RESUME Chemical Engineering Magazine

Agustus 2019

Wahyu Kurniawan 1714014

Rizqy fajar sodiq 1714030
Chementator

• Microbial electrolysis produces H2 from organic waste

• 
• A modular, fuel-cell-like assembly featuring specially developed microbial communities is capable of
producing pure hydrogen from a wide range of organic wastes. Developed by startup company
Electro-Active Technologies (Oak Ridge, Tenn.; https://electroactive.tech), the microbial electrolysis
system is now in the prototype stage, and the company has plans for a pilot-scale demonstration in
2020.
• 
• The technology offers a way to produce a carbon-free renewable fuel and industrial gas from food
waste, and other organic material that might otherwise end up in landfills, generating methane, a
potent greenhouse gas. “With microbial electrolysis, we are able to produce pure hydrogen at half the
cost of conventional water electrolysis, while also utilizing food waste as a resource,” says company
CEO Alex Lewis, who co-founded the company with his former advisor Abhijeet Borole after
completing his doctoral research project in this area at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (www.ornl.gov).
Plant Watch
• Oxea to build new carboxylic acids plant in Germany
• 
• July 6, 2019 —Oxea (Monheim am Rhein, Germany; www.oxea-chemicals.com) is building a new world-scale production plant for
carboxylic acids in Oberhausen, Germany. When brought onstream by the end of 2021, it will double the current production capacity for
isononanoic acid and increase Oxea’s total production capacity for carboxylic acids by more than 30%.
• 
• Total starts up biorefinery in southeast France
• 
• July 3, 2019 — Total (Paris, France; www.total.com) has started up production at the La Mède biorefinery in southeastern France, with the
first batches of biofuel coming off the line. It is the final step in converting a former oil refinery into a new energies complex. Launched in
2015, the project represents a capital expenditure of €275 million. The biorefinery has a capacity of 500,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr).
• 
• Lenzing Group builds world’s largest lyocell fiber plant in Thailand
• 
• June 26, 2019 — Over the next few years, Lenzing Group (Lenzing, Austria; www.lenzing.com) plans to invest more than €1 billion in new
production facilities for lyocell fibers. The first expansion phase of this growth plan, the construction of a lyocell fiber production plant in
Prachinburi, Thailand, has now been approved. The plant will have a capacity of 100,000 ton/yr and feature investments of approximately
€400 million.
Increasing the Reliability of Valves Through
Design
• The latest valves are designed to last in challenging chemical
applications, increasing uptime and safety
• 
• As operational efficiency and safety continue to be top priorities in the
chemical process industries (CPI), processors are demanding increased
reliability from their equipment, and valves — whether large process
control valves or small pilot, pressure reducing or specialty valves — are
no exception to this rule. Fortunately more robust valve designs, as well
as smarter valves and accessories, are boosting the performance of all
types of valves, even in the harshest of environments.
Focus on Pipes, Tubing and Fittings
• The CorroLogic CorrPlug caps (photo) protect pipe ends, pipe threads and
other tubular objects from corrosion, mechanical damage and intrusion (by
foreign objects) during storage and shipping. These pipe caps are
constructed from heavy-wall black polyethylene that contains proprietary,
vapor-phase corrosion inhibitors. They are designed for easy installation and
removal, which helps to reduce labor needs. During humidity testing, pipe
threads equipped with these caps showed a significant advantage in
corrosion resistance compared to those capped with regular plastic caps
that contain no corrosion inhibitors, says the company. These caps are made
to order in most standard NPT pipe sizes, ranging from 0.25 to 65 in. in dia.
They protect carbon steel, stainless steel, copper, brass and aluminum pipes.
— Cortec Corp., St. Paul, Minn.
Selecting a Heat-Transfer Fluid Supplier
• Lean workforces are the norm in current plant environments. In the context of heat exchange systems,
the current situation amplifies the need to select a heat-transfer fluid supplier with the expertise and
technical resources to handle non-routine circumstances. This one-page reference outlines questions
that operating companies should consider when selecting a supplier.
• 
• Product options
• 
• Products backed by years of history and consistency of published data carry less technical risk. Early in
project cycles, fluid selection often requires close collaboration with fluid experts to select the optimal
chemistry to meet heat-duty demands, provide longevity with low lifecycle costs, and limit risks for
operational and process safety. Allowing a heat-transfer system to be a testing ground for inexperienced
vendors or products that are unproven in the given application presents significant risks. Suppliers with
broad experience with established fluids in varying applications mitigate that risk. Consider the value of
using a supplier with a large portfolio, proven technical data and properties, and a variety of chemistries
from which to choose.
Titanium Dioxide Production
• This column is based on “Titanium Dioxide Production Process – Cost Analysis,” a report
published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/titanium-dioxide-production-
cost.
• 
• Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is the naturally occurring oxide of titanium, and is found particularly in
rutile ores. The compound has great technological importance: it is a commodity chemical
widely used in paints, coatings, plastics, food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The vast majority
of titanium ore is processed into titanium dioxide, the most used titanium product.
• 
• The process
• 
• The process under analysis comprises three major sections: (1) ilmenite processing; (2) titanium
dioxide hydration; and (3) titanium dioxide treatment
Liquid Mixing in Stirred Tanks
• A method of quantifying mixing according to a mixing index is presented. This index
can evaluate and predict mixing intensity related to fluid velocities in stirred tanks
• 
• The stirred tank is one of the most common and versatile pieces of chemical
process equipment. While every chemical engineer has had a course about
chemical reactors and has encountered the concept of a continuous stirred tank
reactor (CSTR), very few of those same engineers can evaluate or predict the mixing
performance of a stirred tank. While some stirred tanks are used as continuous
flow reactors, others are used as batch reactors. Many more stirred tanks are used
for physical processing of formulations without any chemical reactions. A method
of quantifying mixing according to a mixing index can evaluate and predict mixing
intensity related to fluid velocities in stirred tanks.
Beyond Simple Mixing
• Five different examples are presented in which specialty mixers are used to
perform tasks more efficiently than conventional approaches
•   
• Specialty mixers serve a vast range of applications throughout the chemical
process industries (CPI). The approach to mixer selection invariably starts with
examining the different phases to be combined (solid/liquid, liquid/liquid, semi-
solid/liquid, gas/liquid and so on). Considering the miscibility of the various raw
materials, it’s easy to see how the underlying objective — uniformity — is easier
to achieve in some mixing operations more than others. Apart from miscibility,
various other application factors impose challenges to mixing. These include
non-Newtonian behavior, agglomeration, sensitivity to shear, temperature-
related degradation and competing chemical reactions, just to name a few.
Considerations for Industrial Gas Purification
• Purity requirements and gas properties require different methods for the purification of industrial
gases. Provided here are key considerations for selecting gas purification technology
•  Industrial gases are critical for a wide range of applications throughout the chemical process
industries (CPI). In most cases, industrial gases are produced to a particular purity specification,
which means they may contain only a limited quantity of contaminants. For many applications, the
gases provided by suppliers may not meet process specifications for a given process, meaning that
the gas would require purification to further reduce contaminants. An improved understanding of
industrial gas generation, storage and separation can help with the selection of the gas purification
technology that meets process needs. A number of key considerations can have an impact on the
type of gas purifier selected. These include the following: the production method for the gas
supply; the purity of the gas source; how the gas source is packaged; the species of impurity
molecules to be removed and the expected purity; as well as media selection, media capacity,
space velocity, package design and shipping requirements. This article discusses the production of
industrial gases with respect to methods of purification, storage, safety and shipping.
Tailgas Considerations for Biogas Upgrading
• Thermal oxidation is used to destroy tailgas from biogas-upgrading facilities.
Presented here are guidelines for selecting the proper method
•   
• With the evolving economics of renewable energy credits comes increased
interest in biogas-upgrading facilities. Renewable natural gas (RNG) plants are
being designed and built at a remarkable pace. Many scholarly articles have been
written to address the pros and cons of each popular method of biogas
enhancement. The objective is to process as much of the methane into a high-
purity form for injection into the natural gas pipeline, while efficiently removing
all undesirable impurities from the raw gas. These impurities include O2, H2O,
H2S, N2, CO2 and other trace amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
that are present in the feed.
Controlling Dust through Pelletizing
• Tumble-growth agglomeration can reduce dust in solids-handling processes. Here’s how
it works 
• Handling and processing bulk solids appears in nearly every industrial sector, from
energy to agriculture. Dust is a ubiquitous and challenging issue when working with bulk
solids, because it can create hazardous or unsanitary work environments, transportation
problems and financial waste in the form of lost product.
• 
• It is not surprising then, that each year, companies go to great expense to control and
mitigate dust. One of the most effective ways to manage dust is through pelletizing — a
form of tumble-growth agglomeration (particle size enlargement) that produces rounded
or spherical granules. Pelletizing can be an invaluable tool in managing dusty bulk solids
that opens opportunities in beneficial reuse applications, creates marketable products
and mitigates the handling and processing challenges associated with dust.