Business & Economics
Chemicals industrial city planned for Abu Dhabi
The International Petroleum Investment Company (Abu Dhabi, U.A.E) and Borealis AG (www.borealisgroup.com) have signed a memorandum of understanding along with Abu Dhabi Investment Council to prepare jointly for the first phase of the development of a planned new Chemicals Industrial…
KBR wins contract for Chinese aniline plant
KBR (Houston, Tex.; www.kbr.com) has been awarded a contract by Ningbo Wanhua Polyurethanes Co. to provide the technology and basic engineering for a 360,000-m.t./yr aniline plant. Once complete, Wanhua's aniline plant will be the largest in China and the largest…
Chementator: Methane-to-gasoline process nears commercialization
Synfuels International, Inc. (Dallas, Tex.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7370-561) plans to commercialize its patented gas-to-liquids (GTL) process in Kuwait through a newly formed partnership with Kuwait’s Aref Energy Holding (edlinks.chemengonline.com/7370-562). In contrast with Fischer-Tropsch technology, the process produces a high-octane gasoline blend, rather…
Chementator: A commercial debut for a process to make mesoporous silica
Next month, Taiyo Kagaku Co. (Yokkaichi, Japan; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7370-563) will start up a 20-m.t./yr plant — said to be the world’s first — for the production of mesoporous silica. Taiyo Kagaku developed the new production process based on technology first introduced…
Chementator: Ceramic ethane-to-ethylene membrane could replace pyrolysis
Ateam of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory (ANL, Argonne, Ill.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7370-568) has developed a membrane capable of producing olefins from alkanes, and reducing wasted energy and pollutants while improving selectivity and yield. Steam cracking, or…
Chementator: Amine scrubbing
Alstom Power, Inc. (Windsor, Conn.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7370-571) and The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7370-572) have established a joint development and commercialization agreement for advanced amine scrubbing technology for the removal of carbon dioxide from low-pressure fluegases of fossil-fuel-fired power plants…
Chementator: Purifying glycerol
Rohm and Haas Co. (Philadelphia, Pa.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7370-578)and Novasep (Nancy, France; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7370-579) are forming an exclusive alliance to market and sell new technology for purfying crude glycerol byproduct from biodiesel processing. The new technology is based on Rohm and Hass’ Ambersep…
Chementator: Sonocracking
SulphCo, Inc. (Houston, Tex.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7370-580) has signed an agreement with Pt. Isis Megah (Isis; an Indonesian oil-and-gas services company), which grants Isis an exclusive distributorship in India, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. SulphCo’s first customer order, procured through Isis, for Sonocracking…
Chementator: Phthalate-free glue
Henkel KGaA (Düsseldorf, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7370-581) has developed a new generation of plasticizer-free dispersion adhesives called Adhesin A 78 — a copolymer system whose formulation largely consists of renewable raw materials. The adhesive is said to be especially suitable for food…
Bookshelf
Project Management Toolkit: The Basics for Project Success. Second edition. By Dr. Trish Melton. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 30 Corporate Drive, Burlington, MA 01803. Web: books.elsevier.com. 2007. 286 pages, $49.95. Reviewed by Paul E. Shaltry, PMP, Catalyst Management Consulting LLC, Columbus, Ohio…