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Chemical Engineering

Like Metals, Polymers Fail — but Differently

This pictorial guide illustrates some of the common problems that can occur with polymeric and elastomeric materials that differ from those that occur with metallic seals and components Failures of polymer (plastic and elastomeric) parts and their consequences can be…

Modular NGL recovery

Honeywell UOP (Des Plaines, Ill.; www.uop.com) has adapted its recycle-split-vapor (RSV) technology for natural-gas liquid (NGL) recovery into a new, modular offering, RSV2, which enables quick retrofitting of existing gas-processing plants with minimal downtime. “The RSV2 technology can increase ethane…

New process for synthetic eugenol available to fragrance market

Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) recently announced a new commercial process for synthetic eugenol (diagram), a derivative of phenol, whose natural version is extracted from clove oil obtained from dried flower buds of clove trees grown in Indonesia and Madagascar.…

Separate xylene isomers with less energy

Xylene isomers are usually derived from the catalytic reforming of crude oil, and require costly methods to separate them from each other, including distillation, fractional crystallization and adsorption in high-temperature and high-pressure environments. “The separation of xylene’s isomers requires much…

VDMA Fuel Cell working group expands

At the digital general meeting of the VDMA Fuel Cell Working Group, Fabian Kapp, Managing Director of Graebener Maschinentechnik, was elected to the board, which consists of five members.   Fabian Kapp: "I am very pleased about the election and…

Grace to acquire Albemarle’s Fine Chemistry business for $570 million

W. R. Grace & Co. (Columbia, Md.) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Fine Chemistry Services business (FCS) of Albemarle Corp. (Charlotte, N.C.) for approximately $570 million, including $300 million paid in cash at…

UOP reforming and aromatics technologies licensed for Hengyi Industries’ petrochemical complex in Brunei

Honeywell announced that Hengyi Industries will use advanced reforming and aromatics technologies from Honeywell UOP (Des Plaines, Ill.) at its integrated petrochemical complex in Pulau Muara Besar, Brunei. The facility will process 200,000 barrels per day. UOP will provide a…

TPC Group starts up second phase of Port Neches C4 project

TPC Group (Houston) announced the successful startup of the second phase of its terminal operations as part of a three-phased start-up process to serve current and future customers and supplier needs. This phase of the terminal project successfully started with…

Braskem to expand production capacity for biopolymers in Brazil

Braskem S.A. (Philadelphia, Pa.) is expanding its production capacity of green ethylene, the main feedstock derived from sugarcane ethanol, which is used in the production of renewable resins. These materials can therefore claim to capture CO2, a greenhouse gas. This…

Röhm and partners plan to build large-scale MMA plant based on LiMA technology

Röhm GmbH (Darmstadt Germany), OQ (Oman) and OQ Chemicals have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to evaluate the construction of a new production plant for methyl methacrylate (MMA) on OQ’s site in Bay City, Texas. In this plant, a…