This column is based on “Economics of Methanol Production from Natural Gas,” a report published by Intratec Solutions. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/products/methanol-production-processes. Methanol (methyl alcohol) is an important chemical commonly used as a solvent, as a starting material…
While thermal treatment remains king, new alternatives for processing milk are promising a number of benefits to the dairy industry The dairy industry faces a daunting challenge. It has to produce — at an affordable price — milk and milk…
Biotechnology is increasingly proving its ability to address chemical industry challenges. An engineering-focused approach — bioengineering — is vital to successful industrial application For those undertaking overall process design and implementation for intermediate and specialty chemicals, the incorporation of biotechnology-based…
Rapidly expanding computational power and decreasing costs for DNA sequencing and synthesis have made synthetic biology tools more accessible to chemical makers Not long ago, the late former Apple CEO Steve Jobs said, “I think the biggest innovations of the…
I read your article “Flooded Condenser Controls: Principle and Troubleshooting” [ Chem. Eng., January 2016, pp. 37–49]. The article was very informative. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. I need your guidance related to Figure 4b. In the…
Improved designs result in leak-free, reliable, longer-lasting pumps Because pumps move media through reactors, valves and piping, they serve as “the heart” of any process in which they are placed. So, whether the pump is a large sump pump, a…
The case examples presented here show that proper planning, communication and execution of tasks can add value and reduce unintended negative consequences for many capital-intensive projects Materials management means something different to different groups of people. For the engineering and…
A partnership between DuPont Industrial Biosciences (Wilmington, Del.; www.dupont.com) and Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM; Chicago, Ill.; www.adm.com) has developed a less costly and more efficient process for producing bio-based furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) from the six-carbon sugar fructose.…
The number of options available for scales and weighing equipment can make it difficult to determine which instruments will offer the best value and which will meet the application requirements (Table 1). Focusing on the following ten areas can help…
Acrylic acid is a moderately strong carboxylic acid primarily used as an intermediate in the production of acrylate esters. These acrylate esters are then mainly used to manufacture adhesives, plastics additives, coatings, paints and textiles. The process Figure 1 depicts…