Latest News
Tower Doctor: Should a Doctor Diagnose by a Hunch?
Henry Kister shares lessons learned from troubleshooting distillation towers The C2 splitter tower is the final step in ethylene plant distillation. It separates a high-purity ethylene top product (typically a few hundred ppm ethane impurity) from the ethane recycle bottoms.…
Business News: July 2026
Plant Watch Air Liquide starts up CO2-capture pilot unit at Holcim cement facility June 11, 2026 — Air Liquide S.A. (Paris, France; www.airliquide.com) started up its first industrial-scale pilot unit specifically designed for the cement sector, based on its proprietary…
Circular-loop recycling for disposable baby diapers demonstrated in Europe
Disposable baby diapers are a challenging waste stream, because the absorbent polymers, non-woven fibers and organic material prevent them from mechanical-recycling processes. However, a three-way partnership has demonstrated a circular system for chemical recycling of disposable diapers. The project, involving…
Atomically thin photocatalysts unlock new pollution-degradation capabilities
Researchers at the University of Birmingham (www.birmingham.ac.uk) have demonstrated a new production method for ultra-thin catalysts, unlocking new capabilities for the catalytic breakdown of persistent water pollutants. “The production method takes layered materials as the precursor, disperses them in a…
New Technologies Optimize Mixing Processes
Advanced designs and controls achieve complete mixing while reducing batch times In the chemical process industries (CPI), mixing is about more than simply combining raw materials. It plays a central role in product quality and process efficiency, but it is…
Patent granted on system for feeding biomass to high-pressure reactors
One of the challenges for biofuels manufacturing is reliably feeding low-density feedstocks into high-pressure reactors, because it is difficult to feed agricultural and forest residue, as well as municipal solid waste, into pressurized systems without bridging, compaction and flow instability.…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Particle Stress and Feed Requirements for Impact Milling
The chemical process industries (CPI) include many applications of impact comminution to process solid matter, such as minerals, chemical products, foods and pharmaceutical products. This one-page reference discusses conditions for particle fracture and feed characteristics in industrial milling equipment. Particle…
World-first sewage-treatment trial proves comprehensive dual-phase PFAS removal
An ongoing large-scale demonstration project in Australia is the world’s first to apply a foam-fractionation technology to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a sewage-treatment plant. The Surface-Active Foam Fractionation (SAFF®) technology developed by EPOC Enviro (Emu Plains, NSW,…
INEOS Enterprises completes sale of INEOS Calabrian to Ecovyst
INEOS Enterprises announced the completion of the sale of INEOS Calabrian, its ultra-pure sulfur dioxide and derivatives business, to Ecovyst Inc. (Malvern, Pa.). The transaction, valued at $190 million, marks the successful conclusion of a strategic divestment first announced in…
Endress+Hauser opens two new facilities in the U.S.
The Endress+Hauser Group (Reinach, Switzerland) opened two new facilities in the United States in June 2026. With these locations in Greenwood, Indiana, and Edgmont, Pennsylvania, the company is further expanding its presence in the country and strengthening its collaboration with…