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Concord Enviro Systems to use technology from LanzaTech to turn waste into energy
FOCUS activates the ring-opening polymerization of lactide into PLA, and then becomes covalently integrated into the polymer. Aside from dyes, the new method can also be adopted to manufacture polymers that incorporate fluorescent or UV-active molecules. Original Source: Green Chemistry Network Newsletter, Apr 2011, (37) (Website: http://www.greenchemistrynetwork.org) © Green Chemistry Network 2011
Wood climbs from supporting role to centre stage: wood-to-ethanol projects approach feasibility Several US project developers claim that they are close to establishing the commercial viability of wood as a biofuel feedstock. In Pennsylvania, Coskata Inc has established a demonstration plant fed with woodchips. In Jan 2011, the firm secured a conditional commitment for a $250 M USDA loan guarantee for its planned 55 M gallon/y cellulosic facility in Boligee, AL, USA. It intends to start up the plant in around 24 months. ZeaChem Inc, meanwhile, is currently setting up a demonstration plant in Oregon and will start producing chemicals by end-2011. The firm’s hybrid biochemical-thermochemical approach involves the use of bacteria that occur naturally in termites to break down difficult wood products and allows conversion of mixed sugars to acetic acid in high-temperature, harsh environments. Cellulosic ethanol production is seen to start in early 2012. In Sarpsborg, Norway, Borregaard already operates a wood-based biorefinery that currently turns out 5 M gallon/y of ethanol. Borregaard utilizes enzymes to produce ethanol from wood. Original Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine, Oct 2011 (Website: http://www.ethanolproducer.com/) © BBI International 2011
Concord Enviro Systems to use technology from LanzaTech to turn waste into energy Concord Enviro Systems (India) P Ltd (CES) is in collaboration with LanzaTech based in New Zealand to exploit LanzaTech’s novel gas-liquid fermentation technology to utilize municipal solid waste syngas in producing power and fuels. CES with the help of Concord Blue, a GermanIndian company offers advanced
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gasification technology for syngas generation exploiting a wide range of waste streams. LanzaTech avers that this agreement will aid in deploying small, distributed systems to generate liquid transport fuels utilising waste biomass. Moreover LanzaTech had inked several agreements with Asian companies to set up facilities that will use LanzaTech technology. One of them being the agreement of LanzaTech with Virgin Atlantic to develop a ground breaking low carbon aviation fuel. This fuel will be utilised in routes from Shanghai and Delhi to London Heathrow by 2014-2015, after the fuel is generated in plants in China and India.
founded in 1998 to commercialise olefin metathesis catalyst technology.
Original Source: Chemical Weekly, 22 Nov 2011, 146 (Website: http://www.chemicalweekly.com/) © Sevak Publications & Chemical Weekly Database P Ltd 2011
US 8,071,357, Toray Industries Inc, Japan, 6 Dec 2011
Patents for improved metathesis catalysts issued to Materia/Caltech Materia Inc announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patents Nos: US 8,008,224 and 8,039,566 entitled Organometallic ruthenium complexes and related methods for the preparation of tetrasubstituted and other hindered olefins and Olefin Metathesis Initiators Bearing thiazol-2-ylidene ligands. The patents cover a new series of ruthenium organometallic complexes, which have outstanding reactivity profiles and are the results of collaborative research between Materia and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The novel ruthenium complexes demonstrate excellent catalytic activity for the metathesis of hindered olefins, a challenging category of olefins to access with previously reported catalysts. The new catalysts enable metathesis approaches for the synthesis of an expanded class of compounds in the pharmaceutical and speciality chemical industries. Research quantities of Materia’s metathesis catalysts are available from Sigma-Aldrich Corp or in larger quantities directly from Materia. These newly issued patents add to the collection of over 350 patents in Materia’s portfolio which protects the intellectual property around the processes and catalysts that enable successful metathesis reactions and create innovative solutions for the global chemical industry. Materia was
BioSpace, 8 Nov 2011 (Website: http://www.biospace.com/)
PATENTS L- Lactic acid made using a yeast Lactic acid for making polylactic acid for plastic articles is usually made using the lactate anion but it would be preferable to use liquid lactic acid itself. This biotransformation uses a genetically-modified yeast to make the lactic acid from glucose.
Conversion of ethanol to 1-butanol The purpose is to convert ethanol to 1-butanol, by catalysed hydrogenation over a calcined hydrotalcite catalyst. It is beneficial for the catalyst to contain the anion of EDTA. US 8,071,822 and 823, EI du Pont de Nemours & Co, Wilmington, DE, USA, 6 Dec 2011
Ethanol from acetic acid The acetic acid vapour, mixed with hydrogen, is passed over a catalyst at about 250°C. The preferred catalyst is an alloy of platinum and tin on a support such as porous carbon or an inorganic oxide. US 8,071,821, Celanese International Corp, Dallas, TX, USA, 6 Dec 2011
Combined homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts for making biodiesel The reaction involves the transesterification of triglycerides to methyl esters. The catalyst used here is an anion-exchange resin mixed with a basic homogeneous catalyst such as sodium methoxide. A synergistic effect is claimed. US 8,070,836, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA, 6 Dec 2011
Purification of titania used in the F-T process Titania is sometimes used as the support for the cobalt catalyst used in the Fischer-Tropsch process But the titania may contain sulfate if it has
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Wood climbs from supporting role to centre stage: wood-to-ethanol projects approach feasibility Several US project developers claim that they are close to establishing the commercial viability of wood as a biofuel feedstock. In Pennsylvania, Coskata Inc has established a demonstration plant fed with woodchips. In Jan 2011, the firm secured a conditional commitment for a $250 M USDA loan guarantee for its planned 55 M gallon/y cellulosic facility in Boligee, AL, USA. It intends to start up the plant in around 24 months. ZeaChem Inc, meanwhile, is currently setting up a demonstration plant in Oregon and will start producing chemicals by end-2011. The firm’s hybrid biochemical-thermochemical approach involves the use of bacteria that occur naturally in termites to break down difficult wood products and allows conversion of mixed sugars to acetic acid in high-temperature, harsh environments. Cellulosic ethanol production is seen to start in early 2012. In Sarpsborg, Norway, Borregaard already operates a wood-based biorefinery that currently turns out 5 M gallon/y of ethanol. Borregaard utilizes enzymes to produce ethanol from wood. Original Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine, Oct 2011 (Website: http://www.ethanolproducer.com/) © BBI International 2011
Concord Enviro Systems to use technology from LanzaTech to turn waste into energy Concord Enviro Systems (India) P Ltd (CES) is in collaboration with LanzaTech based in New Zealand to exploit LanzaTech’s novel gas-liquid fermentation technology to utilize municipal solid waste syngas in producing power and fuels. CES with the help of Concord Blue, a GermanIndian company offers advanced
JANUARY 2012
ON
C ATA LY S T S
gasification technology for syngas generation exploiting a wide range of waste streams. LanzaTech avers that this agreement will aid in deploying small, distributed systems to generate liquid transport fuels utilising waste biomass. Moreover LanzaTech had inked several agreements with Asian companies to set up facilities that will use LanzaTech technology. One of them being the agreement of LanzaTech with Virgin Atlantic to develop a ground breaking low carbon aviation fuel. This fuel will be utilised in routes from Shanghai and Delhi to London Heathrow by 2014-2015, after the fuel is generated in plants in China and India.
founded in 1998 to commercialise olefin metathesis catalyst technology.
Original Source: Chemical Weekly, 22 Nov 2011, 146 (Website: http://www.chemicalweekly.com/) © Sevak Publications & Chemical Weekly Database P Ltd 2011
US 8,071,357, Toray Industries Inc, Japan, 6 Dec 2011
Patents for improved metathesis catalysts issued to Materia/Caltech Materia Inc announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patents Nos: US 8,008,224 and 8,039,566 entitled Organometallic ruthenium complexes and related methods for the preparation of tetrasubstituted and other hindered olefins and Olefin Metathesis Initiators Bearing thiazol-2-ylidene ligands. The patents cover a new series of ruthenium organometallic complexes, which have outstanding reactivity profiles and are the results of collaborative research between Materia and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The novel ruthenium complexes demonstrate excellent catalytic activity for the metathesis of hindered olefins, a challenging category of olefins to access with previously reported catalysts. The new catalysts enable metathesis approaches for the synthesis of an expanded class of compounds in the pharmaceutical and speciality chemical industries. Research quantities of Materia’s metathesis catalysts are available from Sigma-Aldrich Corp or in larger quantities directly from Materia. These newly issued patents add to the collection of over 350 patents in Materia’s portfolio which protects the intellectual property around the processes and catalysts that enable successful metathesis reactions and create innovative solutions for the global chemical industry. Materia was
BioSpace, 8 Nov 2011 (Website: http://www.biospace.com/)
PATENTS L- Lactic acid made using a yeast Lactic acid for making polylactic acid for plastic articles is usually made using the lactate anion but it would be preferable to use liquid lactic acid itself. This biotransformation uses a genetically-modified yeast to make the lactic acid from glucose.
Conversion of ethanol to 1-butanol The purpose is to convert ethanol to 1-butanol, by catalysed hydrogenation over a calcined hydrotalcite catalyst. It is beneficial for the catalyst to contain the anion of EDTA. US 8,071,822 and 823, EI du Pont de Nemours & Co, Wilmington, DE, USA, 6 Dec 2011
Ethanol from acetic acid The acetic acid vapour, mixed with hydrogen, is passed over a catalyst at about 250°C. The preferred catalyst is an alloy of platinum and tin on a support such as porous carbon or an inorganic oxide. US 8,071,821, Celanese International Corp, Dallas, TX, USA, 6 Dec 2011
Combined homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts for making biodiesel The reaction involves the transesterification of triglycerides to methyl esters. The catalyst used here is an anion-exchange resin mixed with a basic homogeneous catalyst such as sodium methoxide. A synergistic effect is claimed. US 8,070,836, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA, 6 Dec 2011
Purification of titania used in the F-T process Titania is sometimes used as the support for the cobalt catalyst used in the Fischer-Tropsch process But the titania may contain sulfate if it has
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