Last month, at the AIChE Spring Meeting in Chicago, Henry Kister, director of Fractionation Technology at Fluor Corp. (Aliso Viejo, Calif.; www.fluor.com) presented a patent pending process (U.S. Patent Application WO/2011/016797) that promises to cut energy demand and capital costs…
A new emulsification process, known as Smooth, has been developed by Velocys, Inc. (Columbus, Ohio; www.velocys.com) — a member of the Oxford Catalyst Group Plc. (Abingdon, U.K.) — and is now ready for testing at the commercial scale. Smooth technology…
Last month, Brain AG (Zwingenberg; www.brain-biotech.de) and Dechema e.V. (Frankfurt am Main, both Germany; www.dechema.de) began a collaboration in the biotechnological production of perillic acid — a patented natural monoterpene owned by Brain, with promising applications as a bioactive compound…
Ube Industries, Ltd. (UBE; www. ube-ind.co.jp) and HighChem Co. (both Tokyo; www.highchem.co.jp) will license their technologies for transforming coal-derived synthesis gas (syngas) into manufacturing ethylene glycol (MEG) — a polyester feedstock — to Qianxixian Qianxi Coal Chemical Investment Co. (Guizhou,…
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) has started up a new facility to produce high-purity isobutene at its site in Antwerp (Belgium). The new plant, which involved investment of tens of millions euros, can produce up to 110,000 metric tons…
A new method for removing hydrogen sulfide from natural gas at ambient temperatures could allow significant energy savings compared to the current technique and increase the range of H2S concentrations in natural gas that are economically viable to extract from…
By the end of this year, Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corp. (Tokyo; www.asahi-kasei.co.jp) plans to complete development on two processes that utilize excess C2 and C4 fractions for producing propylene and butadiene, and if all goes smoothly, implement them by March…
Recycling copper Steinert Elektromagnetbau GmbH (Cologne, Germany; www.steinert.de) has recently installed its first XSS-F unit — said to be the worlds first inline system designed to extract copper from shredded ferrous scrap. Installed at a German recycling yard, the…
BASF to explore new production investment in Brazil March 10, 2011 — BASF is exploring opportunities for a new investment in Brazil for the production of acrylic acid, butyl acrylate and superabsorbent polymers (SAP). The feasibility study will be completed…
Sener Ingeniería y Sistemas, S.A. (Sener; Madrid, Spain;www.sener.es) has clinched several contracts for the design and supply of solar fields in Spain: the Aste 1A and Aste 1B, Termosolar Soluz Guzmán, Consol-Orellana and La Africana plants. With these five new…