Latest News
How to Improve the Performance of Existing Spray Drying Operations
For manufacturers looking to improve the performance and resource efficiency of spray drying operations, the first question does not always need to be: What new equipment do we need? Sometimes, a better question is: What more can we get from…
Elastomer couplings combine high-temperature performance with low maintenance
The Quick Flex HighTemp series is a low-maintenance coupling solution for applications operating at temperatures up to 177 °C. Quick Flex HighTemp extends the advantages of elastomeric couplings into demanding environments near industrial furnaces, superheated steam systems and steam turbines,…
Sorbent-based ammonia-production system lowers cost and allows modularity
World-scale ammonia-production plants based on the Haber-Bosch process supply the ammonia for most of today’s agricultural fertilizer industry. But building new capacity for ammonia production is economically difficult because of the high capital expenditures needed for plants large enough to…
Focus On: Level Measurement
This level transmitter can reduce installation costs The Rosemount™ 3408 Wireless level transmitter with non-contacting radar (photo) reduces the complexity, time and costs associated with installing cabling in automated measurement points. By eliminating measurement blind spots and the need for…
New plasma-powered process directly converts methane to graphene oxide
Researchers at Texas A&M University (College Station; www.tamu.edu) have developed a fundamentally new route to graphene oxide (GO) synthesis using non-thermal atmospheric plasma — a method that sidesteps the toxic chemicals and scalability limitations that often constrain conventional production approaches.…
Offtake agreement inked for system that produces methanol from stranded methane economically
In late August, technology developer Emvolon, a spinout company from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; Cambridge, Mass.; www.mit.edu), signed an offtake agreement with Freepoint Commodities LLC (www.freepoint.com) for methanol produced commercially via Emvolon’s technology starting in spring 2027. The…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Real-Time Particle-Size Measurement
Particle size is a key parameter in many solids-handling processes, and can have a strong influence on product performance and quality, as well as for effectiveness of downstream operations. One important approach to particle-size measurement is conducting real-time, inline measurement…
These “self-driving” bioreactor sensors are forging new fermentation frontiers
Ubiquitous in biomanufacturing, fermentation processes are complex and unpredictable when compared to traditional chemical-processing operations. From changing cell-growth rates to drifts in environmental conditions, typical control approaches can only react to predetermined setpoints rather than reliably maximize product output. A…
Synthetic enzyme mimicry breaks open new aromatic reaction pathways
Mimicking enzyme-like behavior for synthetic chemistry is a growing field of exploration in sustainable chemical production, unlocking potential new reaction routes that eliminate waste and unwanted byproducts. A team of chemists from Penn State University (State College, Pa.; www.psu.edu) has…
Low-voltage, membrane-free electrolysis produces hydrogen and FDCA
A new approach to the traditional alkaline electrolyzers used to produce “green” hydrogen from water eliminates the membrane and introduces a new reaction mechanism at the anode, enabling the production of a high-value plastic precursor, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). Developed at…