In Italy

The use of an unnecessarily hot utility or heating medium should be avoided. This may have been a major factor that led to the runaway reaction at Seveso in Italy in 1976, which released toxic material over a wide area. The reactor was liquid phase and operated in a stirred tank (Fig. 9.3). It was left containing an uncompleted batch at around 160 C, well below the temperature at which a runaway reaction could start. The temperature required for a runaway reaction was around 230 C. ... 

Around 2000, the regulations should become more severe. In this area, a European limit of benzene of 3% appears very probable certain countries such as Germany are even looking at 1%. In Italy, it was decided towards the end of 1991, to limit benzene to 2.5% for leaded and unleaded fuels in the seven largest cities characterized by having heavy atmospheric pollution concurrently, in these same cities, the overall aromatic contents of gasolines should not exceed 33%. 

After deleting these entries, one returns to step 1 and earries out the proeess again. For the p2 example, the box after deleting the first nine produet states looks as follows (those that appear in italies should be viewed as already eaneelled in eounting all of the P states) ... 

Gr. technetos, artificial) Element 43 was predicted on the basis of the periodic table, and was erroneously reported as having been discovered in 1925, at which time it was named masurium. The element was actually discovered by Perrier and Segre in Italy in 1937. It was found in a sample of molybdenum, which was bombarded by deuterons in the Berkeley cyclotron, and which E. Eawrence sent to these investigators. Technetium was the first element to be produced artificially. Since its discovery, searches for the element in terrestrial material have been made. Finally in 1962, technetium-99 was isolated and identified in African pitchblende (a uranium rich ore) in extremely minute quantities as a spontaneous fission product of uranium-238 by B.T. Kenna and P.K. Kuroda. If it does exist, the concentration must be very small. Technetium has been found in the spectrum of S-, M-, and N-type stars, and its presence in stellar matter is leading to new theories of the production of heavy elements in the stars. 

The alkalized zinc oxide—chromia process developed by SEHT was tested on a commercial scale between 1982 and 1987 in a renovated high pressure methanol synthesis plant in Italy. This plant produced 15,000 t/yr of methanol containing approximately 30% higher alcohols. A demonstration plant for the lEP copper—cobalt oxide process was built in China with a capacity of 670 t/yr, but other higher alcohol synthesis processes have been tested only at bench or pilot-plant scale (23). 

Gut Rubber and Extruded Latex. The manufacturing technology for cut and extmded mbber thread is much older and more widely known than that for spandex fibers. Because production faciUties can be installed with relatively modest capital investment, manufacture of mbber thread is fragmented and more widely distributed with a few major and many minor producers. On a worldwide basis, Fikattice of Italy is the largest mbber thread producer with modem extmded latex plants in Italy, Spain, Malaysia, and the United States. Second in production capacity is the Globe Manufacturing Co., Fall River, Massachusettes with production operations in the United States and the UK. These firms also produce spandex fibers. 

Asahi Chemical Industries (ACl, Japan) are now the leading producers of cuprammonium rayon. In 1990 they made 28,000 t/yr of filament and spunbond nonwoven from cotton ceUulose (65). Their continuing success with a process which has suffered intense competition from the cheaper viscose and synthetic fibers owes much to their developments of high speed spinning technology and of efficient copper recovery systems. Bemberg SpA in Italy, the only other producer of cuprammonium textile fibers, was making about 2000 t of filament yam in 1990. 

Procedures for the collection of whole blood are similar throughout the world. An interval from at least 8 weeks (United States) to 12 weeks (United Kingdom) is required between a donation of 450 mL blood, which yields about 250 mL plasma. In some countries a smaller volume of blood is collected, eg, 350—400 mL in Italy, Greece, and Turkey and as Httie as 250 mL in some Asian countries (147). Regulations concerning plasmapheresis donations vary more widely across the world eg, up to 300 mL of plasma can be taken in Europe in contrast to 1000 mL in the United States, both on a weekly basis. Consequentiy, both the mode of donation and the country in which it is given can have a profound effect on plasma collection (Table 6). 

The most extensive worldwide program on methanol blend gasoline was in Italy where from 1982 to 1987 a 1.9 x lO" m /yr (5 x 10 gal/yr) plant produced a mixture containing 69% methanol. The balance contained higher alcohols. This mixture was blended into gasoline at the 4.3% level and marketed successfully as a premium gasoline known as Super E (82). 

For environmental reasons, the entire process is handled by enclosed equipment. Lead recoveries of 96% can be obtained from the raw materials, and sulfur dioxide gas released in the process is used to produce sulfuric acid. Four plants are in operation as of 1994. Three are in Russia and one is in Italy. 

Acetyl-i-carnitine (4) is marketed in Italy for dementia as of this writing it is also in Phase III clinical trials in the United States and Europe. In a double-blind, placebo-controUed clinical trial over a one-year period involving 130 patients with clinically diagnosed AD, a slower rate of deterioration in 13 of the 14 outcome measures was observed in the dmg-treated group (28). Earfler smaller scale pilot studies in demented patients had also shown some improvement of various behavioral and cognitive functions (29). 

English or Persian Walnuts. Walnuts are produced in more countries than any of the other tree nuts but production figures are unrehable. The United States is the leading producer of walnuts, at 234,913 t in 1990—1991 (valued at 279,720,000). Production, mostly in Califomia and Oregon, is nearly one-half of the world total. Many countries produce substantial quantities of walnuts. The USDA considers estimates of the commercial crop more rehable than the total yearly production figures, which in 1990—1991 were 152,500 t in China, 66,000 t in Turkey, 17,000 t in India, 13,000 t in Prance, and 12,000 t in Italy. Walnuts, both in-sheU and shelled, may be imported from many countries, eg. Prance, Italy, China, Turkey, and India. Most imported walnuts are smaller than domestic walnuts and are used by the confectionery and baking industries. 

A few companies, eg, Enichem in Italy, Mitsubishi in Japan, and a plant under constmction at Eushun in China, separate the olefins from the paraffins to recover high purity (95—96%) linear internal olefins (LIO) for use in the production of oxo-alcohols and, in one case, in the production of polylinear internal olefins (PIO) for use in synthetic lubricants (syn lubes). In contrast, the UOP Olex process is used for the separation of olefins from paraffins in the Hquid phase over a wide carbon range. 

Marble Polishing. Oxahc acid is used for marble polishing especially in Italy. It not only removes iron veins by forming water-soluble iron oxalate, but also serves as a polishing auxihary. 

In Europe, 1. G. Earbenindustrie decided to develop nylon-6 that had been synthesized from S-caprolactam using an aminocaproic acid catalyst (1) and commercially introduced as Pedon L in 1940 (11,12). 1. G. Earbenindustrie had evaluated over 3000 polyamide constituents without finding an improvement over nylon-6 and nylon-6,6 (13). In Italy, Societa Rhodiaceta started making nylon-6,6 in 1939. In the United Kingdom, ICl and Courtaulds formed British Nylon Spinners in 1940 and started to manufacture nylon-6,6 in 1941. 

American Ligurian, Inc. (Stanford, Connecticut) is marketing a pyrolysis process developed in Italy, which generates steam for hot water, air heating, dryers, kilns, and similar installations. A modular plant produces 8000 kg/h of steam from 1 tih of tires. The pyrolysis process produces 0.9 t of fuel ok, 270 t of steel, and 54 t of ash annually. Gas emissions meet the strictest environmental standards (16). 

The induction furnace was first patented in Italy in 1877 as a low frequency furnace. It was first commercially appHed, installed, and operated in Sweden. The first installation in the United States was made in 1914 by the American Iron and Steel Company in Lebanon, Pennsylvania however, it was not successhil. Other low frequency furnaces have been operated successhiUy, especially for stainless steel. 

Evaporite Basin Sulfur Deposits. Elemental sulfur occurs in another type of subsurface deposit similar to the salt-dome stmctures in that the sulfur is associated with anhydrite or gypsum. The deposits are sedimentary, however, and occur in huge evaporite basins. It is befleved that the sulfur in these deposits, like that in the Gulf Coast salt domes, was derived by hydrocarbon reduction of the sulfate material and assisted by anaerobic bacteria. The sulfur deposits in Italy (Sicily), Poland, Iraq, the CIS, and the United States (western Texas) are included in this category. 

Titanium Silicates. A number of titanium siUcate minerals are known (160) examples are Hsted in Table 19. In most cases, it is convenient to classify these on the basis of the connectivity of the SiO building blocks, eg, isolated tetrahedra, chains, and rings, that are typical of siUcates in general. In some cases, the SiO units may be replaced, even if only to a limited extent by TiO. For example, up to 6% of the SiO in the garnet schorlomite can be replaced by TiO. In general, replacement of SiO by TiO bull ding blocks increases the refractive indices of these minerals. Ti has also replaced Si in the framework of various zeofltes. In addition, the catalytic activity of both titanium-substituted ZSM-5 (TS-1) and ZSM-11 (TS-2) has received attention (161), eg, the selective oxidation of phenol, with hydrogen peroxide, to hydroquinone and catechol over TS-1 has been operated at the 10,000 t/yr scale in Italy (162). 

Benzoic Acid. Ben2oic acid is manufactured from toluene by oxidation in the liquid phase using air and a cobalt catalyst. Typical conditions are 308—790 kPa (30—100 psi) and 130—160°C. The cmde product is purified by distillation, crystallization, or both. Yields are generally >90 mol%, and product purity is generally >99%. Kalama Chemical Company, the largest producer, converts about half of its production to phenol, but most producers consider the most economic process for phenol to be peroxidation of cumene. Other uses of benzoic acid are for the manufacture of benzoyl chloride, of plasticizers such as butyl benzoate, and of sodium benzoate for use in preservatives. In Italy, Snia Viscosa uses benzoic acid as raw material for the production of caprolactam, and subsequendy nylon-6, by the sequence shown below. 

Methyl tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE). Methyl tert-hutyi ether [1634-04-4] is made by the etherification of isobutylane with methanol, and there are six commercially proven technologies available. These technologies have been developed by Arco, IFF, CDTECH, Phillips, Snamprogetti, and Hbls (hcensed jointly with UOP). The catalyst in all cases is an acidic ion-exchange resin. The United States has been showing considerable interest in this product. Western Europe has been manufacturing it since 1973 (ANIC in Italy and Huls in Germany). Production of MTBE in Western Europe exceeded 600,000 tons in 1990. 

Other countries have similar types, some classifications, as in Germany, are based on age-strength levels by standard tests (70). A product made in Italy and Prance known as Perrari cement is similar to Type V and is sulfate-resistant. Such cements have high iron oxide and low alumina contents, and harden more slowly. 

New efficient vulcanization systems have been introduced in the market based on quaternary ammonium salts initially developed in Italy (29—33) and later adopted in Japan (34) to vulcanize epoxy/carboxyl cure sites. They have been found effective in chlorine containing ACM dual cure site with carboxyl monomer (43). This accelerator system together with a retarder (or scorch inhibitor) based on stearic acid (43) and/or guanidine (29—33) can eliminate post-curing. More recently (47,48), in the United States a proprietary vulcanization package based on zinc diethyldithiocarbamate [14324-55-1]... 

Guacetisal [55482-89-8] (5), the acetyls alicyhc acid ester of guaiacol, has been shown to retain both antiinflammatory and expectorant activity (10). It is used in Italy for symptomatic reflef of painful respiratory disorders. 

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