In The News
A highly active catalyst for making NH3
The research groups of Hideo Hosono and Michikazu Hara at the Materials and Structures Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology (TiTech; Yokohama, Japan; www.msl.titech.ac.jp) have developed a high-performance catalyst for the synthesis of ammonia. In the laboratory, the catalyst is found…
A photocatalyst for destroying viruses
Meanwhile, professor Kazuhito Hashimoto at the University of Tokyo (Japan; www.light.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp) has developed new photocatalyst materials based on copper-titanium oxide, which exhibits superior antiviral effectiveness and enhanced antibacterial properties compared to existing systems. Developed with support from NEDO, this new…
A patented process produces battery-grade lithium
Lithium producer Galaxy Resources Ltd. (Perth, Western Australia; www.galaxylithium.com) says that lithium carbonate product from its wholly owned Jiangsu Lithium Carbonate Plant has achieved battery grade quality using the company’s patented process (flowsheet). The Jiangsu plant is located in the…
A new photocatalyst for VOC destruction
A process for manufacturing fine particles of titanium dioxide that exhibits a high level of photocatalytic activity has been developed by Showa Titanium Co., a subsidiary of Showa Denko K.K. (SDK, Tokyo; ww.sdk.co.jp). The product has been developed in collaboration…
December Chementator Briefs
Rotary atomizer Engineers at Dedert Inc. (Homewood, Ill.; www.dedert.com) have developed a high-speed rotary atomizer for a spray-dryer system that features a motor with permanent rare-earth-metal magnetic bearings. The centrifugal rotary atomizer can achieve peripheral speeds 30 to 40%…
A boost for bio-butanol production
Lately there has been much renewed interest in fermentative production of n-butanol from renewable biomass as an industrial solvent and liquid fuel superior to ethanol that could be used as a substitute for gasoline. An improved butanol production through the…
UOP technology selected by Petrobras for offshore natural gas processing
UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.; www.uop.com), a Honeywell company, says that its technology has been selected by Petrobras to process natural gas aboard up to eight floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels. UOP Separex membrane systems will be installed…
JGC awarded contract for CO2 capture, storage and compression facilities
JGC Corp. (Yokohama, Japan; www.jgc.co.jp) has received a contract from Japan CCS Co. to construct the core facilities at a carbon-dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technology-demonstration project. The site for the demonstration project is located adjacent to an oil refinery…
Jacobs receives contract from Viru Keemia Grupp
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.; www.jacobs.com) has received a contract from Viru Keemia Grupp AS (VKG; Kohtla-Järve, Estonia; www.vkg.ee/eng) to provide a license package and services for a sulfur recovery unit (SRU). The SRU is part of VKG’s investment…
Foster Wheeler awarded EPCm contract for Lanxess’ EPDM plant in China
Foster Wheeler AG (Zug, Switzerland; www.fwc.com) says that a subsidiary of its Global Engineering and Construction Group has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCm) contract by Lanxess Changzhou Co. for a new ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM)…