Abstract: A method is disclosed of coupling and integrating natural gas recovery and separation along with chemical conversion. The method can comprise extracting at least one natural gas component. Non-limiting examples of the extracted component include ethane, propane, butanes, and pentanes. The method can also comprise contacting a natural gas stream with a catalyst under conditions that selectively convert at least one component into at least one product, such as ethylene, acetic acid, polyethylene, vinyl acetate, ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol, and their derivatives, propylene, polypropylene, propylene oxide, propylene glycol, acrylates, acrolein, acrylic acid, butenes, butadiene, methacrolein, methacrylic acid, methacrylates, and their derivatives, which can then be separated from the remaining components.

Abstract: A process for a purification of water with multiple contaminants including dissolved solids. The process may involve one or more steps of separating oil and water, metals precipitation, dissolved air flotation (DAF), filtration, forward or reverse osmosis and crystallization. An improved DAF unit is described which increases air dissolution to oxidize impurities and improve flotation. Various embodiments of staged osmotic membrane systems are provided to generate an essentially pure water stream and a highly concentrated solute stream. In some embodiments, reverse osmosis and nanofiltration units are employed in a staged manner. In other embodiments, all stages are reverse osmosis units and the osmotic pressure of each stage is adjusted by the provision of a solution on the low pressure side of the reverse osmosis membrane using nanofiltration membranes. Various recycle options are employed to improve the efficiency of the systems.

Abstract: A method is disclosed of coupling and integrating natural gas recovery and separation along with chemical conversion. The method can comprise extracting at least one natural gas component. Non-limiting examples of the extracted component include ethane, propane, butanes, and pentanes. The method can also comprise contacting a natural gas stream with a catalyst under conditions that selectively convert at least one component into at least one product, such as ethylene, acetic acid, polyethylene, vinyl acetate, ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol, and their derivatives, propylene, polypropylene, propylene oxide, propylene glycol, acrylates, acrolein, acrylic acid, butenes, butadiene, methacrolein, methacrylic acid, methacrylates, and their derivatives, which can then be separated from the remaining components.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for the separation of a metal complex catalyst and any free ligand which may be present, from a homogeneous organic synthesis reaction mixture using sub-nanoporous, chemically stable membranes having discrete pores which allow organic products and by-products to pass through the membrane as permeate while retaining substantially all of the metal complex catalyst and free ligand, if any, as retentate.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for separating epsilon caprolactam from a feed mixture comprising epsilon caprolactam and one or more epsilon caprolactam isomers selected from the group consisting of 4-ethyl-2-pyrrolidinone, 5-methyl-2-piperdinone, 3-ethyl-2-pyrrolidinone and 3-methyl-2-piperdinone which process comprises contacting under adsorption conditions said mixture with an adsorbent, selectively adsorbing said epsilon caprolactam isomers to substantial exclusion of said epsilon caprolactam, removing the non-adsorbed portion of the feed mixture from contact with the adsorbent, and thereafter recovering high purity epsilon caprolactam. The epsilon caprolactam isomers can be recovered by desorption under desorption conditions. The process can be conducted in a batch or semi-batch manner or in a continuous manner using moving bed or simulated moving bed technologies.

Abstract: Processes are disclosed for the selective hydrolysis of saturated esters, e.g., ethyl propionate, over unsaturated esters, e.g., ethyl acrylate, using enzymes, e.g., lipases. The processes are useful, for example, for removing undesired esters from monomer feeds used in latex polymerization and from the latexes after polymerization. The processes can be used, for example, to treat latexes used in hair fixative compositions to remove unpleasant odors.

Abstract: A process for the gas-phase polymerization of polymers which allows for the introduction of an unsupported polymerization catalyst system into the gas-phase reactor, wherein the unsupported polymerization catalyst system comprises (i) a non-volatile materials fraction containing a polymerization catalyst; (ii) a solvent fraction which is at least partially miscible with the non-volatile materials fraction and which is sufficiently volatile to allow for the formation of polymerization catalyst particles when the mixture of the solvent fraction and the non-volatile materials fraction is sprayed into the reactor; (iii) a compressed fluid; and (iv) optionally a slowly vaporizing solvent.