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Processing & Handling

A new control head for process valves

The 8681 control head was developed for decentral automation of hygienic seat valves, butterfly valves and ball valves. It supplements the company’s Element Series of control heads, digital positioners and process controllers for diaphragm, angle seat and globe valves. The…

Connect three condensers from one tap with this manifold

The new three-way Water Manifold enables researchers to connect three water-cooled condensers to a single water supply. With the main body constructed of anodized aluminum, the manifold is designed to be clamped to fume hood scaffolding in either vertical or…

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Waste-to-ethanol plant on pace for mid-2012 operation

Impending standards requiring that cellulosic ethanol be used in gasoline blending have focused attention on building a capacity for bioethanol from non-food sources. In a development that may begin to meet that need, a plant employing a unique method for…

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U.S. production is scheduled for a critical metal

China produces about 98% of the world’s electrolytic manganese metal (EMM), a vital ingredient used in specialty steels, aluminum and electronics. In contrast, the U.S. produces no EMM, says Nick Weir, an executive with U.S. American Manganese Inc. (AMY; White…

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A high-performance electrode material for lithium-ion batteries

A huge market for lithium ion batteries is expected to develop as car makers move toward electric vehicles. However, improvements in the batteries’ energy and power density are needed. It is also desirable to replace the common, high-cost lithium cobalt…

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Making crude oil from coal, without mining or combustion

An underground coal-to-liquids (UCTL) technology is undergoing pilot testing at Oak Park, near Melbourne Australia, where a metric ton of brown coal is expected to yield about one barrel of oil suitable for use as refinery feedstock on an oil-parity…

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Dewatering enzymes boost ethanol production efficiency

A technique that improves the efficiency of ethanol plants by lowering the cost of dewatering the byproduct stillage (a slurry of corn solids and water) from the fermentation process has been developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s…

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A new heterogeneous catalyst for low-temperature VOC decomposition

Professor Yuki Taniguchi at the Chemicals Research Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan, www.res.titech.ac.jp/~gosei/taniguchi/index.html) has developed a new catalyst system that decomposes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at lower temperatures than that required by conventional catalysts. The SILP (supported ionic liquid…

A new catalyst for making SNG from biomass  

H.C. Starck GmbH (Goslar, Germany; www.hcstarck.com) and Clausthaler Umwelttechnik-Institut GmbH (Cutec; Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany; www.cutec.de) have joined forces to successfully develop a completely new generation of catalysts and process technology for the production of substitute natural gas (SNG) from biomass as a…

These plastic tanks can handle 50,000 gal

Large-volume polypropylene and polyethylene storage tanks from this company are available in capacities from 100 to 50,000 gal. The ready-for-installation tanks are made by extruding polypropylene or polyethylene around a steel drum mold. They are manufactured in various thicknesses, according…