This work critically reviews the application of various membrane separation processes (MSPs) in treating water polluted with trace organic compounds (TOrCs) paying attention to nanofiltration (NF), reverse osmosis (RO), membrane bioreactor (MBR), forward osmosis (FO), and membrane distillation (MD). Furthermore, the focus is on loopholes that exist when investigating mechanisms through which membranes

Four interrelated issues have been arising with the development of modern industry, namely environmental pollution, the energy crisis, the greenhouse effect and the global food crisis. Photocatalysis is one of the most promising methods to solve them in the future. To promote high photocatalytic reaction efficiency and utilize solar energy to its fullest, a well-designed photoreactor is vital. Photocatalytic

Epoxy resin is commonly used in the oil and gas industry due to its excellent toughness, low shrinkage, good adhesive strength, and relatively good thermal resistance. It is used for water shutoff, zonal isolation, cementing, enhanced oil recovery, and preventing leakage in wells. This paper reviews the chemistry aspect of using an epoxy resin system as a sealant to prevent well leakage and it offers

In spite of decades of study and investigation, the research on tomography and electrical resistance tomography (ERT) in particular, remains to be focus of immense scientific significance. ERT provides the ability to measure conductivity distribution inside a process plant and delivers time evolving multidimensional information. Such important and otherwise inaccessible information enhances critical

Powder mixing is a vital operation in a wide range of industries, such as food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics. Despite the common use of mixing systems in various industries, often due to the complex nature of mixing systems, the effects of operating and design parameters on the mixers’ performance and final blend are not fully known, and therefore optimal parameters are selected through experience

The review focuses on the recent development in anode materials and their synthesis approach, focusing on their compatibility for treating actual industrial wastewater, improving selectivity, electrocatalytic activity, stability at higher concentration, and thereby reducing the mineralization cost for organic pollutant degradation. The advancement in sol–gel technique, including the Pechini method

The requirement of running a new generation of fuel production is inevitable due to the limitation of oil production from reservoirs. On the other hand, enhancing the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere brings global warming phenomenon and leads to catastrophic disasters such as drought and flooding. Conversion of carbon dioxide to methanol can compensate for the liquid fuel requirement and mitigate

Sustainability and greenness are the concepts of growing interest in the area of research as well as industries. One of the frequently encountered challenges faced in research and industrial fields is the solubility of the hydrophobic compound. Conventionally organic solvents are used in various applications; however, their contribution to environmental pollution, the huge energy requirement for separation

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are currently gaining considerable attention as heterogeneous catalysts. Since the functionality of the framework and the pore size of the MOFs can be adjusted over a wide range for various catalytic reactions, the usage of these materials as solid catalysts is attractive. One of the preferred catalytic mesoMOFs is MIL-101 (MIL: Material of Institute Lavoisier) family

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are mainly derived from human activities, but they are harmful to the environment and our health. Catalytic oxidation is the most economical and efficient method to convert VOCs into harmless substances of water and carbon dioxide at relatively low temperatures among the existing techniques. Supporting noble metal and/or transition metal oxide catalysts on the porous

In the last decade, there was observed a growing demand for both n-butanol as a potential fuel or fuel additive, and propylene as the only raw material for production of alcohol and other more bulky propylene chemical derivatives with faster growing outputs (polymers, propylene oxide, and acrylic acid). The predictable oilfield depletion and the European Green Deal adoption stimulated interest in alternative

Article Frontmatter was published on February 1, 2022 in the journal Reviews in Chemical Engineering (volume 38, issue 2).

Article In this issue was published on February 1, 2022 in the journal Reviews in Chemical Engineering (volume 38, issue 2).

The economic value of bioethylene produced from bioethanol dehydration is remarkable due to its extensive usage in the petrochemical industry. Bioethylene is produced through several routes, such as steam cracking of hydrocarbons from fossil fuel and dehydration of bioethanol, which can be produced through fermentation processes using renewable substrates such as glucose and starch. The rise in oil

Any scientific behavior is best represented by nondimensional numbers. However, in many cases, for pneumatic conveying systems, dimensional equations are developed and used. In some cases, many of the nondimensional equations include Reynolds (Re) and Froude (Fr) numbers; they are usually defined for a limited range of materials and operating conditions. This study demonstrates that most of the relevant

In this review paper, a complete study and analysis of the research articles dealing with the removal of various organic and inorganic pollutants using solvent impregnated resins (SIR) is carried out. The method of impregnation, characterizations of prepared resin, and regeneration techniques of different SIRs for batch and continuous fixed bed columns are presented. The effects of different operating

Kinetics, as a fundamental requirement of nearly all industrial activities and engineering researches, plays a great role in leaching processes. Although there are many pieces of research on its application, there is not a clear pathway for investigating the kinetics of leaching and researchers usually follow different strategies in their studies. The conventional investigation techniques, which usually

A special attention is currently focused on the recovery of Au, Ag, Pt, Pd and Rh from both primary and secondary sources. From the wide range of sorbents that have been used in this respect, the required selectivity is proved only by the chelating polymers containing donor N, O and S atoms in their functional groups. This work presents the recent published researches on this topic, pointing out the

Formation damage is an essential part of drilling and production evaluation, which has a significant effect on well productivity and economics. Drilling fluids are significant sources of formation damage by different mechanisms. This article reviews the research works published during the past 30 years on formation damage associated with drilling fluids, including mechanical damage, chemical damage

Aromatic hydrocarbons are essential compounds, that the presence of which in fuels can improve the octane number. The conversion of the light alkanes to high value aromatics is vital from theoretical and industrial standpoints. Zeolites such as ZSM-5 play an essential role in the aromatization of light alkanes. This paper highlights the mechanism of aromatization of light alkanes such as methane, ethane

The development of highly efficient separation membranes utilizing emerging materials with controllable pore size and minimized thickness could greatly enhance the broad applications of membrane-based technologies. Having this perspective, many studies on the incorporation of nanosheets in membrane fabrication have been conducted, and strong interest in this area has grown over the past decade. This

Big data is an expression for massive data sets consisting of both structured and unstructured data that are particularly difficult to store, analyze and visualize. Big data analytics has the potential to help companies or organizations improve operations as well as disclose hidden patterns and secret correlations to make faster and intelligent decisions. This article provides useful information on

The motion of elongated gas bubbles in vertical pipes has been studied extensively over the past century. A number of empirical and numerical correlations have emerged out of this curiosity; amongst them, analytical solutions have been proposed. A review of the major results and resolution methods based on a potential flow theory approach is presented in this article. The governing equations of a single

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) have been widely developed as an attractive solution to overcome the drawbacks found in most polymer membranes, such as permeability-selectivity trade-off and low physicochemical stability. Numerous fillers based on inorganic, organic, and hybrid materials with various structures including porous or nonporous, and two-dimensional or three-dimensional, have been used. Demanded

Widespread use of pesticides in agricultural and domestic sectors and their long half-life have led to their accumulation in the environment beyond permissible limits. Advanced chemical oxidation methods including photocatalytic degradation are being widely investigated for their mineralization. Photocatalytic degradation is the most promising method for degrading pesticides as well as other organic

Owing to their remarkable characteristics, refractory molybdenum nitride (MoN x )-based compounds have been deployed in a wide range of strategic industrial applications. This review reports the electronic and structural properties that render MoN x materials as potent catalytic surfaces for numerous chemical reactions and surveys the syntheses, procedures, and catalytic applications in pertinent industries

Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is viewed upon as a fuel additive or even as an alternative fuel. Fermentation is used to produce dilute (<20 mass%) ethanol. This is needed to be concentrated to almost anhydrous, fuel grade ethanol (>99.5 mass%). The technologies used for concentration from dilute grade to fuel grade ethanol are summarized in this review. Thus, extraction; distillation; use of membranes; adsorption

Since the middle of the last century, discussion about the operation of discontinuous fractionation to meet multifarious goals, such as product purity and recovery rate, by monitoring process variables including reflux or/and heat duty, is been on. The engineering practice showed intolerable events to occur; hereof the operation must be supervised, which makes it difficult to be in agreement with the

Advancements in supercritical (SC), ultrasupercritical (USC), and advanced USC coal-fired power plants have been achieved through the development of enhanced materials utilized in advanced steam cycles and through the deployment of advanced emission control systems. These are referred to as high-efficiency low-emission (HELE) technologies, which may solve numerous issues associated with coal-based

This article encircles the research progress of Fe3O4 NPs loaded composite microgel particles. Preparation methodologies, properties and applications of Fe3O4 NPs loaded composite microgel particles are elaborated here. The effect of different factors on the stability and tunable properties of Fe3O4 NPs loaded composite microgel particles was also investigated in detail. These composite particles have

Although aqueous foam is composed of simple fluids, air and water, it shows a complex rheological behavior. It exhibits solid-like behavior at low shear and fluid-like behavior at high shear rate. Therefore, understanding such behavior is important for many industrial applications in foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Additionally, air–water interface of bubble surface plays an important role in

To explore options for simple, safe, and compact chemical reactors that preserve wanted metastable initial products from sequential unwanted reactions, academic and industrial researchers have tried to repurpose reciprocating piston equipment or an “engine-like” design to be used as a chemical reactor. Piston reactors offer the benefit of achieving very high temperature and pressure conditions at very

Chitosan is a biopolymer originating from renewable resources, with great properties which make it an attractive candidate for plenty of applications of contemporary interest. By manufacturing chitosan into nanofibers using the electrospinning method, its potential is amplified due to the enhancement of the active surface and the low preparation cost. Many attempts were made with the aim of preparing

Microfibrous composites (MCs) are novel materials with unique structures and excellent functional properties, showing great potential in industrial applications. The investigation of the physicochemical properties of MCs is significant for accommodating the rapid development of high-efficiency chemical engineering industries. In this review, the characteristics, synthesis and applications of different

Fouling of heat exchangers (HEs) has become a major concern across the industrial sector. Fouling is an omnipresent phenomenon but is particularly prevalent in the dairy, oil, and energy industries. Reduced energy performance that results from fouling represents significant operating loss in terms of both maintenance and impact on product quality and safety. In most industries, cleaning or replacing

m-Cresol containing wastewater has generally become a globally environmental issue due to its refractory and high toxicity towards plants, animals and human being. The development of m-cresol related industries increases the risk of excessive m-cresol discharge, making high efficiency methods to treat m-cresol an urgent topic in both economic and environmental aspects. This review focuses on the chemical

Cold plasma is a novel nonthermal technology that has been used for preserving and maintaining the quality of food materials. Researchers developed numerous cold plasma equipment to study the effect of plasma on food materials; however, the degree of processing such as flow of plasma species from the source of plasma to the food material and their interaction/diffusion into the food, differs with respect

Article Frontmatter was published on July 1, 2021 in the journal Reviews in Chemical Engineering (volume 37, issue 5).

Compressed air energy storage in aquifers (CAESA) can be considered a novel and potential large-scale energy storage technology in the future. However, currently, the research on CAESA is relatively scarce and no actual engineering practices have yet been performed due to a lack of detailed theoretical and technical support. This article provides a summary and analysis of the current research about

Since surfactants have been recognized as the most frequently faced contaminants of bubble column-related processes over time, their impact on the mass transfer operation of these columns has become a demanding research interest for two recent decades. Despite the similarities expressing the overall negative and positive influence of these chemicals on mass transfer coefficients and specific interfacial

Various strategies are proposed to date in order to convert CO 2 to large diversity of useful chemicals. The following review discusses two important approaches that produce methanol from CO 2 . These two includes CO 2 hydrogenation and electrocatalytic routes. These processes could recycle CO 2 , permitting a carbon neutral, closed loop of fuel combustion and CO 2 reduction to prevent a rising concentration

Pyrolysis has been considered as a promising thermochemical process that can convert biomass in nonoxidizing atmospheres to value-added liquid bio-oil, solid biochar, and noncondensable gas products. Fast pyrolysis has a better economic return because of the valuable biofuel production (e.g. bio-oil, syngas). Because of the complexity and heterogeneity of the feedstocks, the one-step pyrolysis often

Superabsorbent polymers (SAP) and modified natural polymer hydrogels are widely and increasingly used in agriculture, health care textiles, effluent treatment, drug delivery, tissue engineering, civil concrete structure, etc. However, not many comprehensive reviews are available on this class of novel polymers. A review covering all the viable applications of SAP will be highly useful for researchers

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is among the evolving membrane-based processes available for energy harvesting by mixing water with different salinities. The chemical potential difference causes the movement of cations and anions in opposite directions that can then be transformed into the electrical current at the electrodes by redox reactions. Although several works have shown the possibilities of

Solar energy is a clean and abundant energy source. In a photoelectrochemical cell, energy from sunlight is captured and converted into electric power, chemical fuels such as hydrogen is employed to degrade organic pollutants. ZnO is a promising material for photoelectrocatalysis due to its remarkable properties. The aim of this review is to perform an exhaustive revision of nanostructured ZnO synthesis

Cyclone separators have been widely used for gas–particle separation in chemical engineering. However, their enhancement in separation performances usually increases the pressure drop, which inevitably leads to an increase in operating energy consumption. One of the challenging issues is how to reduce the cyclone pressure drop while improving separation performances. To gain insight into the pathways

The reforming of methane is an important industrial process, and reactor modeling and simulation is frequently employed as a design and analysis tool in understanding this process. While much research work is devoted to catalyst formulations, reaction mechanisms, and reactor designs, this review aims to summarize the literature concerning the simulation of methane reforming. Applications in industrial

Seawater membrane distillation (SWMD) is a promising separation technology due to its ability to operate as a stand-alone desalination unit operation. This paper reviews approaches to improve laboratory-to-pilot-scale MD performance, which comprise operational strategies, module design, and specifically tailored membranes. A detailed comparison of SWMD and sea water reverse osmosis is presented to

Article Frontmatter was published on May 1, 2021 in the journal Reviews in Chemical Engineering (volume 37, issue 4).

Article In this issue was published on May 1, 2021 in the journal Reviews in Chemical Engineering (volume 37, issue 4).

This paper provides a review on the flow of free-flowing particles inside silos. We have previously reviewed in detail the experimental studies in this field. In the present work, the focus is placed on the theoretical approaches allowing numerical simulation and modeling of these systems. Modeling of granular flow in silos is very significant due to the advantages of modeling compared to experiments

Oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes is a more appropriate approach than other conventional methods of light olefin production. Recently, several researchers have focused on more economical and cleaner processes because of the high demand for olefins and environmental problems. This paper reviews a series of catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane, including transition-metal oxides, rare

Conventional metal oxide and its composites embrace the long-standing problem of using the combined visible and near-infrared (NIR) light. Doping with suitable impurities of metal, nonmetal, or its combinations for visible light enhancement is very well studied. However, the quantum efficiency of these photocatalysts does not produce an exciting appearance toward visible and NIR light when irradiated

The review presents current research results for Carbopol-based microgels as yield-stress materials, covering three aspects: chemical, physical and rheological. Such a joint three-aspect study has no analog in the literature. The chemical aspects of Carbopol polymers are presented in terms of a cross-linking polymerization of acrylic acid, their molecular structure, microgel formulation, polyacid dissociation

The number of researches on the ion exchange membrane has increased considerably in recent years showing interest in fuel cell technology for the automobile and portable applications. The most promising fuel cell technology for low-temperature operation (80 °C < T < 150 °C) uses a polymer membrane separating the anode and cathode compartments in an electrochemical cell. Polyoxadiazoles (PODs) belong

A detailed analysis of the ignition–extinction and hysteresis behavior of the two widely used catalytic reactor models (packed-bed and monolith) for the case of a single exothermic reaction is presented. First, limiting models are used to determine the minimum adiabatic temperature rise and/or catalyst activity needed to observe hysteresis behavior. Next, explicit expressions are provided for estimating

Oxidation of cyclohexane is an essential chemical reaction for the industrial manufacture of cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone. These two compounds, together known as ketone–alcohol (KA) oil, are the main feedstock for nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 productions. Several types of catalysts and reaction conditions have been used for cyclohexane oxidation. This paper presents a thorough literature review of catalytic

Article Frontmatter was published on April 1, 2021 in the journal Reviews in Chemical Engineering (volume 37, issue 3).

The development of carbon membranes for the separation of various gases has gained interest among researchers due to their superior performance in gas separation. The preparation of carbon membranes by blending materials has many advantages including time and cost effectiveness for tuning the properties of the membranes. Here we review the recent research progress that has been made in the context

The separation and purification of light hydrocarbons are significant challenges in the petrochemical and chemical industries. Because of the growing demand for light hydrocarbons and the environmental and economic issues of traditional separation technologies, much effort has been devoted to developing highly efficient separation techniques. Accordingly, polymeric membranes have gained increasing