Abstract: Elastomeric particles, which have a tendency to agglomerate, are rendered non-agglomerating by contacting those particles with an aqueous solution or dispersion of a polyurethane rubber, a high Mooney viscosity, high gel content rubber and/or a soap, and optionally a polar binder, separating the coated elastomeric particles from the solution or dispersion, and then drying the elastomeric particles while keeping the coated particles in motion.

Abstract: The operation of a fluid-bed reactor in which the catalyst has a proclivity to stickiness deleterious to efficiently carrying out a reaction of the gaseous components fed to the reactor, is controlled by monitoring the fluctuations in temperature at various locations in the bed, and computing the standard deviation of temperature at predetermined intervals of time. When the fluid-bed consists essentially of a supported catalyst performing at peak efficiency, near which it has a proclivity to "stickiness", slight fluctuations, less than 1.degree. F., of operating temperature are correlatable to the quality of fluidization and the risk of an uncontrollable upset in the reactor.

Abstract: The operation of a fluid-bed reactor in which the catalyst has a proclivity to stickiness deleterious to efficiently carrying out a reaction of the gaseous components fed to the reactor, is controlled by monitoring the fluctuations in temperature at various locations in the bed, and computing the standard deviation of temperature at predetermined intervals of time. When the fluid-bed consists essentially of a supported catalyst performing at peak efficiency, near which it has a proclivity to "stickiness", slight fluctuations, less than 1.degree. F., of operating temperature are correlatable to the quality of fluidization and the risk of an uncontrollable upset in the reactor.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for the economical operation of a commercial ethylene dichloride (EDC) cracking furnace which typically is prone to coking of the tubes through which the EDC is flowed. The EDC cracking furnace is found to be critically sensitive to the presence of trace amounts, 30 ppm or more of FeCl.sub.3 and/or 20 ppm or more of free chlorine, which cause coking of the tubes of the furnace. The coking of the tubes is minimized by maintaining less than 30 ppm by weight of FeCl.sub.3 or less than 20 ppm of free chlorine in the EDC feed to the EDC furnace. In the particular instance where EDC is produced at least in part in a high temperature direct chlorination ("boiling") reactor constructed from mild steel, this goal requires that the chlorine content of the effluent from the boiling reactor be controlled so as not to exceed 20 ppm. But this is to be done without using more than a 2% by weight excess of ethylene over the stoichiometric amount required to produce the EDC in the boiling reactor.

Abstract: A trace amount of free chlorine, present along with comparable amounts of ethylene, oxygen and water vapor in the ethylene dichloride (EDC) effluent from a direct chlorination reactor, may be effectively scavenged by exposing the effluent to ultraviolet ("u-v") light having a wavelength less than about 4000.ANG. which is absorbed by the chlorine, but to which both ethylene and EDC are essentially transparent. In this process, contaminant chlorine in substantially pure (99..sup.+ %) EDC is catalytically activated and reacts with EDC to form an unwanted byproduct, namely 1,1,2-trichloroethane ("triane"). The process is effective in either the gaseous phase or the liquid phase.