Metso (Helsinki, Finland; www.metso.com) is supplying a 140-MWth biogasification plant to Vaskiluodon Voima Oy in Vaasa, Finland. When it starts up in December 2012, the €40-million gasification plant, which will be located next to the existing 565-MW coal-fired power plant,…
A compact, inexpensive and energy-saving continuous process to make bioethanol is being developed by professor Yoshio Katakura at Kansai University (Osaka; microbial.life-bio.kansai-u.ac.jp), in collaboration with the Kinki Bio-industry Development Organization (Osaka), Kansai Chemical Engineering Co. (Amagasaki), and Akita National College…
AMEC Plc. (London, U.K.; www.amec.com) has been appointed by BASF Polyurethane (Chongqing) Co. and Chongqing Chemical and Pharmaceutical (Group) Holding Co. (CCPHC) as the project management contractor for the development of a new 400,000-metric-ton-per-year MDI (diphenylmethane diisocyanate) facility at Changshou,…
Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum (Group) Co. (Yanchang Petroleum Group) and KBR, Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com) have signed an agreement to create a joint-venture (JV) company in the People’s Republic of China. The purpose of the JV will be to market, sell, deliver…
Ube Industries, Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; www.ube-ind.co.jp says it will launch commercial production of proprietary Artificial Micro Carbon (AMC; multi-walled carbon nanotubes-MWCNT). The company is currently proceeding with the construction of production line for AMC within the Ube Chemical Factory located…
Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) has launched a project to build a specialty polymers production plant for Solef Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF), Tecnoflon Fluoroelastomers (FKM) and their essential monomer VF2 in China to satisfy the growing demand for these high value-added…
UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill; www.uop.com), a Honeywell company, has been selected by the Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Co. (Takreer) to provide key technology for a new petrochemical production unit in the United Arab Emirates. The new propane dehydrogenation (PDH)…
Novo Nordisk A/S Bagsværd, Denmark; www.novonordisk.com) is investing close to 1 billion Danish kroner (€134 million) in a new factory in Kalundborg, Denmark, for the production of biopharmaceuticals such as haemophilia medicine, growth hormone and other current and future pharmaceuticals.…
AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) is investing €140 million to convert its chlorine plant in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, to state-of-the-art membrane electrolysis technology. The new facility, which will increase current capacity by around 50%, will help to reinforce the…
South Refineries Co. (SRC), a subsidiary of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, awarded Axens (Rueil-Malmaison, France; www.axens.net) the basic engineering design and license contracts for the construction of the new petroleum refinery in Maissan, Southern Iraq. Axens will supply the…