Hydrogen chloride is an important byproduct of the chemical industry, with over 9-million ton/yr generated by industrial chlorination processes, such as the production of chloromethanes and polymers (polyurethanes and polycarbonates). Although HCl can be easily recovered by gas scrubbing with…
RO Membranes Toray Industries, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan; www.toray.com) has developed a highly durable reverse osmosis (RO) membrane that is said to offer double the resistance to cleaning chemicals of conventional counterparts. This reduces performance degradation from membrane wear and simplifies…
From water to waste management, IFAT 2024 Munich (May 13–17) offers visitors insights and innovative solutions on a wide range of topics in the field of environmental technologies. From recycling methods and digitization strategies to material-flow management, the focus is…
Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt (www.uni-frankfurt.de) and Kiel University (both Germany; www.uni-kiel.de) have developed a new sensor for the detection of bacteria. It is based on a chip with a surface coating that ensures only very specific microorganisms, such as…
NanoTech Materials Inc. (Houston; www.nanotechmaterials.com) is expanding its commercial partnerships for the use the company’s Insulative Ceramic Particle (ICP) technology, which can be used in fireproof coatings, as well as in a range of applications for roof coatings that lower…
There have been several recent announcements regarding regulatory changes that affect the chemical process industries (CPI). One of the latest is a set of final rules announced on April 9 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; www.epa.gov) that significantly…
Plant Watch Celanese expands production capacities for acetic acid and VAE April 9, 2024 — Celanese Corp. (Dallas, Tex.; www.celanese.com) started up a new production unit for vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) in Nanjing, China and completed several downstream debottlenecking projects…
Trends related to the energy transition are shifting global demand for refined products and affecting feedstock slates, forcing petroleum refiners to embrace adaptation and flexibility Demand for fossil fuels has remained strong in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic, but…
Performance improvements in robotics technologies for manufacturing and energy operations are leading to greater productivity, cost savings and safety improvements In the chemical process industries (CPI), mobile robots, often in conjunction with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), are…
The production and processing of cathode active materials (CAM) are among the largest contributors to the cost of lithium-ion battery manufacturing. Typical CAM manufacture involves multiple, multi-phase steps in a co-precipitation process that requires a large amount of water and…