The Technical Research Center of Finland (VTT; Rajamäki; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5826-542) has developed a process to make natural paper additives from starch, which can be used for making high-quality paper that is completely recycleable. The starch-based pigments can be used in conventional…
A single-step process for making phenol from benzene and carbon monoxide has been developed by Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd. (Tokyo; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5826-543) with cooperation from Yasutaka Ishii, professor of applied chemistry at Kansai University (Osaka, Japan; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5826-544). Other attempts to make…
Teijin Twaron B.V. (Arnhem, Netherlands; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5826-556) has introduced a new rubber compound ingredient, tradenamed Sulfron 3000, which leads to a 20% improvement in rolling resistance when used in tires — resulting in a 5% reduction in fuel consumption for vehicles,…
Biotage AB (Uppsala, Sweden; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5826-557) has signed two agreements with Reaxa Ltd. (Manchester, U.K.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5826-558) to develop and market new catalyst packages for development of fine chemicals. The first agreement is to develop an encapsulated palladium catalyst, based on Reaxa’s…
LG Chem, Ltd. (Seoul, South Korea; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5826-545) has developed a direct oxidation process for making terephthalaldehyde (TPAL; terephthalic aldehyde), a key intermediate for dyestuffs, pharmaceuticals, specialty polymers, and other fine chemicals. Because the conversion requires only one reaction step and…
Lurgi AG (Frankfurt, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-549) is building the world’s largest biodiesel plant for Neckermann-Renewables GmbH (Würzburg, Germany). When the E64-million facility starts up in December at Piesteritz, Germany, it will produce more than 200,000 m.t./yr of biodiesel from rapeseed. The…
Ultrasound Brewery Co. (Naruto, Japan; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-535) has developed a process that separates the water from dilute solutions of alcohol to achieve 99.5%, without using conventional evaporation or distillation. The company has tested the process in a pilot plant that produces…
Arkema, Inc. (formerly Atofina Chemicals, Inc.; King of Prussia, Pa.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-536) has commercialized a patented technology, based on nitroxide compounds, which can be used to control free-radical polymerization reactions. Each alkoxyamine of the BlocBuilder technology contains a functional group for…
Total Petrochemicals (Brussels; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-531) and UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/5825-532) plan to construct at Total Petrochemicals site in Feluy, Belgium, a demonstration plant consisting of a UOP/Hydro methanol-to-olefin (MTO) process integrated with a Total Petrochemicals/UOP Olefin Cracking process (OCP)…
Using lithium metal as the anode of secondary Li-ion batteries would double the energy density of conventional batteries, which use anodes based on carbon. However, Li-based anodes suffer from the problem of dendrite crystal formation during the charge and discharge…