Stone & Webster International, a business unit of the Shaw Group Inc. (Baton Rouge, La.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6893-554), has formed a joint venture with Sofcon Consulting Engineering Co. (AI Khobar, Saudi Arabia; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6893-555). The JV, called Shaw Sofcon, combines the process technology…
Haldor Topsøe A/S (Lyngby, Denmark; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6892-531) has relaunched a methanation process, called TREMP, which makes synthetic natural gas (SNG) from synthesis gas (syngas) mixtures derived from coal gasification. The process was developed and extensively tested during the 1970s, when energy…
Conventional fluid-catalytic-cracking (FCC) catalysts are based on USY-type of zeolites (having a pore size of about 7.6 Å), which selectively decompose longer-chained hydrocarbons (HCs) into smaller HCs, gasoline components, light and heavy cycle oils and other products. ZSM-type zeolites have…
Scheduled for startup in the second half of this year, the Long Lake integrated bitumen and upgrading project (near Fort McMurry, Alberta) now under construction by OPTI Canada, Inc. (edlinks.chemengonline.com/6892-536) and Nexen, Inc. (both Calgary, Alberta) is the first gasification…
Nippon Oil Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6892-538) has completed a confirmation test of a magnetic-separation process that selectively removes spent FCC (fluid-catalytic-cracking) catalysts from actives ones. The process runs continuously and requires no shutdown of the FCC unit; normally, FCC catalysts…
Siemens Power Generation (Erlangen, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6892-542) has received a €-30-million contract from Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group Co., Ltd. (China) to supply two entrained-flow gasifiers — each with a thermal capacity of 500 MW — and further key equipment for…
U.S. Sustainable Energy Corp. (Natchez, Miss.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6892-543) has developed a new biofuel, SoyMazia 128, that is claimed to be the first 100% renewable and environmentally friendly replacement for diesel fuel with none of the negative traits associated with traditional biodiesel.…
Advanced Excelsior Co. (Houston, Tex.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6892-545) has launched Bio-Bubble, claimed to be the world’s first 100% Oxo-biodegradable bubble wrap. The material contains Degradable Polymer Products' (Toronto, Canada) d2w additive, which causes plastic products, such as those made of polyethylene, polypropylene…
This is the first in a series of articles that will cover a wide range of piping topics. The topics will cross process-industry lines, pertaining to, for example, the chemical, petroleum-refining, pulp-and-paper and pharmaceutical and other industries.The main…
With about 500 exhibitors from 25 countries expected, and attracting around 20,000 visitors, Achemasia 2007 - the 7th International Exhibition-Congress on Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (May 14–18; Beijing, China) - is projected to continue to be China's and…