Latest News: Business
GTL: Smaller hardware brings big benefits
The gas-to-liquids (GTL) process offers a promising option for producing valuable liquid fuels from gas resources that would otherwise be wasted. These include associated gas (the gas produced along with oil, which is now frequently disposed of by flaring or…
DuPont Opens PV-application facility in Geneva
To address the needs for the fast-growing photovoltaic (PV) market, DuPont (Wilmington, Del.; www.dupont.com) opened the Meyrin Photovoltaic Application Laboratory at its European Technical Center – adding new capabilities to this leading R&D hub by developing next-generation products. Over 50…
Pöyry awarded board-mill engineering for SAICA
Pöyry Plc. (Helsinki; www.poyry.com) has been awarded an engineering contract by SAICA Containerboard UK Ltd. for one of the world’s most advanced recycled paper mills to be built at Partington Wharfside, near Manchester, U.K. The value of Pöyry’s assignment is…
Brain and Bayer Schering Pharma cooperation
Brain AG (Zwingenberg; www.brain-biotech.de) Bayer Schering Pharma AG (Bergkamen, both Germany; www.bayerscheringpharma.de) are cooperating in the field of production process optimization of steroid compounds. The goal of the collaboration is the energy-efficient and thus sustainable fermentative production of steroid compounds…
BMS opens world’s largest CNT pilot facility
Bayer MaterialScience (BMS; Leverkusen, Germany; www.bayermaterialscience.com) has opened a new pilot facility for the manufacture of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at Chempark Leverkusen. The company has invested some €22 million in the planning, development and construction of the facility, which is…
AkzoNobel invests in U.K. R&D site
AkzoNobel N.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) is investing almost €10 million to further boost the innovative power of the U.K. site where performance coatings that now protect many of the world’s iconic structures and ships were first developed. A fire…
Topsøe wins contract with PetroPeru
Haldor Topsøe (Lyngby, Denmark; www.topsoe.com) has signed a contract supplying technologies for three new plants with petroleum-oil refiner PetroPeru. The contract includes license and basic engineering of process design for the Talara refinery in Peru. The Topsøe technologies are part…
Outotec to deliver precious-metals plant in China
Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.outotec.com) has signed a contract with Baiyin Non Ferrous Group for the design and delivery of a new precious metals plant in Gansu Province, China. The contract value is approximately €6 million. Outotec's scope includes basic engineering,…
Praxair starts up new plant in Costa Rica
Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com) has started up its new air-separation plant in San Jose, Costa Rica. In addition to meeting increasing demand for oxygen, nitrogen and argon from industrial and medical customers in Costa Rica, the new facility positions…
KBR to license Veba Combi Cracker Technology
KBR, Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com) has signed a Collaboration Agreement with BP (www.bp.com) to promote, market, and execute licensing and engineering services for the slurry bed residue and coal upgrading Veba Combi Cracker (VCC) Technology. VCC Technology is a hydrogen addition…