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Scaleup is set for a biomass-to-fuels process

The Gas Technology Institute (GTI, Des Plaines, Ill.; www.gastechnology.org) has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with CRI/Criterion Inc. (Houston; www.cricatalyst.com) to commercialize a GTI process for converting biomass directly into cellulosic gasoline and diesel fuel blendstocks. The technology, called…

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Plans move forward for the first U.S. uranium plant in 30 years

Energy Fuels Inc. (Lakewood, Colo.; www.energyfuels.com) has been granted a radioactive materials license by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for the first uranium mill to be built in the U.S. in 30 years. Energy Fuels says the…

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Chementator briefs

  CO2 for plastic Last month, a pilot plant that produces an intermediate for polyurethane, using carbon dioxide as feedstock, started up at Chempark Leverkusen, Germany. The plant — designed, built and operated by Bayer Technology Services GmbH (Leverkusen; www.bayertechnology.com)…

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A scaled up microreactor for mass production

M Technique Co. (M Tech; Osaka, Japan; www.m-technique.co.jp) has commercialized the Ulrea SS-300, a scaled up version of the Ulrea SS-11 — a forced thin-film microreactor. With a production capacity nearly ten times higher than its predecessor, the Ulrea SS-300…

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Vegetable-oil-based chemicals plant soon to be fully operational

In spring of this year, Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM; Decatur, Ill.; www.adm.com) plans full operation of a chemical plant based on soybean and canola oils as renewable feedstock. Products of the plant will include refined glycerin, propylene glycol and…

Improved ethylene-oxide scrubber design can meet stringent regulations

Improvements in the design of ethylene oxide (EtO) scrubbers made by The Clean Air Group, Croll Reynolds Co. (Parsippany, N.J.; www.croll.com) have helped users meet increasingly stringent regulations for EtO emissions, as well as meet tower height restrictions. “Our designs…

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Graphene improves the performance of water deionization

A research team from the University of South Australia (Adelaide; www.unisa.edu.au) and the East China Normal University (Shanghai; www.ecnu.edu.cn) has developed a capacitive deionization technology (CDI) that uses graphene-like nanoflakes as electrodes, instead of conventionally used activated carbon (AC) materials.…

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‘Cool’ amine process improves H2S absorption

A novel process for removing hydrogen sulfide from natural gas has been started up at Sinopec Zhongyuan Petroleum Co.’s Puguang natural gas plant in China’s Sichuan Province. The plant, Asia’s largest sour natural-gas treatment facility, can process up to 36-million…

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No oxygen is needed for this gasifier

A pilot plant for a process that uses a fluidized bed of sand to gasify coal and other carbonaceous materials will be started up this summer in Kanab, Utah by Viresco Energy LLC (Riverside, Calif.; www.virescoenergy.com). Initially, the plant will…

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Elevance biorefinery on track for late-2011 commissioning

A manufacturing facility for bio-based intermediate and specialty chemicals under construction by Elevance Renewable Sciences Inc. (Bolingbrook, Ill.; www.elevance.com) is on track to begin generating products late this year, according to the company. Located in Indonesia, the facility is currently…