Bacteria and algae team-up to tackle arsenic-contaminated water
Australian researchers have developed a method of cleaning arsenic out of contaminated water by combining…
Commentary
Learning more about distillation
FRI’s membership has been growing steadily since 2006. As a result, I have more bosses…
Honoring personal achievement: 2014 Award for Personal Achievement in Chemical Engineering
Do you know someone whom you would describe as having a distinguished career in chemical…
In The News
Chementator
Advanced battery electrolytes made with low-cost, high-throughput method
A high-throughput method for synthesizing ionic-liquid-containing electrolytes developed by Boulder Ionics Corp. (Arvada, Colo.; www.boulderionics.com)…
This graphite burner enables on-demand treatment of offgases
Offgases containing compounds of chlorine or fluorine are typically burned to enable the recovery of…
Bacteria make lactic acid from palm waste
Extraction of palm oil generates large amounts of lignocellulose-rich byproduct known as empty fruit bunch…
A two-step process that makes phenols from lignin
Professor Takao Masuda and colleagues at Hokkaido University (Sapporo; www.eng.hokudai.ac.jp/labo/cse), in collaboration with Idemitsu Kosan…
An efficient cycle for utilizing waste heat
An Australian team has implemented several changes to the conventional organic rankine cycle, resulting in…
Novel co-catalyst system could enable CO2-to-syngas processes
A metal-free catalyst system involving ionic liquids and doped carbon nanofibers can efficiently reduce carbon…
A new adsorbent to recover uranium and other heavy metals from wastewater
A new method for removing uranium and other heavy metals (HMs) from wastewater has been…
January Chementator Briefs
Sludge dewatering Last month, Metso Corp. (Helsinki, Finland; www.metso.com) introduced what it claims to…
This catalyst system requires significantly less palladium
A stabilized palladium catalyst system that can be used for making materials for organic solar…
Business News
Solazyme: Commercial production of Renewable Algal Oils at Iowa facilities
Solazyme, Inc.(San Francisco, Calif.; www.solazyme.com) says that commercial operations have commenced at both Archer Daniels…
The first Outotec TankCell e500 to be delivered to First Quantum Minerals
To address the market demand of increased capacity and volume Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.outotec.com)…
Praxair signs long-term supply agreement in Brazil
Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com) has signed a long-term contract to supply industrial gases to…
BASF and Sinopec break ground on world-scale INA plant in Maoming
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec; Shanghai, China; www.sinopec.com)…
Praxair signs long-term contract and expands enclave supply in South Korea
Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com) has signed a long-term contract with Taewoong Steel Co. Ltd.…
Cristal & Tasnee announce JV with Toho
The National Industrialization Co. (Tasnee; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; www.tansee.com) and The National Titanium Dioxide Company…
Metso invests in a new globe-valve technology center in South Korea
To respond to the growing global demand for reliable valve technology, Metso Corp. (Helsinki, Finland;…
Outotec provides technology for Tata Steel for beneficiation of chromite tailings
Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.outotec.com) has agreed with Tata Steel, a major global steel company,…
Global Bioenergies partners with Audi on drop-in biofuel
Global Bioenergies (Evry, France; www.global-bioenergies.com) announces the signature of a collaboration with Audi (Ingolstadt, Germany) on…
Bronkhorst strengthens its position in Asia
Recognizing Asia as a major growth market, Bronkhorst High-Tech BV (Ruurlo, the Netherlands; www.bronkhorst.com) has…
ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions receives contract for DME plant in Russia
Plant engineering and construction specialist ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions (Essen, Germany; www.thyssenkrupp-industrial-solutions.com) has been awarded a…
NUS and BASF embark on joint graphene research
The Graphene Research Center (GRC) at the National University of Singapore (NUS; //graphene.nus.edu.sg) Faculty of…
AEA Investors completes acquisition of Siemens Water Technologies
AEA Investors LP has secured regulatory approvals and closed on an agreement to acquire the…
Sasol inaugurates plant to boost polyethylene production
Today, Sasol Ltd.’s (Sasolburg, South Africa) CEO, David Constable, and the South African Minister of…
ThyssenKrupp combines capabilities in plant technology
As part of its strategic way forward, ThyssenKrupp AG (Essen, Germany; www.thyssenkrupp.com) is strengthening its…
Siemens to supply wastewater-treatment systems to refinery in China
Siemens Energy (Erlangen, Germany; www.siemens.com) has received an order from Sinopec Jiujiang Petrochemical Co. for…
Foster Wheeler awarded PMC contract for grassroots refinery in Turkey
Foster Wheeler AG (Zug, Switzerland; www.fwc.com) announced today that a subsidiary of its Global Engineering…
Jacobs acquires FMHC Corporation
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.; www.jacobs.com) announced today that it has acquired the assets…
Air Products increases U.S. Midwest liquid CO2 supply
Air Products (Lehigh Valley, Pa.; www.airproducts.com) has signed a long-term agreement for the production of…
Making propylene on-purpose
Propylene — one of the most important petrochemical feedstocks — has traditionally been supplied, together…
BASF produces first commercial volumes of bio-based butanediol, and more business news
Plant Watch Praxair starts up carbon-dioxide purification plant at Honeywell site December 10, 2013 —…
Technical & Practical
Remote Thermal Sensing
By making it easy to detect heat anomalies, thermal cameras and infrared thermometers support preventive…
Seven Tools for Project Success
Have you ever heard someone say, “The job is a lot easier if you have…
Propylene Production via Propane Dehydrogenation
Propylene is the second most important intermediate in the petrochemical industry after ethylene, and its…
Pressure-Vessel Quality Control Requirements
Pressure vessels are common in the chemical process industries (CPI) and they range widely in…
Pressurized Piping: Sampling Steam and Water
Corrosion and deposition in boilers, steam turbines and many types of process equipment are among…
Facts at Your Fingertips
Dust Hazards
Dust is a critical consideration in the chemical process industries (CPI) from both a process…