Chemical Engineering
A new way to improve valve resiliency against flashing
Flashing occurs when the pressure of a fluid passing through a valve is lower than the same substance’s vapor pressure. This causes the fluid to boil — otherwise known as “flashing.” “By reducing flow capacity and eroding the valve itself,…
A new high-throughput tool for developing catalysts
When searching for catalysts for the energy transition, materials consisting of at least five elements — so-called high-entropy alloys (HEAs) — are considered highly promising. But to find the right combination of elements and composition ratios needed for the best…
Sorption-enhanced methanation
The production of substitute (or synthetic) natural gas (SNG) by methanation of CO2 with hydrogen is energy intensive and also requires a purification step to remove the byproduct water and remaining reactants. To address these issues, researchers at The Swiss…
Victrex invests in manufacturing expansion for biomaterials business
Victrex plc (Thornton Cleveleys, U.K.) has announced priority investment to support expanding its medical division, Invibio Biomaterial Solutions, including the opening of a new product development facility in Leeds, UK, this month. As part of Victrex’s plans to accelerate future…
Amyris to sell selected cosmetic-ingredient portfolios to Givaudan
Givaudan International SA (Vernier, Switzerland) announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire certain cosmetic ingredients from Amyris, Inc. (Emeryville, Calif.) , including Neossance Squalane, the high-performant emollient, Neossance Hemisqualane, the plant-based silicone alternative and CleanScreen, a sustainable sun…
Evonik adding production capacity for aluminum oxide in Japan
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany) announced that it is investing in a production-plant expansion for fumed aluminum oxide at its site in Yokkaichi, Japan. The facility will be the company’s first alumina plant in Asia, focusing on the production of…
Celanese and Mitsui form JV for food ingredients
Celanese Corp. (Dallas, Tex.) announced two joint venture (JV) actions with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Tokyo) to extend their longstanding strategic partnership. Celanese announced the signing of a term sheet to form a Food Ingredients JV with Mitsui, subject to…
Vencorex announces new facility in Texas for specialty aliphatic isocyanates
Vencorex (Saint-Priest, France; www.vencorex.com), a fully-owned subsidiary of PTT Global Chemical, is investing in its Freeport site in Texas to meet the rising demand for specialty aliphatic isocyanates used in the production of low VOC polyurethane coatings and adhesives. The…
Vitol adds dedicated bitumen facility in Malaysia
Vitol (Geneva, Switzerland) announced that Vitol Asia has signed a long-term commitment for the exclusive use of a dedicated bitumen storage facility now under construction by engineering firm Rotary Group, at the VTTI ATB terminal in Malaysia. Operated by VTTI, this…
Neste announces plans for algae pilot plant in Spain
Neste Corp. (Espoo, Finland) is aiming to establish an algae pilot production facility in Spain to further strengthen the growth of its global raw material pool. With this pilot, Neste strives to develop and demonstrate algae cultivation and processing. The…