the heaviest fractions of crude oil, known as vacuum residue, into high-value transportation fuels, such as diesel. Developed by UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.;…