Chemical Engineering
Nanofiltration approach recovers aluminum from process waste
The industrial production of aluminum involves electrolysis of alumina (Al2O3) in molten cryolite, a mineral used as a solvent for the aluminum oxide raw material. Over time, the cryolite accumulates impurities, such as sodium, lithium and potassium ions, which degrade…
The industry’s most comprehensive biodegradability assessments — even for large polymers
For product developers, understanding a substance’s biodegradability is essential in many applications to ensure compliance with toxicity and environmental regulations. Aropha, Inc. (Cleveland, Ohio; www.aropha.com) has developed a platform for biodegradability testing that reaches far beyond the typical breadth of…
Upcycling of difficult plastics with metathesis
Polybutadiene (PB) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) are widely used polymers in a number of products (including vehicle tires, kitchen appliances, computer hardware, toys and others), but are not generally recycled. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL; Oak Ridge,…
Metal complex surfactants allow reactions in water without organic solvents
One way to develop safer, more-sustainable chemical processes is to substitute potentially harmful chemicals with less-risky alternatives. Organic solvents, which are widely used in industrial processes, can pose health, safety and environmental risks. Researchers at Rice University (Houston, Tex.; www.rice.edu)…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Corrosion Monitoring Using Weight-Loss Analysis
Effective measurement of corrosion on process equipment and plant structures offers several benefits to plant operators. These include providing early warnings about damaging process conditions that could lead to corrosion-induced failures, establishing correlations between changes in process parameters and their…
Varo Energy to acquire Swedish energy firm Preem
VARO Energy (Zug, Switzerland) has reached agreement to acquire Preem Holding AB and Preem AB (Stockholm, Sweden), Sweden’s largest fuel company, through the purchase of 100% of the share capital of the parent company, Corral Petroleum Holdings AB (CPH), in…
Toyo Engineering awarded contract for anhydrous hydrogen fluoride plant in Korea
Toyo Engineering Korea Ltd., a subsidiary of Toyo Engineering Corp. (Tokyo), has been awarded a contract by BGFecospecialty (BGFesp) for the construction of the plant to produce 50,000 tons per year of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF). Toyo-Korea will be responsible…
Shin-Etsu Chemical to invest in production capacities for pharmaceutical cellulose
Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. (Tokyo) will make investments at two of its bases, the subsidiary SE Tylose GmbH & Co. KG (Wiesbaden, Germany) and the Naoetsu Plant (in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, Japan) to strengthen its pharmaceutical cellulose business. In Germany, a…
Linde to install thermochemical regenerator technology at O-I glass plant in Holzminden, Germany
O-I Glass, Inc. () and Linde plc announced plans to install Linde’s proprietary OPTIMELT Thermochemical Regenerator (TCR) technology at O-I’s container glass plant in Holzminden, Germany. This collaboration is expected to significantly reduce both fuel consumption and fuel-based Scope 1…
CSB issues final investigation report on 2023 Marathon plant fire
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB; Washington, D.C.; www.csb.gov) recently released its final investigation report into the November 19, 2023, fire at the Marathon Martinez Renewables facility in Martinez, CA. The incident seriously injured one employee, who suffered…