Continuous improvement historical developments

Rhodium catalyzed carbonylations of olefins and methanol can be operated in the absence of an alkyl iodide or hydrogen iodide if the carbonylation is operated in the presence of iodide-based ionic liquids. In this chapter, we will describe the historical development of these non-alkyl halide containing processes beginning with the carbonylation of ethylene to propionic acid in which the omission of alkyl hahde led to an improvement in the selectivity. We will further describe extension of the nonalkyl halide based carbonylation to the carbonylation of MeOH (producing acetic acid) in both a batch and continuous mode of operation. In the continuous mode, the best ionic liquids for carbonylation of MeOH were based on pyridinium and polyalkylated pyridinium iodide derivatives. Removing the highly toxic alkyl halide represents safer, potentially lower cost, process with less complex product purification. 

It should be noted that all the technologies and catalysts in use in Polynt have been developed internally by its R D and engineering teams. The historical traditions of a technology-oriented company, and the outstanding R D know-how and facilities available in its laboratories, allow for continuous improvement of products and plants. 

The purpose of this chapter is to summarize the status of the global polyethylene business as of 2012 and to briefly discuss some historical aspects of this business which demonstrate how the technology of this seemingly simple material has continually improved over the course of eight decades as the result of the efforts of thousands of scientists and engineers worldwide. Other chapters in this book will discuss the technical development of the polyethylene business in more detail. 

The performance of the MCFC has improved greatly over the years, at the beginning of life and during its life history. Figure 7.14 shows the historical development in the performance of the MCFC. Improvements in the materials, electrolyte matrix, and other aspects have resulted in steady improvement in the power density. Continued improvement in durability is needed for stationary applications, however. 

In 1960 the author was charged with the review and improvement of the ethylene oxide technology of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC). A historic overv iew revealed some interesting facts. The basic French patent of Lefort (1931,1935) for ethylene oxide production was purchased by UCC in 1936. In 1937, a pilot-plant was operated and commercial production started in 1938. By 1960, UCC s production experience was several hundred reactor-years. This was expressed as the sum of the number of production reactors, each multiplied by the number of years it had been in operation. Research and development had continued since the purchase of the original patent and the total number of people involved in ethylene oxide related research at one time reached one hundred. 

Historically, the standard deodorizer held 60,000 lb of oil (one railroad tank car). Except for refineries making only a few kinds of oil, as for export, building of continuous deodorizers slowed with the advent of Just-In-Time (JIT) delivery, supplier self-certification, and customers buying on the basis of their projected production schedules. This has led to development of improved batch-continuous systems, which are designed to handle many batches of different oil blends per day, with minimum cross-contamination and delays for process. 

Historically, polysiloxane elastomers have been reinforced with micron scale particles such as amorphous inorganic silica to form polysiloxane microcomposites. However, with the continued growth of new fields such as soft nanolithography, flexible polymer electronics and biomedical implant technology, there is an ever increasing demand for polysiloxane materials with better defined, improved and novel physical, chemical and mechanical properties. In line with these trends, researchers have turned towards the development of polysiloxane nanocomposites systems which incorporate a heterogeneous second phase on the nanometer scale. Over the last decade, there has been much interest in polymeric nanocomposite materials and the reader is directed towards the reviews by Alexandre and Dubois (4) or Joshi and Bhupendra (5) on the subject. 

Apart from its historical interest, this brief survey over the centuries from 1800 to 2000 helps underscore the fact that key developments in battery research and technology have always come in response to specific sector demands that have in turn followed signal scientific advances. Nowadays, the three main rechargeable systems are the lead-, nickel-, and lithium-based batteries. While the first two, with their roots in the last century, are undergoing continual refinement to improve their performance in today s applications, the last is the result of the most recent research into new materials and the one that offers greater expectations. 

Historically, the price trends of all plastics have been downward—a tribute to the industry s technological and market development advances. However, the plastics industry cannot long survive if it cannot sell its products at a fair price for a reasonable profit. If it is to continue its advancement in the 70 s at the 13-15% growth rate and offer new and improved products to its customers (it is estimated that in the late 70 s, perhaps 50% of the products to be sold are unknown today or not available in large quantities), a proper return on investment must be maintained. 

The development of polypropylene copolymer multiphase systems is continuing at a robust pace. These polymer systems, based on simple and inexpensive polymer budding blocks, are being improved for applications historically reserved for more expensive engineering thermoplastics. The understanding of the structure/property relationships in polypropylene copolymers will indeed be a driver for further innovation in the commercial application of these polymers. 

---