Latest News: Business
LanzaTech wins the 2019 Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award
The 45th Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award was presented on Wednesday, October 23 to LanzaTech for its Gas Fermentation Technology, which converts carbon-rich gas streams to products using proprietary microbes that feed on gases rather than sugars, as in traditional…
Umicore opens new facility in Korea for the production of fuel-cell catalysts
Umicore N.V. (Brussels, Belgium; www.umicore.com) inaugurated today its new production facility for fuel-cell catalysts in SongDo Incheon City (near Seoul), Korea, close to Umicore’s technology development center for catalysts. The facility will support the growth of Hyundai Motors Group as…
Pfeiffer Vacuum opens new plant in Wuxi China
Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH (Aßlar, Germany; www.pfeiffer-vacuum.de) celebrated the expansion of its facility in Wuxi, China on October 23 with a grand opening ceremony. Double its original size, the new, expanded facility marks a significant milestone in Pfeiffer Vacuum’s development in…
McDermott awarded contract for Amiral mixed-feed cracker in Saudi Arabia
McDermott International, Inc. (Houston; www.mcdermott.com) announced it has been awarded a large contract by Saudi Aramco and Total Raffinage Chimie (Total) to provide licenses, basic engineering package, extended basic engineering, training, technical services and supply of proprietary equipment for what…
BP exploring acetic acid JV in China
BP plc (London; www.bp.com) and China’s Zhejiang Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (ZPCC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore the creation of a new equally-owned joint venture to build and operate a acetic acid plant in eastern China.…
Lanxess launches AI-assisted formulation development for Urethane Systems
Lanxess AG (Cologne, Germany; www.lanxess.com) is broadening its use of artificial intelligence (AI) in product development. The specialty chemicals company has launched a project aimed at expanding its range of prepolymers. The goal is to offer customers tailor-made polyurethane systems…
Total plans to double its capacity of recycled polypropylene for the automotive industry
Total S.A. (Paris, France; www.total.com) has decided to double the production capacity of its affiliate Synova to meet growing market demand for high-performance recycled materials. By early 2021, Normandy-based Synova, a French leader in its sector, will produce 40,000 ton/yr…
Arkema starts up expanded acrylic acid reactor in Clear Lake
Arkema (Colombes, France; www.arkema.com) has successfully brought on stream, and on schedule, a new 90,000-ton/yr acrylic acid reactor at its Clear Lake, Texas site. Equipped with the latest production technologies, this new reactor replaces two decommissioned reactors, which each had…
S & B Engineers wins EPC contract for Enterprise PDH project
S & B Engineers and Constructors, Ltd. (Houston; www.sbec.com) announced it has been awarded a lump sum engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract by an affiliate of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (Enterprise) for Enterprise’s second propane dehydrogenation plant (PDH 2)…
Total to open a Digital Factory
Total S.A. (Paris, France; www.total.com) will open a Digital Factory in Paris in early 2020 that will bring together up to 300 developers, data scientists and other experts to accelerate the Group’s digital transformation. Total’s goal is to leverage the…