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Alfa Laval wins Novozymes order for ethanol plant equipment
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JGC Catalysts boosting capacity for denitrification catalysts
Alfa Laval wins Novozymes order for ethanol plant equipment
JGC Catalysts and Chemicals plans to continue building up its denitrification catalysts business. The company’s initiative is supported by its contract producer’s production capacity expansion in Kyushu, Japan, via debottlenecking. JGC Catalysts and Chemical’s contract manufacturer will complete its capacity expansion by 15% to 2300 cu m/y in Mar 2009, with the goal to further raise the figure to 2700 cu m/y in late 2009.
Alfa Laval has received a SKR 50 M order from Novozymes for membranes and heat exchangers which will be used as equipment at a new production plant in Nebraska. The plant will manufacture enzymes for the production of ethanol. Alfa Laval won an equivalent order from Novozymes in 2008.
Japan Chemical Week, 26 Mar 2009, 50 (2508), 2
Coskata considers Oz ethanol plant
Evonik starts up operations at US biodiesel catalyst plant
Coskata, a biofuel group, is on the lookout for a collaborator to establish a multi-million dollar ethanol conversion plant, having an output of 200 M l/y. The plant is envisaged to be put up in Victoria, Australia. Waste materials such as food and garden scraps gathered from household waste collections, wheat and barley straw, plastics, worn-out tyres, building scraps and bark, and offcuts from managed forest plantations will be feedstocks for the process. The production cost of the ethanol is alleged to be less than A$ 0.40/lt, making it a low-priced fuel compared to petrol. This initiative will help car manufacturers sell more flexfuel cars, which will pave the way for reducing the country’s consumption of oil from 2010.
Evonik has brought online its 60,000 tonne/y sodium methoxide plant at Mobile, AL, USA. Sodium methoxide is a catalyst employed in making biodiesel based on rapeseed or soybean oil and other sources. Biodiesel output in the USA increased almost 40% to 683 M gallons in 2008 as US rising exports, chiefly to Europe, more than compensated for the decline in domestic demand, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Due to the US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), stronger fuel prices in the last few years, and a $1/gallon biodiesel tax credit, the country has seen a surge in biodiesel capacity and output. The RFS initiative calls for blending 500 M gallon/y of biodiesel into domestically consumed diesel fuel in 2009. However, the US biodiesel market is projected to face an uncertain future in 2009. This is aggravated by the recent imposition of tariffs on US biodiesel imports by the European Union that could restrict US exports. Chemical Week, 4 May 2009 (Website: http://www.chemweek.com) & ICIS Chemical Business, 4 May 2009 (Website: http://icischemicalbusiness.com) & Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 5 May 2009, (464), 5 (in French) & Press release from: Evonik Industries AG, Rellinghauser Strasse 1-11 45128, Essen, Germany. Website: http://www.evonik.com (28 Apr 2009)
Novozymes invests in Nebraska
Dagbladet Borsen, 16 Apr 2009 (Website: http://www.borsen.dk) (in Danish)
High Performance Plastics, May 2009, 12
Biofuels International, 31 Jan 2009, 2 (6), 10
Pilot plant for succinic acid DSM, in collaboration with French starch and starch-derivatives company Roquette, will launch a biobased succinic acid pilot plant by end of 2009. The plant, to be built in Lestrem, France, is slated to reach full commercial production in 2011/2012. A unique, enzyme-based fermentation method will be employed to generate succinic acid. This technology may lead to as much as a 40% cut in energy requirements. This white technology-based route may also reduce CO2 emissions.
Novozymes will increase twofold its investment in an enzyme plant, which is currently being built in Blair, NE, USA, to $160-200 M. The plant is expected to come online in 2011.
Plastics and Rubber Asia, Apr 2009, 24 (165), 7
Chemical Week, 6 Apr 2009 (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
BASF has brought online at its site in Antwerp, Belgium, a commercial-
JUNE 2009
scale propylene oxide (PO) that is based on the hydrogen peroxide to propylene oxide (HPPO) technology jointly developed by BASF and The Dow Chemical Co. The HPPO complex, which has the capacity to produce 300,000 tonnes/y of PO, gives BASF the advantage of economies of scale, helps lower wastewater production by 70-80%, and reduces energy consumption by 35% compared with existing PO technologies. PO is a key ingredient in the PU industry.
Hydrogen peroxide to propylene oxide plant completes start-up phase
Praj Industries to set up a cellulosic ethanol plant Praj Ind, equipment manufacturer for fermentation processing, intends to set up an ethanol unit in Maharasthra. The facility is a commercial demo plant from cellulosic bagasse, whose investment particulars are yet to be finalized. The unit is likely to be started by 2011. Chemical Engineering World, Mar 2009, 44 (3), 85
NEW TECHNOLOGY Arkema finds glycerol-to-acrylic acid catalysts; demo-scale plant possible Partners Arkema and German firm HTE have successfully created catalysts for making acrolein and acrylic acid from glycerol. Arkema is considering setting up a demonstrationscale facility within 2-4 years. HTE’s parallel testing technologies were used to evaluate a few hundred catalysts. Chemical Week, 13 Apr 2009, 171 (10), 36
Cellulosic bioethanol: better performing enzymes from Caltech and DNA2.0 Caltech and DNA2.0 (a company specializing in gene synthesis) have genetically engineered 15 new cellulases (enzymes which act as catalysts to turn cellulose into simple sugars). Of fungal origin, these catalysts are stable at high temperatures. Until now, only 10 enzymes of this type were known and their use was very limited because of
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O N
C ATA LY S T S
JGC Catalysts boosting capacity for denitrification catalysts
Alfa Laval wins Novozymes order for ethanol plant equipment
JGC Catalysts and Chemicals plans to continue building up its denitrification catalysts business. The company’s initiative is supported by its contract producer’s production capacity expansion in Kyushu, Japan, via debottlenecking. JGC Catalysts and Chemical’s contract manufacturer will complete its capacity expansion by 15% to 2300 cu m/y in Mar 2009, with the goal to further raise the figure to 2700 cu m/y in late 2009.
Alfa Laval has received a SKR 50 M order from Novozymes for membranes and heat exchangers which will be used as equipment at a new production plant in Nebraska. The plant will manufacture enzymes for the production of ethanol. Alfa Laval won an equivalent order from Novozymes in 2008.
Japan Chemical Week, 26 Mar 2009, 50 (2508), 2
Coskata considers Oz ethanol plant
Evonik starts up operations at US biodiesel catalyst plant
Coskata, a biofuel group, is on the lookout for a collaborator to establish a multi-million dollar ethanol conversion plant, having an output of 200 M l/y. The plant is envisaged to be put up in Victoria, Australia. Waste materials such as food and garden scraps gathered from household waste collections, wheat and barley straw, plastics, worn-out tyres, building scraps and bark, and offcuts from managed forest plantations will be feedstocks for the process. The production cost of the ethanol is alleged to be less than A$ 0.40/lt, making it a low-priced fuel compared to petrol. This initiative will help car manufacturers sell more flexfuel cars, which will pave the way for reducing the country’s consumption of oil from 2010.
Evonik has brought online its 60,000 tonne/y sodium methoxide plant at Mobile, AL, USA. Sodium methoxide is a catalyst employed in making biodiesel based on rapeseed or soybean oil and other sources. Biodiesel output in the USA increased almost 40% to 683 M gallons in 2008 as US rising exports, chiefly to Europe, more than compensated for the decline in domestic demand, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Due to the US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), stronger fuel prices in the last few years, and a $1/gallon biodiesel tax credit, the country has seen a surge in biodiesel capacity and output. The RFS initiative calls for blending 500 M gallon/y of biodiesel into domestically consumed diesel fuel in 2009. However, the US biodiesel market is projected to face an uncertain future in 2009. This is aggravated by the recent imposition of tariffs on US biodiesel imports by the European Union that could restrict US exports. Chemical Week, 4 May 2009 (Website: http://www.chemweek.com) & ICIS Chemical Business, 4 May 2009 (Website: http://icischemicalbusiness.com) & Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 5 May 2009, (464), 5 (in French) & Press release from: Evonik Industries AG, Rellinghauser Strasse 1-11 45128, Essen, Germany. Website: http://www.evonik.com (28 Apr 2009)
Novozymes invests in Nebraska
Dagbladet Borsen, 16 Apr 2009 (Website: http://www.borsen.dk) (in Danish)
High Performance Plastics, May 2009, 12
Biofuels International, 31 Jan 2009, 2 (6), 10
Pilot plant for succinic acid DSM, in collaboration with French starch and starch-derivatives company Roquette, will launch a biobased succinic acid pilot plant by end of 2009. The plant, to be built in Lestrem, France, is slated to reach full commercial production in 2011/2012. A unique, enzyme-based fermentation method will be employed to generate succinic acid. This technology may lead to as much as a 40% cut in energy requirements. This white technology-based route may also reduce CO2 emissions.
Novozymes will increase twofold its investment in an enzyme plant, which is currently being built in Blair, NE, USA, to $160-200 M. The plant is expected to come online in 2011.
Plastics and Rubber Asia, Apr 2009, 24 (165), 7
Chemical Week, 6 Apr 2009 (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
BASF has brought online at its site in Antwerp, Belgium, a commercial-
JUNE 2009
scale propylene oxide (PO) that is based on the hydrogen peroxide to propylene oxide (HPPO) technology jointly developed by BASF and The Dow Chemical Co. The HPPO complex, which has the capacity to produce 300,000 tonnes/y of PO, gives BASF the advantage of economies of scale, helps lower wastewater production by 70-80%, and reduces energy consumption by 35% compared with existing PO technologies. PO is a key ingredient in the PU industry.
Hydrogen peroxide to propylene oxide plant completes start-up phase
Praj Industries to set up a cellulosic ethanol plant Praj Ind, equipment manufacturer for fermentation processing, intends to set up an ethanol unit in Maharasthra. The facility is a commercial demo plant from cellulosic bagasse, whose investment particulars are yet to be finalized. The unit is likely to be started by 2011. Chemical Engineering World, Mar 2009, 44 (3), 85
NEW TECHNOLOGY Arkema finds glycerol-to-acrylic acid catalysts; demo-scale plant possible Partners Arkema and German firm HTE have successfully created catalysts for making acrolein and acrylic acid from glycerol. Arkema is considering setting up a demonstrationscale facility within 2-4 years. HTE’s parallel testing technologies were used to evaluate a few hundred catalysts. Chemical Week, 13 Apr 2009, 171 (10), 36
Cellulosic bioethanol: better performing enzymes from Caltech and DNA2.0 Caltech and DNA2.0 (a company specializing in gene synthesis) have genetically engineered 15 new cellulases (enzymes which act as catalysts to turn cellulose into simple sugars). Of fungal origin, these catalysts are stable at high temperatures. Until now, only 10 enzymes of this type were known and their use was very limited because of
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