Latest News
Pilot plant produces climate-friendly cement clinker
Concrete production is responsible for 6–9% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. “The largest contribution to that comes from the production of cement, a precursor product,” says Peter Stemmermann from the Institute for Technical Chemistry (ITC) at the Karlsruhe Institute of…
A biocatalytic process for producing nitriles — without cyanide
Nitrile compounds (R–N≡N) are important for the manufacturing of fragrances, pharmaceuticals, superglue and chemical-resistant gloves. Currently, such nitrile compounds require the use of highly toxic cyanide in their synthesis. Now, an alternative cyanide-free chemo-enzymatic cascade process is being developed by…
This progressing-cavity pump has been upgraded
The NEMO MY magnetically coupled pump (photo) is the latest upgrade of the NEMO progressing-cavity pumps. It was developed for more efficient and safer handling of media with high viscosities (up to 20,000 cP), such as slurries. However, using the…
New bulk-bag unloader discharges problematic materials
A new bulk-bag unloading station features a proprietary design that promotes the smooth, consistent, complete discharge of non-free-flowing materials. Developed for emptying difficult bagged powders and other bulk materials that cake, clump, bridge or generate nuisance dust, the new AFC…
A new single-use perfusion separator
For the first time, perfusion disc separators for continuous production and faster processing can be implemented in biopharmaceutical cell-harvesting processes based on labor-saving, easy-to-use single-use devices. The newly introduced perfusion separators in this series (photo) offer the same advantages as…
Biomimetic membrane may have promising applications
Researchers from the Adolphe Merkle Institute (AMI; Fribourg, Switzerland; www.ami.swiss), together with international collaborators, have pioneered a novel method for creating thin, energy-converting membranes that mimic the structure and function of biological cell membranes. This discovery, described in a recent…
Ethernet-APL: A game changer for the CPI
Ethernet-APL fulfills the promise to bring digitalization to every corner of a process plant. The fast and efficient communication of large amounts of data is barrier-free and reliable in potentially explosive areas. At 10 Mbit/s, the transmission of enormous amounts…
Launch of a powerful flange spreader
The Viper-28 flange-spreading wedge (photo) is said to be the most powerful flange spreader in the world, boasting a spreading force of 28 metric tons and a precision tip measuring just 5 mm. This tool handles a wide range of…
Benefiting from Nozzle Flexibility in Piping Design
The inclusion of nozzle flexibility (directional spring rate) in pipe-stress analysis results in more realistic piping reactions on pressure-vessel nozzles, whereby it will be easier to meet the limited nozzle-load capacity of the nozzles. It will surely contribute to a…
Chemical Recycling: A Deep Dive on Depolymerization
Looking at the challenges and benefits of various recycling technologies, this article uses polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as an example to analyze the economics and design considerations for depolymerization processes Plastics are a valuable commodity in society and provide versatile materials…