Single crystals of high-purity, anatase titanium dioxide with a high percentage of reactive (001) facets are said to have promising applications in solar cells, photonic and optoelectronic devices, sensors and photocatalysis. However, it is the (101) crystal facets of anatase…
Scientists at Rice University (Houston, Tex.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7374-547) have shown how baton-shaped nanoparticles of metal and carbon can trap oil droplets in water by spontaneously assembling into tiny sacs. The particles — composed of hollow carbon nanotubes (hydrophobic) with a short…
Plant Watch Evonik to close its orthoesters plant in Niederkassel... June 11, 2008 — Evonik Industries AG will be shutting down its production plant for orthoesters in Niederkassel (Germany) in the 3rd Q of this year. It has been forced…
BASF IT Services (Ludwigshafen, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7374-533) has developed a voice-activated IT system that can be used by those involved in hazard-containment. The application was pilot tested together with BASF SE’s fire department, as part of the four-year EU project called…
Axens (Rueil-Malmaison, France; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7374-534) has commercialized its new Resid Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) PetroRiser technology for the production of high yields of propylene. This new resid-to-propylene technology is part of the FCC Alliance between Axens, The Shaw Group, Inc. (Baton…
GEA Group AG (Bochum, Germany; www.geagroup.com) has further strengthened its Farm Technologies Division through the acquisition of Norbco, Inc. (Westmoreland, NY). Norbco, Inc., has so far been the sole and exclusive supplier of conventional heavy- and medium-duty milking parlor stalls…
Ashland Inc. (Covington, Ky.) and Hercules Inc. (Wilmington, Del.) today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Ashland would acquire all of the outstanding shares of Hercules for $18.60 per share in cash and 0.093…
Airgas, Inc. (Radnor, Pa.; www.airgas.com) today announced that it will build a new 450-ton/d liquid-carbon-dioxide plant at the First United Ethanol LLC, (FUEL) complex in Camilla, Ga. Airgas entered into a 15-year agreement with FUEL, which will supply the feedstock…
The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.) and Rohm and Haas (Philadelphia, Pa.) today announced a definitive agreement, under which Dow will acquire all outstanding shares of Rohm and Haas common stock for $18.8 billion ($78 per share) in cash. The…
The Dutch company Yara Sluiskil B.V., part of the Norwegian chemicals group Yara International ASA, has commissioned Uhde GmbH (Dortmund, Germany; www.uhde.biz) to design and build a major urea plant at its production site in Sluiskil (Zeeland Province), near the…