Business & Economics
January 2013 Letters
Farewell to CE readers Last month, after almost 12 years with Chemical Engineering, I resigned as this magazine’s Editor in Chief. I have been given an opportunity to work in my husband’s architectural design business, and the benefit of spending…
Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award
Note: Deadline for nominations has been extended to March 22. Many of you know of a company — perhaps your own employer — that has recently commercialized an innovative process, product, or other chemical-engineering development. If so, we would like to…
Recently published books: January 2013
Sustainable Energy Management. By Mirjana Golusin, Stevan Popov and Sinasa Dodic. Elsevier Inc., 225 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA. 02451. Web: elsevier.com. 2013. 436 pages. $79.95. Chemical Process Equipment: Selection and Design, 3rd ed. By James Couper, W. Roy Penney and…
Toyo wins world’s largest single-train urea plant in Nigeria and more business news
Plant Watch Stamicarbon wins contract for urea plant in China December 6, 2012 — Stamicarbon B.V. (Sittard, the Netherlands; www.stamicarbon.com), the Licensing and IP Center of Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. (Milan, Italy; www.mairetecnimont.it), has been awarded a contract for a new…
KBR’s first VCC-technology processing unit in Russia enters construction phase
In February 2012, KBR (Houston; www.kbr.com) signed an agreement with TAIF-NK (www.en.taif.ru) to establish a Veba Combi Cracker (VCC) technology processing unit to be implemented at the Nizhnekamsk petroleum refinery in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia (www.chemengonline.com/only_on_che/latest_news/9005.html). The unit, whose…
Renewable farnesene facility starts production in Brazil
The renewable chemicals and fuels company Amyris, Inc. (Emeryville, Calif.; www.amyris.com) today announced it has started production of renewable farnesene at its purpose-built industrial fermentation facility in Brazil. The Amyris brand of farnesene is known as BioFene. The company also…
BASF to sell Meyco Equipment business to Atlas Copco
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has signed a contract with Atlas Copco to sell its Meyco Equipment business providing concrete spraying machines to the tunneling and mining industries. The machinery manufacturer, which is based in Stockholm, Sweden, will continue operations…
Chemical production slips globally; U.S. flat, says ACC
Overall production of chemicals, as measured by the Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI), slipped 0.3% in November, while chemical production in the U.S. was flat, according to data from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). …
Evonik expands U.S. production of precipitated silica
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) plans to increase its annual production capacities for precipitated silica at its site in Chester, Pa. by around 20,000 metric tons. The new facility, which received an investment in lower double-digit euros range, is…
Jacobs receives contract from Aura Minerals for copper mine expansion
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.; www.jacobs.com) was awarded a contract by Aura Minerals Inc. to provide a basic engineering package for the expansion of the process plant at its Aranzazu copper-gold-silver mine located in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico.…