Last May, Axens (Rueil-Malmaison, France; www.axens.net) started up the first ethanol-to-ethylene pilot plant based on Axen’s Atol technology with Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp). The pilot plant, located at Sumitomo Chemical’s Chiba Works, will produce ethylene from ethanol.…
Magnet Metals Bilfinger SE (Mannheim, Germany; www.bilfinger.com) is supporting REEtec AS (Oslo, Norway; www.reetec.no) with engineering, procurement, construction and management (EPCM) services for a new processing plant for neodymium and praseodymium — two rare earth elements (REE) used in the…
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE; Washington, D.C.; www.energy.gov) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL; Oak Ridge, Tenn.; www.ornl.gov) have developed a hydrothermal-synthesis method for high-voltage lithium-ion battery cathodes that avoids several key issues with traditional battery processing. Key…
A new advanced recycling process simplifies the task of breaking down polymer chains and stabilizing the resulting fragments. The Hydrochemolytic technology (HCT), developed by Aduro Clean Technologies, Inc. (Sarnia, Ont., Canada; www.adurocleantech.com), involves processing waste plastic with water, an inexpensive…
Production of ammonia by the Haber-Bosch process not only requires a lot of energy for the high-temperature (300–500°C) synthesis of NH3 itself, but the recovery of ammonia takes place by condensation at –20°C. As a result, large changes in both…
The S-4 Series of screw compressors now includes options for the 45- to 75-kW performance range (photo). All models are characterized by quiet, reliable operation and have high efficiency. The compressors generate high free-air delivery at low specific-power consumption. The…
Process equipment is usually connected by pipelines through which, if an explosion occurs, fire and pressure can spread very rapidly. Propagating explosions pose increased risks of secondary explosions. The intensity of the explosion in connected vessels is increased by pressure…
Stainless steels are common materials for process equipment and components in the chemical process industries in large part because of their corrosion resistance. This one-page reference reviews the properties of stainless steels with regard to corrosion resistance. Passive layer Stainless…
This company’s 1209 solid-front stainless-steel pressure gage (photo) is now available with the new XRA option, which allows the gage to accommodate up to 400% overpressure without damaging the gage. In applications where pressure spikes, surges and waterhammer are a…
Thermal oxidizers can be used for the abatement of a wide range of air pollutants and volatile organic compounds. This article describes the custom design of a thermal oxidizer to treat three different waste streams from a biogas plant A…