A method for producing para-xylene (PX) includes introducing a C8 aromatic-containing composition to a xylene rerun column to separate the C8 aromatic-containing composition into a xylene-containing effluent and a heavy effluent and passing the xylene-containing effluent to a PX processing loop that includes a PX recovery unit operable to separate a PX product from the xylene-containing effluent, a membrane isomerization unit operable to convert a portion of the MX, OX, or both from the xylene-containing effluent to PX, an EB dealkylation unit operable to dealkylate EB from the xylene-containing effluent to produce benzene, toluene, and other C.sub.7 compounds, and a membrane separation unit operable to produce a permeate that is PX-rich and a retentate that is PX-lean. The permeate is passed to the PX recovery unit for recovery of PX, which the retentate is bypassed around the PX recovery unit circulated through the xylene processing loop.

A catalytic device includes a hollow body, a piston housed in the hollow body, a catalyst of a gas generation reaction based on bringing a reactive liquid into contact with the catalyst, the catalyst being housed in a catalysis chamber, the piston and the hollow body defining a hermetic compression chamber for containing a compressible fluid, and being mobile relative to one another between a closed position in which the catalysis chamber is tight to the reactive liquid, and an open position for the entry of the reactive liquid into the catalysis chamber. The catalytic device is conformed to switch from the open position to the closed position, respectively from the closed position to the open position, when the compressible fluid is contained in the compression chamber and a force applied to the piston is greater than or equal to, respectively less than, a closure force.

Device including a catalytic system and an electromagnetic system, the catalytic system defining a catalysis chamber and including a catalyst of a reaction to generate a gas from a liquid, the catalyst being housed in the catalysis chamber, the electromagnetic system including a coil and a rod mobile relative to the coil, the rod being fixed to the catalytic system and including a magnet and a core, the electromagnetic system being configured to move the rod relative to the coil when an electrical current is passed through the coil, so as to dispose the catalytic system in an open position in which the catalysis chamber is in fluidic communication with the outside, the catalytic system being disposed in a closed position in which the catalysis chamber is hermetically closed in the absence of an electrical current through the coil.

Design, fabrication, and usage of a reactor are presented for synthesis of structured materials from a liquid-phase precursor by heating. The structured materials are particles, membranes or films of micro-porous molecular sieve crystals such as zeolite and meso-porous materials. The precursor solution and structured materials in the reactor are uniformly heated by a planar heater with characteristic heat transfer dimension in the range of 3 mm to 10 cm. A planar heater having width and length at least three times of the characteristic heat transfer dimension provides at least one surface of uniform temperature distribution for heating purposes. Heating is conducted over a temperature range of 20 to 300 C. The planar heater can be heated by electrical power of by thermal fluid.

A device for stirring at least one liquid includes a fluidics module rotatable about an axis of rotation, a liquid chamber for the liquid within the fluidics module, an introducer for introducing mutually separate phase volumes of a phase different from the liquid, said phase volumes having a different density than the liquid, into the liquid within the liquid chamber, and a driving device for subjecting the fluidics module to such a rotation that the phase volumes are moved radially inward or outward in relation to the axis of rotation through the liquid due to the different density of the phase volumes and of the liquid and due to the centrifugal forces caused by the rotation.

A method for producing para-xylene (PX) includes introducing a C8 aromatic-containing composition to a xylene rerun column to separate the C8 aromatic-containing composition into a xylene-containing effluent and a heavy effluent and passing the xylene-containing effluent to a PX processing loop that includes a PX recovery unit operable to separate a PX product from the xylene-containing effluent, a membrane isomerization unit operable to convert a portion of the MX, OX, or both from the xylene-containing effluent to PX, an EB dealkylation unit operable to dealkylate EB from the xylene-containing effluent to produce benzene, toluene, and other C.sub.7 compounds, and a membrane separation unit operable to produce a permeate that is PX-rich and a retentate that is PX-lean. The permeate is passed to the PX recovery unit for recovery of PX, which the retentate is bypassed around the PX recovery unit circulated through the xylene processing loop.

An apparatus 100 for conducting chemical reactions in a process fluid is provided, comprising a central shaft 1 with a number of axial-radial rotors 3 mounted thereon, a plurality of stationary vanes 2 disposed upstream the rotor and a mixing space 4 disposed downstream of the rotor, wherein the mixing space is configured to convert mechanical energy imparted to the process fluid by the rotor into internal energy of said process fluid and to establish conditions for an at least one chemical reaction in the process fluid to occur. Related arrangement, method and uses of the apparatus are further provided.

The present invention relates to different liquid distributors for monolith in multiphase applications. The present invention more particularly relates to distributor devices in the form of a single injection and multiple injection pipe distributors; shower head distributor comprising a plurality of holes for plunging liquid; a packing of spherical particles with a pre-distributor to split the liquid into manifold streams, before entry into the monolith bed. The present invention provides liquid distributors for monolith in multiphase applications providing improved liquid distribution into the monolith bed resulting in uniform fluid flow in each channel so as to make maximum use of the catalyst surface area.

Design, fabrication, and usage of a reactor are presented for synthesis of structured materials from a liquid-phase precursor by heating. The structured materials are particles, membranes or films of micro-porous molecular sieve crystals such as zeolite and meso-porous materials. The precursor solution and structured materials in the reactor are uniformly heated by a planar heater with characteristic heat transfer dimension in the range of 3 mm to 10 cm. A planar heater having width and length at least three times of the characteristic heat transfer dimension provides at least one surface of uniform temperature distribution for heating purposes. Heating is conducted over a temperature range of 20 to 300 C. The planar heater can be heated by electrical power of by thermal fluid.

Liquid silicate products derived from processed organic plant matter (112), such as rice hulls, have improved purity and properties for use in the production of higher purity amorphous silica compositions (180). The liquid silicate can be optically clear, can have a controlled ratio of silica to metal earth oxide components, and can have lower concentrations of undesirable contaminants such as aluminum, chloride, iron, sulfate, and titanium.