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A new series of solenoid valves in brass or stainless steel

The solenoid valves from the new product Series 6200 are suitable for a broad spectrum of standard applications with fluidic and gaseous media. The first two valves of the series — types 6213EV and 6281EV — are available in brass…

Transfer harsh chemicals with this mobile pump

A new non-metallic mobile pump and tank cart is designed to transfer wastewater and caustic or acidic chemicals with no corrosion. All fluid-contact surfaces of the tank, base plate and secondary containment chamber are made from solid polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl…

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Commercialization is set for a new alkylation process

An improved sulfuric-acid alkylation process that reduces acid consumption by up to 50% from that of conventional processes will make its commercial debut in China. Developed by Lummus Technology, a CB&I company (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.cbi.com), the technology will be…

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Recover oil from messy spills with this mesh

A novel mesh for oil-water separation with opposite wettability to traditional materials has been developed by a group of researchers from Beijing, China — the Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (www.iccas.ac.cn); School…

Single-use mixers now available for large volumes

The Flexel for Magnetic Mixers product range now includes two new volumes of 1,500 and 2,000 L, as additions to the existing 50–1,000-L range of capacities offered as standard. Flexel for Magnetic Mixers is a non-invasive mixing unit that uses…

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World’s highest-purity lithium plant announces commercial launch

A facility that produces high-purity lithium carbonate for use in the growing market for electrolytes in electric-vehicle batteries has begun commercial operations in Imperial Valley, Calif. The 500-ton/yr plant, operated by Simbol Materials (Pleasanton, Calif.; www.simbolmaterials.com), is the only producer…

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Supercritical water process converts biomass to sugars

Sugar is a critical feedstock for many emerging bio-based-chemical and biofuel processes, but harvesting sugar from low-value, nonfood biomass cost-effectively and at large scale remains a challenge. Renmatix Inc. (King of Prussia, Pa.; www.renmatix.com) has developed a process that uses…

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A new catalyst for asymmetric-transfer-hydrogenation reactions

The Fine Chemicals div. of Takasago International Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.takasago.com) has commercialized Deneb: Oxo-Tethered Ruthenium (II) Complex, which shows higher catalytic activities compared to conventional RuCl (arene)(N-sulfonylated diamine) catalyst systems. The higher activity enables a reduction in catalyst loading…

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New catalyst allows lower-temperature waste destruction

Base-catalyzed decomposition (BCD) is a commercially used process developed in the early 1990s by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; Washington, D.C.) for the destruction of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). It has been used as an alternative to incineration for…

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Thin-film membranes promise a dramatic reduction in energy use

Researchers at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul; www.umn.edu) have produced thin-film zeolite membranes that are only 200 nm thick, compared to 5–10 µm for conventional zeolite membranes. The new membranes could cut energy and capital costs by 90% for…