January 2020

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CPI outlook slower, but positive
Despite a slowdown in global manufacturing, the U.S. chemical process…

IN THE NEWSNEWSFRONTS

Particle Size Matters
With the right technology, chemical processors can obtain precise particle…

Gas Fermentation Leads Honored Achievements
The winning technology for the 2019 Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement…

CHEMENTATOR + Show More

Integrated AC process eliminates refrigerants
With the goal of decreasing the climate impact of residential…

Chementator Briefs
Sludge to fuel Bio-sludge is a byproduct of the wastewater…

Bottom-up synthesis of new perovskite material for ammonia production
Perovskites are a class of synthetic materials that have a…

Metals from nodules on seabed offer environmental advantages
Small-scale pilot testing has begun for a process that extracts…

New material promises to enhance performance of gas-separation membranes
Harnessing its polymer technology and carbon-fiber expertise has enabled Toray…

A Pt-free electrode promises to cut costs for fuel cells and metal-air batteries
Hiroya Abe and colleagues at Tohoku University (Sendai, www.tohoku.ac.jp) and…

Non-halogenated flame-retardant material
Dynamic Modifiers LLC (Atlanta, Ga.; www.dynamicmodifiers.com), a maker of custom…

Cascade reactions on 'nanozymes' make chemicals from CO2
An international team of researchers has developed metallic nanoparticles that…

A new method to study nanoparticles
Researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (Singapore;…

Waste garlic stems make an adsorbent for arsenic removal
Professor Monoj Kumar Mondal and Anuj Kumar Prajapati from the…

BUSINESS NEWS

Plant Watch: January 2020
Plant Watch Messer to build onsite gas facility for MOL…

TECHNICAL & PRACTICALFEATURE REPORT

Sampling System Design: Managing System Variables
Understanding the effect of flowrate, velocity, density, viscosity, pressure drop,…

Evaporators: Design Concepts and Equipment Selection
This primer provides guidance on key aspects to consider when…

FACTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

Facts at your Fingertips: Removal of Particulate Matter from Industrial Processes
Controlling and reducing particulate matter pollution from industrial operations is…

TECHNOLOGY PROFILE

Technology Profile: Production of ammonium nitrate
This column is based on “Ammonium Nitrate Porous Prills Production…

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGER

Avoiding SIL Misconceptions
Engineers must refine their foundational understanding of process safety in…

EQUIPMENT & SERVICESFOCUS

Focus on Motors and Drives
New version of drive-analyzer app now available At SPS 2019…

NEW PRODUCTS + Show More

A new pump for electric, gas and diesel-driven fleets
The new Thunder 5,000 hp Quintuplex pump (photo) is designed…

This new software streamlines logistics operations
Dok-Vu is a paperless software system for managing logistics operations…

Expanded modular line of canned-motor pumps
This company has expanded its range of modular V-Line canned-motor…

Cellular sensor-to-cloud connectivity
The Ranger remote-monitoring system (photo) is a cellular transmitter that…

Edge-to-cloud data collection and accessibility
Proficy Historian 8.0 (photo) provides users with a scalable solution…

Pour-point depressant for cold climate regions
The new Waxtreat SubZero Pour Point Depressant (PPD) technology (photo)…

LED illumination simplifies sight-glass setup
The capabilities of MetaClamp and MetaGlas sight-glass windows have been…

New system-independent input/output modules
This company extended its Axioline I/O system portfolio to include…

Glass-free pH sensors with improved CIP stability
The new generation of ISFET sensors (photo) is made of…

Software update brings improved analysis and modeling
This company has introduced Version 5.5 of its Multiphysics software…

Stainless-steel tank covers for hygienic processes
LKD and LKDC tank covers securely fit the openings of…

A new family of mixers adapts for each application
The new Salomix family (photo) is designed to operate in…

Customizable, automatic ingredient-batching systems
This company’s Micro and Tote Batching Systems (photo) are customized,…

Seamless information exchange from field to cloud
Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA) enables the platform-independent,…

Feeding the USB port out of the control cabinet
With the new CU8210-M001 cabinet dome (photo), the USB port…

Ultra-compact valves for bioprocessing applications
The new BioviZion valve (photo) is an ultra-compact model available…

Built-in load monitor ensures correct loading to joints
Maxbolt load-indicating fasteners (photo) can reduce downtime, premature wear and…

Highlights Industrial Lighting Safety Looking Beyond Chemical Compatibility Charts: Matching Plastic and Elastomer Seals with Fluids Selecting the Right Thermodynamic Models for Process Simulation Pursuing the potential of hydrogen Storage Tanks: Snapshots of Failures, Damages and Inspections

Comment

Showa Denko licenses VAM process technology in China

By Mary Page Bailey | November 19, 2019

Showa Denko (SDK; Tokyo; www.sdk.co.jp) has decided to license its technology to produce vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) to Shenghong Refining Petrochemical (Lian Yun Gang) Co., Ltd., (SRP) China, under a formal alliance agreement between SDK and engineering firm KBR, Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com). In addition, SDK will provide catalysts for the VAM production facility to be constructed by Shenghong Refining Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (SRP).

SDK has been producing VAM from ethylene at its Oita Petrochemical Complex for 40 years, and has polished high-level technologies including that to develop catalysts. SDK formed alliance with KBR in 2015, and, since then, the two parties have been investigating possibilities to operate business to license SDK’s technologies to produce organic chemicals. As a result, SRP decided to adopt SDK’s technologies to produce VAM. The new VAM unit to be constructed in the premise of SRP is expected to have a capacity to produce 300,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of VAM.

Breakthrough Technologies