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…
To realize the best possible thermal efficiency, gas turbines should be integrated into chemical process industries (CPI) plants, but doing so can be difficult and requires special consideration. Specifically, in some CPI units, while the turbine’s shaft is driving an…
Microwave irradiation of graphite has been shown to produce graphene oxide with 90% yield by the research group of professor Yuta Nishina, Research Core for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Okayama University (Okayama, www.tt.vbl.okayama-u.ac.jp/archives/809). The yield is not only nearly twice that obtained…
Conventional methanation — the reaction of CO and H2 (synthesis gas) to form methane — has recently become important as a way to produce substitute natural gas (SNG) from gasified coal in regions of the world where natural gas is…