A recently launched, polymer-coated, fumed silica additive improves the performance of structural adhesives — those designed to bear loads. The new additive is capable of reducing the adhesive’s application viscosity, while simultaneously improving its ability to maintain a bead profile…
Plant Watch Solvay to build bio-based epichlorohydrin plant in China June 11, 2012 — Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) says its Thai affiliate Vinythai will build an epichlorohydrin plant in Taixing, China. The plant, with an initial capacity of 100,000…
There might be as many categories of catalysts as there are chemical processing applications. And, no matter what the specialty or application, most catalyst producers are in a constant state of research and development in order to meet the demands…
Technology originally developed for dewatering algae has shown success in separating hydrocarbons from produced water that results from oil and gas drilling. The method could be used in treating produced water for onsite re-use as hydraulic fracturing fluid. To harvest…
ADN production Nylon-polymer producer Invista (Wichita, Kan.; www.invista.com) has developed new technology for the production of adiponitrile (ADN), a key ingredient for nylon 6,6. The advances, which came as a result of $40 million of R&D spending, can improve…
The research group of Masaru Ogura, an associate professor at the Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo (www.u-tokyo.ac.jp), has clarified the degradation mechanism and the role potassium carbonate plays in the catalyst systems used for reducing soot from the…
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI; Tokyo, Japan; www.mhi.co.jp) will begin developing basic technologies for a triple combined-cycle power-generation system that integrates solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and a gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) power generation system. Under the umbrella of the…
Theres a growing trend toward generating electricity from biogas (see pp. 15–17), but roughly half of the total energy content of the fuel is released as heat, which is dissipated into the atmosphere unused. To improve the overall efficiency, researchers…
Wison Engineering Ltd. (Shanghai, China; www.wison.com ), China’s largest private sector chemical engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) service provider, has been officially awarded an EPC contract by PDVSA Petroleo, S.A. (PDVSA), Venezuela’s state-run oil company, at the Puerto la Cruz…
Kobe Steel, Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; www.kobelco.com) says it will establish two 100% owned companies in July, one in Europe and the other in the Middle East, to expand the global marketing and servicing of its compressors. Kobelco Machinery Europe GmbH…