Construction has begun on a testing and development facility for a bio-based process to produce benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX) from woody biomass. The test facility is intended to demonstrate all unit operations and prove process economics for the Bio-TCat…
The combination of advanced materials and processing techniques results in new composites that can aid industries in achieving increased levels of efficiency By their nature, composite materials lend themselves to a vast array of applications. A composite’s constituent materials and…
A process that produces anhydrous ammonia while also generating thermal power has reached a milestone toward commercialization. In January, Amec Foster Wheeler (AFW; London, U.K.; www.amecfw.com) was awarded a project development and design contract for the world’s first plant to…
A process that converts process gases, generated during the production of metallurgical coke, into marketable chemicals is being developed in a pilot plant installed on the works site of thyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG (www.thyssenkrupp-steel-europe.com) in Duisburg, Germany. The process is…
Initial validation testing has been completed on a novel cathode material that could lower the manufacturing costs and lengthen the lifetimes of lithium-ion batteries. The new cathode material represents a departure from the traditional Li-ion intercalation chemistry used in current…
Graphene has received much attention as material for membranes due to its high surface area, high mechanical strength and chemical stability. Graphene-based membranes are also expected to exhibit much greater permeability than the current state-of-the-art membranes. However, it has been…
Plant Watch Evonik to expand capacity for special PA12 powder in Marl February 10, 2016 — Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.de) plans to build a new production line for special polyamide 12 powder (PA12) in Marl, Germany. The…
An efficient, energy-saving process for making carbon fibers (diagram) is being developed by a collaboration team of the University of Tokyo, the Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Toray Industries, Inc., Teijin Ltd., Toho Tenax Co. and Mitsubishi Rayon…
The traditional method for recovering platinum-group metals (Pt, Pa, Ir, Os, Rh, Ru and Au) is not economically viable in the case of low-grade deposits, but researchers from the Western Australian School of Mines, Curtin University (Perth; www.curtin.edu.au) and the…
A partnership between DuPont Industrial Biosciences (Wilmington, Del.; www.dupont.com) and Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM; Chicago, Ill.; www.adm.com) has developed a less costly and more efficient process for producing bio-based furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) from the six-carbon sugar fructose.…