- Email: [email protected]
BioAmber: bio-succinic acid makes the big time
FOCUS adsorbents, engineering, technical support, and a drier regeneration control system for extended catalyst life for the unit. The facility also uses Honeywell's Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS), which uses a unified automation system and advanced software applications to increase operator productivity and profitability. PRL is a hydro-skimming refinery that processes 50,000 barrels/d of crude oil to meet the strategic and domestic fuel requirements of the country. It is located on the coastal belt of Karachi, Pakistan. Original Source: Honeywell, 3 Feb 2016, (Website: http:// honeywell.com/) © Honeywell International Inc 2016.
BioAmber: bio-succinic acid makes the big time BioAmber and Mitsui & Co have collaborated to establish a 30,000 tonnes/y bio-succinic acid plant in Sarnia, Canada. Construction of the $142-M facility lasted for two years. Launch was held in Aug 2015, and the first commercial products were delivered to consumers in 4Q 2015. Up-scaling to full capacity is anticipated to advance efficiently and completed in 2017. The plant employs yeast licensed exclusively from Cargill and re-engineered for optimum bio-succinic acid production a lower pH compared to E coli. Early plant runs indicated the excellent performance of the yeast employed in fermentation. Performance was highest than the preliminary goals determined in 2015. Output quality was also better compared to prior products manufactured in the Pomacle pilot plant. Currently, the facility is the largest global succinic acid plant. It has lower production costs compared with petroleum-based plants. New applications for bio-succinic acid are in personal care products, flavours, food, artificial leather, textiles, coatings and plastics. BioAmber intends to ramp up Sarnia plant operations in terms of client base, sales and production. The company has also licensed a technology for making tetrahydrofuran (THF) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO) employing its succinic acid as raw material. It has a proposals for a second industrial scale plant for making all three chemicals. Original Source: ICIS Chemical Business, 7-13 Mar 2016, 289 (8 (ICIS Special Supplement)), 2-3 (Website: http://www.icis.com) © Reed Business Information Limited 2016.
ON
C ATA LY S T S
Sarnia, ON as the site for a new cellulosic sugar production plant. This is scheduled to open in 2018 and will produce at least 30,000 tonnes/y of high quality dextrose (or glucose) from locally sourced maize stems and wheat straw. The sugar will be transformed into organic acids, amino acids or bioplastics. Cellulosic biomass is currently only used on an industrial scale to produce 2G ethanol. Comet chose Sarnia for the possibility of collaboration with Bioindustrial Innovation Canada, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and agricultural cooperatives as well as possible support from BioAmber.
(A STAR) have developed a palladium catalyst that could link aryl chlorides with alkynes to generate substituted alkyne, a key component of certain drugs (eg tazarotene). Marketed by Aspira Scientific, the catalyst contains a phosphine-based molecule (Cy Phine) as activator and a meta-teraryl group as inhibitor.
Original Source: Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 22 Feb 2016, (750), (Website: http://www.industrie.com/ chimie) © ETAI Information 2016.
Platinum is one of the costly metals used as catalysts in new technologies employed for industrial chemical processes, renewable energy sources, pollution control and many other purposes. In particular, it is used for fuel cells, devices that turn chemical energy directly into electrical energy, without combustion. Research has shown that the greatest efficiency is achieved when the catalyst is available in the form of nanoparticles (smaller than 10-9 m). Simply put, the greater the dispersion of the material and the smaller the size of the particles, the more is it available for catalysis. Unfortunately, the laws of thermodynamics cause the particles to "stick'' to one another and form larger clusters, which is why the material becomes less effective over time.
Hengli Petrochem selects Axens technologies for crude-to-para-xylene complex in China Hengli Petrochemical Co has chosen Axens to provide technologies for a new crude-to-paraxylene (PX) complex at Changxing Island, Liaoning Province, China. The complex will include a finalconversion refinery, with the capacity to produce 400,000 barrels/d of crude, and an aromatic complex to maximize high purity PX production. A schedule for the project was not given. Axens noted that it will be the largest site in the world for the production of high purity paraxylene, which will supply purified terephthalic acid for polyethylene terephthalate application. Specifically, Axens will supply two parallel trains of H-Oil units, using ebullated bed technology, for hydroconversion of vacuum residue, combined with a Solvahl deasphalting unit; two HyK hydrocracking units; two parallel trains of hydrocracking units; a naphtha hydrotreating unit; three Aromizing units using a continuous catalytic regenerative reforming process; two aromatics chains, based on Eluxyl 1.15 technology and combined with Oparis technology for full isomerization of other C8 aromatics into PX, and a methyl tertiary butyl ether unit. Original Source: PetroChemical News, 15 Feb 2016, 54 (7), 1 (Website: http://www.petrochemical-news. com) © William F. Bland Co.NB2016.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
Original Source: Chemical Weekly, 23 Feb 2016, (Website: http://www.chemicalweekly.com) © Sevak Publications & Chemical Weekly Database P Ltd 2016.
Nanoparticles on nanosteps: a new study reduces wastage and increases the efficiency of catalysts
Original Source: Nanotechnology Now, 2 Mar 2016, (Website: http://www.nanotech-now.com/) © 7thWave Inc 2016.
A new, renewable, drop-in, waste-based fuel emerges, competitive with $30 oil A new cost-competitive drop-in biofuels technology has been introduced in Portugal and Germany. Developed at the University Nova, the process converts hemicellulose, lignin and cellulose into a biogasoline that features benzenic and furanic compounds. The drop-in gasoline blendstock is based on non-food agricultural wastes like sugar cane bagasse and corn stover. Yields are reportedly higher at 256 gal biofuel/ tonne of dried biomass due to the use of lignin. The project was financed by engineering firm Inventus. Original Source: Renewable Energy News, 12 Feb 2016, (Website: http://www.renewableenergyworld. com) © RenewableEnergyWorld.com 2016.
Comet Biorefining to build unit in Ontario
Innovative molecule helps palladium catalyst create complex compounds
Photosynthetic electrodes generate current
The Canadian firm Comet Biorefining has chosen the TransAlta industrial park in
Singaporean experts at Agency for Science, Technology and Research
Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel and Ruhr University
6
April 2016
BioAmber: bio-succinic acid makes the big time BioAmber and Mitsui & Co have collaborated to establish a 30,000 tonnes/y bio-succinic acid plant in Sarnia, Canada. Construction of the $142-M facility lasted for two years. Launch was held in Aug 2015, and the first commercial products were delivered to consumers in 4Q 2015. Up-scaling to full capacity is anticipated to advance efficiently and completed in 2017. The plant employs yeast licensed exclusively from Cargill and re-engineered for optimum bio-succinic acid production a lower pH compared to E coli. Early plant runs indicated the excellent performance of the yeast employed in fermentation. Performance was highest than the preliminary goals determined in 2015. Output quality was also better compared to prior products manufactured in the Pomacle pilot plant. Currently, the facility is the largest global succinic acid plant. It has lower production costs compared with petroleum-based plants. New applications for bio-succinic acid are in personal care products, flavours, food, artificial leather, textiles, coatings and plastics. BioAmber intends to ramp up Sarnia plant operations in terms of client base, sales and production. The company has also licensed a technology for making tetrahydrofuran (THF) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO) employing its succinic acid as raw material. It has a proposals for a second industrial scale plant for making all three chemicals. Original Source: ICIS Chemical Business, 7-13 Mar 2016, 289 (8 (ICIS Special Supplement)), 2-3 (Website: http://www.icis.com) © Reed Business Information Limited 2016.
ON
C ATA LY S T S
Sarnia, ON as the site for a new cellulosic sugar production plant. This is scheduled to open in 2018 and will produce at least 30,000 tonnes/y of high quality dextrose (or glucose) from locally sourced maize stems and wheat straw. The sugar will be transformed into organic acids, amino acids or bioplastics. Cellulosic biomass is currently only used on an industrial scale to produce 2G ethanol. Comet chose Sarnia for the possibility of collaboration with Bioindustrial Innovation Canada, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and agricultural cooperatives as well as possible support from BioAmber.
(A STAR) have developed a palladium catalyst that could link aryl chlorides with alkynes to generate substituted alkyne, a key component of certain drugs (eg tazarotene). Marketed by Aspira Scientific, the catalyst contains a phosphine-based molecule (Cy Phine) as activator and a meta-teraryl group as inhibitor.
Original Source: Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 22 Feb 2016, (750), (Website: http://www.industrie.com/ chimie) © ETAI Information 2016.
Platinum is one of the costly metals used as catalysts in new technologies employed for industrial chemical processes, renewable energy sources, pollution control and many other purposes. In particular, it is used for fuel cells, devices that turn chemical energy directly into electrical energy, without combustion. Research has shown that the greatest efficiency is achieved when the catalyst is available in the form of nanoparticles (smaller than 10-9 m). Simply put, the greater the dispersion of the material and the smaller the size of the particles, the more is it available for catalysis. Unfortunately, the laws of thermodynamics cause the particles to "stick'' to one another and form larger clusters, which is why the material becomes less effective over time.
Hengli Petrochem selects Axens technologies for crude-to-para-xylene complex in China Hengli Petrochemical Co has chosen Axens to provide technologies for a new crude-to-paraxylene (PX) complex at Changxing Island, Liaoning Province, China. The complex will include a finalconversion refinery, with the capacity to produce 400,000 barrels/d of crude, and an aromatic complex to maximize high purity PX production. A schedule for the project was not given. Axens noted that it will be the largest site in the world for the production of high purity paraxylene, which will supply purified terephthalic acid for polyethylene terephthalate application. Specifically, Axens will supply two parallel trains of H-Oil units, using ebullated bed technology, for hydroconversion of vacuum residue, combined with a Solvahl deasphalting unit; two HyK hydrocracking units; two parallel trains of hydrocracking units; a naphtha hydrotreating unit; three Aromizing units using a continuous catalytic regenerative reforming process; two aromatics chains, based on Eluxyl 1.15 technology and combined with Oparis technology for full isomerization of other C8 aromatics into PX, and a methyl tertiary butyl ether unit. Original Source: PetroChemical News, 15 Feb 2016, 54 (7), 1 (Website: http://www.petrochemical-news. com) © William F. Bland Co.NB2016.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
Original Source: Chemical Weekly, 23 Feb 2016, (Website: http://www.chemicalweekly.com) © Sevak Publications & Chemical Weekly Database P Ltd 2016.
Nanoparticles on nanosteps: a new study reduces wastage and increases the efficiency of catalysts
Original Source: Nanotechnology Now, 2 Mar 2016, (Website: http://www.nanotech-now.com/) © 7thWave Inc 2016.
A new, renewable, drop-in, waste-based fuel emerges, competitive with $30 oil A new cost-competitive drop-in biofuels technology has been introduced in Portugal and Germany. Developed at the University Nova, the process converts hemicellulose, lignin and cellulose into a biogasoline that features benzenic and furanic compounds. The drop-in gasoline blendstock is based on non-food agricultural wastes like sugar cane bagasse and corn stover. Yields are reportedly higher at 256 gal biofuel/ tonne of dried biomass due to the use of lignin. The project was financed by engineering firm Inventus. Original Source: Renewable Energy News, 12 Feb 2016, (Website: http://www.renewableenergyworld. com) © RenewableEnergyWorld.com 2016.
Comet Biorefining to build unit in Ontario
Innovative molecule helps palladium catalyst create complex compounds
Photosynthetic electrodes generate current
The Canadian firm Comet Biorefining has chosen the TransAlta industrial park in
Singaporean experts at Agency for Science, Technology and Research
Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel and Ruhr University
6
April 2016