Resinall Rütgers Resins GmbH (RRR; Duisburg, Germany) — a joint venture (JV) between Rütgers Novares GmbH (Duisburg, Germany) and Resinall Europe bvba (Brugge, Belgium) — has acquired the chemicals company Neville Chemical Europe BV (NCE; Uithoorn, Netherlands).The acquisition of NCE…
In a move to further optimize its value-adding chains and boost product availability, Oxea GmbH (Oberhausen, Germany; www.oxea-chemicals.com) has successfully increased its manufacturing capabilities for synthesis gas (syngas) at its Bay City, Texas plant by 10%. Syngas is the main…
Aveva (Cambridge, U.K.; www.aveva.com) today announced the acquisition of Z+F UK Ltd. (Manchester, U.K.; www.zf-uk.com). The strategic acquisition includes only the division of Z+F that produces the LFM software suite. This follows a long and successful partnership with Z+F UK…
Nippon Steel Corp. (Tokyo; www.nsc.co.jp) and Kobe Steel, Ltd. (Kobe, Japan; www.kobelco.com) announce that their steel-mill-dust recycling plant (photo below) began commercial operation on October 1. As part of the objectives to deepen and expand their alliance, the two companies decided…
At the 2nd Annual ChemInnovations Conference and Expo (Houston; September 13–15), Hemi-O Technologies LLC (Corpus Christi, Tex.; dixonengineering@gmail.com) introduced its patent-pending technology that enables external access to individual tubes in a heat exchanger while the exchanger is in service and…
A technique that improves the efficiency of ethanol plants by lowering the cost of dewatering the byproduct stillage (a slurry of corn solids and water) from the fermentation process has been developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s…
Professor Yuki Taniguchi at the Chemicals Research Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan, www.res.titech.ac.jp/~gosei/taniguchi/index.html) has developed a new catalyst system that decomposes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at lower temperatures than that required by conventional catalysts. The SILP (supported ionic liquid…
Plant Watch Ineos Technologies licenses its technology for a PP plant in China September 1, 2011 — Ineos Technologies (www.ineos.com) has licensed its Innovene PP (polypropylene) Process for the manufacture of homopolymers, random copolymers and impact copolymers to the Shaanxi…
Impending standards requiring that cellulosic ethanol be used in gasoline blending have focused attention on building a capacity for bioethanol from non-food sources. In a development that may begin to meet that need, a plant employing a unique method for…
China produces about 98% of the world’s electrolytic manganese metal (EMM), a vital ingredient used in specialty steels, aluminum and electronics. In contrast, the U.S. produces no EMM, says Nick Weir, an executive with U.S. American Manganese Inc. (AMY; White…