Processing & Handling
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Commercial debut for a new olefins-production process
Last month, KBR (Houston; www.kbr.com) was awarded a license and process-design-package contract for a new olefins-production unit using the Advanced Catalytic Olefins (ACO) technology. The contract represents the first license of the ACO process, which catalytically cracks naphtha and other…
A polarizable membrane for improved energy storage
The two basic energy-storage devices — dielectric and double-layer capacitors — entail serious limitations. Dielectric capacitors have low capacitance, on the order of 0.1 to 1.0 µF/cm2, while the double-layer capacitor has a high capacitance, on the order of 0.5…
Focus on Pipes, Tubes & Fittings
Single-use tubing for biopharmaceutical applications Meissner Filtration Products BioFlex tubing assemblies (photo) are designed for secure fluid transfer in critical biopharmaceutical processing applications. The assemblies are configured from this company’s library of pre-qualified components, including its sterilizing-grade membrane filter capsule,…
Extra protection for pumping heat-transfer fluids
The Etanorm SYT heat-transfer-liquid pump features a new VenJet venting device, which ensures that the low-boiling fractions or water vapor do not get near the plain bearing or mechanical seal. The new pump features several design improvements. For example, the…
Chemical-resistant tubing with higher pressure rating
This company is replacing its Tygon 2075 tubing line with the Tygon 2375 Ultra Chemical Resistant Tubing, providing an improved pressure rating, outstanding chemical resistance and superior flexibility. A clear non-DEHP high-purity tube, Tygon 2375 can be disposed of safely…