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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…
Recent Updates to Non-Metallic Piping Standards
As applications, risks and materials continue to evolve, it is vital that engineers stay abreast of revisions to the standards that govern non-metallic piping systems Recent advancements in standards developed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME; New York,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Fundamentals of Reactor and Vessel Design
This article made available to you by: This article provides an overview of the engineering, design and operational considerations associated with reactors and vessels, bridging the gap between theoretical design codes and applied process engineering Pressure vessels and reactors are…
Thermo Fisher Scientific opens bioprocess design center in Massachusetts
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Waltham, Mass.) announced the opening of its flagship U.S. Bioprocess Design Center (BDC) at the company’s Plainville, Mass., site, expanding the facility to support customers in developing and scaling biologics. The new center brings together advanced…
Ecolab expands bioprocessing capacity with new facility in Korea
Ecolab Inc. (St. Paul, Minn.) announced that its Life Sciences business is further expanding its global bioprocessing capabilities to support biopharmaceutical manufacturers worldwide. Today, Ecolab Life Sciences announced the opening of a new Bioprocessing Applications Lab (BPAL) in Dongtan, Korea,…
Ineos Acetyls and Sandpiper Chemicals announce plans for low-carbon methanol plant in Texas
INEOS Acetyls and Sandpiper Chemicals, LLC announced the formation of a strategic collaboration in support of Sandpiper’s low-carbon methanol production facility in Texas City, Texas. INEOS will become a shareholder and an anchor customer of Sandpiper. The project represents a…