In The News
A bio-butadiene plant is planned
On the heels of its successful scaleup of bio-butanol, Cobalt is looking for pathways to use that molecule as a building block for other products. The company has announced plans to build the first bio-butadiene plant in Asia. Projected to…
Nanowires improve the properties of metal composites
Freestanding nanowires exhibit ultrahigh elastic-strain limits (of up to 7%) and yield strengths. However, it has been difficult to exploit their properties in bulk composites, due to the mismatch between the elasticity of the nanowires and the elasticity of the…
A biotech process that might benefit sharks
Squalane, an emollient used in cosmetics, will be the first product of a biotechnology pilot plant now being started up by Nucelis Inc. (San Diego, Calif.; www.nucelis.com), a spin-off from Cibus (also of San Diego). The plant will use Cibus’…
Metso finalizes order agreement with CMPC Celulose Riograndense
Metso Corp. (Helsinki, Finland; www.metso) and CMPC Celulose Riograndense S.A. (CMPC) have finalized the agreement, according to which Metso will supply the key technology to CMPC's Guaíba II pulp line in Brazil. The total value of the project is around…
Novosymes acquires TJ Technologies
Novozymes (Copenhagen, Denmark; www.novozymes.com), has signed a definitive agreement to acquire TJ Technologies Inc. (Watertown, S.D.; www.tjtechnologiesinc.com). With annual revenue close to $15 million, TJ Technologies provides North American farmers with biological solutions designed to enhance plant growth, increase stress…
Enefit Outotec Technology commissions a shale-oil pilot plant in Frankfurt
Enefit Outotec Technology (EOT; Frankfurt, Germany; www.enefit.com/eot), a joint venture (JV) of Estonia's energy group Enefit and Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.outotec.com),a global leader in providing minerals and metals processing technology, has brought a pilot plant based on Enefit solid…
UOP technology selected by Petrobras for natural gas processing in Brazil
UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.; www.uop.com) a Honeywell company, says that its technology has been contracted by PNBV, a subsidiary of Petrobras, to supply UOP Separex membrane systems to process natural gas aboard four Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO)…
Borealis to invest €65 million in Porvoo Borstar PE plant
Borealis AG (Vienna, Aurstia; www.borealisgroup.com) has announced a major upgrading project at its production site in Porvoo, Finland. An investment of €65 million will serve to upgrade the Borstar PE2 plant technology to the third generation (3G), thereby extending the…
First world-scale production of bio-based polybutylene terephthalate
Lanxess AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.lanxess.com) and Genomatica (San Diego, Calif.; www.genomatica.com) announce that Lanxess has run a production campaign of bio-based polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) in Lanxess’ world-scale production plant using 20 metric tons (m.t.) of bio-based BDO made with Genomatica’s…
MHI, Sojitz and RHI to build large-scale ammonia plant in Russia
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI; www.mhi.co.jp) and Sojitz Corp. (both Tokyo, Japan; www.sojitz.com) have received an order from PhosAgro-Cherepovets, a subsidiary of the Russian fertilizer producer PhosAgro, for a project to construct the largest ammonia plant in the Russian Federation.…