In The News
Westinghouse sale
Last month, British Nuclear Fuels Plc. (BNFL; Daresbury, U.K.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5826-554) announced plans to sell Westinghouse Electric Co. (Pittsburgh, Pa.) to Toshiba Corp. (Tokyo; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5826-555), the highest bidder, says BNFL. Others vieing for the U.S. nuclear-power-plant arm of BNFL included GE…
Chementator: This new-generation HPLC system is faster and offers more resolving power
Last month, Agilent Technologies, Inc. (Palo Alto, Calif.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5826-546) launched the 1200 Series liquid chromatography (LC) system, replacing its predecessor, the 1100 Series LC. With more than 60 instrument modules available, the 1200 Series can be configured for all major…
Chementator: Converting trees into biodegredation plants
Large tracts of land that have been used for military training, especially in the U.S., are contaminated with RDX— a widely used explosive that is both toxic and carcinogenic. Although bacteria have been isolated that can biodegrade the RDX, the…
Chementator: A demonstration for an integrated MTO and olefin-cracking process
Total Petrochemicals (Brussels; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-531) and UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-532) plan to construct at Total Petrochemicals site in Feluy, Belgium, a demonstration plant consisting of a UOP/Hydro methanol-to-olefin (MTO) process integrated with a Total Petrochemicals/UOP Olefin Cracking process (OCP)…
Chementator: A new anode may double the energy density of Li-ion batteries
Using lithium metal as the anode of secondary Li-ion batteries would double the energy density of conventional batteries, which use anodes based on carbon. However, Li-based anodes suffer from the problem of dendrite crystal formation during the charge and discharge…
Chementator: Carbon nanotubes
CEVP Ltd. (Newhaven, U.K.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-544) has developed a fabrication tool that grows carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at room temperature by a process developed by the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute (ATI; U.K.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-545). The NanoGrowth tool is undergoing trials at…
Chementator: Semi-renewable plastic
BASF AG (Ludwigshafen, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-546) has developed a biodegradable plastic that contains 45% polylactic acid, a biodegradable polymer made from corn (CE, November 2003, pp. 42, 43). The remaining component is BASF’s biodegradable plastic, Ecoflex, which is derived from petrochemicals.…
Titanium oxide
Du Pont (Wilmington, Del.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-550) and the city of Dongying, China, have reached an agreement for constructing a 200,000-m.t./yr plant for producing titanium oxide, a pigment used in coatings, plastics and the paper industry. Pending relevant government approvals, the $1-billion…
Chementator: This end-of-pipe process treats all fluegas pollutants…
This month, the first field tests will be conducted on a pilot plant, developed by WOW Energy, Inc. (Sugar Land, Tex.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-534), to remove mercury, oxides of sulfur (SOx) and nitrogen (NOx), particulates, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)…
Chementator: Beyond petroleum
With plans to double its investment in alternative energy, BP (London; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-551) has formed BP Alternative Energy (Sunbury, U.K.), which will manage an investment program in solar, wind, H2, and IGCC power generation. Click here for a full pdf…