Processing technologies

The first step of rubber processing is combining the ingredients of a compound in a mixing device. In the early years of the industry, this was done on a two-roll mill open to the environment [C7, G14]. From the second decade 

Internal mixers with a much different mixing chamber design were proposed by Cooke [C17] of Francis Shaw and Company and by Lasch and Stromer [L3] of Werner and Pfleiderer. These internal mixers possess intermeshing counterrotating rotors (Fig. 1.9). In these internal mixers, both rotors must move at the same angular velocity. The Francis Shaw mixer, the Intermix, was marketed first and received considerable attention. In time, the intermeshing mixers dominated the mechanical rubber goods industries in Europe and Japan. 

Passoni [PI] of Pomini has developed an intermeshing rotor design where the rotors may be moved transverse to their axes to control the interrotor clearance. 

There was little basic study of the internal mixer until relatively recently. In 1979, Freakley and Wan Idris [F8] published the first flow visualization 

FIGURE 18 Internal mixer rotors from the designs of Sato et al [SI] of Bridgestone and Kobe Steel. 

It is not intended to give a detailed description here of juice processing. The subject is covered in Chapter 3 of this volume and in other volumes such as Fruit 

Processing (Arthey Ashurst, 2001) or Production and Packaging of Non-Carbonated Fruit Juices and Fruit Beverages (Ashurst, 1995), which may help the reader who wishes to obtain more detail. 

In general terms, fruits are collected, soiled and washed, and then subjected to a type of mechanical compression appropriate to the fruit concerned. Although there are general fruit presses that can be used for more than one fruit type, fruits such as citrus, pineapple and stone fruits are usually processed in specially designed equipment. 

Some fruit types (e.g. pome fruits such as apples and peal s) require mechanical treatment (milling) coupled with a biochemical process (involving enzymes) to break down the cellular structure and obtain best yields. It is possible to achieve almost total hquefaction by means of an appropriate enzyme cocktail. 

Additionally, a diffusion or extraction process can be used to obtain best yields from certain fruits. 

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Rousseau, R. W., Handbook of Separation Process Technology, Wiley, New York, 1987. 

There can be an element of maintenance costs that is fixed and an element which is variable. Fixed maintenance costs cover routine maintenance such as regular maintenance on safety valves which must be carried out irrespective of the rate of production. There also can be an element of maintenance costs which is variable. This arises from the fact that certain items of equipment can need more maintenance as the production rate increases. Also, royalties which cover the cost of purchasing another company s process technology may have different bases. Royalties may be a variable cost, since they can sometimes be paid in proportion to the rate of production. Alternatively, the royalty might be a single-sum payment at the beginning of the project. In this case, the single-sum payment will become part of the project s capital investment. As such, it will be included in the annual capital repayment, and this becomes part of the fixed cost. 

A yield of about 95% of theoretical is achieved using this process (1.09 units of isopropyl alcohol per unit of acetone produced). Depending on the process technology and catalyst system, such coproducts as methyl isobutyl ketone and diisobutyl ketone can be produced with acetone (30). 

These processes use expensive C2 hydrocarbons as feedstocks and thus have higher overall acrylonitrile production costs compared to the propylene-based process technology. The last commercial plants using these process technologies were shut down by 1970. 

The propylene-based process developed by Sohio was able to displace all other commercial production technologies because of its substantial advantage in overall production costs, primarily due to lower raw material costs. Raw material costs less by-product credits account for about 60% of the total acrylonitrile production cost for a world-scale plant. The process has remained economically advantaged over other process technologies since the first commercial plant in 1960 because of the higher acrylonitrile yields resulting from the introduction of improved commercial catalysts. Reported per-pass conversions of propylene to acrylonitrile have increased from about 65% to over 80% (28,68—70). 

Process Technology. In a typical oxo process, primary alcohols are produced from monoolefins in two steps. In the first stage, the olefin, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide [630-08-0] react in the presence of a cobalt or rhodium catalyst to form aldehydes, which are hydrogenated in the second step to the alcohols. 

Staple is produced by cutting a crimped tow into short lengths (usually 4—5 cm) resembling short, natural fibers. Acetate and triacetate staple are shipped in 180—366 kg bales, but production is quite limited. Conventional staple-processing technology appHed to natural fibers is used to process acetate and triacetate staple into spun yam. 

Particular food products have weU-developed technologies associated with their preparation, processing, and packaging. Detailed discussions of processing technologies can be found in the general references. 

V. D. Allred, ed., 0/7Shale Processing Technology, Center for Professional Advancement, East Bmnswick, N.J., 1982. 

J. E. Duddy, S. B. Panvelker, and G. A. Popper, "Commercial Economics of HRI Coal/Oil Co-Processing Technology," paper presented at 1990 SummerAIChE National Meeting, San Diego, Ca., 1990. 

E. Doetsch and H. DoHwa, "Economical and Process Technology Aspects of Cast Iron Melting," Electrowarmeint. 37(B3), B157 (1979), contains an economic comparison fuel-fired and electric iron foundry melting furnaces. 

Diesel Fuel. Eederal diesel specifications were changed to specify a maximum of 0.05% sulfur and a minimum cetane index of 40 or a maximum aromatics content of 35 vol % for on-road diesel. Eor off-road diesel, higher sulfur is allowed. CARB specifications require 0.05% sulfur on or off road and 10% aromatics maximum or passage of a qualification test. Process technologies chosen to meet these specifications include hydrotreating, hydrocracking, and aromatics saturation. 

This electrolytic process technology is no longer used because of the extensive and continuous electrolyte purification needs, the high capital and power requirements, and economic inabiHty to compete with large-scale anthrahydroquinone autoxidation processes. 

Russian Process Technology. Magnesium production ia the former Soviet Union is apparently done via molten chloride electrolysis (29,30). The basic process uses camaOite [1318-27-0], MgCl2 KCl 6H20, either from natural deposits or as a by-product of processiag natural salt deposits, as its... 

Process Technology Evolution. Maleic anhydride was first commercially produced in the early 1930s by the vapor-phase oxidation of benzene [71-43-2]. The use of benzene as a feedstock for the production of maleic anhydride was dominant in the world market well into the 1980s. Several processes have been used for the production of maleic anhydride from benzene with the most common one from Scientific Design. Small amounts of maleic acid are produced as a by-product in production of phthaHc anhydride [85-44-9]. This can be converted to either maleic anhydride or fumaric acid. Benzene, although easily oxidized to maleic anhydride with high selectivity, is an inherently inefficient feedstock since two excess carbon atoms are present in the raw material. Various compounds have been evaluated as raw material substitutes for benzene in production of maleic anhydride. Fixed- and fluid-bed processes for production of maleic anhydride from the butenes present in mixed streams have been practiced commercially. None of these... 

Butane-Based Fixed-Bed Process Technology. Maleic anhydride is produced by reaction of butane with oxygen using the vanadium phosphoms oxide heterogeneous catalyst discussed earlier. The butane oxidation reaction to produce maleic anhydride is very exothermic. The main reaction by-products are carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Stoichiometries and heats of reaction for the three principal reactions are as follows ... 

Butane-Based Transport-Bed Process Technology. Du Pont aimounced the commercialization of a moving-bed recycle-based technology for the oxidation of butane to maleic anhydride (109,149). Athough maleic anhydride is produced in the reaction section of the process and could be recovered, it is not a direct product of the process. Maleic anhydride is recovered as aqueous maleic acid for hydrogenation to tetrahydrofuran [109-99-9] (THF). 

An important future use for maleic anhydride is beUeved to be the production of products in the 1,4-butanediol—y-butyrolactone—tetrahydrofuran family. Davy Process Technology has commercialized a process (93) for producing 1,4-butanediol from maleic anhydride. This technology can be used to produce the product mix of the three molecules as needed by the producer. Another significant effort in this area is the tetrahydrofuran plant under constmction in Spain by Du Pont in which butane is oxidized and recovered as maleic acid and the maleic acid is then reduced to tetrahydrofuran (109). 

The minerals processing industry has made contributions to all areas of technology, both in terms of products and processing. Technologies developed in the mineral industry are used extensively in the chemicals industry as well as in municipal and industrial waste treatment and recycling industry, eg, scrap recycling, processing of domestic refuse, automobiles, electronic scrap, battery scrap, and decontamination of soils. 

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