A chemical manufacturing company had experienced unexpected performance problems with a heterogeneous catalyst in commercial operation and asked MATRIC to participate in identifying the problem. MATRIC assembled a multidisciplinary team to analyze information provided by the company’s project team. A hypothesis was developed that was consistent with the observations and with information found in the [...]

At MATRIC, the health and safety of our employees, communities and partners is our top priority. We continue to closely monitor information from the of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO). We have developed contingency plans and are taking action to ensure uninterrupted service of our customers’ needs [...]

A customer proposed a process concept involving reactive distillation of a crude carboxylic acid stream to recover the ester product. MATRIC evaluated conceptual configurations by process modeling and developed a process design. Then a reaction system was constructed in the laboratory to generate experimental data. The results were incorporated into the process model in preparation [...]

  A client had prepared samples of a potential new product, which had given positive results in application trials. MATRIC was engaged to investigate options for the larger-scale production of the product. A conceptual process design was developed using process simulation software, and an economic evaluation of the production economics was prepared. Figures for the [...]

MATRIC MATTERS: Process Troubleshooting, Root Cause Analysis. A small company had obtained promising results from evaluations of a product made in initial laboratory production. However, products made in more recent preparations had not been as effective. MATRIC was engaged as an independent participant to guide and contribute to a troubleshooting campaign. An extensive set of [...]

            A client wanted to isolate a purified product from a complex mixture and had proposed some preliminary process options. MATRIC was supplied with samples of the mixture. Laboratory studies were conducted in a continuous counter-current extractor, and conditions were identified for successful operation. The results led to a simplification [...]

MATRIC was part of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) team, in collaboration with other national laboratories, that developed an Offshore Risk Modeling (ORM) Suite that was recognized by R&D Magazine as one of the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace in the past year. The ORM Suite, honored in the [...]

MATRIC is participating in a project led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory having the goal of producing high-quality carbon fiber from renewable raw materials. The first phase of the project focused on exploring possible routes from biomass to acrylonitrile. MATRIC provided guidance on catalyst selection and testing, process alternatives, and handling of reactive monomers. [...]

MATRIC was engaged to analyze a waste stream and provide a technology assessment for treating this stream. After characterization of the stream, a technology assessment was conducted to identify readily available and proven processing solutions. Two options were identified, and an economic evaluation of the alternatives was prepared. Quotes from vendors of the technologies were [...]

A startup company had a concept for a process based on selective oxidation of a light hydrocarbon, but needed experimental data to develop the process design and provide input for economic evaluation. MATRIC undertook a laboratory program that began with formulation and preparation of catalysts. A continuous test unit was constructed and catalysts were studied [...]