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Microbe-based process for GBL nears commercialization

Metabolix Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.; www.metabolix.com) has successfully demonstrated and completed research and development for scaleup on a fermentation process that produces gamma -butyrolactone (GBL) from genetically engineered bacteria. The process is built upon the company’s technology for engineering metabolic pathways…

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A promising method for producing conductive graphene sheets

Since the isolation of graphene by the “Scotch tape” method, many researchers have tried to synthesize solution-dispersible graphene. The challenge has been to develop a high-yield method that can exfoliate graphite efficiently into solution-dispersible graphene sheets without collateral damage to…

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Solvent extraction method shows promise for recovering bitumen from tar sands

Today only a few percent of Canada’s oil sands resource is accessible by traditional surface mining, so the rest has to be recovered in situ, mostly by steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). In this process, steam is injected into a horizontal…

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‘Green’ surfactants from yeast

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.;…

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Monomers from glucose

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…

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Specifying Elastomer Seals for Plastic Piping

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…

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Sterilization Approaches

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…

These mag-drive pumps handle corrosive media

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 size available for these leak-free, plastic pumps

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.…

New modules enable higher suction volumes from these pumps

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…