Westec Environmental Solutions, LLC (WES; Chicago, Ill.; www.wes-worldwide.com) has developed a gas-liquid absorption technology that can dramatically enhance mass transfer in gas-liquid absorption, extraction and scrubbing systems. The patented WES Absorber operates co-currently and creates a micro-froth matrix that intensifies…
Technip (Paris, France; www.technip.com) has been awarded two lump sum contracts by Valero Refining Co. and Diamond Shamrock Refining Co. (both part of the Valero group) for two hydrogen plants at their refineries in Memphis, Tenn. and McKee, Tex. The…
Enerkem Inc. (Montreal, Can-ada; www.enerkem.com) has broken ground in Edmonton, Alberta, on what is said to be the world’s first industrial-scale plant to produce liquid fuel from municipal solid waste. When the plant starts up at the end of 2011,…
Plastic derived from corn, used mostly for bottles and cups, costs about 20% more than petroleum-based plastics, but has two desirable qualities: it comes from a renewable resource and is biodegradable. However, the use of the plastic — polylactic acid…
Graphene Laboratories Inc. (Reading, Mass.; www.graphenelab.com) and CVD Equipment Corp. (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.; www.cvdequipment.com) recently announced the commercial launch of single-layer graphene films, marketed as CVDGraphene, grown by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Using slightly modified CVD equipment that has…
Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.outotec.com) has been awarded an order from an Italian company IRASCO for the supply of technology for National Iranian Copper Industries Co.'s copper concentrator expansion located in Sarcheshmeh in Iran. The contract value is nearly €40…
HC Petrochem Co. has selected UOP LLC Des Plaines, Ill; www.uop.com) to provide technology for an expansion of its petrochemicals plant in Daesan, South Korea. HC Petrochem Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Japan’s Cosmo Oil (Tokyo) and Hyundai Oilbank…
Foster Wheeler AG (Zug, Switzerland; www.fwc.com), announced today that its Global Engineering and Construction Group, working with PetroAlgae Inc., (Melbourne, Fla.; www.petroalgae.com) has completed its initial testing of PetroAlgae's biomass, with encouraging results. The biomass, produced at PetroAlgae's micro-crop farm…
Toyo Engineering Corp. China, a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyo Engineering Corp. (Toyo; Chiba, Japan; www.toyo-eng.co.jp), has been awarded a contract for an ethanolamine (ETA) production plant to be constructed in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, China, by Honam Petrochemical Corp. (Korea;…
Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) announced today that it was awarded the Project Hijau Gasoil Phase-1 by Shell Refining Company FOM Malaysia. The project comprises a new 6,000 metric tons (m.t.) per day diesel-processing unit located in Port Dickson, Malaysia.…