In The News
KBR awarded EPC contract for new HDPE facility in Texas
KBR Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com) has been awarded a contract from Gemini HDPE LLC, a manufacturing joint venture between INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA (Ineos) and Sasol, to provide engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services for a new high-density polyethylene (HDPE)…
Gas-to-gasoline process makes commercial debut in Turkmenistan
A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Ovadan-Depe near the capital of Ashgabad in Turkmenistan to launch the construction of a major plant focused on the conversion of natural gas into synthetic gasoline. The plant will be based on Haldor Topsøe…
CB&I awarded contract for an on-purpose propylene plant in Poland
CB&I (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.cbi.com) has been awarded a contract by Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen S.A. (PKN) for the license and engineering design of a new on-purpose propylene production unit to be located in Plock, Poland. The unit will use…
MHI, Mitsubishi and GAP Insaat to build large-scale fertilizer plant in Turkmenistan
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI; Tokyo, Japan; www.mhi-global.com), working jointly with GAP Insaat Yatirim ve Dis Tiscaret A.S., a Turkish construction company and Mitsubishi Corp., will build large-scale ammonia and urea fertilizer production plants for Turkmenhimiya (TH), a state-owned chemical…
Clariant plans to build new masterbatches plant in Australia
Clariant AG (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com) plans to build its newest masterbatches plant in greater Sydney Area, Australia. The new plant will mainly serve the Australian market with a full range of color and additive masterbatches, technically innovative solutions and services to…
Microporous vanadosilicate efficiently removes cesium from wastewater
The effective removal of Cs+ ions from contaminated groundwater, seawater, and radioactive nuclear waste is crucial for public health and for the operation of nuclear power plants. Although several methods for the removal of Cs+ ions have been developed, there…
Spotlight on Lithium
A huge growth in demand for lithium compounds is expected when automotive manufacturers start mass producing hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles using lithium-ion batteries. In anticipation of the expanded business, many minerals-processing companies have been developing technologies for processing…
This production process cuts Pt usage in catalytic converters in half
Chemists from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and technology (AIST; Tsukuba City, Japan; www.aist.go.jp) have developed a procedure for making the catalysts used in catalytic converters for treating the exhaust from diesel engines. The process, developed with support…
ExxonMobil invests in new delayed coker unit at Belgium refinery, and more business news
Plant Watch ExxonMobil invests in new delayed coker unit at Belgium refinery July 7, 2014 — An affiliate of ExxonMobil (Irving, Tex., www.exxonmobil.com), Esso Belgium, a division of ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical B.V.B.A., plans to install a new delayed coker…
Demonstration of methane fermentation to lactic acid
What is said to be the world’s first fermentation pathway from methane to lactic acid has been demonstrated by Calysta, Inc. (Menlo Park, Calif.; www.calysta.com). The fermentation process begins with an organism that feeds off of methane rather than typical…