Processing & Handling
Seals & Gaskets
In Poorly Lubricated Conditions, Try this Diamond Seal... Over 50% of pump lifecycle costs result from energy and maintenance; and applying the low-wear and low-friction attributes of diamond to mechanical seals can yield significant energy savings for fluid pumps. Ultrananocrystalline…
Chementator: A propane-based AN process makes its commercial debut
This summer, Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corp. (AKCC; Tokyo, Japan; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7373-532) plans to begin construction on a plant for producing 200,000 m.t./yr of acrylonitrile (AN) and a plant for making 70,000 m.t./yr of methyl methacrylate (MMA), at Map Ta Phut, Rayong,…
Making vegetable plants to produce useful fatty scids
Scientists from CSIRO (Melbourne, Australia; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7373-536) have succeeded in engineering the model plant Arabidopsis to produce 30 wt.% of vernolic acid, an unusual fatty acid (UFA), in its seed oil. The project’s leader, Allan Green — who presented the findings…
Chementator: A commercial breakthrough in alcohol oxidation
Nissan Chemical Industries Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7373-538) is commercializing "ultrahighly active" catalysts, based on the catalyst technology developed by professor Yoshiharu Iwabuchi of the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan), which catalyzes the oxidation of alcohols into…
Chementator: Soy polymers may have a future in drug delivery
Soy-oil-based hydrogels developed by the U.S. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) show promise as biodegradable encapsulants for drug delivery. Scientists at ARS’ National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (Peoria, Ill.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7373-539) have collaborated with researchers at the University of Toronto to…
Chementator: A New Way to Make Dispersions
At last month’s CosmoProf exhibition (April 10 – 14; Bologna, Italy), VMI-Rayneri (Montaigu, France; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7372-531) introduced a new vacuum-injection process for dispersing powder-like solids into liquids or pastes during the production of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food or other chemical products. Normally,…
Chementator: This Catalyst Helps Visible Light Split Water into H2 and O2
Normally, only the ultraviolet (higher energy) component of the solar spectrum is usable for the photo-catalytic electrolysis of water into hydrogen and oxygen, which takes place in photochemical cells with an anode made of single-crystalline, rutile-type titanium oxide and a…
Chementator: Improving the Performance of HDS Catalysts
Researchers at Oxford Catalysts Ltd. (Oxford, U.K.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7372-534) have shown that the method of preparation — rather than the identity or combination of metals used — has the greatest influence on the performance of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalysts. The results of…
Chementator: Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing a Breakthrough for OLED Commercialization
A new roll-to-roll manufacturing process promises to overcome the major cost barriers impeding the widespread adoption of high-performance organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) for lighting, e-paper and display applications. The culmination of a four-year, $13-million research partnership between GE Global Research…
Chementator: A Less Expensive Way to Make Boron Carbide Components
Because parts made from boron carbide have a higher rigidity and lower weight compared with those made from silicon carbide and alumina, boron carbide parts are important components for semiconductor manufacturing equipment and other components requiring high-temperature and abrasion resistance,…