Intelligent materials defined

In 2004 a new framework Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 applicable to all materials intended to come into contact with foods was accepted. In this regulation, general requirements applicable to all food contact materials (FCM) are established. Specific provisions are included to allow the use of active and intelligent materials and articles, and a specific measure on active and intelligent materials was announced. In order to define the scope of... 

Problem Definition Intelligent selection of a separator requires a careful and complete statement of the nature of the separation problem. Focusing narrowly on the specific problem, however, is not sufficient, especially if the separation is to be one of the steps in a new process. Instead, the problem must be defined as broadly as possible, beginning with the chemical reactor or other source of material to be separated and ending with the separated materials in their desired final form. In this way the influence of preceding and subsequent process steps on the separation step will be illuminated. Sometimes, of course, the new separator is proposed to replace an existing unit the new separator must then fit into the current process and accept feed materials of more or less fixed characteristics. At other times the separator is only one item in a train of new equipment, all parts of which must work in harmony if the separator is to be effective. 

We return to the conception of molecular chaos, of statistical equilibrium, and of a partition law defining the thermal balance between the various parts of a material system and making intelligible the idea of a temperature. The obvious task seems now to be the formulation of some quantitative rules about equilibria in systems of many atoms and molecules. 

---