Latest News
Single-step process for electrified ethylene production
Developing sustainable pathways to ethylene — among the world’s most widely used chemicals — is a key element in decarbonizing the process industries. A new electrolysis technology developed by CERT Systems (Toronto, Ont., Canada; www.co2cert.com) can produce ethylene from CO2…
AI’s potential in the CPI
One of the aspects of my job that I really enjoy is keeping in touch with new and advanced technologies emerging from the chemical process industries (CPI) — an interest that traces back to my roots as an R&D engineer.…
On-demand ammonia production from atmospheric air
Nearly all ammonia is produced using methane via the Haber-Bosch process, which requires high-temperature and high-pressure operation. A new portable prototype device developed by researchers from Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.; www.stanford.edu) and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Dhahran,…
Business News: February 2025
Plant Watch Messer to construct $70-million air-separation unit in Arkansas January 15, 2025 — Messer Group GmbH (Bad Soden, Germany; www.messergroup.com) has announced a strategic investment of over $70 million to construct a state-of-the-art air separation unit (ASU) in Berryville,…
Flow chemistry yields a more sustainable route to isocyanates
The wide range of performance properties of polyurethane foams makes them essential in many consumer goods. Thus, there is much effort going into creating a more environmentally friendly production process for polyurethane’s main building blocks, polyols and isocyanates. While much…
Pilot project planned for thermocatalytic ethanol-to-butene process
In December 2024, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL; Richland, Wash.; www.pnnl.gov) announced a three-year collaborative project with vehicle-tire manufacturer Bridgestone (Tokyo, Japan; www.bridgestone.com) to scale up a thermocatalytic process for converting renewably derived ethanol to n-butene. Conventionally, n-butene is…
Scaling Industrial Decarbonization with Advanced Membranes
The potential of membrane technology to unlock hybrid and scalable carbon capture, combined with results from early field trials, suggest that advanced membranes will play a crucial role in enabling more widespread adoption of decarbonization strategies It is a truth…
New screw conveyor offers flexibility and easy maintenance
The Helix flexible screw conveyor (photo) features a helicoid screw that rotates within a fixed tube to transport materials efficiently from one point to another. It supports horizontal conveying up to 80 ft and vertical discharge heights of up to…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Blending and Segregation Mechanisms for Solids
In solids-handling, blending (combining two or more materials to achieve a combined product) and segregation (the separation of particles into distinct zones according to particle size, shape, density or other physical attributes) are competing processes. This one-page reference outlines common…
Deepwater RO could cut energy use and environmental impact of seawater desalination
Desalination of seawater with reverse osmosis (RO) membranes is a key technology for addressing water scarcity issues around the globe, but seawater desalination is energy-intensive and the brine discharge can create coastal environmental problems. The company Flocean AS (Oslo, Norway;…