- Email: [email protected]
Coal to liquids gets Indian Government backing
F O C US
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C ATA LY S T S
Rhodium price falls strongly
MARKETS AND BUSINESS EU to speed up hydrogen fuel cell research The European Union (EU) has established the €470 M ($731 M) Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) involving academic and industry sectors, chiefly aiming to develop fuel cells and hydrogen technologies that could be marketed by 2010-2020. The project, which will be financed by the EU’s Seventh Research Framework Programme, will be a combination of basic research, technology developments, and demonstration ventures. It also intends to organize the programmes in different EU countries and institutions to optimize synergies with member nations and regional efforts. TCE (formerly The Chemical Engineer), Aug 2008, (806), 4
Coal to liquids gets Indian Government backing India’s Investment Commission has endorsed the inclusion of coal-toliquids (CTL) in the country’s strategy for oil security. The commission affirmed the feasibility of CTL in India in a report that said that India will need to source over 90% of its oil overseas in the future. The report also said that new oil and gas discoveries in India will likely not have a major impact on that figure and concluded that domestic proven oil reserves could double through four-five major CTL projects. The Inter-ministerial group convened by the prime minister will further evaluate the proposal. The group also approved the first of the CTL project, an $8 bn programme being formulated by India’s Tata Group in collaboration with Sasol. The project will transform syngas into synthetic diesel using Sasol’s Fischer Tropsch process. The project is expected to bring about government savings estimated at $25 bn through crude import substitution. Another CTL project reportedly being planned is Reliance Industries Ltd’s proposed 80,000 bbl/day plant that would cost an estimated $5 bn. Nitrogen + Syngas, May/Jun 2008, (294), 10
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The price for rhodium metal has more than halved from over $10,000 per ounce in mid-Jun 2007 to $4600 per ounce recently. The metal, of which 90% is produced in S Africa, now seems to have bottomed out. Supplies have saturated the market. Rhodium uses include automotive catalysts and it is thus suffering from weak auto sales in the US. Global output of rhodium is around 800,000 ounces. The automobile industry accounts for around 84% of demand. Handelsblatt Wirtschafts- und Finanzzeitung, 26 Aug 2008, (165), 28 (in German)
COMPANY NEWS Albemarle Q2 profit up In the 2Q 2008, Albemarle, a provider of speciality chemicals, recorded a 10% increase in sales from $563.812 M in 2007 to $620.8 M in 2008. The net profit rose 14.5% in the 2Q 2008. The quarterly net income also increased to $61.655 M compared to 453.863 M in 2007. Also, the earnings/share rose to $0.67 against $0.55 in 2007. Chemical Engineering World, Jul 2008, 43 (7), 38
Albemarle to supply catalyst to Neste Oil Albemarle was awarded the contract for the supply of catalysts to Finnish firm Neste Oil. The catalysts will be solely used for Neste’s NExBTL process to make diesel fuel from renewable raw materials. The diesel fuel is claimed to have lower environmental effect than fatty acid methyl ester biodiesel fuels. Chemical and Engineering News, 28 Jul 2008, 86 (30), 28 (Website: http://www.cen-online.org) & Chemical Engineering World, Jul 2008, 43 (7), 30
Avantium to provide services to Chevron Avantium has signed an agreement with Chevron Energy Technology Company for the application of highthroughput technologies in the
development of catalysts for oil and gas applications. Press release from: Avantium. Contact Mariette Hoogendorn. Tel: +31 20 586 8010. E-mail: [email protected] (2 Sep 2008)
Mitsui Chemicals in Singapore collaboration On 14 Aug 2008, Mitsui Chemicals Inc (MCI) announced that it has been in talks with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore to start research collaboration based on the theme, “Development of Biocatalysts using Microorganisms Obtained in Singapore for Chemical Production.” The two parties have already entered into the closing phase of talks that will finalize the agreement. This is the third R&D project that MCI has initiated with the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES), an R&D arm of A*STAR, at Mitsui Chemicals Asia Pacific Technical Centre. From the standpoint of dealing with the recent surge in crude oil prices and the move to curb global warming, the development of technologies for the effective utilization of non-edible biomass resources, such as wood-based materials, has become an important issue. There is a great demand for the development of high-performance biocatalysts, which play a key role in this technology. In this context, Mitsui Chemicals is strongly promoting the development of such biocatalysts using its advanced gene recombination technology. ICES, located in Southeast Asia, where biological resources are abundant, possesses technology for screening microorganisms in Singapore that can then be applied to chemical production. The aim of this research collaboration is to develop biocatalysts for the production of chemicals, such as alcohols and phenols, from non-edible biomass resources by making full use of cross-organizational synergies. Press release from: Mitsui Chemicals Inc, Shiodome City Centre, 1-5-2, Higashi-Shimbashi, Tokyo 105 7117, Japan. Website: http:/www.mitsui-chem.co.jp (14 Aug 2008) & Japan Chemical Week, 21 Aug 2008. 49 (2478), 1
Novozymes results up in 2Q 2008 In 1H 2008 Novozymes recorded a result of DKR 749 M from primary operations, on a 9% sales growth to
OCTOBER 2008
O N
C ATA LY S T S
Rhodium price falls strongly
MARKETS AND BUSINESS EU to speed up hydrogen fuel cell research The European Union (EU) has established the €470 M ($731 M) Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) involving academic and industry sectors, chiefly aiming to develop fuel cells and hydrogen technologies that could be marketed by 2010-2020. The project, which will be financed by the EU’s Seventh Research Framework Programme, will be a combination of basic research, technology developments, and demonstration ventures. It also intends to organize the programmes in different EU countries and institutions to optimize synergies with member nations and regional efforts. TCE (formerly The Chemical Engineer), Aug 2008, (806), 4
Coal to liquids gets Indian Government backing India’s Investment Commission has endorsed the inclusion of coal-toliquids (CTL) in the country’s strategy for oil security. The commission affirmed the feasibility of CTL in India in a report that said that India will need to source over 90% of its oil overseas in the future. The report also said that new oil and gas discoveries in India will likely not have a major impact on that figure and concluded that domestic proven oil reserves could double through four-five major CTL projects. The Inter-ministerial group convened by the prime minister will further evaluate the proposal. The group also approved the first of the CTL project, an $8 bn programme being formulated by India’s Tata Group in collaboration with Sasol. The project will transform syngas into synthetic diesel using Sasol’s Fischer Tropsch process. The project is expected to bring about government savings estimated at $25 bn through crude import substitution. Another CTL project reportedly being planned is Reliance Industries Ltd’s proposed 80,000 bbl/day plant that would cost an estimated $5 bn. Nitrogen + Syngas, May/Jun 2008, (294), 10
2
The price for rhodium metal has more than halved from over $10,000 per ounce in mid-Jun 2007 to $4600 per ounce recently. The metal, of which 90% is produced in S Africa, now seems to have bottomed out. Supplies have saturated the market. Rhodium uses include automotive catalysts and it is thus suffering from weak auto sales in the US. Global output of rhodium is around 800,000 ounces. The automobile industry accounts for around 84% of demand. Handelsblatt Wirtschafts- und Finanzzeitung, 26 Aug 2008, (165), 28 (in German)
COMPANY NEWS Albemarle Q2 profit up In the 2Q 2008, Albemarle, a provider of speciality chemicals, recorded a 10% increase in sales from $563.812 M in 2007 to $620.8 M in 2008. The net profit rose 14.5% in the 2Q 2008. The quarterly net income also increased to $61.655 M compared to 453.863 M in 2007. Also, the earnings/share rose to $0.67 against $0.55 in 2007. Chemical Engineering World, Jul 2008, 43 (7), 38
Albemarle to supply catalyst to Neste Oil Albemarle was awarded the contract for the supply of catalysts to Finnish firm Neste Oil. The catalysts will be solely used for Neste’s NExBTL process to make diesel fuel from renewable raw materials. The diesel fuel is claimed to have lower environmental effect than fatty acid methyl ester biodiesel fuels. Chemical and Engineering News, 28 Jul 2008, 86 (30), 28 (Website: http://www.cen-online.org) & Chemical Engineering World, Jul 2008, 43 (7), 30
Avantium to provide services to Chevron Avantium has signed an agreement with Chevron Energy Technology Company for the application of highthroughput technologies in the
development of catalysts for oil and gas applications. Press release from: Avantium. Contact Mariette Hoogendorn. Tel: +31 20 586 8010. E-mail: [email protected] (2 Sep 2008)
Mitsui Chemicals in Singapore collaboration On 14 Aug 2008, Mitsui Chemicals Inc (MCI) announced that it has been in talks with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore to start research collaboration based on the theme, “Development of Biocatalysts using Microorganisms Obtained in Singapore for Chemical Production.” The two parties have already entered into the closing phase of talks that will finalize the agreement. This is the third R&D project that MCI has initiated with the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES), an R&D arm of A*STAR, at Mitsui Chemicals Asia Pacific Technical Centre. From the standpoint of dealing with the recent surge in crude oil prices and the move to curb global warming, the development of technologies for the effective utilization of non-edible biomass resources, such as wood-based materials, has become an important issue. There is a great demand for the development of high-performance biocatalysts, which play a key role in this technology. In this context, Mitsui Chemicals is strongly promoting the development of such biocatalysts using its advanced gene recombination technology. ICES, located in Southeast Asia, where biological resources are abundant, possesses technology for screening microorganisms in Singapore that can then be applied to chemical production. The aim of this research collaboration is to develop biocatalysts for the production of chemicals, such as alcohols and phenols, from non-edible biomass resources by making full use of cross-organizational synergies. Press release from: Mitsui Chemicals Inc, Shiodome City Centre, 1-5-2, Higashi-Shimbashi, Tokyo 105 7117, Japan. Website: http:/www.mitsui-chem.co.jp (14 Aug 2008) & Japan Chemical Week, 21 Aug 2008. 49 (2478), 1
Novozymes results up in 2Q 2008 In 1H 2008 Novozymes recorded a result of DKR 749 M from primary operations, on a 9% sales growth to
OCTOBER 2008