Ken-ichi Tominaga and colleagues at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST; Tsukuba, Japan; www.aist.go.jp) have developed a hybrid catalyst system that can be used to convert cellulose into levulinic acid. The catalyst consists of two types…
The continuous quest to maximize process efficiency and boost product performance, in which all sectors of the chemical process industries (CPI) are engaged, is driving demand for technologically advanced coatings. And engineering at the nanoscale level is an increasingly common…
A new and inexpensive way to produce TiFe — an alloy with potential as a material for reversibly storing hydrogen — has been developed by the research groups of professors Zenji Horita and Etsuo Akiba at Kyushu University (Fukuoka, Japan;…
Single-use equipment has come a long way from its modest origins as a convenient storage and transportation method. As a matter of fact, recent market trends and business drivers have made disposable equipment, with its inherent benefits, so attractive to…
An Australian team has developed a structure made of a metal organic framework (MOF) that captures and then releases CO2 using natural sunlight. The team includes researchers from: CSIRO Division of Materials Science and Engineering, (Clayton South, Victoria; www.csiro.au) the…
A new plant for manufacturing sodium silicide (Na4Si4;diagram), a non-flammable, air-stable powder that reacts with water to generate pure hydrogen, is under development near Niagara Falls, N.Y. by SiGNa Chemistry Inc. (New York; signachem.com). Scheduled for startup in the third…
Avoid pipe corrosion with this spacer Trelleborg Group Flexspacer has been developed to effectively create an air gap between topside pipelines and thermal insulation, thereby avoiding the corrosion that can occur when using traditional insulation systems such as mineral wool.…
Collaboration between an Italian university and an American company has resulted in a new service that will provide research services for outsourcing catalyst discovery and optimization to consultants and laboratory staff interested in high-throughput catalyst research. The service utilizes a…
Promation Engineering Designed for use on rising-stem globe control valves, the PL Series actuators (photo) provide up to 4,400 lb of force and up to 3.9 in. of travel. This increased up-and-down force, the company says, allows the use of…
A new agitator-blade design for this company’s Double Planetary Mixer features two identical rectangular stirrers with upward rake fingers. Designed to rotate on their own axes, while also orbiting the mixing vessel on a common axis, the stirrers are ideal…