The field of additive manufacturing (AM) — often referred to as 3-D printing — has seen explosive growth in recent years (Chem. Eng., February 2015, pp. 20–23; www.chemengonline.com/3-d-printing-accelerates-creating-cpi-opportunities). In AM, no tools or molds are required to shape the desired…
The research group of Ayumi Minoda at the University of Tsukuba (Japan, plmet.biol.tsukuba.ac.jp) has discovered that the cellular surface layer of the sulfothermophilic red algae, Galdieria sulphuraria, can efficiently adsorb gold and palladium ions, even in highly acidic conditions. G.…
Research groups at Keio University (Hiyoshi; www.bio.keio.ac.jp/labs/kmiyamoto) and Kyoto Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Teijin Ltd. and Adeka Corp., have discovered a bacterium that can degrade and assimilate poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and have clarified the decomposition mechanism. This is…
Process safety strategies, water use and alkylation technology were among the topics figuring prominently at the 2016 AFPM annual meeting An evolving set of issues facing petroleum refiners in the U.S. figured prominently at the annual meeting of the American…
A holistic and proactive approach to cybersecurity can help protect your industrial control system from hackers In December 2015, 80,000 homes in the Ukraine were left without power when a cyber attack took down the electrical infrastructure. Investigations suggest that…
Fidas Frog (photo) is a new fine dust aerosol spectrometer that measures the fine-dust load in indoor areas, such as office workplaces, workshops or laboratories. It shows the PM fractions and optionally the particle-size distributions and more. Fidas Frog communicates…
The Teflon-coated spike bob (photo) is an optional SmartBob probe specifically adapted for measuring powders and solids material that may adhere to the sensor probe. It is ideal for use in sticky materials such, as silica or “frack” sand, powdered…
The fully equipped laboratory dryer BS-miniDRY (photo) has a mobile and compact design. It is easy to install and enables “plug-and-play” operation. The BS-miniDRY can simulate complex processes and production steps, such as drying under vacuum. Because it is identically…
The Optimass 6400 is said to be the first Coriolis mass flowmeter in the world to feature advanced entrained gas management (EGM), with no loss of measurement with gas entrainment up to 100 vol.%. Unlike other mass flowmeters,…
The new 530 peristaltic cased pump (photo) handles metering and transfer applications, such as surface coating, printing and lime addition. The cost-effective pump is said to offer easier operation and greater versatility coupled with high levels of accuracy. The new…