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Chemical Manufacturing

The Chemical Manufacturing Blog is the place for conversation and discussion about process equipment and control, biotech & environmental, specialty chemicals and nanoengineering. Here, you'll find everything from application ideas, to news and industry trends, to hot topics and cutting edge innovations. This blog is inspired by the Chemical Manufacturing newsletter from GlobalSpec, which you can subscribe to here.

Are Chemicals Truly on an Upswing?

Posted October 30, 2009 7:25 AM

Recent articles point to an upswing in the chemicals industry. Data now suggests that the chemicals industry is successfully emerging from the global recession, fueled primarily by heavy demand from Asia. Have you seen an improvement in your organization? Have orders increased? What changes have you noted? Is the recession really winding down for the chemicals industry?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Chemical Manufacturing, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Chemical Manufacturing today.

3 comments; last comment on 11/02/2009
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The Benefits of REACH

Posted October 03, 2009 7:57 AM

Recent articles focus on the challenges of implementing REACH initiatives and the potential benefits which could be acquired though compliance. Compliance costs money and there is concern that organizations are not maximizing the long-term benefits of REACH compliance due to short-term costs. Has your organization implemented changes because of REACH? Have these changes improved efficiency or reduced costs? What advantages/disadvantages to REACH compliance do you see?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Chemical Manufacturing, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Chemical Manufacturing today.

2 comments; last comment on 10/05/2009
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Artificial Muscles: Making Active Braille Displays a Reality

Posted August 21, 2009 5:00 AM by Dead Weight

Artificial muscles, more technically known as electroactive polymers, are paving the way for displays that may one day make reading a computer screen as easy for the visually impaired as it is for the non-impaired.

Why Make Braille Displays?

While written or typed Braille has enabled visually impaired people to read for almost 200 years, it goes unnoticed by many people with fully functioning vision that all present electronic displays, like those for computers and cell phones, operate solely based on visual cues. Therefore, it is almost impossible for the visually impaired to effectively interact with many of the electronics most modern people take for granted.

The idea behind a Braille display is that one day it will be possible to create a surface that can actively and instantly create raised Braille characters, and change from one character to another based on an electrical input. These displays will then be able to change which Braille letters they represent as easy as the computer screen you're looking at right now can change the text characters it represents.

What Role Do Artificial Muscles Play?

Presently, Braille displays do exist to some extent; however, they are generally limited to a single line of text and can cost thousands of dollars. The reason for this is that these displays rely on individual electrical actuators to raise and lower every dot of every Braille character as the text changes (each letter is composed of 6 possible dots).

With electroactive polymers, scientists and engineers are hoping they will be able to create a polymer surface, which when exposed to electric fields, will selectively expand in certain spots and thus form raised bumps in the form of Braille letters. In theory, such a display should be relatively cheap since there are no moving parts, and instead of just one line of characters, it could possibly display an entire page of up to 25 lines with 40 characters per line.

When Will Braille Displays Start Showing Up?

Unfortunately, the firsts of these displays are still in their developmental stages, and currently even electroactive polymers themselves are a relatively unrefined technology. However, at the current rate of development, we could begin to at least see finished prototype models showing up in the next few years.

Resources:

http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/fs/focus-40-blue-product-page.asp

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090814202711.htm

http://electrochem.cwru.edu/encycl/art-p02-elact-pol.htm

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Braille-Displays-To-Be-Powered-by-Artificial-Muscles-119354.shtml

Image Source: http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=6&TopicID=199

4 comments; last comment on 08/24/2009
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Innovation in the Chemicals Industry

Posted August 18, 2009 7:30 AM

Recent articles focus on the innovation which is occurring in the chemicals and pharmaceutical industries. The advances made in these industries may serve as the foundation for new global economies. Do you believe that the chemicals industry will serve as a leader for advancing the economy? What innovations have you seen that will bolster the industry and the economy? Is the chemicals industry capable of supporting the economic growth? What problems loom for this industry?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Chemical Manufacturing, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Chemical Manufacturing today.

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Molecular Imprinting: Making Your Beer Fresher, Longer

Posted August 06, 2009 11:30 AM by Dead Weight

With the help of a new technology, beer in the near future may be able to stay fresher for longer than anyone previously imagined. This is possible due to breakthroughs in a process called molecular imprinting, which scientists hope will keep your beer staying as fresh as the day it was made for long afterwards.

Why Does Beer Lose Its Freshness?

The main reason beer loses freshness is that it contains the vitamin riboflavin, which breaks down molecularly when exposed to light. As it degrades, riboflavin molecules give off free atoms called radicals, which start chain reactions among the molecules surrounding them. Eventually, these reactions affect the molecules of the beer's other ingredients enough that the flavor is noticeably altered, leading to a beverage with a less than ideal taste.

How Can We Stop This?

The easiest ways to prevent this process from occurring are simply to either store beer in dark places, or else store it in opaque containers, like aluminum cans instead of glass bottles. However, for brands and individuals who demand a translucent bottle, the only remaining solution is to get rid of the riboflavin. Fortunately, thanks to molecular imprinting, this is now possible.

So What Is Molecular Imprinting?

Through a process similar to how antibodies in your immune system have specific sites for bonding to specific pathogenic molecules, new polymers are being made with molecular sites designed to bond specifically to riboflavin molecules. As a common analogy for this process goes, think of each molecular site as a lock, and riboflavin molecules as the only keys which will fit it.

Forming polymers with these sites is accomplished essentially by bonding riboflavin to the polymer as it is created, which "imprints" the specific shape of a riboflavin molecule into the surface, hence the name molecular imprinting. When these riboflavin molecules are then removed later in the production process, an open site is left behind which is designed to bond only to riboflavin.

Once brought into contact with beer, the open polymer sites attract new riboflavin molecules out of the liquid, which get trapped there and are prevented from degrading. Ideally, this stops the flavor-altering chain reactions before they can start, leading to a beer that always stays fresh, even in the most light-intensive situations.

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_imprinting

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8183124.stm

http://www.nanoword.net/library/weekly/010121a.php

http://www.scitopics.com/Molecular_Imprinting.html

14 comments; last comment on 08/08/2009
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