A process for purifying methyl methacrylate. The method comprises: (a) feeding a product mixture comprising methyl methacrylate, methanol, water and oligomers of methyl methacrylate to a divided section of a distillation column comprising a dividing wall; (b) removing an overhead stream and a bottoms stream from the distillation column, and removing a middle side draw stream from the distillation column; wherein the crude product enters the dividing wall distillation column in a divided section on an opposing side of the dividing wall from the middle side draw stream; and (c) removing an upper side draw stream from a point above the dividing wall and below the top of the distillation column, separating a portion of water from the upper side draw stream to produce a dewatered upper side draw stream and returning the dewatered upper side draw stream to the distillation column.

A process for purifying methyl methacrylate. The method comprises: (a) feeding a product mixture comprising methyl methacrylate, methanol, water and oligomers of methyl methacrylate to a divided section of a distillation column comprising a dividing wall; (b) removing an overhead stream and a bottoms stream from the distillation column, and removing a middle side draw stream from the distillation column; wherein the crude product enters the dividing wall distillation column in a divided section on an opposing side of the dividing wall from the middle side draw stream; and (c) removing an upper side draw stream from a point above the dividing wall and below the top of the distillation column, separating a portion of water from the upper side draw stream to produce a dewatered upper side draw stream and returning the dewatered upper side draw stream to the distillation column.

The present invention provides microfluidic technology enabling rapid and economical manipulation of reactions on the femtoliter to microliter scale.

The invention is directed to a urea plant with a high pressure synthesis section and a recovery section. The high pressure synthesis section comprises a reactor, a stripper and a condenser, wherein the reactor operates at a higher pressure than the stripper and the condenser. The plant further includes a compression unit between the condenser and the reactor. The compression unit utilizes mechanical energy recovered from a decompression unit positioned downstream of the stripper and upstream of the recovery section.

The invention is a high-throughput voltage screening crystallographic device and methodology that uses multiple micro wells and electric circuits capable of assaying different crystallization condition for the same or different proteins of interest at the same of different voltages under a humidity and temperature controlled environment. The protein is solubilized in a lipid matrix similar to the lipid composition of the protein in the native environment to ensure stability of the protein during crystallization. The invention provides a system and method where the protein is transferred to a lipid matrix that holds a resting membrane potential, which reduces the degree of conformational freedom of the protein. The invention overcomes the majority of the difficulties associated with vapor diffusion techniques and essentially reconstitutes the protein in its native lipid environment under cuasi physiological conditions.

In a process for methanol production from synthesis gas, which comprises the steps of providing a make-up gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide, in which the content of carbon dioxide is less than 0.1 mole %, mixing the make-up gas with a hydrogen-rich recycle gas and passing the gas mixture to a methanol synthesis reactor, optionally via a sulfur guard, and subjecting the effluent from the synthesis reactor to a separation step, thereby providing crude methanol and the hydrogen-rich recycle gas, the customary addition of carbon dioxide to the make-up gas is replaced by addition of water in an amount of 0.1 to 5 mole %. This way, a CO.sub.2 compressor is saved, and the amount of poisonous sulfur in the make-up gas is markedly reduced.

In a process for methanol production from synthesis gas, which comprises the steps of providing a make-up gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide, in which the content of carbon dioxide is less than 0.1 mole %, mixing the make-up gas with a hydrogen-rich recycle gas and passing the gas mixture to a methanol synthesis reactor, optionally via a sulfur guard, and subjecting the effluent from the synthesis reactor to a separation step, thereby providing crude methanol and the hydrogen-rich recycle gas, the customary addition of carbon dioxide to the make-up gas is replaced by addition of water in an amount of 0.1 to 5 mole %. This way, a CO.sub.2 compressor is saved, and the amount of poisonous sulfur in the make-up gas is markedly reduced.

The present invention provides microfluidic technology enabling rapid and economical manipulation of reactions on the femtoliter to microliter scale.

A process is disclosed for reducing loss of hydrogen in solution to the fractionation section of a hydroprocessing unit. The hot liquid stream is stripped with an inert gas in a hot flash stripper to urge hydrogen into the hot flash vapor stream. Substantial conservation of hydrogen gas is achieved.

The present invention pertains to a method for loading a crystallization device and for manufacturing a crystallization device comprising multiple receptacles with a pre-defined amount of at least one matrix-forming compound capable of forming a crystallization matrix for a membrane protein, said method comprising the following steps: a) Modifying the state of aggregation of said at least one matrix-forming compound to a fluidic state which allows dispensing said at least one matrix-forming compound, and b) dispensing a defined amount of said at least one matrix-forming compound into at least one receptacle of the crystallization device, wherein said dispensed matrix-forming compound solidifies within said receptacle. Thereby prefilled crystallization devices are obtained which can be used as consumables in particular in automated crystallization processes. Also provided are protein crystallization methods using respectively prepared crystallization devices.