In The News
Controlling Air Pollutants
Selecting air-pollution control equipment can be tricky. It’s not only difficult to determine which pollutants must be controlled, but also which type of equipment will best control them to required levels for any given process or facility because there is…
Evonik plans new precipitated-silica plant in Brazil, and more business news
Plant Watch Evonik plans new precipitated- silica plant in Brazil May 10, 2013 — Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) has started basic engineering for a precipitated-silica plant in Brazil. Subject to the approval of the responsible bodies, Evonik aims…
A solid-acid-catalyst alkylation process will be commercialized
What is said to be the world’s first commercial alkylation plant to use a solid acid catalyst is scheduled for startup early next year by Shandong Wonfull Petrochemical Group Co. (Zibo, China). The plant, which will produce 100,000 ton/yr of…
This process delivers chilled air using a fraction of the power required
The temperature and moisture level of the air being drawn into the front end of ammonia, nitrogen, nitric acid or other plant air compressors directly impacts the yield from the process, and chilling is a way to debottleneck air production…
Acid recovery makes rutile production more economical
A demonstration plant in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, will produce hydrochloric acid and iron pellets from the iron-chloride leach liquor generated by the production of synthetic rutile, the common mineral form of titanium dioxide. The plant will utilize a…
Myriant produces bio-succinic acid at commercial scale
Myriant Corp.(Quincy, Mass.; www.myriant.com) announced the successful scaling and commercial production of bio-succinic acid at ThyssenKrupp Uhde's (Dortmund, Germany; www.uhde.eu) biotech commercial validation facility in Leuna, Germany. The production process meets targets for commercial yield and product quality. Myriant and…
BASF and Sinopec consider further expansion of Nanjing JV
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) and Sinopec (www.sinopec.com) are considering the extension of their Nanjing joint venture (JV) BASF-YPC Company Ltd. with the expansion of existing ethylene oxide (EO) production, and a new plant for neopentylglycol (NPG). BASF-YPC will further…
Eastman to invest $1.6 billion in Kingsport site
Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.; www.eastman.com) chairman and CEO Jim Rogers and Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today announced a major economic development project referred to as Project Inspire. As part of this project, over the next seven years, Eastman will…
Toyo’s Brazil affiliate awarded contract for hydrogen production facilities
Toyo-Setal Empreendimentos Ltda. (TSE), a Brazilian joint venture capitalized by Toyo Engineering Corp. (Toyo; Chiba, Japan; www.toyo-eng.co.jp), has been awarded a contract from Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) for the construction of hydrogen production facilities (250,000 Nm3/h) to be installed in…
Nucelis inaugurates pilot plant
Today, Nucelis Inc. (San Diego, Calif.; www.nucelis.com) officially commissioned its first, state-of-the-art fermentation facility. The new pilot plant was custom-designed and fabricated to enable Nucelis to run virtually any fermentation process. “This facility will allow us and our partners to…