Chemical Engineering
The Next Generation of Overpressure Protection
Overpressure protection is at the center of process safety across all chemical processing sectors. As processes and technologies evolve, it is essential that safety systems can adapt to provide the utmost levels of protection All over the chemical process industries…
Methane Reforming: Solving the Hydrogen Blues
Improved catalysts and reconfigured reformer designs make steam-methane reforming the most scalable, industry-ready source of ‘blue’ H2 For many decades, steam-methane reforming (SMR) has been, and still is, the technology of choice for the large-scale production of synthesis gas (syngas;…
Proactive Industrial Hose Maintenance
Proper hose maintenance can prevent failures, increase profitability and improve safety Deciding when to change industrial hoses is a common challenge facing plant managers and engineers — and it is a challenging decision for good reason. If plant managers wait…
A new electrolyzer system makes propane from CO2
Electrolyzers are typically associated with the production of “green” hydrogen from water and renewable electricity, but a new device borrows from traditional electrolyzer principles to convert CO2 into propane. A team of researchers from the Electrochemical Energy Materials and Devices…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Bolted Flange Joint Assemblies
Flange-bolted joints enable connections of singular segments of pipes into more complex sections, as well as joining measuring and process devices, such as flowmeters, pumps, fans and pressure vessels. These joints are potential sources of leakage, which can introduce safety…
Scaled up facility under construction for single-step, CO2-to-fuels process
Construction is underway by AIR Co. (Brooklyn, N.Y.; www.aircompany.com) for a commercial demonstration plant capable of converting captured carbon dioxide into fuel-grade paraffins, as well as ethanol and methanol, in a single step. The facility will be a larger version…
Immobilizing enzymes as a stable, active foam
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; Germany; www.kit.edu) have developed a new class of materials — enzyme foams. Normally, foaming modifies the enzyme structure and enzymes lose their biocatalytic activity. The new protein foams, however, are said to…
Breaking New Ground: AI’s Role in Biomanufacturing
Advanced technologies employing artificial intelligence (AI) and deep-learning models can reshape product inspection and quality control in bioprocesses, but users must understand both the capabilities and limitations of such digital platforms for optimal implementation Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the…
Piloting a chemical-recycling process for polycarbonate plastics
Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) has developed a chemolysis process for recycling polycarbonate back into monomers. In laboratory trials, the process has been shown to recycle waste streams with more than 50% polycarbonate content into monomers, closing the loop to…
Preventing Dust Explosions with Flow Analysis
Dust collection systems are often designed using simple rules of thumb that may not be sufficient for proper operation. Flow analysis can ensure that the systems meet requirements The presence of dust is one of the many potential causes for…