> PANalytical’s X-ray instrumentation is helping to develop a new class of cementswhich require much less limestone and less energy to produce than conventional Portlandcements. Cement production is responsible for around 5% of global man-made CO2

emissions. A large proportion of these emissions result from the decarbonisation of limestoneat high temperatures to produce clinker, the basic component of cement. Through projectAether, led by Lafarge, world leader in building materials, a new generation of lower-carboncements has been developed. Less limestone is required to produce Aether cements, whichare also manufactured at lower temperatures and using less energy than Portland Cement.Overall, this allows a 25-30% reduction in CO2 emissions. PANalytical’s X-ray systems andsoftware are used for quality control and analysis.

> BTG’s high-performance coating blades help customers in the pulp and paper industry toreduce energy costs and wastage. Traditional steel blades need to be changed frequently inorder to maintain paper quality. After each blade change, the new blade needs running in,which may take up to 15 minutes. During that time the paper produced will be substandardand has to be cut out of the reel, recycled and put back into production, a process whichrequires additional energy and uses a large amount of water. BTG’s ceramic-tipped bladeshave a lifetime 5 to 8 times greater than steel blades and require no run-in time. With coatingspeeds of up to 2000 metres per minute, fewer blade changes result in significant energysavings to the customer and also reduce wastage.

> Malvern Instruments’ zeta potential analyser is used to study the use ofwater treatment additives for drinking water to ensure it meets EC regulations. Ever-increasing requirements for water quality mean that traditional methods of treatment andcontrol are inadequate to ensure that recommended contaminant levels are neverexceeded. Water sources need to be treated in a specific way to remove suspendedmaterials which colour the water, as well as eliminating viruses and bacteria. Malvern’sanalysers are able to measure effectively the parameters controlling water clarity.Optimisation of the water treatment process also ensures that the use of treatmentchemicals is minimised. This reduces the requirement for disposal in land-fill sites as well asreducing the cost of their use.

> Brüel & Kjær’s sound analysis systems are used to measure the noise andvibration of products. The Tokaido Shinkansen, or Bullet Train, Japan’s high-speed railway,runs through densely populated areas of Japan, where noise and vibration levels are strictlyregulated. Development of the next generation of low-noise trains is focusing on thedifficult task of reducing aerodynamic noise. Use of Brüel & Kjær’s PULSE beamformingsystem in wind tunnel tests to detect the aero dynamic noise sources of models has enabledimprovements to be made to the design of the train to reduce noise. The long nose cone tothe power car and the innovative wing-shaped pantograph, which takes the current fromthe overhead lines, help to reduce wind resistance at high speed.

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