In The News
Process for renewably sourced polyols licensed
A process for making polyols from soybean oil and glycerin has been licensed by its developer, Battelle (Columbus, Ohio; www.battelle.org), to Emery Oleochemicals Americas (Cincinnati, Ohio; www.emeryoleo.com), who intends to produce the renewably sourced polyols at prices similar to those…
A glass flow reactor is now available in ceramic
Last month, Corning SAS (Avon, France), a subsidiary of Corning Inc. (Corning, N.Y.; www.corning.com), introduced the Advanced-Flow G4 Ceramic Reactor — the latest addition to the company’s line of glass flow reactors. The G4 is made of sintered-ceramic fluidic modules…
July Chementator Briefs
Waste-to-biofuels Valero Energy Corp. (San Antonio, Tex.; www.valero.com) is one of five companies that have invested a total of $60 million in new financing in Enerkem Inc. (Montreal, Que.; www.enerkem.com), which has developed a process to produce liquid fuels…
A new urea process slated for its commercial debut
Stamicarbon B.V. (Sittard, the Netherlands; www.stamicarbon.com), the licensing and IP Center of Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. (www.mairetecnimont.it), has recently signed a license agreement with Tierra del Fuego Energia Y Quimica S.A., an Argentina based company controlled by shareholders from China. The…
Finland becomes the home of a large biogasification plant
Metso (Helsinki, Finland; www.metso.com) is supplying a 140-MWth biogasification plant to Vaskiluodon Voima Oy in Vaasa, Finland. When it starts up in December 2012, the €40-million gasification plant, which will be located next to the existing 565-MW coal-fired power plant,…
A continuous process that promises to slash the cost of making bioethanol
A compact, inexpensive and energy-saving continuous process to make bioethanol is being developed by professor Yoshio Katakura at Kansai University (Osaka; microbial.life-bio.kansai-u.ac.jp), in collaboration with the Kinki Bio-industry Development Organization (Osaka), Kansai Chemical Engineering Co. (Amagasaki), and Akita National College…
AMEC appointed project management contractor for chemical complex in China
AMEC Plc. (London, U.K.; www.amec.com) has been appointed by BASF Polyurethane (Chongqing) Co. and Chongqing Chemical and Pharmaceutical (Group) Holding Co. (CCPHC) as the project management contractor for the development of a new 400,000-metric-ton-per-year MDI (diphenylmethane diisocyanate) facility at Changshou,…
Yanchang Petroleum Group and KBR to create a JV company
Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum (Group) Co. (Yanchang Petroleum Group) and KBR, Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com) have signed an agreement to create a joint-venture (JV) company in the People’s Republic of China. The purpose of the JV will be to market, sell, deliver…
Ube Industries to launch commercial production of Artificial Micro Carbon
Ube Industries, Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; www.ube-ind.co.jp says it will launch commercial production of proprietary Artificial Micro Carbon (AMC; multi-walled carbon nanotubes-MWCNT). The company is currently proceeding with the construction of production line for AMC within the Ube Chemical Factory located…
Solvay to build specialty polymers plant in China
Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) has launched a project to build a specialty polymers production plant for Solef Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF), Tecnoflon Fluoroelastomers (FKM) and their essential monomer VF2 in China to satisfy the growing demand for these high value-added…