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Processing & Handling

Newsfront: Cleaning up with Catalysts  

As long as the chemical process industries (CPI) have existed, catalysts have been backstage supporting, if not leading, their progress. And, as much of the chemical industry’s current research efforts center around producing cleaner products, such as transportation fuels and…

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Engineering Practice: Corrosion Resistance Using Rock and Glue

Low-cost, corrosion-resistant castings are being produced using epoxy and mineral aggregates Stainless steel, painted and plated cast-iron and steel structures are being replaced at a fraction of the cost with high-precision polymer castings (PPCs). PPCs can usually be cast to…

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Engineering Practice: Seal-Fluid-Circulation Devices: Understanding the Differences

Knowing the options in fluid-circulation designs helps in the selection process Over the past few decades, hundreds of seal geometries and a fair number of seal categories have evolved. Recently, the distinction between single- and dual-mechanical seals has been brought…

Focus on Mixers

Less "Balling" of Dry Powder with This Mixer Outfitted with three independent agitators, the Triple Action Disperser promises a low energy and fast method for mixing high-quality dry powders into liquid dispersions. Its design allows for a controllable vortex and…

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Chementator: Using Living Plants to Synthesize Metallic Nanoparticles      

Metallic nanoparticles are usually produced by wet chemical methods, often using toxic and flammable substances, or by physical methods such as evaporation and laser ablation. A group from the Laboratory for Sustainable Technology, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, at…

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Chementator: A Rapid-Cycle PSA System Economically Recovers H2    

A pressure-swing-adsorption (PSA) system for hydrogen purification that operates at "tens of cycles per minute," versus one cycle every 4 – 10 min for conventional PSA, will have its first commercial-scale demonstration at an ExxonMobil refinery in France. Developed by…

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Chementator: New Pyrolysis Method Improves Carbon Black Recovery from Scrap Tires

The standard temperature range for waste-rubber pyrolysis has been reported as 480 – 1,740ºF. Within 480 – 750ºF, shredded tire scrap decomposes into increasing amounts of gases and oil; and above 750ºF, oil and solid char yields can decrease relative…

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Chementator: Beta-Glucan Separation  

The blood-cholesterol-lowering effects of beta-glucan — the soluble oat fiber — is well known, but up to now it has been difficult to obtain beta-glucan-rich fractions that are feasible for food applications, according to VTT Technical Research Center (Espoo, Finland,…

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Avoiding Seal Failure

Seals are assemblies of elements that prevent the passage of a solid, liquid, gas or vapor from one system to another. When a seal allows leakage of material, failure has occurred. This guide provides an overview of common seal types…

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Feature Report: Advances in Valve Position Monitoring

Demanding application requirements coupled with improved downstream control devices and enhanced instrument diagnostics have led to major changes in process-valve monitoring and control. Factors driving these changes in the chemical process industries (CPI) include the need for lower plant operating…