The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that with the effects of COVID-19 fully affecting in the U.S. economy, U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes fell 5.0 percent in March, accelerating from a 0.5 percent decline in February. Of…
This column is based on “Neopentyl Glycol Production Process – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/neopentyl-glycol-production-cost. Neopentyl glycol (NPG; 2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-diol) is an industrially important and versatile diol, mainly employed as a building block…
Pelletizing, a tumble-growth agglomeration process, offers many potential benefits to processors handling bulk solid materials. This article provides an overview of how agglomerate pelletizing works and the important elements that must be considered Pelletizing, a form of agglomeration (particle size…
Designing easier access to mechanical components in solids-conveying systems reduces maintenance costs and improves safety Virtually every vehicle on the road today is designed with an engine hood that can be easily opened for access to the engine, so mechanics…
According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) edged lower by 0.2 percent in February following a 0.1 percent gain in January and a 0.2 percent decline in December. During…
MOL (Budapest, Hungary; www.mol.hu) has started production of hand and surface sanitizers to offer protection against the coronavirus. Both products have been in short supply in Hungary. Lubricants producer and MOL Group member MOL Lub Ltd. has shifted production of…
The following is a list of recently published books selected because of their relevance to the chemical process industries (CPI) Simultaneous Mass Transfer and Chemical Reactions in Engineering Science: Solution Methods and Chemical Engineering Applications. By Bertram Chan, Elsevier Press,…
Industrial distillation columns use either trays or packing to promote vapor-liquid contact in separating the components of liquid mixtures to the desired purity. Approximately one half of columns are equipped with trays globally, and the other half contain packings. This…
This column is based on “Polyoxymethylene from Methanol and Acetic Anhydride – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/polyoxymethylene-production-cost. Polyoxymethylene (also known as POM and polyacetal resin) is a thermoplastic polymer fiber. Owing to…