New uses

Changes in the consumer needs which are manifested by the appearance of new types of products, new manufacturing processes and new uses for products, each requiring specific qualities. 

Liquid helium s use in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) continues to increase as the medical profession accepts and develops new uses for the equipment. This equipment has eliminated some need for exploratory surgery by accurately diagnosing patients. Another medical application uses MRE to determine (by blood analysis) whether a patient has any form of cancer. 

Uranium in the U.S.A. is controlled by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. New uses are being found for depleted uranium, ie., uranium with the percentage of 23su lowered to about 0.2%. 

Production of maleic anhydride by oxidation of / -butane represents one of butane s largest markets. Butane and LPG are also used as feedstocks for ethylene production by thermal cracking. A relatively new use for butane of growing importance is isomerization to isobutane, followed by dehydrogenation to isobutylene for use in MTBE synthesis. Smaller chemical uses include production of acetic acid and by-products. Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) is the principal by-product, though small amounts of formic, propionic, and butyric acid are also produced. / -Butane is also used as a solvent in Hquid—Hquid extraction of heavy oils in a deasphalting process. 

Malthouses being built in the United States are being designed for large batch sizes (150—200 t malt) and are highly automated to reduce labor and utihty costs. However, unless the beer market begins to grow or new uses for malt are found, it is likely that few new malthouses will be built. 

Commodity chemical producers have varying records of performance in appHcations research. It is usually high on the priority Hst when the product is stiU evolving, eg, low density polyethylene in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In times of pinched profit margins, these services often have been dropped, sometimes to be reinstituted, especially if totally new uses appeared. 

The 1990 Clean Air Act mandates for blended oxygenates ia gasoline created a potentially large new use for DIPE as a fuel oxygenate. Isopropyl alcohol can react with propylene over acidic ion-exchange (qv) catalysts at low temperatures, which favor high equiUbrium conversions per pass to produce DIPE (34). 

Production and Economic Aspects. Aspirin is produced in the United States by The Dow Chemical Company, Rhc ne-Poulenc, and Norwich (a division of Proctor Gamble). Globally, Rhc ne-Poulenc has additional production faciHties in France and in Thailand. Bayer is self-suppHed from production units in Spain and Turkey over the years many small plants have been estabHshed around the world for regional or country supply. The aspirin market is increasingly globally suppHed. Aspirin is generally considered mature, and only population increases and new uses will affect its production and demand, which is thought to be of the order of 30—35,000 t for total world consumption. The May 1995 price was 8.30/kg (18). 

Minor and potential new uses include flue-gas desulfurization (44,45), silver-cleaning formulations (46), thermal-energy storage (47), cyanide antidote (48), cement additive (49), aluminum-etching solutions (50), removal of nitrogen dioxide from flue gas (51), concrete-set accelerator (52), stabilizer for acrylamide polymers (53), extreme pressure additives for lubricants (54), multiple-use heating pads (55), in soap and shampoo compositions (56), and as a flame retardant in polycarbonate compositions (57). Moreover, precious metals can be recovered from difficult ores using thiosulfates (58). Use of thiosulfates avoids the environmentally hazardous cyanides. 

Minor and potential new uses for ammonium thiosulfate include flue-gas desulfurization (76,77), removal of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide from flue gases (78,79), converting sulfur ia hydrocarbons to a water-soluble form (80), and converting cellulose to hydrocarbons (81,82) (see Sulfur REMOVAL AND RECOVERY). 

In addition to a continued increase in the number of use patents in these fields, a new use of xanthates as inhibitors of fertiliser nitrogen transformation in soil has been reported, as well as the use of certain metal xanthates as color developers for image-recording materials (113,114) (see Fertilizers Color photography). For several years, sodium isopropyl xanthate was used as an intermediate in the manufacture of saccharin (see... 

Other Uses. The quantity of coal used for purposes other than combustion or processing is quite small (2,6). Coal, especially anthracite, has estabHshed markets for use as purifying and filtering agents in either the natural form or converted to activated carbon (see Carbon). The latter can be prepared from bituminous coal or coke, and is used in sewage treatment, water purification, respirator absorbers, solvent recovery, and in the food industry. Some of these markets are quite profitable and new uses are continually being sought for this material. 

Industrial uses make up most of the market for cyanamide. Calcium cyanamide is used directly for steel nitridation (34) and to some extent for desulfurization (36) (see Steel). Cyanamide is used to produce cationic starch (36) and calcium cyanide. Cyanamide is, of course, the raw material for dicyandiamide and melamine. New uses include intermediates for pesticides, detergents (37), medicines such as antihistamines, hypertension, sedatives, contraceptives, etc (38), the photography industry (39), as an additive for fuels and lubricants, as a paper preservative, and as a cement additive. 

Sales and raw-materials prices may be affected by any of the following discounts and allowances, availabihty of substitutes, contract pricing, government regulations, quahty and form of the materials, and competition. Sales volume may be affected by any of the following new uses for the product, new markets, advertising, quahty, overcapacity, replacement by another product, competition, and timing of entry into the market. 

Are any of the materials subject to a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 5 Consent Order or Significant New Use Regulation (SNUR) ... 

Pulp and paper manufacture is increasing in the world at an exponential rate. The demand for paper will continue as new uses are found for this product. Since most paper is manufactured from wood or wood residue, it provides an excellent use for this renewable resource. 

Early work in ellipsometry focused on improving the technique, whereas attention now emphasizes applications to materials analysis. New uses continue to be found however, ellipsometry traditionally has been used to determine film thicknesses (in the rang 1-1000 nm), as well as optical constants. " Common systems are oxide and nitride films on silicon v ers, dielectric films deposited on optical sur ces, and multilayer semiconductor strucmres. 

Dynamic SIMS is used to measure elemental impurities in a wide variety of materials, but is almost new used to provide chemical bonding and molecular information because of the destructive nature of the technique. Molecular identihcation or measurement of the chemical bonds present in the sample is better performed using analytical techniques, such as X-Ray Photoelectron Spectrometry (XPS), Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy, or Static SIMS. 

PCBs and PCTs are particularly troublesome liquids because of their toxicity and persistence in the environment. They are defined as polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated terphenyls, monomethyl-dibromo-diphenyl metliane, monomethyl-dichloro-diphenyl metliane or monomethyl-tetrachlorodiphenyl methane. With low electrical conductivity and heat resistance they found wide use as dielectric fluids and were formerly used as hydraulic fluids. PCBs have not been made in the UK since 1977 and whilst most new uses for the substance are banned in most countries, around two-thirds of the 1.5 million tonnes manufactured in Europe and the US prior to 1985 still remain in equipment such as transformers. PCTs have been used in the past in a restricted range of specialist industrial applications. 

Cover the prohibition of the importation, supply or new use of amphibole asbestos or products containing it. Also prohibit the supply and use of a range of products containing chrysotile asbestos. 

In addition, establish lines of communication for sharing information pertaining to equipment in need of repair or replacement, plans to remodel, renovate, or redecorate, new uses of building space or increases in occupant population, installation of new equipment. 

---