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Chemical Technology • August 2016
1 12 Contents Chemical Technology is endorsed by The South African Institution of Chemical Engineers Transparency You Can See Average circulation (Q1 Jan – Mar 2016) 3 630 and the Southern African Association of Energy EfficiencyDISCLAIMER
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REGULAR FEATURES 2 Cover story 4 Comment by Carl Schonborn 29 SAEE News Message from the President 30 SAIChE IChemE News/Spotlight on SAIChE IChemE 32 Et cetera/Sudoku No 117 CORROSION AND COATINGS 5 Cost-effective corrosion barriers: Novel epoxy nanoclay composites keep costs down whilst improving performance Small quantities of functionalised nanoclays hold great potential for the performance of conventional paint systems. Exfoliation, chemical compatibility and orientation are critical to enhancing the barrier properties, resulting in improved corrosion resistance and fire retardancy. The novel coatings discussed in this article mean that a variety of different substrates can benefit from these properties. by S Kenig - Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Israel, and R Cafagna - Nanto Cleantech, Italy PUMPS AND VALVES 10 Reac profile Reac is a specialised trading and manufacturing company operating on the supply side to the polyurethane converting industry. The company’s operations involve importing, exporting and manufacturing; it represents a number of companies on an exclusive basis, as agents and distributors for southern Africa. 12 New impeller combines reliability and efficiency Growing demands from the water and wastewater treatment industries for submersible motor pumps that resist clogging, deliver reliability and contribute to improving energy efficiency, have led to KSB AG’s new centrifugal pump. by Bryan Orchard 15 Focus on pumps and valves PETROCHEMICALS 19 A catalytic membrane reactor for mitigating water-induced catalyst deactivation in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis is a surface-catalysed polymerisation reaction that involves conversion of synthesis gas (CO and H 2 ) derived from coal, natural gas, heavy oil or biomass into hydrocarbons. In this article, a catalytic mem- brane reactor is proposed for mitigating the effect of water- induced deactivation of F-T catalyst during synthesis. by Michael O Daramola, PhD, CEng, MIChemE, School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa 23 Focus on petrochemicals DESIGN AND MATERIALS 26 Natural emollient esters from bio-based succinic acid Bio-based succinic acid is a natural raw material which can be used produce a wide range of personal care ingredients including ester solvents, emollient esters, and surfactants. by Tara J Mullen, Manager of Application Engineering and Technical Support, BioAmber Inc, Minnesota and Susan Raffy, president of Susan Raffy Consulting, California, USA