Nippon Steel Corp. (Tokyo; www.nsc.co.jp) and Kobe Steel, Ltd. (Kobe, Japan; www.kobelco.com) announce that their steel-mill-dust recycling plant (photo below) began commercial operation on October 1. As part of the objectives to deepen and expand their alliance, the two companies decided…
In a move to further optimize its value-adding chains and boost product availability, Oxea GmbH (Oberhausen, Germany; www.oxea-chemicals.com) has successfully increased its manufacturing capabilities for synthesis gas (syngas) at its Bay City, Texas plant by 10%. Syngas is the main…
Aveva (Cambridge, U.K.; www.aveva.com) today announced the acquisition of Z+F UK Ltd. (Manchester, U.K.; www.zf-uk.com). The strategic acquisition includes only the division of Z+F that produces the LFM software suite. This follows a long and successful partnership with Z+F UK…
Plant Watch Ineos Technologies licenses its technology for a PP plant in China September 1, 2011 — Ineos Technologies (www.ineos.com) has licensed its Innovene PP (polypropylene) Process for the manufacture of homopolymers, random copolymers and impact copolymers to the Shaanxi…
Impending standards requiring that cellulosic ethanol be used in gasoline blending have focused attention on building a capacity for bioethanol from non-food sources. In a development that may begin to meet that need, a plant employing a unique method for…
China produces about 98% of the world’s electrolytic manganese metal (EMM), a vital ingredient used in specialty steels, aluminum and electronics. In contrast, the U.S. produces no EMM, says Nick Weir, an executive with U.S. American Manganese Inc. (AMY; White…
A 60% reduction in the sludge volume was achieved at the sewage treatment plant of Noboribetu City, Hokkaido, Japan, after installing a Bio-Diet SBD-1200 system from Nippon Steel Kankyo Engineering Co. (NSKE; Tokyo, www.nske.co.jp). The demonstration unit, developed at the…
A rapid pressure-swing-adsorption (rPSA) system to separate carbon dioxide from fluegas is being developed by W.R. Grace & Co. (Columbus, Md.; www.grace.com) and three partners under a $3 million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE; Washington, D.C.; www.energy.gov).…
A huge market for lithium ion batteries is expected to develop as car makers move toward electric vehicles. However, improvements in the batteries’ energy and power density are needed. It is also desirable to replace the common, high-cost lithium cobalt…
Renewable jet fuel Houston-based bioenergy company Terrabon Inc. (www.terrabon.com) has been awarded a $9.6-million, 18-month contract from Logos Technologies (Arlington, Va.; www.logos-technologies) to produce 6,000 L of renewable jet fuel for the Defense Advanced Research Products Agency (DARPA; Arlington,…