Chemical Engineering
Sorption-enhanced methanation
The production of substitute (or synthetic) natural gas (SNG) by methanation of CO2 with hydrogen is energy intensive and also requires a purification step to remove the byproduct water and remaining reactants. To address these issues, researchers at The Swiss…
Battery electrode binder allows easier recycling
Recovering valuable metals, such as cobalt and nickel, from used lithium-ion batteries is emerging as a key capability because of anticipated high battery demand and material shortages. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, Calif.; www.lbl.gov) have developed a technology…
Business News: March 2023
Plant Watch Arlanxeo starts up new polybutadiene production line in Brazil February 14, 2023 — Arlanxeo B.V. (Maastricht, the Netherlands; www.arlanxeo.com) opened a new polybutadiene production line in Brazil. The new production line supplements Arlanxeo’s existing production capacity in Brazil…
Head to Toe Technology: Advances in Wearables
From headsets to gloves to fabric sensors, technologies that can be worn on the body are providing many new benefits for plant workers Apace with innovations in all “smart” technologies, wearable devices for industrial personnel are rapidly evolving to incorporate…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Fractional Solvent-Free Melt Crystallization
Fractional crystallization is a stage-wise separation technique that relies upon the liquid-solid phase change and enables the purification of multi-component mixtures, as long as none of the constituents can act as a solvent to the others. Thanks to the level…
Pilot-Scale Distillation Process Design
The inherent characteristics, requirements and special concerns of pilot- and laboratory-scale distillation columns differ from those of commercial-scale equipment. The scale-related differences of distillation assemblies are presented here Distillation processes at any scale share many of the same theoretical and…
Boiler Water Essentials: Water Is Water (Not)
When it comes to water used in boilers, it is important to remove potentially problematic impurities. This offers a potentially huge return on investment, even with the prevention of just one major upset, let alone recurring failures Several decades ago,…
Precoat Filter Demineralizers in Steam Loops
By minimizing, or even eliminating, the need for blowdowns in steam systems, precoat filter demineralizer systems can greatly contribute to water-conservation efforts Steam is essential in any chemical process plant, primarily for generating heat and power. Power generation (the largest…
Predictive Maintenance Implementation
Five common mistakes associated with implementing predictive maintenance tools are discussed here, along with five ways to avoid them Predictive maintenance (PM) implementation can be a daunting task. There are many factors to consider and many ways that things can…
This coating boosts the efficiency of perovskite solar cells
Perovskite materials have great potential as a lightweight and low-cost option for solar panels, but in the past have not been seen as stable or durable enough for widespread use in large-scale solar-power installations. Now, a new coating developed by…