Chiyoda Corp. (Kawasaki, Japan; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6898-535) has licensed its proprietary titania-supported catalyst for ultra-deep hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of gas oil to Axens (Paris, France; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6898-536). Axens is currently working on the final adjustment of industrial operating parameters, and plans to start commercial…
Alumina refining by the Bayer process involves the digestion of bauxite ore with caustic soda, which produces “green liquor,†from which alumina is recovered, and a bauxite residue, called red mud, which is stored in large disposal areas. A typical…
What is billed as the first commercial-scale plant to produce ethanol from cellulosic feed will be built in Treutlen County, Georgia, by Range Fuels, Inc. (Broomfield, Colo.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6898-541). The company received a construction permit from the State of Georgia last…
This system, which has multiple reactors and uses microwaves for heating, has been developed by professor Yuji Wada at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology (edlinks.chemengonline.com/6898-543), in cooperation with Shikoku Instrument Co. (Takamatsu; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6898-544) and…
Last month, Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc. (Columbus, Ohio; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6898-546) signed a definitive agreement to acquire Huntsman Corp. (Salt Lake City, Utah) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $10.6 billion, including the assumption of debt. Huntsman has terminated its previous…
Hydrogen is produced directly from biomass and other carbonaceous materials, with simultaneous capture of carbon dioxide, in a process being developed by Energy Quest, Inc. (Edmonton, Alta., Canada; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6897-533). In the PyStR (pyrolytic steam reforming) process, crushed or shredded feedstock…
Plant Watch BP, ABF and DuPont unveil $400-million investment in U.K. biofuels June 26, 2007 — BP, Associated British Foods (ABF) and DuPont announced investment plans of about $400 million, for the construction of a bioethanol plant alongside a demonstration…
Global Resource Corp. (GRC; West Berlin, N.J.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6897-534) is commercializing a technology that converts auto shredder residue (ASR) into combustible gases, liquid fuels and scrap metal using microwaves. The use of microwaves to achieve this goal has been attempted in…
Basell (Hoofddorp, Netherlands; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6897-541), a global leader in polyolefins’ technology, production and marketing, and Huntsman Corp. (Salt Lake City, Utah; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6897-542), one of the world’s largest manufacturers and marketers of differentiated chemicals and pigments, announced last month that they have…
At the end of May, Teijin Twaron B.V. (Arnhem, Netherlands; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6897-543) opened a new pilot-production plant for producing a new generation of Twaron para-aramides pulp using a new jet-spinning process. The company did not disclose process details except to say…