An investigation of corrosion and sedimentation in the air cooler tubes of benzene drying column in linear alkyl benzene production plant

Corrosion in seawater desalination industry: A critical analysis of impacts and mitigation strategies

In the current world, freshwater production by clean energy sources with minimum environmental footprints is the main challenge for humankind which is dramatically deteriorating by overexploitation of available water resources. Seawater desalination technology greatly contributes to the mitigation of these serious conditions to produce potable water. However, because desalination plants handle extremely aggressive seawater under stringent operational conditions, they are highly vulnerable to insidious effects of corrosion primarily in the form of general and localized corrosion. Moreover, mineral scaling and bio-fouling are major challenges that further exacerbate corrosion phenomena. So, to ensure the continual operation and curbing corrosion in seawater desalination systems, strict monitoring and selection of highly corrosion-resistance materials are of prime concern. The present paper briefly explores fundamental concepts of corrosion in the desalination industry besides discussing different mitigation strategies for reducing the pernicious effects of corrosion which gravely impair environment quality and durability of desalination infrastructures. Moreover, the authors propose the knowledge gaps and perspectives to delineate the future research direction. Effective solutions for avoiding seawater stagnation, developing highly sophisticated coatings and surface modification technologies, application of advanced computational programs for accurate prediction of possible corrosion failure in desalination plants, and using quantum technology and magnetic corrosion inhibitor in seawater desalination are recommended as an urgent future research focus to combat against corrosion. On the whole, despite outstanding breakthroughs in the field of corrosion control in the desalination industry, the long-term performance of current materials is highly controversial as still many cases of corrosion failures have been reported which indicates the necessity of intensive research work.

High-efficiency removal of benzene vapor using activated carbon from Althaea officinalis L. biomass as a lignocellulosic precursor

Benzene is a primary air pollutant commonly found widespread in the indoor environment. It has always been a research focus on the environment due to the causes of significant human health concerns. It has been widely utilized in the synthesis of solvent production, which can rarely be found in high concentrations in outdoor air or high amounts in indoor air, depending on its sources. It is aimed to remove different initial benzene concentrations (from 5 to 1500 ppm) with the production of activated carbon as an excellent adsorbent with a high surface area to be used in these situations. Lignocellulosic wastes have great potential for activated carbon for their advantages (abundant, recycled, and low-cost materials, etc.). This study aimed to evaluate biowaste material for activated carbon production from Althaea officinalis L. biomass by chemical activation (H₂SO₄, LiOH, and ZnCl₂) at temperatures between 500 and 900 °C. Newly developed powdered activated carbons (Ao-ACs) are also tabulated as Ao-AC1-45 for easy reference. Benzene vapor was collected into Tenax TA® tubes by automatic thermal desorption in conjunction with a capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS). The significant surface area and production yield of Ao-ACs were obtained at 1424 m²/g (Ao-AC43) and up to 40.32%, respectively. The maximum gas-phase benzene adsorption capacity was 140 mg/g at 270 min. This research has focused on adsorption gas-phase benzene removal onto Ao-ACs as a low-cost adsorbent from the Althaea officinalis L. biomass. Conspicuously, more study is needed to perform the enhanced adsorption of airborne pollutants capacity with inexpensive activated carbon from waste biomass materials.

A Review in Linear Alkylbenzene (LAB) Production Processes in the Petrochemical Industry

Linear alkylbenzene (LAB) is a cost-effective and biodegradable intermediate in the production of detergents and surfactants. Recently, due to the spread of the Coronavirus and the high global need for detergent, the production of LAB is essential. Kerosene is the raw material of linear paraffin with high purity, which are finally converted to linear olefins by dehydrogenation. The linear mono-olefins react with benzene in the existence of the catalyst to produce LAB which is used to produce linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), as a biodegradable detergent. The main methods for the production of LAB, including HF and Detal processes were studied and compared with each other. In Detal method, many compounds such as zeolites and metal oxides have been used to make solid catalysts with selectivity, long life, economic efficiency and high safety. Nowadays, most LAB production units have used the Detal process. In this review, the production of LAB was investigated, the influential factors and the advantages, disadvantages and limitations of each method were also investigated. The product quality, process economics, sales market, and the quantitative and qualitative properties of LAB have also been investigated. Also, the exact mechanism of LAB production by HF acid was described.