Latest News
Cabot to acquire Quebec-based masterbatches producer
Cabot Corp. (Boston, Ma.; www.cabotcorp.com) entered into an agreement to purchase Tech Blend, a leading North American producer of black masterbatches, for approximately $64 million, company officials announced today. The acquisition extends Cabot’s global footprint in black masterbatch and compounds;…
CB&I and Albemarle win the 44th Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award
The 44th Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award was presented on Wednesday, November 1 to CB&I and Albemarle for their solid catalyst alkylation process. The AlkyClean technology eliminates the use of liquid acids for the production of motor fuel alkylate, and…
AkzoNobel completes expansion of Surface Chemistry site in China
AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) has completed the €4.8-million expansion project at its Surface Chemistry facility in Boxing, China, significantly increasing the company's regional product portfolio and reconfirming its commitment to the Asian market. Being able to supply higher value…
Invista to divest Apparel & Advanced Textiles business
Invista (Wichita, Kan.; www.invista.com) has entered into a definitive agreement with Shandong Ruyi Investment Holding to sell Invista’s Apparel & Advanced Textiles business, one of Invista’s four major business units. Completion of the agreement is subject to customary closing conditions…
Powder and Bulk Solids Handling: Particle Size and Distribution Analysis
The size and size distribution of particles are important determining factors in the design and operation of many process operations involving dry particles and powders. Follow this guidance to understand the impact of these key characteristics Bulk solids are dry…
Recently Published Books for the CPI: November 2017
The following are recently published titles relevant to the chemical process industries (CPI) Sustainable Water Management and Technologies, Vol. 2: Sustainable Water Technologies, By Daniel Chen, Taylor and Francis Group, 2017, 828 pages, $279.95. What Every Engineer Should Know About…
Maintenance-Related Products
Handheld device speeds maintenance, startup efforts The AMS Trex Device Communicator (photo) uses the company’s Power the Loop technology. By removing the need for an external power supply, the device helps users work more effectivey and perform faster device configuration,…
Praxair starts up VPSA plants in South Korean petrochemical complex
Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com) says it has started up three new vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) plants at the Daesan petrochemical complex located on the west coast of the Korean peninsula. Praxair will start up a fourth VPSA plant…
A modular system for large blowers
This company now offers a wider range of process air stages by introducing the large blower series known as Alpha Blower (photo). Featuring 104 model variants, this series provides a high degree of flexibility for numerous applications. These positive-displacement blowers…
Chementator Briefs
Trash bags Barrier films used in food packaging are difficult to recycle effectively, because they often contain multiple polymers that are not compatible with one another in the mixing steps required for the recycling process. Now, trash bags made from…