1. sh ev Page
October
Pr
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2009
w -2
www.che.com
10
Bag Vs. Cartridge Filtration • traCking natural gas With FloWmeters
Page 34
Enhanced Pressure
Transmitters
Employment Outlook
Preventing
Vol. 116 no. 10 oCtoBer 2009
Facts at Your Fingertips: Focus on Analyzers Dust Explosions
Chemical Resistance of
Flowmeters Compressed-Gas
Thermoplastics
Cylinder Safety

2. October
2009
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7. OctOber 2009 In ThIs Issue VOlume 116, n 10
nO.
Commentary
5 Editor’s Page
Don’t wait to
react While recent
events point to the
need to re-examine
www.che.com the baccalaureate
engi
chemical engi-
neering curricula,
Cover story
practicing engineers
34 Cover Story Estimating need to be proactive
the Total Cost of Cartridge in staying current
and Bag Filtration When with the training
changeout and disposal costs they need
are added to the purchase
cost of filters, the total cost
of disposable filters can more
than quadruple . A proven departments
method of reducing total life-
cycle cost is larger surface- Letters . . . . . . . . . 6
area filters Calendar . . . . . . 8, 9
49 Environmental Manager Preventing Who’s Who . . . . . 28
neWs Dust Explosions Risk management pro-
Reader Service
11 Chementator World’s largest refinery grams are critical for safe handling and
page . . . . . . . . . . 66
starts up a novel sulfur-removal system; processing of combustible dust as well as
for OSHA regulatory compliance Economic
This wastewater-treatment technology
Indicators . . . 67, 68
can cut sludge by 50% or more; Imitat- 52 Engineering Practice Compressed
ing nature for improved CO2 capture; Gases: Managing Cylinders Safely Follow advertisers
This CO2-capture process promises these recommendations to ensure the safe
to have half the energy cost of MEA; handling, storage and use of gas cylinders Product
Removing Hg from soil; Making acrylic Showcase . 59, 60
acid from glycerin; Dandelion rubber; equipment & serviCes Classified
This newly commercialized organic Advertising . . 61–64
semiconductor is solutions-processible; 32D-2 ChemShow Preview (Domestic
Edition) This storage unit can survive a Advertiser Index . 65
A photocatalyst moves closer to com-
mercialization; Modular design would 5-psi blast without damage; Increase pro-
cess capacity with this thin-film evapora- Coming in
shorten construction times for nuclear
tor; This vacuum filter is certified to 0 .12 november
plants; Corn starch may have a future as
a foam packaging material; and more microns; Clean-up and maintenance for Look for: Feature
this round separator is easy; These bal- Reports on Drying
19 Newsfront Employment Outlook ances offer redesigned user interface; Get and Evaporation; and
A soft economy means fewer chemi- a large filter area with this belt filter; Filter Choosing the Right
cal engineering jobs, but salaries hold viscous media with this ultrafiltration cas- Pipe Size; Engineer-
steady sette; Increased process control offered ing Practice articles
23 Newsfront Feeling the Pressure En- with this absorption sensor; and more on Calculating Ther-
hanced pressure transmitters can help 32I-2 New Products & Services (Interna- mal Performance and
processors reduce maintenance and tional Edition) Scrub more H2S with this Internal Tube Fouling
labor costs during the economic pinch new adsorbent; Hazmat suits that are certi- of Fired Heaters; and
fied for safety; Improve vessel cleaning with Maximizing Efficiency
engineering this new range of spray balls; Connect and During R&D Scale Up;
disconnect fluid lines safely with this cou- A Focus on Water
32 Facts At Your Fingertips Chemical Treatment; News
pler; A wireless modem for gathering data
Resistance of Thermoplastics articles on Ionic
remotely; For high throughputs, consider
This one-page guide outlines consider- Liquids; and Process
this dry vacuum pump; This standardized
ations for choosing thermoplastics in Automation & Diag-
canned-motor pump has built-in protection;
corrosion-resistant applications nostics; Facts at Your
and more
44 Feature Report Energy Efficiency: 33 Focus Analyzers A new line for simply Fingertips on Tanks
Tracking Natural Gas With Flowmeters and Pressure Vessels;
and easily determining melting point; In-
Thermal mass flowmeters provide advan- A Second ChemShow
process analyzers eliminate the need for
tages over other options for metering the Preview; and more
random sampling; New laser gas analyzer
consumption of natural gas by individual for insitu, cross-stack tests; Moisture and
combustion units throughout the facility solids analyzer cools 25% faster Cover: David Whitcher
ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com oCtober 2009 3

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Circle 06 on p. 66 or go to adlinks.che.com/23019-06

9. Winner of Eight Jesse H. Neal
Awards for Editorial Excellence
Editor’s Page
Published since 1902
Don’t wait to react
L
An Access Intelligence Publication ast month, the chemical engineering profession began to feel its first
PublisHEr Art & dEsiGN
aftershocks from an explosion that occurred nearly two years ago at
MikE O’rOurkE dAvid WHitcHEr a plant that most of you would be hard-pressed to recall. The delivery
Publisher Art Director/ came in an accident report issued by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board
morourke@che.com Editorial Production Manager
dwhitcher@che.com (CSB; www.csb.gov). The report determined that the massive Decem Decem-
EditOrs
PrOductiON ber 2007 explosion and fire at T2 Laboratories in Jacksonville, Fla. was
rEbEkkAH J. MArsHAll
Editor in Chief MicHAEl d. krAus caused by a runaway chemical reaction that likely resulted from an inad
inad-
VP of Production & Manufacturing
rmarshall@che.com
mkraus@accessintel.com
equate reactor-cooling system.
dOrOtHy lOzOWski stEvE OlsON Concluding that T2 did not recognize all of the potential hazards of
Managing Editor
dlozowski@che.com
Director of Production & the process for making a gasoline additive, the report calls for improving
Manufacturing
GErAld ONdrEy (Frankfurt) solson@accessintel.com the education of chemical engineering students on chemical reactivity
Senior Editor JOHN blAylOck-cOOkE hazards. In fact, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE;
gondrey@che.com Ad Production Manager
jcooke@accessintel.com
New York; www.aiche.org) and the Accreditation Board for Engineering
scOtt JENkiNs
Associate Editor MArkEtiNG and Technology (ABET; Baltimore, Md.; www.abet.org) have been specifi
specifi-
sjenkins@che.com
HOlly rOuNtrEE cally petitioned to work together to include reactive chemical education
cONtributiNG EditOrs Marketing Manager
hrountree@accessintel.com
in baccalaureate chemical-engineering curricula across the country.
suzANNE A. sHEllEy
AudiENcE Chemical testing by the CSB found that the recipe used by T2 created
sshelley@che.com
dEvElOPMENt two exothermic, or heat-producing, reactions; the first was an intended
cHArlEs butcHEr (U.K.) sylviA siErrA
cbutcher@che.com Senior Vice President,
part of producing MCMT but the second, undesired reaction occurred
PAul s. GrAd (Australia) Corporate Audience Development when the temperature rose above 390ºF, slightly higher than the normal
ssierra@accessintel.com
pgrad@che.com production temperature. The cooling system likely malfunctioned due to
tEtsuO sAtOH (Japan) JOHN rOckWEll
tsatoh@che.com Vice President, a blockage in the water supply piping or a valve failure. Consequently,
JOy lEPrEE (New Jersey)
Audience Development Chemical the temperature and pressure inside the reactor began to rise uncontrol
uncontrol-
jrockwell@accessintel.com
jlepree@che.com
lAuriE HOfMANN
lably in a runaway chemical reaction. Approximately ten minutes after
GErAld PArkiNsON Audience Marketing Director the initial cooling problem was reported, the reactor burst and its concon-
lhofmann@Accessintel.com
(California) gparkinson@che.com tents exploded. “This is one of the largest reactive chemical accidents the
tErry bEst
EditOriAl
Audience Development Manager CSB has investigated,” said Chairman John Bresland.
AdvisOry bOArd
tbest@accessintel.com The CSB found that although the two owners of T2 had undergrad-
JOHN cArsON GEOrGE sEvEriNE
Jenike & Johanson, Inc.
Fulfillment Manager
uate degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering, they were likely
dAvid dickEy gseverine@accessintel.com unaware of the potential or the consequences of a runaway chemical
MixTech, Inc. JEN fElliNG reaction. The CSB noted that most baccalaureate-level, chemical-engi
chemical-engi-
MukEsH dOblE List Sales, Statlistics (203) 778-8700
IIT Madras, India j.felling@statlistics.com neering curricula in the U.S. do not specifically address recognition or
HENry kistEr cONfErENcEs management of reactive hazards. The CSB has released a nine-minute
Fluor Corp. dANA d. cArEy safety video, “Runaway: Explosion at T2 Laboratories,” containing a de de-
Director, Global Event Sponsorships
trEvOr klEtz
dcarey@chemweek.com
scription of the causes, consequences, lessons and recommendations re re-
Loughborough University, U.K.
PEck siM sulting from the accident.
GErHArd krEysA
DECHEMA e.V. Senior Manager, In a statement issued by AIChE in reaction to the report, Scott Berger,
Conference Programming
rAM rAMAcHANdrAN psim@chemweek.com executive director of AIChE’s Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS)
BOC
bEAtriz suArEz said, “As this terrible tragedy emphasizes, we agree with CSB that chemi
chemi-
Director of Conference Operations
iNfOrMAtiON
bsuarez@chemweek.com
cal engineering students should learn more about process safety and about
sErvicEs
rObErt PAciOrEk cOrPOrAtE chemical reactivity, in particular.” Berger noted that CCPS produces pre
pre-
Senior VP & Chief Information Officer stEvE bArbEr pared lectures and teaching materials on process safety for U.S. universi
universi-
rpaciorek@accessintel.com VP, Financial Planning & Internal Audit
sbarber@accessintel.com
ties through its Safety in Chemical Engineering Education (SACHE) pro pro-
cHArlEs sANds
Senior Developer briAN NEssEN gram. Professors can obtain educational materials from a Website to use
Web/business Applications Architect Group Publisher in their classrooms. Meanwhile, SACHE offers an online process-safety-
csands@accessintel.com bnessen@accessintel.com
certification program directly to chemical engineering students.
HEAdquArtErs
While the heat of the report is being focused on academia, the reality
110 William Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10038, U.S.
Tel: 212-621-4900 Fax: 212-621-4694 is that the existing training deficit for practicing chemi
chemi-
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Zeilweg 44, D-60439 Frankfurt am Main, Germany workforce. Meanwhile, recent staff reductions and the
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expanded responsibilities for each ChE raise the chances
circulAtiON rEquEsts:
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for additional gaps in process safety expertise. That
Fullfillment Manager; P.O. Box 3588, being the case, it’s up to each of us to be proactive and
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make sure that chemical engineers, young and old, stay
AdvErtisiNG rEquEsts: see p. 66
current with the training they need. Our effort in that
For photocopy or reuse requests: 800-772-3350 or info@copyright.com
For reprints: chemicalengineering@theygsgroup.com vein continues with the article on p. 49. ■
Rebekkah Marshall
ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com oCtober 2009 5

10. Letters
More questions of pressure relief
The following two comments relate to the November 2008
article, “Pressure Relief System Design” (pp. 40–45).
1. On p. 40 the author writes: “Conventional pressure-
relief valves are susceptible to back pressure. Such valves
are not recommended when the total back pressure ex-
ceeds 10% of the set pressure.” API Std 521 (Jan. 2007)
states another criteria in section 5.4.1.3.1: “... Where con-
ventional safety relief valves are used, the relief manifold
system should be sized to limit the built-up back pressure
to approximately 10% of the set pressure of each relief
valve that may be relieving concurrently.” Could you
please clarify the confusion between total and built-up
back-pressure?
2. Also, on p. 43, the k factor should be omitted from Equa-
tion (2) for the Mach number calculation under Isother-
mal conditions. See API Std 521 (Jan. 2007).
Lionel Sheikboudhou
Author replies
1. Conventional Pressure Relief Valves: In reality, conven-
tional pressure relief valves are recommended when the
built-up back pressure is within 10% of the set pressure.
However, in actual practice, the picture is sometimes a bit
more conservative. In many cases, in process data sheets,
the built-up back pressure and the superimposed back
pressures are not separately reported. Instead, the total
back pressure is reported. The vendor also selects the re-
lief valve based on this total back pressure.
Take the case of a relief valve which has a set pressure
of 5 bar(g). The superimposed back pressure is 0.4 bar(g)
and the built-up back pressure in case of the contingency
is 0.2 bar(g). Going by the built-up back pressure crite-
rion, a conventional relief valve should satisfy the duty.
Circle 07 on p. 66 or go to adlinks.che.com/23019-07
It works out to 4% of the set pressure (0.2 3 100/5 = 4).
However, if the total back pressure criterion is applied, it
works out to 12% of the set pressure [(0.4+0.2) 3 100/5].
A conventional relief valve would not be suitable in this
case, and the user would need to go for balanced bellows.
The total back pressure criterion is followed in many
cases and results in a more conservative design.
2. The k factor in the Mach Number formula: The previous
edition of API 521 had this k factor included in the for-
mula for Mach Number. However, in the latest edition, it
has been removed. In any case, k factors are in the range
of 1.1 to 1.2 for hydrocarbons, and after taking the square
root, the difference in Mach Numbers with k and without
k would not be significant.
Siddhartha Mukherjee
Lurgi India Co. Ltd.
Do you have — If so — Send them,
• Ideas to air? for our Letters column, to
• Feedback about our articles? Rebekkah Marshall
Chemical Engineering,
• omments about today’s engi-
C Access Intelligence,
neering practice or education? 110 William St., 11th floor
• ob-related problems or gripes
J New York, NY 10038;
to share? letters@che.com

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12. Calendar
NORTH AMERICA Economy (ACEEE; Washington, D.C.), the Precourt Inst.
Process Chemistry in the Pharmaceutical Indusry, for Energy Efficiency (Stanford University), and the Cali-
with Special Emphasis on Continuous Manufactur- fornia Institute for Energy and Environment (University
ing. American Chemical Society Professional Education of California) . Phone: 202-507-4034; Web: beccconference.
(Washington, D.C.). Phone: 800-872-4508 ; Web: org/09beccindex.htm
acsprospectives.org Washington, D.C. November 15–18
Durham, N.C. Nov. 2–4
2009 Chem Show (53rd CPI Exposition). In-
AAPS Annual Meeting and Expo. American Assn. ternational Exposition Co. (Westport, Conn.). Phone:
of Pharmaceutical Scientists (Arlington, Va.). Phone: 203-221-9232; Web: chemshow.com
703-243-2800; Web: aapspharmaceutica.com New York Nov. 17–19
Los Angeles Nov. 8–12
2009 Eastern Analytical Symposium & Exposition.
AIChE Annual Meeting. American Institute of Chemi- Eastern Analytical Symposium, Inc. (Montchanin, Del.).
cal Engineers (AIChE; New York). Phone: 800-242-4363; Phone: 203-485-4633; Web: eas.org
Web: aiche.org/conferences/annualmeeting/index.aspx Somerset, N.J. Nov. 16–18
Nashville, Tenn. Nov. 8–13
SOCMA 88th Annual Dinner. Society of Chemical
Introduction to Biopharmaceutical Manufactur- Manufacturers & Affliliates (SOCMA; Washington, D.C.).
ing. IBC Life Sciences (Westborough, Mass.). Phone: Phone: 202-721-4165; Web: socma.com
800-858-4881; Web: ibclifesciences.com/courses New York Dec. 7
Boston Nov. 9–10
Lab Automation 2010. Assn. for Lab Automation (Ge-
3rd Annual Behavior, Energy & Climate Change neva, Ill.). Phone: 708-486-0747; Web: labautomation.org
Conference. American Council for an Energy-Efficient Palm Springs, Calif. Jan. (2010) 20–21
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13. 3rd ACEEE Forum on Energy Efficiency in Agri-
culture. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient
Economy (Washington, D.C.). Phone: 202-507-4033; Web:
aceee.org/pubsmeetings/curmtgindex.htm
Madison, Wisc. Feb. (2010) 7–10
Corrosion 2010. NACE International (Houston). Phone:
281-228-6213; Web: nace.org
San Antonio, Tex. March (2010) 14–18
EuropE
ExpoSolidos 2009, 5th International Exhibition for
the Technology and processing of Solids. Profei, S.L.
(Barcelona); Phone: +34 932 386 868;
Web: exposolidos.com
Barcelona, Spain Nov. 17–19
New Horizons in Catalysis. Scientific Update (East
Sussex, U.K.). Phone: +44 (0) 1435 873062; Web: scientifi-
cupdate.co.uk
Cologne, Germany Dec. 3–4
ASIA & ElSEwHErE
M-plas 2009: 4th International plastics and rub-
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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Nov. 4–7
2009 pacific rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnol-
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Honolulu, Hawaii Nov. 8–11
power Bangladesh 2009. CEMS USA (New York),
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Inchem Tokyo 2009. The Japan Society of Chemical
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Tokyo Nov. 18–20
East Asian and pacific Area Corrosion Conference
2009. NACE International (Houston), in conjunction with
NACE Malaysia. Phone: 281-228-6213; Web: nace.org.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Nov. 23–25
9th ASCopE Conference and Exhibition. The
ASEAN Council on Petroleum (ASCOPE; Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia). Phone: +66 2 615 1255; Web: ascope2009.com
Bangkok, Thailand Nov. 26–28
CphI India. UBM International Media (Maarssen, Neth-
erlands). Phone: +31 346 559 405;
Web: cphi-india.com
Mumbai, India Dec. 1–3 ■
Suzanne Shelley
Circle 11 on p. 66 or go to adlinks.che.com/23019-11
ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com oCtober 2009 9

14. Circle 12 on p. 66 or go to adlinks.che.com/23019-12

15. Edited by Gerald Ondrey October 2009
SRU
World’s largest refinery starts up CBA SRU
incinerator
Bypass
a novel sulfur-removal system (99.0 %
recovery)
T wo sulfur-treatment technologies are
being used together for the first time
in a facility that is now starting up at
ery’s CBA sulfur recov-
ery complex, which has
no tail-gas treatment
SRU
incinerator
Bypass CBA
CBA SRU
Reliance Petroleum’s Jamnagar Export unit (TGTU), could not (99.0 % TGTU
(0.9 %
Refinery (Jamnagar, India). Designed by achieve higher than recovery)
recovery)
Black & Veatch (B&V, Overland Park, 99.2% SRE. SRU
Kan.; www.bv.com), the facility com- “The unique pairing incinerator
bines three Claus sub-dewpoint Cold- of three CBA trains Bypass
CBA SRU
Bed-Adsorption (CBA) sulfur trains with a common con- (99.0 %
recovery)
with a single, conventional amine-based ventional tail-gas unit
tail-gas treatment unit to process up to emerged as the best
2,025 metric tons per day (m.t./d) of sul- solution,” says Angela Slavens, Black & down of just one of the three dedicated
fur. The facility treats acid gases from Veatch’s vice president and sulfur tech- TGTUs for the Claus configuration.
a new, 600,000-bbl/d crude-processing nology manager. She says the capital cost The operating cost of the CBA system
expansion that makes the refinery the was comparable to using a more conven- is lower than that of the conventional
world’s largest, with a total capacity of tional application of three modified Claus option because the common TGTU for
1.2 million bbl/d. sulfur recovery units (SRUs), each with a the three trains uses approximately
Reliance wanted its new refinery to be dedicated TGTU. However, the selected 60% less steam, 30% less power, and re-
identical to the original refinery, includ- configuration provides for higher overall duces personnel and maintenance costs
ing the sulfur recovery facilities, which sulfur-complex-recovery efficiency on a by about 50%. Overall, Slavens notes
were designed by B&V in 1999. However, yearly rolling average than the conven- that the novel configuration addresses
in the interim, sulfur recovery efficiency tional approach, due to the fact that a Reliance’s objectives because it mini-
(SRE) requirements increased from shutdown of the common TGTU will re- mizes changes to the original SRU de-
98.7% to 99.9%, so it was impossible to sult in a less significant effect on overall sign while also affording the numerous
install a clone facility. The original refin- recovery efficiency than an upset or shut- benefits described above.
This wastewater-treatment technology
can cut sludge by 50% or more Retarded polymerization
a latent-acid catalyst that can
A biological wastewater-treatment technol-
ogy can reduce sludge by 50% or more
in some situations compared to the amount
depends on identifying and selecting indig-
enous HC-consuming species that are young
and entering the log-growth phase of their
be added to highly reactive
pre-polymer resins enabling
them to be stored for at least
generated by a traditional activated-sludge lifecycle and subjecting them to a proprie- three months prior to con-
wastewater-treatment process, according tary nutrient package that can be continu- trolled polymerization at 120°C
to The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.; ously adjusted inside a bioreactor. has been commercialized by
bac2 (Southampton, U.K.;
www.dow.com). Actual sludge reductions vary “No two bug cocktails are the same,” com-
www.bac2.co.uk). alternative
based on the particulars of the water stream ments Peder Danielsen, commercial direc-
catalysts typically retard vio-
and the specific contaminants at the site. tor at Dow. The faster-splitting bacteria lent polymerization reactions
The lowered sludge generation can sig- maintain a lower cell concentration and for just a few hours, or require
nificantly extend the life of a landfill and allow more surface area for breaking down activation temperatures above
lower disposal costs. Dow began marketing hydrocarbons, Danielsen explains. ACT is a 200°C — levels that are im-
the technology last month to the petroleum once-through process with no recycling, as practical for most polymer
refining industry. in activated sludge processes. manufacturing processes,
Known as Automated Chemostat Treat- The bacterial cocktail and nutrient pack- says the company.
ment (ACT), the technology was developed age is coupled with a control system capable Dubbed CSr10, the catalyst
is expected to be particularly
by BioPetroClean (New York; www.biopet- of constant inline monitoring, which allows
useful where polymeric pre-
roclean.com) as a more efficient way to re- operators to avoid upsets in the bioreactor,
mix production is performed
duce levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons and so improves process reliability. ACT, far away from molding opera-
(HCs) in either fresh or salt wastewater. which has been successfully demonstrated tions, because it enables safer
ACT is based on the application of a custom- at several locations around the world, can be transportation and storage of
ized bacterial cocktail to a wastewater tank. applied to wastewater on a continuous basis, the bulk materials and reduces
The bacteria mix is tailored for a specific ap- as well as applied on a one-time basis to a handling costs, says the firm.
plication and a particular plant. The process particular wastewater batch.
Note: For more information, circle the 3-digit number
on p. 66, or use the website designation. ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com oCtober 2009 11

16. C hementato R
Imitating nature for
improved CO2 capture
R esearchers from the University of Sydney
(Australia; www.usyd.edu.au) are develop-
ing structures, analogous to some sea crea-
tures, for capturing carbon dioxide that is
released when producing hydrogen from bio- right) with much-smaller (less than 2 nm)
mass. The project, funded by German energy and more-numerous pores, with an even Salt anticaker
company E.ON AG (Düsseldorf), will use re- greater capacity to capture CO2, due to its last month, akzonobel (am-
newable sources such as wood and agricul- large surface area. The structure, composed sterdam, the netherlands;
tural waste, and plastics, for producing H2. of calcium oxides, combines chemically with www.akzonobel.com) intro-
“We found that calcium-oxide-based sor- CO2, to produce calcium carbonate. When duced mta, a new anti-caking
bents were the most effective and Echinoder- heated to 700°C, the structure releases the agent for salt. the product
— a complex of iron and meso-
mata — sea creatures which include starfish CO2. Since the structure has a high temper-
tartrate — is recommended for
and sea urchins — already provided the per- ature resistance and is preserved, the pro-
membrane chlorine electroly-
fect templates for the structure we sought,” cess is reversible and can be applied many sis, instead of the current fer-
says team leader Andrew Harris, of the times. The team aims for up to 1,000 cycles. rocyanide. the company says
university’s School of Chemical and Biomo- Harris says some materials used for car- that using mta eliminates the
lecular Engineering. Those creatures have bon dioxide capture, such as lime, are not risk of forming explosive nitro-
a skeleton of calcium carbonate (photo, left), as effective. When heated, its pores tend to gen trichloride, lowers power
which is ideal for carbon capture, he says. collapse or coalesce and the lime cannot be consumption and increases
The team aims to create a structure (photo, used repeatedly. the lifetime of membranes
and electrodes. the use of the
cyanide-free mta also reduces
This CO2-capture process promises the environmental impact of
deicing salt.
to have half the energy cost of MEA
Biosensor for bacteria
B oth carbon dioxide and sulfur components
are removed from fluegas in a reversible
process being developed at Pacific North-
vimetric capacity of 19 wt.% for CO2, com-
pared to 7 wt.% for a monoethanolamine
(MEA) solution, the conventional absorbent
researchers from rovira i
Vigili University (tarragona,
west National Laboratory (PNNL, Richland, for CO2. This is because MEA must be used Spain; www.urv.cat) have de-
veloped a biosensor that can
Wash.; www.pnl.gov). The process uses a in an aqueous solution, with a concentra-
immediately detect low levels of
solvent that combines liquid organic bases tion limited to about 30% to avoid corrosion
Salmonella typhi, the bacteria
(amidine and guanidine) and alcohols to ab- problems. In contrast, the organic solvent that causes typhoid fever. the
sorb CO2 and sulfur compounds as ionic liq- uses alcohol in place of water, so Heldebrant sensor is composed of carbon
uid alkylcarbonates, says David Heldebrant, says the energy cost for stripping promises nanotubes and synthetic Dna
lead research scientist for the project. The to be half that of an MEA system. fragments, which generate an
pollutants are stripped for disposal by heat- So far, the process has been tested in the electrical signal when they link
ing the solvent to less than 140°C, then the laboratory. PNNL plans to scale up to 100 up with the pathogen. a single
solvent is recycled. mL to do process design, then to the 1-L Salmonella cell can be identi-
Heldebrant says the solvent has a gra- scale for tests on boiler fluegas. fied in a 5-ml sample, and the
sensor can make quantitative
measurements of up to 1,000
Removing Hg from soil bacteria/ml. measurements
can be performed in real time.
A n in-situ method that removes mercury
from soil, sludge and other industrial
waste has been patented (U.S. Patent 7 589
then migrates to the rod — driven by the
greater vapor pressure of Hg, as shown by
laboratory testing — where it reacts with sul-
in contrast, traditional methods
require 1–2 days.
248) by scientists at Brookhaven National fur to form a stabilized mercury sulfide. After Recycling Li
Laboratory (BNL; Upton, N.Y.; www.bnl. sufficient time, the rod can be removed for
the german Federal ministry
gov). The method shows promise as a simple safe disposal at a hazardous waste facility. for the environment, nature
and inexpensive way to decontaminate large So far, the method has been demonstrated Conservation and nuclear
areas tainted with low levels of Hg, where in laboratory trials with Hg-contaminated Safety has awarded €6.7
current Hg-extraction methods are expen- sand. After 50 days, the Hg concentration million to Chemetall gmbh
sive and impractical, says BNL. in a 3-in.-dia. area around the rod is found (Frankfurt, germany; www.
In BNL’s ISMS (in situ mercury stabili- to be 42 times lower than at the beginning chemetall.com) to set up a pilot
zation) method, a porous rod containing a of the test. Work is now underway to scale plant for recycling of lithium ion
sulfur-based reagent (such as sulfur polymer up to larger areas. BNL believes a single rod batteries. Chemetall is part of a
consortium of companies par-
cement, according to the patent), is inserted will eventually be able to remediate a “very
(Continues on p. 16)
directly into the contaminated soil. Mercury large area of mercury contamination.”
12 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com oCtober 2009

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18. C hementato R
Making acrylic acid from glycerin Development Organization (Kawasaki,
Japan). The company plans to finish
N ippon Shokubai Co. (Nisshoku;
Osaka, Japan; www.shokubai.co.jp) is
developing a process for making acrylic
Nisshoku is now optimizing the glyc-
erin dehydration step at the laboratory
scale, aiming to produce acrolein with a
bench-scale test and pilot-facility design
this year, and begin installation and op-
eration of the pilot facility at its Himehi
acid from glycerin directly obtained as yield of 80–90 mol%, and is also investing site for demonstrating acrolein produc-
a byproduct from biodiesel-fuel (BDF) ¥2 billion ($20 million) over 2009–2010 tion in 2010. The basic design of a com-
production. In 2007, Nisshoku demon- for a pilot facility, with support from the mercial plant is planned for 2011, with a
strated, under a grant from the Research New Energy and Industrial Technology study for commercialization by 2012.
Institute of Innovative Technology for
the Earth (Kyoto, Japan; www.rite.or.jp),
a process that co-produces BDF and
Dandelion rubber
glycerin with 98% purity from vegeta-
ble-based biomass, such as palm oil. The
company has produced 20 ton/yr of fatty
S cientists at the Fraunhofer Institute
for Molecular Biology and Applied
Ecology (IME; Aachen, Germany; www.
sians and Germans — has not caused
any allergies so far, making it ideal for
use in hospitals. This “new” rubber may
acid methyl ester (FAME) with 99 mol% ime.fraunhofer.de) have genetically en- also become important if the fungal in-
yield, and 2 ton/yr of glycerin at their gineered Russian dandelions to make it fection afflicting South American and
Tsukuba Research Laboratory. Now, it easier to extract the plant’s milky latex. Southeast Asian rubber crops reaches
plans to use this glycerin to make acrylic The scientists identified the enzyme re- epidemic proportions, causing a collapse
acid, a precursor for making plastics, sponsible for the rapid polymerization of the natural latex industry, says IME.
coatings, adhesives and elastomers. that occurs when dandelions are first For large-scale production of dande-
In the process, glycerin is dehydrated cut, and switched it off. As a result, four lion rubber (as well as other chemicals
over a new, supported acidic/basic catalyst to five times more latex can be obtained. produced by the plant, such as inulin,
to form acrolein, which is then oxidized If cultivated on a large scale, every a natural sweetener), the researchers
into acrylic acid using the company’s hectare would produce 500–1,000 kg of are working to cultivate the engineered
proprietary oxidation catalyst. In conven- latex per growing season, says IME. dandelion using conventional breeding
tional routes, acrolein is made from pro- Dandelion rubber — produced dur- techniques. This effort will take about
pylene oxide by a two-step process. ing World War II by Americans, Rus- five years, says IME.
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14 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com oCtober 2009

19. Circle 15 on p. 66 or go to adlinks.che.com/23019-15

20. C hementato R
Si
This newly commercialized, organic semiconductor 11 12 13 14 1
is solutions-processible 10 2
3
T he first commercially available, penta-
cene-based, organic semiconductor ma-
terial is sufficiently soluble to render it
where lower-cost transistors are desirable. 9
These include displays for handheld elec-
tronic devices, sensors in radio-frequency
8 7 6 5 4
amenable to solution-depositing methods, identification (RFID) tags, instrumentation
according to 3M (St. Paul, Minn.; www.3m. readouts and other display formats. Si
com). The company recently began market- Manufacturing TIPS-pentacene-based
ing the product as semiconductor L-20856 electronics does not require the high-capi-
(TIPS-pentacene) for low-cost transistors. tal-cost equipment associated with the fab-
Substitution of the five-ring system at rication of traditional silicon-based semicon- (Continued from p. 12)
specific locations (diagram) allows suffi- ductors. Also, environmentally hazardous ticipating in the LithoRec R&D
cient solubility in a range of hydrocarbon chemicals used in photolithographic etching project, which aims to develop
and halogenated solvents. With enhanced are not necessary. recycling technologies for Li-ion
solubility, the material can be coated onto Developed and studied by Professor John batteries for electric cars (see
substrates using solution deposition meth- Anthony at the University of Kentucky also CE, September, pp. 16–20).
ods, such as spin-coating, spray coating and (Lexington, Ky.; www.uky.edu), the function- Existing recycling tech-
ink-jet printing. alized five-ring aromatic structure exhibits niques focus on recycling the
The ability to utilize conventional solu- semiconductor performance comparable to small Li-ion batteries used
tion-depositing methods in manufacturing amorphous silicon, as well as good stabil- in portable electronics, with
little or no recovery of lithium.
electronic structures makes high-volume, ity in opaque containers. The p-type semi-
No process currently exists to
low-cost production possible, explains Larry conductor has a solubility of 6.57 wt.% in recycle car Li-ion batteries, es-
Ennett, 3M electronics-markets business- toluene at 23°C. As a solid, TIPS-pentacene pecially the recovery of Li from
development manager. The manufacturing is highly crystalline, but can be solution-de- the cathode and electrolytes,
advantages make TIPS-pentacene attractive posited onto flexible surfaces in thicknesses says Chemetall.
as a semiconductor material in applications between 30 and 100 nm.
Recording operators
A photocatalyst moves closer to commercialization Last month, Longwatch, Inc.
(Norwood, Mass.; www.long-
T his Fall, Sumitomo Chemical Co. (Tokyo;
www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp) will begin
shipping samples of Ilumio, a new photo-
discovered that platinum-doped tungsten-
oxide nanoparticles (100–150-nm dia.) dis-
persed in aqueous solution exhibited 10
watch.com) introduced the
Operator’s Console Recorder,
a software module that au-
catalyst, which is 10 times more effective times higher activity compared to that of tomatically records images
than existing titanium oxide catalysts for the existing photocatalyst products. The being shown of HMI (human-
deodorizing and antifouling under weak WO3-based catalyst demonstrated a high machine interface) or SCADA
room light. The company plans to install a performance for decomposing volatile or- (supervisory control and data
acquisition) operator’s displays.
commercial facility at its Niihama Plant, ganic compounds, as well as for reducing
The module takes its signals
which will have a production capacity of the odors from smoke and diapers after 16 directly from from each HMI
several tons per year when operational in h exposure to fluorescent lamps. Because screen’s video-software driver,
the second half of 2010. Sumitomo will tar- of Ilumio’s superior hydrophilic properties, so it records the actual video
get the wall-paper, household and automo- the company believes the catalyst can also being sent to the HMI. The
bile interior materials markets, and antici- provide antifogging and self-cleaning ben- software can accommodate
pates near-term annual sales of ¥1 billion efits compared to existing ultraviolet-radi- video signals from an unlimited
($10 million) for Ilumio. ation-driven TiO2-based catalysts. Ilumio number of HMIs to show what
In 2008, the company developed a tita- also exhibits antibacterial behavior. operators were watching at the
nium-oxide-based Ilumio, and in collabora- Ilumio will be available in two forms: as time of an event, alarm or pro-
cess upset. ❑
tion with Ryu Abe, an associate professor an aqueous dispersion (as described above),
at Hokkaido University (Sapporo, Japan), and as a mixed binder-coating material.
Modular design would shorten construction times for nuclear plants
S mall-scale, factory-built nuclear power
plants could dramatically reduce con-
struction times and capital costs for
developed at the national laboratory.
The reactors would be built in a mod-
ular fashion, with standardized compo-
100 MWe plant, Sandia researcher Paul
Pickard explains. Modular-plant, initial-
capital-cost requirements would there-
nuclear-based power generation. A re- nents manufactured in a factory and fore be proportionally lower than cur-
search team at Sandia National Labora- shipped to the plant site. If modular rent, larger-scale plant designs.
tory (Albuquerque, N.M.; www.sandia. designs were to be adopted on a com- The research team estimates the
gov) is seeking an industry partner to mercial scale, the per-unit costs are es- small-scale nuclear plants could eventu-
commercialize a modular reactor design timated at as low as $250 million for a (Continues on p. 18)
16 CHEMICAL ENgINEERINg www.CHE.COM OCTObER 2009

21. Circle 16 on p. 66 or go to adlinks.che.com/23019-16

22. C hementato R
Corn starch may have a future as a foam packaging material
F oams based on corn starch may one
day be substituted for polystyrene
foams through technology being de-
and the other a fiber-reinforced foam.
In the former process, corn starch
powder is mixed with plasticizers and
packaging material. In the second pro-
cess, cellulose fibers from wood pulp-
ing are dispersed in an aqueous starch
veloped by the Agricultural Research about 20% water and put through an slurry at about 100°C. The mixture
Service (ARS, Beltsville, Md.; www.ars. extruder to produce a solid string. The is cooled, more starch is added, along
usda.gov). The ARS Western Regional material is dried and pelletized, then with plasticizer, and the material is ex-
Research Center (Albany, Calif.) is the pellets are pre-expanded, put into truded and pelletized. In this case the
working on two processes. One makes a molds and heated to above 120°C to pellets are melted in a second extruder
product similar to expanded polystyrene form molded shapes, such as cups or at about 170°C and emerge from the ex-
truder as a string of expanded foam be-
cause of the sudden pressure drop. In a
Modular design of power, the small-scale nuclear plants commercial process the material would
(Continued from p. 16) would be an order of magnitude smaller be extruded as a sheet, from which din-
ally achieve construction times of around than traditional nuclear power plants. ner plates or other shallow containers
one-half to one-third as long as the time The Sandia system includes breeder could be produced under heat and pres-
needed to construct a large-scale reac- reactor technology that generates and sure, says Gregory Glenn, a research
tor, although construction times vary consumes its own fuel, with a liquid- plant physiologist.
greatly depending on locations and sodium-cooled reactor core. An advantage of the technology is
conditions. Other advantages to the The modular construction model that it uses inexpensive starch, avail-
small-scale design are efficiency, which could work well in remote areas, where able from corn, potatoes or wheat, says
eclipses other current nuclear designs, the electrical grid cannot accommodate Glenn. A drawback is that while the ma-
and times between refueling, which large reactors, or for powering military terial “looks like polystyrene” it absorbs
could be upwards of 10 years, compared bases. The design also allows for adapt- moisture, so the researchers are seeking
to 18 months with large power plants. ing to incremental needs of grids in de- a suitable water-resistant coating as
Designed to produce 100 to 300 MW veloping areas. part of the ongoing development. ■
Circle 17 on p. 66 or go to adlinks.che.com/23019-17

23. MEDIAN SALARY ACCORDING TO INDUSTRY
Source: American Institute for Chemical Engineering (AIChE)
Automotive
Environmental engineering
Newsfront Aerospace/Aeronautics/Astronautics
Safety and health
EmploymEnt
Equipment manufacturing
Materials and composites
Foods and beverages
Natural gas
outlook
Government
Public utilities
Paints and coatings
Electronics/Computers
Soaps/detergents/perfumes/cosmetics
Specialty chemicals
Biotechnology/life sciences
Soft economy means Research and development
Plastics and rubber products
fewer chemical Other
Pharmaceuticals
engineering jobs, Metals/metallurgical products/minerals processing
Forest products/pulp/paper
but salaries hold steady Commodity chemicals
Alternative energy
A
continued economic contraction Agricultural chemicals
remains the dominant feature Synthetic fibers/textiles/films
of the employment landscape Software
for chemical engineers, with Nuclear energy and allied fields
fewer job openings and choosier cor- Design /Construction/Consulting
porate hiring processes, but chemical Petrochemicals and petroleum products
engineering salaries are strong, ac- Industrial gases
cording to those closest to the chemi- Catalysts
cal engineering job front. Despite Oilfield services and exploration
overall job losses in the chemical pro- Petroleum Production/refining
cess industries (CPI), demand for cre- Business/finance/law/insurance
ative chemical engineers with broad Education
skill sets remain strong, which helps 90,000 100,000 110,000 120,000 130,000 140,000
support higher salaries. 95,000 105,000 115,000 125,000 135,000
Larry Jacobsen, executive director U.S. dollars
of the National Society for Profes- Figure 1. Median salaries by industry sector, according to data collected by
sional Engineers (NSPE; Alexandria, AIChE. Several areas — electronics/computers, business/finance/law, automotive,
Va.; www.nspe.org), says chemical forest products/pulp/paper, industrial gases, oilfield services, paints and coatings,
engineers with creativity, as well as safety and health, soaps/detergents/cosmetics, synthetic fibers — have a number of
respondents lower than that considered necessary to ensure statistical accuracy
experience that spans multiple areas
within the CPI, will always be in de- tic mean, the median is not affected by trum have risen consistently for the
mand because they have the ability to extreme values. past 15 years.
solve tough engineering problems. While salaries have moved higher, Consistent with expectations, earn-
Survey data from multiple sources the range of salaries for chemical ings increased with work experience,
indicate that salaries for chemical engineers is significant, points out the AIChE survey shows. The median
engineers have generally increased NSPE’s Jacobsen. Top students from salary for AIChE survey respondents
over the past two years. Respondents the best engineering schools will with less than six years of time on
to the biannual survey of the Ameri- likely command significantly higher the job is $72,500. The median sal-
can Institute of Chemical Engineers salaries than the rest. Similarly, com- ary moves to $88,000, $101,000 and
(AIChE; New York; www.aiche.org) re- panies pursuing the best performers $113,000 as experience grows to 6–10
port salary gains of 7% over 2007 (the in the workplace — especially those years, 11–15 years and 16–20 years,
last time the survey was conducted). with the ability to bring knowledge respectively. The largest group of re-
The median chemical engineering sal- and insight from one industry sec- spondents to the AIChE survey had
ary for 2009 is $110,950 (compared to tor to another — will drive salaries 26–30 years of work experience and
103,730 in 2007). Data collected by the higher. Data from the AIChE survey showed a median salary of $130,000.
NSPE indicate that the 2009 median indicate that the median salary for
salary for chemical engineers in that the lowest decile of the responding Recruitment landscape
pool is $105,000, a 2% increase over population is $69,230, while the me- Although experienced engineers
the 2008 value. Medians are consid- dian salary among the top-paid tenth seem to be enjoying solid compen-
ered the preferred measure of typical of the responding group is $180,000 sation levels, companies looking to
salaries, because, unlike the arithme- (Table 1). Salaries across the spec- recruit and hire are often taking
ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com oCtober 2009 19