CO2 for plastic Last month, a pilot plant that produces an intermediate for polyurethane, using carbon dioxide as feedstock, started up at Chempark Leverkusen, Germany. The plant — designed, built and operated by Bayer Technology Services GmbH (Leverkusen; www.bayertechnology.com)…
A novel process for removing hydrogen sulfide from natural gas has been started up at Sinopec Zhongyuan Petroleum Co.’s Puguang natural gas plant in China’s Sichuan Province. The plant, Asia’s largest sour natural-gas treatment facility, can process up to 36-million…
A pilot plant for a process that uses a fluidized bed of sand to gasify coal and other carbonaceous materials will be started up this summer in Kanab, Utah by Viresco Energy LLC (Riverside, Calif.; www.virescoenergy.com). Initially, the plant will…
A manufacturing facility for bio-based intermediate and specialty chemicals under construction by Elevance Renewable Sciences Inc. (Bolingbrook, Ill.; www.elevance.com) is on track to begin generating products late this year, according to the company. Located in Indonesia, the facility is currently…
A pulsed-electric-field (PEF) pre-treatment technology to facilitate extraction of oils from algae cells was introduced recently by Diversified Technologies Inc. (Bedford, Mass.; www.divtecs.com). Algae have drawn considerable interest as a renewable source of biofuels, but the costs of algae-derived fuels…
Nippon Ketjen Co. (Tokyo; www.nippon-ketjen.co.jp) has developed two new catalysts with enhanced properties for petroleum residue hydrotreating. KFR 15 removes metallic impurities, and KFR 93 removes sulfur from residues and contributes to the efficiency of residue hydrotreating units. For the…
Kyoto University (Kyoto, www.kuchem.kyoto-u.ac.jp) professor Hiroshi Kitagawa has developed technology for synthesizing nanoscale particles of alloyed metals that could lead to alternatives to industrially important, but expensive, metals such as Pd and rare earth metals. Kitagawa’s group has used the…
A silica-based amorphous material in which silicon atoms are linked to organic groups, as well as to oxygen, creates a pore network that tolerates aggressive chemical environments more effectively than conventional polymeric or ceramic membranes. Licensed by membrane manufacturer Pervatech…
Up to now, used energy-saving light bulbs have been processed by recycling firms that recover the various components, such as glass, metal, plastics and mercury. However, the remaining luminescent powders, which contain high concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs), are…
Mesa Minerals Ltd. (Perth, Australia; www.mesaminerals.com.au) has developed an alternative hydrometallurgical method for converting low-grade manganese oxide ores to electrolytic manganese dioxide of high purity for use in alkaline and lithium-ion battery production. The company claims its process consumes about…