This month, a demonstration experiment will begin on a new firing furnace for ceramics that is being developed by NGK Insulators, Ltd. (NGK; www.ngk.co.jp). The furnace is fired with hydrogen instead of fossil fuels, thereby reducing CO2 emissions. H2-fired combustion…
Using Waste Heat To convert large amounts of waste heat into electricity as efficiently as possible, turbines with a high degree of efficiency are required that work with a special conversion process — the organic Rankine cycle (ORC). In a…
Last month, a pilot plant officially opened at the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes (CBP; Leuna, Germany; www.cbp.fraunhofer.de). The plant aims to further develop a process that recovers multiple products from rapeseed, including high-grade, pre-raffinate-quality rapeseed oil, a high-grade, protein-rich…
This summer, pilot trials will begin at a Buzzi Unicem S.p.A. (Casale Monferrato, Italy; www.buzziunicem.com) cement plant in Monselice, Italy, which will perform field tests of a new carbon-capture process developed by Nuada, the new tradename of MOF Technologies Ltd.…
The combination of electrochemical principles and microbial activity is the backbone of a treatment technology designed specifically for ultra-concentrated and challenging industrial wastewater. The Bioelectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT) developed by Aquacycl (Escondido, Calif.; www.aquacycl.com) involves “microbial fuel-cells” that produce direct…
Recycling lithium batteries (LIBs) requires extensive use of hydrometallurgy, which requires multiple steps of extraction-stripping processes, each requiring separate reactors and different parameters. Although there have been attempts to devise a single-step, one-pot solution by partitioning the reactor using membranes,…
Fugitive emissions — defined as unintended releases of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from process equipment to the atmosphere — have been a long-standing issue in the chemical process industries (CPI). Valves and pumps are two of the leading sources. With…
Polymer components in column trays can avoid issues associated with corrosion of metal equipment Gujarat Alkalies & Chemicals Ltd. (GACL) — a major chemical producer in Gujarat state in western India — was facing corrosion challenges with its distillation columns.…
The Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS) Business Guide makes the business case for the O-PAS. An example from the biopharmaceutical industry illustrates the benefits of interoperability and open process automation architecture Normally, technical standards focus purely on technology. However, while…
Follow these key considerations when deciding which internals to use in fixed-bed, axial-flow vessels Fixed-bed, axial-flow vessel internals are installed in natural gas plants, petroleum refineries, petrochemical plants, chemical plants and industrial gas facilities. Thermal-swing gas and liquid dehydrators, treaters…