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Coke oven offgases may help to increase steel production

Two dissimilar iron-making methods — a conventional blast furnace using coke from coal, and gas-based direct reduction of iron ore — are combined in a process being developed by Midrex Technologies, Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.; www.midrex.com) and Praxair Inc. (Danbury, Conn.;…

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This valve tolerates up to 80% differential pressure

Differential pressure can be a tough problem for butterfly valves, in that it can cause damaging cavitation. As a rule of thumb, for instance, a typical butterfly valve can only handle a maximum of 30% differential pressure (DP), explains René…

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The mass production of organic-modified metal oxide nanoparticles

A system that continuously produces 10 ton/yr of nanoparticles has been developed by Tadafumi Adschiri, principal investigator at the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR) and professor at the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials and New Industry Hatchery…

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A more-efficient Fischer-Tropsch reactor

The production rate (per amount of catalyst) for generating liquid hydrocarbons from syngas by the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process, using a slurry reactor or tubular reactor, is generally limited to about 30% of the maximum rate. The restraining factor is heat…

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Knowledge-based approach to catalyst development

Petroleum-derived ethylene normally contains traces of acetylene, which interferes with the conversion of ethylene into polyethylene (PE). Because it is difficult to separate it, the acetylene is selectively hydrogenated to ethylene — without subsequent hydrogenation to ethane — using a…

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A step closer to replacing platinum in catalytic converters

The research group of Masaru Ogura, an associate professor at the Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo (www.u-tokyo.ac.jp), has clarified the degradation mechanism and the role potassium carbonate plays in the catalyst systems used for reducing soot from the…

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The quest for a more-efficient gas-fired power generator

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI; Tokyo, Japan; www.mhi.co.jp) will begin developing basic technologies for a triple combined-cycle power-generation system that integrates solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and a gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) power generation system. Under the umbrella of the…

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A compact thermal storage system

Theres a growing trend toward generating electricity from biogas (see pp. 15–17), but roughly half of the total energy content of the fuel is released as heat, which is dissipated into the atmosphere unused. To improve the overall efficiency, researchers…

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Making carboxylic acids from alkynes and CO2

The research groups of professor Yasuyuki Tsuji and assistant professor Tetsuaki Fujihara at Kyoto University (Japan; www.ehcc.kyoto-u.ac.jp) have developed a copper-catalyzed reaction for synthesizing carboxylic acids, such as acrylic acid, using carbon dioxide as a raw material. The reaction involves…

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Making artificial water channels

A group of scientists from Fudan University (Shanghai, China; www.fudan.ac.cn) China, has reported what it claims to be the first example of artificial single-molecular water channels that can transport water across lipid membranes. Transmembrane water transport — through water channel…