Market conversion technologies

There are two main processes for conversion of celestite, ie, strontium sulfate, to strontium carbonate. The principal process is the black ash process. Strontium nitrate is produced by dissolving celestite in nitric acid and purifying it. Most other strontium compounds are produced from strontium nitrate. To service this market, NOAH Technologies Corporation (San Antonio, Texas) has estabUshed a plant in Mexico to manufacture most commercial- and reagent-grade strontium compounds except strontium carbonate. 

Industrialbiobased products have enormous potential in the chemical and material industries. The diversity of biomass feedstocks (sugars, oils, protein, lignocellulosics), combined with the numerous biochemical and thermochemical conversion technologies, can provide a wealth of products that can be used in many applications. Targeted markets include the polymer, lubricant, solvent, adhesive, herbicide, and pharmaceutical markets. Industrial bioproducts have already penetrated some of these markets, but improved technologies promise new products that can compete with fossil-based products in both cost and performance. 

Primary coal liquids must be upgraded in order to serve these markets. A logical route is to use current black oil conversion technology as practiced in the petroleum industry (2). An applicable UOP process is RCD Unibon (3). This comprises the direct processing of petroleum residues to reduce the sulfur and nitrogen content of heavy fuel oil or to combine desulfurization with conversion of residue to lighter, more valuable products. 

Science Applications, Inc., has recently completed a comprehensive technical and economic assessment of producing methanol from biomass feedstocks employing developed gasification technology. This study includes an assessment of biomass availability and the distribution and markets for methanol fuels as well as thermochemical conversion technology. 

It can be concluded that kraft pulping in particular offers attractive possibilities to manufacture alternative bioproducts in addition to the traditional market of pulp and extractives (turpentine and tall oil). However, the specific utilization of various hemicellulose- and lignin-derived fractions for chemical and fuel purposes is complex, and their manufacturing depends on several factors, such as the type of feedstock, available conversion technologies, production scale, energy and pulp prices, as well as pollution problems. For example, besides a straightforward combustion of... 

Within the unsaturated polyester consumer market, a variety of formulations are used. The background to this is the large variety in end-use markets and the use of many different conversion technologies at the converter. Overall, hundreds of different formulations are brought to the market. Apart from differing in formulation (raw material composition), processes may differ to target desired specifications and product performance. 

Resin production is performed in production plants that may be integrated in larger facilities or that are completely standalone units. In some cases, UPES resins are produced in multipurpose plants where other resins, like alkyds and saturated polyesters, are also produced. The market demands a large variety of resins in order to suit the wide variety of end market applications and conversion technologies applied. This is reflected in the resin production facilities being able to produce a variety of products on the basis of different raw materials (recipes), process conditions and to target final specifications. Order size and packaging demand (bulk, container, and drum) add to the complexity of the production facility. 

Nonwovens in packaging embraces two large and dynamic industries packaging and nonwovens. These two sectors are colliding to create new applications and markets. Many of the new applications are also emerging from the application of dismptive nonwoven conversion technologies. 

Commercial production of acetic acid has been revolutionized in the decade 1978—1988. Butane—naphtha Hquid-phase catalytic oxidation has declined precipitously as methanol [67-56-1] or methyl acetate [79-20-9] carbonylation has become the technology of choice in the world market. By-product acetic acid recovery in other hydrocarbon oxidations, eg, in xylene oxidation to terephthaUc acid and propylene conversion to acryflc acid, has also grown. Production from synthesis gas is increasing and the development of alternative raw materials is under serious consideration following widespread dislocations in the cost of raw material (see Chemurgy). 

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