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Unheated photocatalyst thin film production successful
F O C U S Industrial Science and Technology. There is detailed discussion of the zeolite and its possible applications. Japan Chemical Week, 21 Oct 2004, 45 (2291), 3
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catalyst, dissolved in an IL, in a biphasic reactor. The process is available from Axens, IFP’s licensing division. Chemical Engineering Progress, Sep 2004, 100 (9), 8
Unheated photocatalyst thin film production successful In Japan, the National Institute for Materials Science has developed an unheated method of crystallising titanium dioxide photocatalyst thin films by a sputtering apparatus driven by the electric power of pulse waveforms. There is discussion of the production method, the product, and its applications. Japan Chemical Week, 21 Oct 2004, 45 (2291), 2
DME-to-propylene/butene process under development The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy will start a 2-year subsidised project in fiscal 2005 to develop technologies for manufacturing methanol and DME from syngas and LPG via propylene and butene. The budget for the research is Yen 200 M. Japan Chemical Week, 7 Oct 2004, 45 (2289), 1,3
Degussa and Headwaters plan new route to hydrogen peroxide Degussa and US technology company Headwaters are establishing a 50-50 jv to commercialise a directsynthesis process for making hydrogen peroxide from oxygen and hydrogen. The partners say they will invest in ‘mega facilities’ for making hydrogen peroxide for intermediates such as propylene oxide (PO). The hitherto unachievable direct-reaction process will be made possible with NxCat, Headwaters’ heterogeneous precious-metal nanocatalyst. The process will be optimised at a Degussa pilot plant in HanauWolfgang, Germany. It is hoped to go commercial by 2008. The direct route will yield low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide in methanol and will therefore not be suitable for paper bleaching, the chemical’s main use. Chemical and Engineering News, 4 Oct 2004, 82 (40) 13-14 & European Chemical News, 4 Oct 2004, 81 (2118), 29 & Chemical Week, 27 Oct 2004, 166 (35) & Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 4 Oct 2004, (270) 13 (in French)
Cultivating ILs’ selectivity The French Petroleum Institute has piloted Difasol, the olefin oligomerisation process that employs an imidazolium ionic liquid (IL) for transforming butenes to isooctenes. It is an addition to Axen’s Dimersol process which uses a nickel catalyst to improve C4 olefin by-products from fluid catalytic crackers and naphtha crackers to C8. Difasol uses similar
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UOP eyes new methanol route UOP has won an award from NIST’s Advanced Technology Program to develop new metal-peroxo catalysts for the liquid-phase oxidation of methane to methanol. UOP will invest $5 M over three years on technology that could lower the cost of methanol from the current $80/ton to $58/ton. The company says the new route would allow the ‘monetization’ of remote natural gas and yield a new precursor for chemicals such as ethylene and propylene. Chemical and Engineering News, 4 Oct 2004, 82 (40), 13-14
Benzene-to-phenol process ready for commercialisation GTC Technology Inc of Houston, TX, and Solutia Inc of St Louis, MO, are collaborating in marketing the AlphOx technology which Solutia developed with the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis. Based on the gas-phase reaction of benzene with nitrous oxide over a modified zeolite catalyst, the technology provides more ease of operation and much lower investment costs compared with the traditional cumene-based process. The AlphOx technology has undergone extensive testing at Solutia’s demonstration plant in Pensacola, FL. Chemical Engineering (New York), Sep 2004, 111 (9), 17
PolyFuel announces new fuel cell membranes PolyFuel has announced a breakthrough in technology that could ultimately make hydrogen fuel cellpowered automobiles a commercial reality. At the heart of the breakthrough is a new family of membranes, the crucial heart of a fuel cell, that exhibit a set of performance characteristics never before simultaneously achieved in hydrogenbased fuel cells. The new technology developed by PolyFuel is expected to mitigate many of these shortcomings. PolyFuel’s membrane technology uses new hydrocarbon-based polymers that show improved operating characteristics over perfluorinated membranes, at substantially reduced cost. Furthermore, PolyFuel’s catalyst-coated hydrocarbon membranes produce 10 – 15% more power under real-world operating conditions compared to perfluorinated membranes. Finally, the manufacturing cost of PolyFuel hydrocarbon membranes is already significantly less than that of perfluorinated membranes, and will go even lower with volume. Currently, it takes about $5000 worth of perfluorinated membrane to make a single fuel cell for a 100 KW vehicle. Because the PolyFuel hydrocarbon membrane has fundamental cost advantages over perfluorinated membranes, critical automotive cost targets can be realised much sooner than previously expected. Press release from: Roeder-Johnson Corp, 1301 Shoreway Road, Suite 322, Belmont, CA 94002, USA. Tel: +1 650 802 1850. Fax: +1 650 593 5515. Website: http://www.roederj.com (5 Oct 2004) & Business Week (European Edition), 18 Oct 2004, 3888 (1218), 83
PEFC catalyst developed with organometallic complex A new high-performance catalyst, to replace platinum-ruthenium alloy catalysts in polymer electrolyte fuel cells, has been developed in Japan by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Sciences & Technology (AIST). The material is an organometallic compound with high resistance to carbon monoxide contamination. There is a technical discussion of the product and its applications. Japan Chemical Week, 30 Sep 2004, 45 (2288), 2-3
DECEMBER 2004
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catalyst, dissolved in an IL, in a biphasic reactor. The process is available from Axens, IFP’s licensing division. Chemical Engineering Progress, Sep 2004, 100 (9), 8
Unheated photocatalyst thin film production successful In Japan, the National Institute for Materials Science has developed an unheated method of crystallising titanium dioxide photocatalyst thin films by a sputtering apparatus driven by the electric power of pulse waveforms. There is discussion of the production method, the product, and its applications. Japan Chemical Week, 21 Oct 2004, 45 (2291), 2
DME-to-propylene/butene process under development The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy will start a 2-year subsidised project in fiscal 2005 to develop technologies for manufacturing methanol and DME from syngas and LPG via propylene and butene. The budget for the research is Yen 200 M. Japan Chemical Week, 7 Oct 2004, 45 (2289), 1,3
Degussa and Headwaters plan new route to hydrogen peroxide Degussa and US technology company Headwaters are establishing a 50-50 jv to commercialise a directsynthesis process for making hydrogen peroxide from oxygen and hydrogen. The partners say they will invest in ‘mega facilities’ for making hydrogen peroxide for intermediates such as propylene oxide (PO). The hitherto unachievable direct-reaction process will be made possible with NxCat, Headwaters’ heterogeneous precious-metal nanocatalyst. The process will be optimised at a Degussa pilot plant in HanauWolfgang, Germany. It is hoped to go commercial by 2008. The direct route will yield low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide in methanol and will therefore not be suitable for paper bleaching, the chemical’s main use. Chemical and Engineering News, 4 Oct 2004, 82 (40) 13-14 & European Chemical News, 4 Oct 2004, 81 (2118), 29 & Chemical Week, 27 Oct 2004, 166 (35) & Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 4 Oct 2004, (270) 13 (in French)
Cultivating ILs’ selectivity The French Petroleum Institute has piloted Difasol, the olefin oligomerisation process that employs an imidazolium ionic liquid (IL) for transforming butenes to isooctenes. It is an addition to Axen’s Dimersol process which uses a nickel catalyst to improve C4 olefin by-products from fluid catalytic crackers and naphtha crackers to C8. Difasol uses similar
6
UOP eyes new methanol route UOP has won an award from NIST’s Advanced Technology Program to develop new metal-peroxo catalysts for the liquid-phase oxidation of methane to methanol. UOP will invest $5 M over three years on technology that could lower the cost of methanol from the current $80/ton to $58/ton. The company says the new route would allow the ‘monetization’ of remote natural gas and yield a new precursor for chemicals such as ethylene and propylene. Chemical and Engineering News, 4 Oct 2004, 82 (40), 13-14
Benzene-to-phenol process ready for commercialisation GTC Technology Inc of Houston, TX, and Solutia Inc of St Louis, MO, are collaborating in marketing the AlphOx technology which Solutia developed with the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis. Based on the gas-phase reaction of benzene with nitrous oxide over a modified zeolite catalyst, the technology provides more ease of operation and much lower investment costs compared with the traditional cumene-based process. The AlphOx technology has undergone extensive testing at Solutia’s demonstration plant in Pensacola, FL. Chemical Engineering (New York), Sep 2004, 111 (9), 17
PolyFuel announces new fuel cell membranes PolyFuel has announced a breakthrough in technology that could ultimately make hydrogen fuel cellpowered automobiles a commercial reality. At the heart of the breakthrough is a new family of membranes, the crucial heart of a fuel cell, that exhibit a set of performance characteristics never before simultaneously achieved in hydrogenbased fuel cells. The new technology developed by PolyFuel is expected to mitigate many of these shortcomings. PolyFuel’s membrane technology uses new hydrocarbon-based polymers that show improved operating characteristics over perfluorinated membranes, at substantially reduced cost. Furthermore, PolyFuel’s catalyst-coated hydrocarbon membranes produce 10 – 15% more power under real-world operating conditions compared to perfluorinated membranes. Finally, the manufacturing cost of PolyFuel hydrocarbon membranes is already significantly less than that of perfluorinated membranes, and will go even lower with volume. Currently, it takes about $5000 worth of perfluorinated membrane to make a single fuel cell for a 100 KW vehicle. Because the PolyFuel hydrocarbon membrane has fundamental cost advantages over perfluorinated membranes, critical automotive cost targets can be realised much sooner than previously expected. Press release from: Roeder-Johnson Corp, 1301 Shoreway Road, Suite 322, Belmont, CA 94002, USA. Tel: +1 650 802 1850. Fax: +1 650 593 5515. Website: http://www.roederj.com (5 Oct 2004) & Business Week (European Edition), 18 Oct 2004, 3888 (1218), 83
PEFC catalyst developed with organometallic complex A new high-performance catalyst, to replace platinum-ruthenium alloy catalysts in polymer electrolyte fuel cells, has been developed in Japan by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Sciences & Technology (AIST). The material is an organometallic compound with high resistance to carbon monoxide contamination. There is a technical discussion of the product and its applications. Japan Chemical Week, 30 Sep 2004, 45 (2288), 2-3
DECEMBER 2004