In The News
Thin-film membranes promise a dramatic reduction in energy use
Researchers at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul; www.umn.edu) have produced thin-film zeolite membranes that are only 200 nm thick, compared to 5–10 µm for conventional zeolite membranes. The new membranes could cut energy and capital costs by 90% for…
Commercial debut for a new olefins-production process
Last month, KBR (Houston; www.kbr.com) was awarded a license and process-design-package contract for a new olefins-production unit using the Advanced Catalytic Olefins (ACO) technology. The contract represents the first license of the ACO process, which catalytically cracks naphtha and other…
A polarizable membrane for improved energy storage
The two basic energy-storage devices — dielectric and double-layer capacitors — entail serious limitations. Dielectric capacitors have low capacitance, on the order of 0.1 to 1.0 µF/cm2, while the double-layer capacitor has a high capacitance, on the order of 0.5…
Tecnimont & Stamicarbon: New contract for fertilizer project in Egypt
Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its main operating company Tecnimont S.p.A. (Rome, Italy; www.mairetecnimont.it) has been awarded an engineering-procurement-construction-commissioning (EPCC) contract on a lump-sum turnkey basis for the realization of a new fertilizers complex within the existing industrial area in…
Dow and Davy license LP Oxo Technology to Wison (Nanjing) Clean Energy
Davy Process Technology Ltd. (DPT; London, U.K.; www.davyprotech.com), a Johnson Matthey company, and The Dow Chemical Company’s (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) Oxygenated Solvents business announced that Wison (Nanjing) Clean Energy Co. (Wison Energy), a member company of the Wison Group (www.wison.com) located in…
Toyo awarded energy-optimization project at Sabic
Toyo Engineering Corp. (Toyo; Chiba, Japan; www.toyo-eng.co.jp) was awarded an energy optimization project for one of Saudi Basic Industries Corp.’s (Sabic; ; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; www.sabic.com) existing ammonia plant and pack age boilers at Al-Jubail Fertilizer Co. (Al-Bayroni) in the…
Oxea to build its first production plant in China
Oxea GmbH (Oberhausen, Germany; www.oxea-chemicals.com) says it will build its first chemical plant for the production of oxo derivatives in Nanjing, China, in 2012. Scheduled to go on-stream in 2013, the new state-of-the-art plant will serve the fast-growing demand for oxo…
Lummus Technology lands contract in China
CB&I (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.cbi.com) announced today that Lummus Technology has been awarded a contract by China Coal Shaanxi Yulin Energy & Chemical Co. Ltd. for the license and engineering design of two light olefins recovery units. The plants will…
CB&I: Contract for sulfuric-acid-akylation unit in China
CB&I (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.cbi.com) announced today that Lummus Technology has been awarded a contract by Ningbo Haiyue New Material Co. Limited for the license and engineering design of a grassroots sulfuric-acid-alkylation unit to be built near Ningbo City, Zhejiang…
CB&I awarded technology contracts in the Philippines
CB&I (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.cbi.com) has been awarded contracts by Petron to supply sulfur recovery, tail gas treating and hydrogen plant technologies for the Bataan Refinery upgrading project (RMP-2) in the Philippines. CB&I’s combined contracts, which are third quarter awards,…