While super glassy polymers are initially very porous and ultra-permeable — a property that makes them suitable as gas-separation membranes — they quickly pack into a denser phase becoming less porous and permeable. Now, new materials that prevent such aging…
Oil-water separation A complex formed by combining maleic anhydride copolymers with a cationic fluorosurfactant can separate oil from water when coated on a wire mesh. Researchers at Durham University (U.K.; www.durham.ac.uk) devised a method of preparing the complex in…
Biosynthetic Technologies (Irvine, Calif.; www.biosynthetic.com) has developed a continuous-flow process to convert any animal- or plant-based fatty acids with high oleic-acid content into synthetic esters that can be used in formulations for motor oils and industrial lubricants. These biosynthetic esters…
Last month, The Linde Group (Pullach, Germany; www.linde.com) and BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) announced plans to cooperate in developing and licensing processes for the on-purpose production of linear butenes and butadiene. BASF has developed process technology and catalysts as…
Water scarcity is one of the most serious global challenges of our time. Desalination and water reuse are effective and reliable means to provide new water resources. Among the many methods available to treat water, reverse osmosis (RO) has widely…
Since the turn of the new millennium, considerable changes have been taking place in the methanol sector. About ten years ago, methanol plans in the U.S. were being shuttered, while new ones, with much larger capacity — the so-called mega-methanol…
The word “sustainability” is used a lot, but for many businesses and industries it is increasingly becoming a challenge that must be taken seriously. As customers, large retailers and end-users continue to demand sustainable practices, packaging and products from their…
Plant Watch Ineos licenses HDPE process technology in Turkmenistan June 10, 2014 — Ineos Technologies (Rolle, Switzerland; www.ineos.com) has licensed its Innovene S process technology for the Turkmengas petrochemical complex in the Balkan Region of Turkmenistan. The new complex will…
The potential usefulness of 1,1-di-substituted alkenes for making performance polymers has been recognized for some time, but commercialization has been elusive because of the reactive nature of the monomers. Startup company Sirrus Inc. (Loveland, Ohio; www.sirruschemistry.com) has developed technology to…
A less expensive process for producing biodegradeable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) plastics from renewable feedstocks is being scaled up by a factor of six, resulting in a 30,000–60,000-lb/mo pilot facility. The improved PHA process — developed by Meredian Inc. (Bainbridge, Ga.; www.meredianpha.com)…