Chemical Processing Distilled

If you spend enough time dealing with particulate solids, you’ll encounter very sticky solids and end up spending countless hours cleaning out a plugged distributor, opening a discharge chute or banging on the vessel to get the solids to flow. There are many reasons solids clump or stick to surfaces. Let’s face it: sticky solids need special attention. But first, we must identify the source of the stickiness. 

In this episode, Traci Purdum, CP's editor-in-chief, reads a column from Solids Advice columnist Tom Blackwood. 

You can read the column here.

While bubble-cap trays excel in low-leakage and turndown applications, operators should also be aware of additional challenges such as vapor blowing that can occur at high vapor rates and low liquid rates.

This episode discusses the complex challenge of managing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) chemicals amid evolving regulations. Phil Molé from Velocity EHS explains that companies struggle to identify PFAS in their inventories due to vague product names and changing chemical compositions.

PFAS are persistent, bioaccumulative toxins that resist biodegradation and contaminate the environment, driving regulatory action across federal, state and international jurisdictions. Companies must prioritize phase-outs based on their operating locations and applicable regulations, such as EPA's Form R reporting requirements (with a low 100-pound threshold for PFAS) and EU REACH regulations.

In a recent episode of Amplified from Control magazine, host Keith Larson interviews Brian Reynolds (Honeywell CTO), Alicia Kempf (Honeywell Director Offering Management), and David Patin (ExxonMobil TDC Modernization Program Lead Engineer). The discussion took place at the 2025 Honeywell User Group meeting, celebrating 50 years since the first Honeywell TDC 2000 installation in 1975.

The conversation traces the evolution of distributed control systems from centralized cabinet rooms in the 1970s-80s to today's truly distributed architecture with Universal IO and virtualization. Key developments include automated device commissioning, which reduced loop checks from hours to minutes, and the ability to modernize legacy systems on-process without shutdowns.

This week's episode includes exclusive, unpublished content related to Trump administration's R&D cuts within the EPA and their potential effects on environmental research priorities.

Recent chemical industry developments highlight regulatory tensions and operational changes. EPA workers are protesting new leadership under Zeldin, with 139 employees placed on administrative leave amid accusations of science politicization and environmental justice program cuts. Trump granted the chemical industry a two-year EPA exemption, addressing industry concerns about previous regulations. Meanwhile, Braskem launched its $89 million Brave Future ethane carrier as part of fleet expansion, while Dow announced closures of three European plants by 2027 to improve margins. Researchers developed a breakthrough catalytic method converting biopolymers into recyclable high-performance plastics.

Using new 3D fluorescence imaging, scientists have identified how aging polymer coatings generate corrosive compounds, leading to improved preservation strategies for cultural artifacts.

In today’s episode, Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum will be reading a column from editor-at-large Seán Ottewell – “Why Protective Coatings Damage Metal Artifacts — and How to Fix It,” which was posted to our site on July 7, 2025

Get your sea legs ready. The economy is getting choppy, according to Martha Gilchrist Moore, chief economist and managing director, economics and statistics at the American Chemistry Council (ACC).

Are you leaving $7.7 million on the table? A single chemical plant identified annual energy savings worth that much through an analysis that took just months to complete. The payback period? Less than two years. The solution? None other than your chemical engineering 101 heat integration through pinch analysis and heat exchanger network optimization.

Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum reads the latest Energy Saver column written by Thomas Kwan.

The Trump administration has proposed to eliminate the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board by October 2026, citing fiscal responsibility and redundancy. Industry experts oppose this move, warning it would remove crucial disaster prevention oversight despite the agency's modest $14 million budget. Meanwhile, recycling advances continue: Eastman expanded molecular recycling operations to 110,000 metric tons annually in Tennessee, while BASF launched Europe's largest battery recycling plant, processing nearly 40,000 EV batteries yearly. On the innovation front, Department of Energy researchers developed a photosynthesis-inspired catalyst that selectively converts CO2 into formate using light, potentially revolutionizing industrial chemical production by avoiding unwanted byproducts that plague current conversion methods.

Did you know that today — June 23 — is International Women in Engineering Day (INWED)? Launched by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) in the UK in 2014, the event has since grown into an internationally recognized awareness campaign celebrated by various organizations, institutions, and individuals around the world. Each year, INWED adopts a specific theme to focus on women’s contributions to engineering and STEM. This year’s theme is “Together We Engineer.”

From the days of Cleopatra to contemporary chemical engineers, we look at the women who transformed modern life through innovations touching nearly every aspect of human existence.

#INWED2025