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Molten-salt nuclear reactors take the next step toward industrial deployment
Over decades of experimentation, molten-salt nuclear reactors have been shown to deliver high-temperature heat and extremely efficient electricity at reduced pressures. However, these reactors have yet to make the leap into widespread industrial adoption. Terrestrial Energy Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.; www.terrestrialenergy.com)…
PVC polymer chlorination with LEDs enhances resin stability
Lubrizol (Cleveland, Ohio; www.lubrizol.com) recently began producing chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) resin in commercial reactors equipped with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as the light source, instead of the conventional mercury lamps. The company’s LED reactor technology enhances the thermal stability of…
High-Impact Tank Cleaning for Specialty Chemicals
By applying concentrated mechanical force, high-impact tank-cleaning systems can overcome the limitations of traditional cleaning methods in certain applications Tank cleaning in specialty chemical manufacturing isn’t just routine maintenance. It directly affects product quality, production schedules, worker safety and the…
Editor’s page: From ‘automated’ to ‘autonomous’
The continued and expanding use of digitalization technologies in the process industries have pushed facility operations from “automated” — featuring distributed control systems, programmable logic controllers, safety instrumented systems and others — toward “autonomous” operations, where technologies like machine-learning, open-software-defined…
Unique support boosts single-atom indium catalysis of CO2-to-methanol reaction
Synthesis of methanol from carbon dioxide is among the key goals for net-zero-CO2 production of chemicals and fuels. Previous investigation has suggested that indium oxide could serve as an effective catalyst for this reaction, but the structural details of the…
Gas-fed, solid-state electrolyzer could allow ethylene from waste-derived syngas
Conventional ethylene production via steam cracking of ethane or naphtha leads to the emission of 1 ton of CO2 for every ton of ethylene produced. Given the carbon intensity of the process and the annual volume of ethylene produced (300…
Process for cellulose-derived pigments scales up to hundreds of tons/yr
A process for making pigments from cellulose for use in cosmetics, food and coatings applications has scaled up from a 1-ton/yr pilot unit to a process capable of generating multiple-hundreds of tons per year in a toll-manufacturing setting. The cellulose-derived…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers
Flexible intermediate bulk containers (fIBCs) are large, collapsible woven containers designed for transporting and storing of dry, flowable materials, such as powders, grains and granules, in industrial settings. This one-page reference summarizes the available options for flexible IBCs. Normally made…
Focus On: Pressure Measurement
This pressure transmitter works without a PLC The 4051S pressure transmitter (photo) provides local real-time control, eliminating the need for a separate device, such as a programmable logic controller. This functionality is provided by two relay switches, each of which…
Modular, low-cost ammonia-production system is designed for intermittent energy
Ammonia is a critical input for agricultural fertilizers, but NH3 production is plagued by volatile prices, difficult global logistics and high CO2 emissions. A new NH3-production system from the startup TalusAg (Austin, Texas; www.talusag.com) addresses these challenges with a modular…