In The News
A step towards artificial photosynthesis
A photocatalyst that reduces CO2 into carbon monoxide is being commercialized by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co. (Tokyo, Japan; www.tcichemicals.com/en/jp/index.html). Developed by Osamu Ishitani and his research group at Tokyo Institute of Technology (TiTech; Japan; www.chemistry.titech.ac.jp/~ishitani/index-jp.htm), the catalyst is a step…
Nanoscale particles help produce steam
A research group at Rice University (Houston; www.rice.edu) has developed a method for vaporizing water into steam using sunlight-illuminated nanoparticles, with only a small fraction of the energy heating the fluid. Sub-wavelength metal or carbon particles are intense absorbers of…
Toyo wins world’s largest single-train urea plant in Nigeria and more business news
Plant Watch Stamicarbon wins contract for urea plant in China December 6, 2012 — Stamicarbon B.V. (Sittard, the Netherlands; www.stamicarbon.com), the Licensing and IP Center of Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. (Milan, Italy; www.mairetecnimont.it), has been awarded a contract for a new…
This reactor will produce methanol directly from methane
Under an ARPA contract Gas Technology Institute (GTI, Des Plaines, Ill.; www.gastechnology.org) is developing a process to convert natural gas directly into methanol and hydrogen. The process is much simpler and more efficient than the conventional high-temperature and capital-intensive steam-reforming…
Improved bioleaching for nickel recovery
An Indian team from the Institute of Minerals & Materials Technology (www.immt.res.in), and Utkal University (both Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India; www.utkal-university.org) has achieved significant improvement in the recovery of nickel from lateritic ore by using oxalic acid produced by the fungus…
KBR’s first VCC-technology processing unit in Russia enters construction phase
In February 2012, KBR (Houston; www.kbr.com) signed an agreement with TAIF-NK (www.en.taif.ru) to establish a Veba Combi Cracker (VCC) technology processing unit to be implemented at the Nizhnekamsk petroleum refinery in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia (www.chemengonline.com/only_on_che/latest_news/9005.html). The unit, whose…
BASF to sell Meyco Equipment business to Atlas Copco
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has signed a contract with Atlas Copco to sell its Meyco Equipment business providing concrete spraying machines to the tunneling and mining industries. The machinery manufacturer, which is based in Stockholm, Sweden, will continue operations…
Evonik expands U.S. production of precipitated silica
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) plans to increase its annual production capacities for precipitated silica at its site in Chester, Pa. by around 20,000 metric tons. The new facility, which received an investment in lower double-digit euros range, is…
Jacobs receives contract from Aura Minerals for copper mine expansion
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.; www.jacobs.com) was awarded a contract by Aura Minerals Inc. to provide a basic engineering package for the expansion of the process plant at its Aranzazu copper-gold-silver mine located in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico.…
MHI, Sojitz and RC receive order for acrylic acid plant from Gazprom
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI; Tokyo, Japan; www.mhi.co.jp) and Sojitz Corp., jointly with Renaissance Construction (RC), have received an order from JSC Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat (GNS) of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russian Federation, for a project to construct a new…