Scientists at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB; Spain; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6896-542), in cooperation with the Institute of Chemical and Environmental Research (CSIC), have developed an electrochemical biosensor that can detect atrazine — a widely-used herbicide — at levels of 0.005 µg/L,…
Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (Sabic; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, edlinks.chemengonline.com/6896-543) has agreed to purchase GE Plastics (Pittsfield, Mass.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6896-544) for $11.6 billion. Regulatory approval for the transaction is expected to occur by the third quarter of 2007.
Huntsman Corp. (Houston, Tex.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6896-545) plans to commercialize a process for making propylene glycol (PG) from glycerin, a byproduct of biodiesel production, and will make the product available for customer trials within the next month. Using proprietary technology, the company…
Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT; Atlanta; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6896-547) and Xiamen University (China) have produced a new form of platinum: 24-faceted nanocrystals whose catalytic activity per unit area can be as much as four times higher than existing commercial…
Nova Chemicals (Pittsburgh, Pa.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6896-548) has launched Arcel, a new foam resin that enables retailers to reduce the cube size of packaging by as much as 40% compared to traditional foam packaging, without sacrificing the protective qualities. As a result,…
Lonza Group Ltd. (Basel, Switzerland; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6896-549) plans to start large-scale production of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), an emerging class of products utilized mainly for the treatment of cancer. The plant, located in Visp, Switzerland, will have an initial production capacity…
Last month, Metso Automation (Helsinki, Finland; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6896-550) launched the Neles RotaryGlobe control valve, which is said to combine the best features of linear- and rotary-valve technologies into a new design. The body of the valve has a one-piece, globe-valve style…
Last Month, Bayer Innovation GmbH (Leverkusen, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6896-551) started a pilot plant for producing a bioresorbable wound dressing in sufficient quantities to enable clinical trials to be carried out. Once the clinical phase of development is sucessfully completed, regulatory approval…
The Shenhau Group (China) and the Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6896-552) signed a cooperative agreement last month and plan to study the feasibility for building a world-scale coal-to-chemicals complex in Shaanxi Provence, China. The study is expected to take…
Although sealing technologies rarely make the headline, when they do, its usually for a tragic reason, which demonstrates how important this small component really is. For example, on January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds…