Liberty Engineering (Hamburg, N.Y.; www.libertypsa.com) has developed a bioremediation system that fully removes carcinogens from soil in 90 days. The process is based on microbial oxidation of organic compounds by petrophyllic pseudonomads in an oxygen-rich environment. The bacteria are specifically…
QuantumSphere, Inc. (Santa Ana, Calif.; www.qsinano.com) has filed a key patent for technology it has developed, which extends the capacity of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries up to five times, thus offering the potential to increase the operating life of portable consumer…
Last month, Lanxess AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.lanxess.com) launched Levotan X-Cel, an polymer mixture based on expandable microcapsules, for retannage in leather processing. With a diameter of 5 – 20 µm, the microcapsules are small enough to penetrate into the collagen…
GEA Group AG (Bochum, Germany; www.geagroup.com) has decided to implement a multi-year investment program for its Mechanical Separation Division comprising a total volume of around 160-million euros. Besides being among the most cycle-resistant divisions within the GEA Group, the Mechanical…
The DuPont cellulosic ethanol joint venture (JV), DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC (DDCE; Itasca, Ill.; www.dupontdanisco.com), has broken ground for its first pilot-scale biorefinery and state-of-the-art biofuels research and development facility in Vonore, Tenn. The JV has partnered with the…
Plant Watch LyondellBasell grants license for new plant in the Slovak Republic September 23, 2008 — Slovnaft Petrochemicals, s.r.o., a subsidiary of the MOL Group, has selected LyondellBasell’s Lupotech T technology for a new 220,000-metric tons per year (m.t./yr) low-density…
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL; Berkeley, Calif.; www.lbl.gov) has developed a new xenobiotics bioremediation system that can be used to treat contaminated soil and water. Whereas conventional bioelectrical remediation methods rely on the addition of chemicals to provide electron…
A new activated-sludge-treatment process that promises to slash energy consumption is being developed by Sanki Engineering Co., Ltd., (Tokyo, www.sanki.co.jp), in cooperation with Ebara Corp., (Tokyo) and Touhoku University (Sendai, all Japan), and the support of NEDO (New Energy &…
Since the original invention of the steady-stream eyewash over 50 years ago, the accepted practice in the chemical process industries (CPI) and other industrial circles has been to flush the eyes with two, separate, arc-shaped water streams, each one flowing…
In an effort to increase its operational flexibility, Oxea GmbH (Oberhausen, Germany; www.oxea-chemicals.com) has decided to produce butyric acid at its North American (N.A.) production site in Bay City, Texas. The existing carboxylic-acids production plant will receive significant upgrading in…