Bayer MaterialScience LLC (BMS; www.bayermaterialscience.com), a subsidiary of Bayer AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.bayer.com) and part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business, has acquired Artificial Muscle, Inc. (AMI; Sunnyvale, Calif.). AMI is a pioneer and leader in the field of electroactive…
Lanxess AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.lanxess.com) has decided to expand the global capacity of its high-performance rubber Neodymium Polybutadiene (Nd-PBR). Lanxess will invest about €20 million to increase production by an additional 50,000 metric tons per year at its sites in Dormagen,Germany; Orange,…
Wacker Chemie AG Munich, Germany; www.wacker.com) officially opened a new production facility for pharmaceutical proteins (biologics) in Jena today. The new plant is part of the company’s investment program to enlarge its biotech operations. The expansion enables Wacker to accommodate…
BioTfueL is a new joint project launched by five French partners and Uhde GmbH (Dortmund, Germany; www.uhde.eu). BioTfueL integrates the various technology stages of the so-called biomass-to-liquid (BTL) chain with the aim of developing and integrating all the stages of…
Toyo Engineering Corp. (Toyo; www.toyo-eng.co.jp) and Modec, Inc. (both Tokyo, Japan; www.modec.com), which have been working together since November 2007 on the development of small- and medium-scale GTL, concluded a cooperation agreement with Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras; www2.petrobras.com.br) to construct…
Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.outotec.com) has agreed with South African Kalagadi Manganese Pty. Ltd. on the design and delivery of a new manganese sinter plant to be built in Hotazel in the country’s Northern Cape Province. The contract value is approximately…
Foster Wheeler AG (FW; Zug, Switzerland; www.fwc.com) says a subsidiary of its Global Power Group has been awarded a contract by Fundación Ciudad de la Energía (CIUDEN), an institution created by the Spanish Government, for the design and supply of a…
Today the European Commission approved Amflora, BASF’s genetically-optimized starch potato, for commercial application in Europe. The potato can now be used for the production of industrial starch. “After waiting for more than 13 years, we are delighted that the European…
A new Kraft pulp Weyerhaeuser Co. (Federal Way, Wash.; www.weyerhaeuser.com) says it has begun commercial production of a new grade of Kraft pulp for the cellulose derivatives market. Cellulose derivatives are used in various products, including lacquers, paints,…
Not long ago, single-use bioprocessing equipment, such as disposable bags and tubing, appeared on the scene as an alternative to stainless-steel components for high-purity processing applications. Due to a fistful of benefits — including reduced costs, lower cross-contamination risk and…