Monthly Archives: July 2012

Corn seen as new starting material for Chemical Production

Posted on by
Reply

 

The future of corn is about to change dramatically, according to Parchem.  Historically seen as only a food source, the past few decades have proved that corn works as an energy source as well.  Recent studies and research have shown that the future of corn is steering in the direction of corn being used as a source for chemical production. Due to the purity of starches and enzymes that are contained in corn, many new developments in chemical technology and biotechnology have proved these sugars and starches work well to catalyze new chemicals.

 
Corn as fuelThis particular usage of corn is not necessarily new, however the research and technology now available make it more efficient than ever. Chemical production from corn will prove to be more economical and a more sustainable source than that of the traditional petroleum products.  This will most likely have the greatest effect on products such as resins and plastics, which are typically produced with petroleum.

 
New and innovative advances in cellulose conversion, in particular the way enzymes and micro-organisms convert corn stalks into sugars and ethanols are fueling this process.  Applying this technology to corn will not only make traditional corn processing more efficient but will aid in production of new products that will come from the corn kernel itself.

 
The transition over to corn chemistry will lead the way into new markets, with the major ethanol processing plants producing chemicals as bi-products of the ethanol process. Due to these changes, corn processing will now become a more profitable business, offering a multitude of products for a variety of new markets. There are still items that will need to be worked out in order for this process to be complete and efficient. Continued research will need to be done in order to bring this new technology from the lab to launch into the marketplace.

Carbon Sciences’ technology could change natural gas industry, aid gasoline production

Posted on by
Reply

Carbon Sciences revealed that new research confirms that the company’s carbon dioxide (CO2) dry reforming catalyst technology can effectively use low value, high CO2 content natural gas. The company’s CO2 technology could dramatically change the economics of the natural gas industry by allowing for the commercial use of vast amounts of low value, high CO2 content natural gas to make valuable products, as well as reduce industry-wide CO2 emissions for all natural gas producers.
Most of the world’s natural gas reserves contain some amount of CO2. With current technology, natural gas is economically viable only when the CO2 content is less than 10-15% of the total volume. If the CO2 content is higher, then the removal process is prohibitively expensive, therefore leaving these natural gas reserves uneconomical to develop. To be marketable and pipeline ready, the CO2 content must be reduced at the wellhead to a content level of approximately 2.5%.
Carbon Sciences’ is commercializing its CO2 dry reforming catalyst technology that converts CO2 rich natural gas directly into synthesis gas (syngas). Syngas is an industry standard feedstock used to make many valuable products, such as hydrogen, fertilizers, methanol, plastics, as well as liquid fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. By processing CO2 rich natural gas directly using its CO2 technology, Carbon Sciences’ management believes that certain natural gas producers can unlock the cash value of their high CO2 gas fields and that all natural gas producers can reduce their CO2 emissions.
The technology could produce synthesis gas (syngas) from natural gas to feed operations using ExxonMobil’s proprietary methanol to gasoline (MTG) process. MTG gasoline is fully compatible with conventional refinery gasoline and can be either blended with conventional refinery gasoline or sold separately with minimal further processing. Carbon Sciences believes their technology could be a very good front-end solution for users of ExxonMobil’s MTG process. Other approaches to transforming natural gas into transportation fuels require a refinery step.

NEW CABOT TRANSFINITY PRODUCTS CREATE DESIGN FLEXIBILITY FOR ANTI-VIBRATION ELASTOMERS

Posted on by
Reply

Cabot Corp announces the launch of new Transfinity™elastomer composite products specifically designed for use in anti-vibration applications.  These products provide elastomer compound formulators the flexibility to control damping levels and achieve the highest levels of dynamic durability.  This new flexibility in material formulation creates opportunities to design smaller, more reliable, lightweight parts for use in automotive, aerospace, marine, rail and industrial vibration control systems.

“Meeting the design requirements of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the transportation industry is incredibly challenging.  Automotive manufacturers are striving to improve fuel efficiency through vehicle weight reduction without compromising overall performance or vehicle reliability.  In order to do so, our customers are constantly faced with difficult tradeoffs between part size, part lifetime and part performance,” says David Reynolds, Cabot Elastomer Composites business manager.  “Using our new Transfinity products, component manufacturers no longer need to make such compromises and can now offer their customers products with improved vibration management and longer lifetimes in smaller packages.”

Transfinity products are composites made from elastomer latex, which is a liquid form of rubber, and reinforcing particles, such as carbon black.  The products are produced in a patented process that creates composites that are stronger than conventional elastomer materials and can reduce abrasive wear by fifty percent as well as double the fatigue life of anti-vibration components.