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Evonik to increase sodium methylate production capacity in Argentina
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) plans to increase its capacity for sodium methylate at its Rosario/Santa Fe facility in Argentina from 60,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) up to 90,000 m.t./yr until 2021. The expansion is driven by growing…
Looking Beyond Chemical Compatibility Charts: Matching Plastic and Elastomer Seals with Fluids
Chemical compatibility charts are often used as a quick and concise way to match the proper fluid with a seal. However, there is much more to consider with the chemical compatibility of a seal in relation to the fluids in…
Standard Lithium to commission Li-extraction demonstration plant
Standard Lithium Ltd. (Vancouver, B.C.; www.standardlithium.com), a technology and lithium development company, today announced the successful installation of the company’s industrial-scale Direct Lithium Extraction Demonstration Plant at Lanxess’ South Plant facility in southern Arkansas. Standard Lithium’s project team has also…
Fluor awarded project management contract for PKN Orlen’s olefins expansion
As part of PKN ORLEN’s project to expand its olefin production complex in Płock, Poland, Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) has been selected for technical consultancy and Project Management Contractor (PMC) services. Fluor’s services contract is expected to optimally prepare…
Umicore completes acquisition of Freeport cobalt-processing assets in Finland
Umicore N.V. (Brussels, Belgium; www.umicore.com) has completed the acquisition of Freeport Cobalt’s cobalt refining and cathode precursor activities in Kokkola, Finland, for an amount of $203 million on a debt and cash free basis (including approximately $50 million of net…
Lanxess acquires Brazilian biocide manufacturer
Lanxess AG (Cologne, Germany; www.lanxess.com) has acquired Itibanyl Produtos Especiais Ltda. (IPEL). Headquartered in Jarinu, São Paulo, IPEL is one of Brazil’s leading biocide manufacturers and generated sales in the lower double-digit million euro range in 2018. Both companies signed an…
Haldor Topsoe and Sasol enter collaboration agreement for gas-to-liquids technologies
Haldor Topsoe A/S (Lyngby, Denmark; www.topsoe.com) and Sasol Ltd. (Johannesburg, South Africa; www.sasol.co.za) announced that they have entered into a collaboration agreement to jointly license their gas-to-liquids (GTL) technologies. For many years, the two companies have worked together on numerous…
A new volumetric feeder for additive dispensing systems
The new VMF-90D volumetric screw feeder (photo) is an automatic metering screw-feed system for mixing and dispensing dry materials into a secondary process. Among the standard features are a concentric material-conditioning overwind auger, an SCR controller that may be remotely…
Workforce 4.0: The Human Side of Digital Transformation
As chemical process industries (CPI) companies continue to experiment with, invest in, and implement a host of digitalization tools, workforce engagement and involvement is the key determinant of success Chemical process industries (CPI) companies are entering a critical stage in…
The Changing Face of Simulation
Easier-to-use features and simplified integration lead to new applications for simulation software Simulation software and its capabilities have come a long way in recent years. The latest versions include easier-to-use and more advanced features, increased computing speeds and simplified integration…