Carbon nanotube membranes are being developed for water desalination and carbon dioxide sequestration by Porifera Inc. (Hayward, Calif.; www.poriferanano.com) under an exclusive license from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL, Livermore, Calif.). Porifera, a new company, expects to commercialize desalination membranes…
An economical method for producing glucaric acid from glucose was successfully scaled up three-fold to a 6-L reactor by its developer, Rivertop Renewables (Missoula, Mont.; www.rivertop.com). The company is planning to assemble a pilot-scale process capable of producing 3-million lb/yr.…
A device for the mass production of lactic acid oligomers, polylactic acid (PLA) and other polymers has been developed by Japanese researchers from the Renewable Plastics Group of the Research Institute for Innovation in Sustainable Chemistry, National Institute of Advanced…
Haldor Topsøe (Lyngby, Denmark; www.topsoe.com) will demonstrate a new technology that converts wood to liquid fuels, as part of a $25-million project funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE; Washington, D.C.; www.energy.gov). Among the partners in the project are…
In light of the growing scarcity of oil resources, biofuels constitute an alternative solution, since they can serve as a complement to fossil fuels. As part of its policy aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the European Union is requiring…
This week, production will start at AkzoNobel’s (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) chelates facility located at the company’s new €275 million multi-site in Ningbo, China. The startup of the first activities in Ningbo means that AkzoNobel is now the only major…
Süd-Chemie AG (Munich, Germany; www.sud-chemie.com) and GTC Technology Inc. (Houston, Tex.; www.gtchouston.com) have reached agreement on a strategic alliance. As part of this alliance agreement, Süd-Chemie has acquired a 25% share in GTC. The partnership significantly strengthens Süd-Chemie‘s position in…
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; Karlsruhe, Germany; www.kit.edu) and BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) have founded “IP3” (innovative products, intelligent particles, integrated processes), a joint laboratory for process technology in Karlsruhe (www.ip3.de). JointLab is run by the two partners on…
Bayer Technology Services (BTS; Leverkusen; www.bayertechnology.com) collaborated with Lurgi GmbH (Frankfurt, both Germany; www.lurgi.com) to implement an operator training simulator (OTS) for a Lurgi’s new methanol-to-propylene (MTP) process. At the core of the MTP process is a complex, heterogeneously catalyzed reaction…
GEA Group AG (Bochum, Germany; www.geagroup.com) received the order to design, manufacture and supply the Air Cooled Condenser — worth €10 million — for the extension of the 250-MW, gas-fired power plant Tzafit in Israel. The extension will increase the capacity…