Tobacco Documents Online

/ I Aromatics in gasoline Aromatics added to unleaded gaso- line to raise its octane rating cause increased exhaust emissions of polynuclear aromatics (PNA)--- including benzo[a]pyrene and benz[a]anthracene, which have been found carcinogenic in lab animal tests--according to Dr. Emmett S. Jacobs of Du Pont. Dr. ,/acobs told the American Cilemical Society national meethig in Los Angeles last week that in tests on 18 automobiles an unleaded, high.aromatic (44%) gasoline gave 2.5 times more PNA emission than leaded, low-aromatic (15% ) fuel. II Nylon precursor A "'halogen recycle" route to de- hydroadiponitri/e, a precursor of y/on 66, has been developed by Esso Research & Engineering, which will make the technology available for licensing. Dr. William C. Baird and John H. Surridge of Esso pro- vided, at the ACS meeting, details on the process, in which butadiene reacts with iodine and copper(I)cya. hide in inert alkane diluents to pro- duce the cuprous iodide comple~ of dehydroadiponitrfle. Hydrolysis of the complex with aqueous hydro- gen cyanide solution results in a high yield ot jsomerically pure 1,4- dinitrile and regeneration of the iodine and copper cyanide, it Tire by-product recovery Firesfone's destructive disttilation process for recovering char, otis, and gas from old tires (C&EN; June 8, 1970, page 12) is proving its technical promise in pilot-scale testing, the company said last week. However, much more analysis will be required to determine economic . feasibility. Goodyear and Cities Service ate also developing tire by- product recovery technology (C&F~, oct. 5, ~970, pa~je ~). ~ Natural gas sources Large reserves of natural gas may be found in igneous rocks, Dr. T. J. Weismann of Gulf Research and Developmenl Co. told the American Association of Petroleum Geologists meeting in Houston, Tex. Guff scientists find that an inorganic, high- temperature mechanism may have formed gas now being produced in large quantities from the S~cramento Basin, Catitomia, and the Delaware- Val Verde Basins in western Texas. Igneous formations hav.e been tittle explored because most oil men be- tiered natural gas was formed in sedimentary rocks by decay and decomposition of organic materials. !! Maleic anhydride process MitsubisbJ :Chemical Industries, Japan, is talking with prospective clients in Europe about licensing of its C~-based maleic anhydride process, following a year's opera- tion of Mitsubishi's 18,000 metric. ton-a-year unit at Mizushima, Ja- pan. The process uses a fluidized- bed reactor to oxidize the C.t cut from naphtha cracking. C.t feed is cheaper in Japan and in Europe than is benzene, now the most common feed for malei¢ anhydride units. [] Nitrogen oxides reduced Emission of nitrogen oxides by gas turbines can be reduced signifi- cantly by adding steam to the corn: pressor discharge, according to N. R. D[belius, M. B. Hilt, and R. H. Johnson of General Electric. Mr. ~ibelius told the Gas Turbine Con- terence and Products Show of the American Society of Mechanical En- gineers last week in Houston, Tex., that adding 4% steam 1o air in the compressor discharge reduces ni- trogen oxides by 75% (to about 25 p.p.m.) lot a 16-Mw. turbine. • Urban vehicle competition A committee of students from MIT and other universities is planning an intercollegiate Urban Vehicle Design Competition for the summer of 1972 to encourage development of automobiles specifically for city driving. An outgrowth of last summer's student Clean Air Car Race (C&EN, Sept. 14, 1970, page 48), the 1972 competition's objective is automobiles which are not only low polluters, but also safe, small, and quiet. II Waste treatment Dow Chemical and Rollins-Purle have agreed to exchange industrial waste disposal technology, possibly leading to a/olnt venture in envi- ronmental control services. Roflins- Purle is the first company to operate regional industrial waste treatment plants (C&EN, Dec. 21, 1970, page 22). Dow last year set up its Envi- ronmental Control Systems Group to market its own waste disposal technology (C&EN, May 4, 1970, page 35). ~ Mercury analysis A new system for analysis of mer- cury compounds, such as methyl- mercuric salts in fish and fungicide residues, has been developed by Dr. Carl A. Bache and Dr. Donald J. Lisk, New York State College of Agriculture, Cornell University, Ithaca. Dr. Lisk tells C&EN that the system is based on marriage of gas chromatography to emission spectrometry, using a microwave- powered plasma emission detector. Dr. Lisk says the method is much more specific for mercury than electron capture detection--en- abling use of impure samplesm but gives similar sensitivity. The method can also be applied to determ~ation of arsenic com. poa~ds. • APRIL So lS71 c~ ~1 TI54853519