In The News
New process converts refinery offgas into gasoline
A process technology that upgrades offgas from petroleum refineries has been commercialized by Siluria Technologies Inc. (San Francisco, Calif.; www.siluria.com) and Wood (Aberdeen, Scotland; www.woodplc.com). According to Siluria, the new Modus technology’s ability to chemically convert refinery offgases into high-quality…
Direct conversion of methane into methanol and acetic acid
In a recent paper, published in Nature, the Flytzani-Stephanopoulos group from Tufts University (Medford, Mass.; www.tufts.edu) identified a new method for the direct conversion of methane into methanol or acetic acid under mild conditions using oxygen, carbon monoxide and a…
Recycled polymers improve the nylon product chain
Although recycled polymers can provide sustainable, low-cost feedstock, their use is challenging in applications that require high-performance characteristics. Vertellus LLC (now Aurorium) has developed additives to improve processors’ ability to incorporate recycled nylons and recycled polyesters into virgin nylon. One…
Business News February 2018
Plant Watch Asahi Kasei to increase global production capacity for LIB separators January 11, 2018 — Asahi Kasei Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.asahi-kasei.co.jp) will increase production capacity for lithium-ion battery (LIB) separators at its plants in North Carolina and Shiga, Japan.…
Lower-cost sulfur-removal process for syngas goes commercial
An adsorbent-based, sulfur-removal process for synthesis gas (syngas) that lowers capital and operating costs compared to alternative methods of removing sulfur has completed pre-commercial testing and has achieved commercial status. The Warm-gas Desulfurization Process (WDP; diagram) has been under development…
Placing Data Analytics in the Hands of Engineers
The field of data analytics is evolving quickly, and an increasing number of tools are being designed with chemical engineers in mind Big data, smart devices, Internet of Things (IoT) — these are terms heard more and more frequently in…
Startup for a demonstration plant to process three metals
Australian Mines (Perth; https//:australianmines.com.au) has started operating a demonstration three metals (cobalt-nickel-scandium) processing plant that will process ore from the company’s Sconi and Flemington projects into commercial-grade samples. The company’s flagship Sconi project, located in the mining center of Greenvale…
Testing tide power
A counter-rotating propeller technology that is being developed to harness the energy from tidal currents has been field tested off the coast of Nagasaki Bay, near Iwo Jima, Japan. The prototype, which is one seventh the size of a commercial…
Ceramic-membrane technology simplifies steam methane reforming
A new type of steam-reforming system that produces — in a single step — purified, compressed hydrogen from methane has been developed by a team of scientists from CoorsTek Membrane Sciences AS (Oslo; www.coorstek.com), the University of Oslo (both Norway;…
Making ethylene by artificial photosynthesis
A team from the National University of Singapore (www.nus.edu.sg) led by professor Boon Siang Yeo has developed a prototype device that uses artificial photosynthesis to produce ethylene using only sunlight, water and CO2, at room temperature and pressure. The team…