Several drug delivery systems have been studied involving the encapsulation of molecules in a suitable structure and their transport through the human body. In particular, polymersomes — tiny hollow spheres that enclose a solution — formed using synthetic block copolymers…
Increasing production of natural gas from hydraulic fracturing of shale deposits has fundamentally altered the landscape of chemical production in North America. The higher margins on steam-cracking ethane to produce ethylene have resulted in significant feedstock shifts in the U.S.…
The sharply rising global demand for the high-tech plastic Apec from Bayer MaterialScience AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.bayermaterialscience.de) is spawning major investment in eastern Germany. Another plant for the production of a key precursor for Apec is currently under construction in…
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) plans to increase the production capacity for 1-butene at its Marl site by 75,000 metric tons (m.t.) per year, and start-up is scheduled for 2015. With a total capacity of 310,000 m.t., Evonik would…
Davy Process Technology (Davy; London, U.K.; www.davyprotech.com), a wholly owned Johnson Matthey subsidiary, and Johnson Matthey announce the successful startup of a new substitute natural gas (SNG) plant owned and operated by Datang Energy Chemical Co. (Datang) in Keshiketeng County,…
KBR (Houston; www.kbr.com) was awarded a license and process-design package contract for a new Olefins Recovery Unit in Yulin city, Shanxi Province, China. The client owns an existing commercial plant of coal-to-olefins which was put into production in 2011 and…
Flexible aerogels Researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center (Cleveland, Ohio; www.nasa.gov) have developed new flexible aerogels that could eventually be used in highly insulating materials and linings. Aerogels, sometimes called “solid smoke,” are superlightweight structures of silica reinforced…
A process developed by Lehigh Technologies (Lehigh; Tucker, Ga.; www.lehightechnologies.com) for embrittling and milling rubber from end-of-life vehicle-tire material is capable of generating micron-scale rubber particles that can be used in a host of rubber, foam and plastic products to…
Air Products (Lehigh Valley, Pa.; www.airproducts.com) says it will build and operate a new air separation unit (ASU) for Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij B.V. (NAM), a joint venture between Shell and Esso. The company has secured the necessary environmental and permit…
AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) is to boost capacity at one of its U.S. sites in order to meet increasing demand from the semi-conductor industry, particularly for the production of light emitting diodes (LEDs). Financial details were not disclosed. The…