Solubility of Water in Benzene Derivatives
The solubility of water in the hydrocarbons that comprise crude oil is an increasingly important issue in view of processing, safety and environmental considerations surrounding product quality and equipment sustainability. Water in the reacting hydrocarbon species may result in the formation of undesirable by-products. To illustrate the importance of water solubility in hydrocarbons, we offer the results of solubility studies involving water in benzene derivatives. The results for both solubility and Henry’s Law constant for water are provided in an easy‑to‑use tabular format for a wide variety of benzene derivatives contained in crude oil....

Saving Energy In Regenerative Oxidizers
An alternative to thermal oxidation is catalytic oxidation of VOCs, which runs at much lower temperatures — about 500–900 ºF. A regenerative catalytic oxidizer (RCO) uses the same operating principle as RTO, but consumes substantially less auxiliary fuel. The authors have found that in many situations, RTOs can be retrofitted to RCOs. Energy savings after such a retrofit can quickly justify the costs for the catalysts and installation. This article discusses basic RTO and RCO technology with an emphasis on thermal efficiency and energy balance. ...

Supercritical CO2: A Green Solvent
Many reactions, extractions, separations and other operations in the chemical process industries (CPI) involve the use of organic solvents. In addition to handling and disposal issues, organic solvents can pose a number of environmental concerns, such as atmospheric and land toxicity. In many cases, conventional organic solvents are regulated as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In addition, certain organic solvents are under restriction due to their ozone-layer-depletion potential. Supercritical carbon dioxide is an attractive alternative in place of traditional organic solvents....

Novel and Conventional Approaches to Sterilization
The inactivation and elimination of bacteria are pressing issues in the chemical process industries (CPI) where high-purity conditions are needed. High accuracy in ensuring sterility is vital due to the serious implications of having products come in contact with contaminated equipment. For the past fifty years, three main forms of sterilization have been implemented in the pharmaceutical and medical industries. In recent years, technological advances have resulted in great strides in sterilization research. This article examines several methods of sterilization and compares their beneficial and detrimental attributes. While focus is given to the pharmaceutical and medical industries, the processes discussed are applicable to any industry where high-purity conditions are required....

Comparing petrochemical plant aging
The massive buildup of new petrochemical capacity in the Middle East and Asia has been well documented, and its effect on future supply-demand much discussed. But a look at the average ages of plants in different regions in the years that follow this capacity...