A new yeast strain that could one day substitute for petroleum as a source of surfactants for detergents, soaps and cosmetics has been identified by researchers at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (Peoria, Ill.;…
Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. (MCC; Tokyo, www.m-kagaku.co.jp, MCC) is developing bio-based technology for producing propylene, butadiene, 1,4-butanediol (BDO), terephthalic acid and succinic acid from glucose. In collaboration with North American partners, MCC plans to start production of succinic acid and 1,4…
The chemical process industries (CPI), like many others, increasingly employ non-metallic piping systems for fluid transfer — including polyvinyl chloride (PVC), chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) and fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) — instead of exotic metal piping. While non-metallic piping systems have…
Maintaining high-purity conditions in the chemical process industries (CPI) depends in large part on the techniques used for sterilization. As a method to inactivate or eliminate potentially harmful microbes, sterilization can be achieved through a number of different approaches, such…
The latest C Mag-P 3M pumps available from this firm are competitively priced, horizontal sealless pumps with a permanent magnet drive, which makes them suited for transferring corrosive acids and plating solutions in surface treatment and finishing applications. The pump…
A new pump model DB5.5 (photo) has been added to the range of Finish Thompson DP Series of plastic magnetic-drive, sealless centrifugal pumps. This new model DP pump covers flowrates up to 5 m3/h and differential heads of 6.5 m.…
This company has extended its series of dry-running Mink claw vacuum pumps, with a module designed to achieve suction capacities of up to 900 m3/h and more. These Mink MP vacuum modules were designed for applications that require high suction…
High-shear mixers from this company are ideal for challenging mixing operations, such as dispersing gums and thickeners to disintegrate any agglomerates and exposing an increasing surface area of powdered ingredients to the surrounding liquid. The high shearing action of the…
A new range of lift check valves from this company uses a clamp-in-place seat design that allows easy inline maintenance and helps avoid plant downtime. New valve models are constructed using cast iron, carbon steel, stainless steel and SG iron,…
BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) announced this week that its catalyst division will begin a new round of capital investment projects to increase production capacity for copper and copper-chrome catalysts. These investments are aimed at improving catalyst manufacturing efficiency to meet…