Gas chromatography is one of the most common analytical methods for measuring concentrations in liquid or gas samples. Helium is usually used as a GC carrier gas, but helium prices have skyrocketed in the last decade. Alternatives such as hydrogen and nitrogen can be used, but how does that impact chromatography performance? In this article we discuss GC theory to understand how different parameters affect resolution, how column efficiency is related to peak broadening and how carrier gas properties affect column efficiency.

Did you know that the golden brown crust on a loaf of fresh bread shares some chemistry as the crispy brown sear of a well-grilled steak? Not only are both delicious, the Maillard reaction is responsible for their enticing aromas. In fact, we can thank the Maillard reaction for some of cooked foods’ more appealing flavors and the brown color of roast coffee, bread crusts, soy sauce and barbecue, to name a few. Considering how billions of meals are cooked each day, the Maillard reaction is easily the most practiced chemical reaction in the world.

Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere in the 21st century, and they have powered many electric vehicles since the Tesla Roadster in 2008. They work by shuffling lithium ions between the anode and the anode, but lithium prices have increased 7x since 2023 due to EV demand. The elements used within LIBs are not evenly distributed and of limited supply.

A butadiene unit is not the only place where popcorn polymer can grow. Around 2014, Nalco conducted a survey of ethylene plants around the world, and received data from 40 of them. They found that contrary to popular belief at the time, popcorn polymer can also grow in de-ethanizers (DeC2), depropanizers (DeC3) and debutanizers (DeC4).

Nitrogen oxide (NOx) contamination in the cryogenic train is a sneaky safety issue for ethylene units. Parts per billion levels of NOx are enough to cause buildup of enough explosive material in a cold box to cause a loss of containment event once triggered by a warm-up event. As with many safety problems, this phenomenon was demonstrated in a dramatic fashion when Shell’s plant in Berre, France exploded in 1990.

Red oil is a type of foulant formed from acetaldehyde that is particular to acid gas removal units in ethylene service. Managing red oil is an important part of optimizing a chemical’s plant performance for long term profitability.

Popcorn polymer is a problematic and insidious issue affecting operators of ethylene manufacturing facilities as well as those operating butadiene extraction plants.