One of the most important factors to consider when evaluating a specialty metal for use in valves, fittings and instrumentation is its corrosion resistance or corrosion rate of the metal in the target media. Each material discussed here has its…
With traditional petroleum-derived feedstocks facing relentless economic and environmental pressures, it’s no surprise that stakeholders throughout the chemical process industries (CPI) have been in hot pursuit of alternative routes for producing commodity and specialty chemicals and polymers from cheap, plentiful…
A positive displacement alternative for syringe pumps Cheminert Models M6 and M50 liquid handling pumps (photo) are a new option for precision handling of liquids and gases, producing a bidirectional, pulseless flow with a range of over six orders of…
Figure 1. Style 212-ULE valve stem packing is said to outperform engineered sets, meeting global emission standards Garlock Sealing Technologies Figure 2. The EnDura family of seals was developed to cope with temperature extremes, increasing pressures and higher levels of…
As it is with all chemical processors, the current economic climate is forcing batch processors to produce more saleable product at a better profit margin from the same assets. Increasing flexibility, reliability and visibility while decreasing batch cycle times via…
Cast parts, such as engine blocks, are typically made by pouring molten metal into so-called cores — sand-based molds that have internal passages for the component to be cast. Such casting cores are typically made by reacting sand with organic…
SynGest, Inc. (San Francisco, Calif.; www.syngest.com) plans to commercialize a process for the production of ammonia from biomass by the fall of 2011. The first plant, to be located in Menlo, Iowa, will convert 150,000 ton/yr of corncobs into 50,000…
A new procedure for making uniform, metallic nanoparticles has been developed by the research group of Kousuke Mori, an associate professor at Osaka University (www.mat.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp), with support from New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO; Kawasaki, both Japan). The…
The exceptional properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), such as high tensile strength and high thermal and electrical conductivities, have suggested a number of applications, including lightweight materials for ballistics protection, actuators for muscles or artificial muscles, filaments for light sources,…
Salts of alkaline-earth metals have been shown to catalyze reactions for the selective formation of carbon-carbon bonds, by chemistry professor Shu Kobayashi and colleagues at the University of Tokyo (www.chem.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp). The research, supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency…