- Email: [email protected]
Enerkem turns municipal waste to biofuel
F O C U S Khanal had to find a way to make them soluble in organic solvents that are favoured by industry. Building on Zubarev’s previous work in making soluble gold nanorods, the pair found a way to attach hair-like molecules of polystyrene to the surface of the goldplatinum rods. Zubarev and Khanal found the coated particles were easy to remove from solution with a conventional centrifuge. Nanite News, 1 Sep 2009 (Website: http://www.nanitenews.com)
ENVIRONMENT Union calls for phase-out of HF alkylation The United Steelworkers (USW) are calling for a phase-out of HF alkylation units through the US. HF is an acid used as a catalyst in alkylation units to make high-octane petroleum and is deadly in large amounts. Solid-state catalysts offer promise as a safer alternative but are currently at the pilot plant stage and have not yet been used commercially for alkylation. The USW will be discussing with the industry other alternatives to HF and if necessary will work through the regulatory agencies and Congress to get the issue resolved. Press release from: United Steelworkers of America, Five Gateway Center, Pittsburgh PA 15222, USA. Tel: +1 412 562 2400. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: http://www.uswa.org (31 Aug 2009)
Ogino introduces photocatalytic odourremoving paint for interiors Ogino Paint has begun marketing in Japan a waterborne photocatalytic odour-removing paint for interior uses, called StoClimasanColor. Developed by German company Sto AG, StoClimasanColor is the first photocatalytic paint in Japan that can be used in interior areas with just indoor illumination and no ultraviolet radiation exposure. The paint has a special ingredient that allows its titanium dioxide to be activated by light in the visible spectrum released by traditional lighting equipment. Ogino holds the exclusive selling rights to StoClimasanColor in Japan. Japan Chemical Web, 17 Aug 2009 (Website: http://www.japanchemicalweb.jp)
OCTOBER 2009
O N
C ATA LY S T S
An enzyme to protect waterways from the herbicide atrazine
a specified concentration of water substantially improves the yield.
Contamination by triazine herbicides such as atrazine is a significant problem in freshwater wetlands near the sugarcane-growing regions of Australia and the marine ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef catchment area. Attempts at bioremediation to remove triazine herbicide residues proved unsuccessful. However, trials by CSIRO Entomology have shown that an enzyme-based remediation technique can effectively remove atrazine contamination of water bodies in the sugar-growing regions of northern Queensland. Ongoing research aimed at improving the efficiency of the atrazine-degrading enzyme is outlined. The aim is to provide farmers with a cost-effective bioremediation product that effectively deals with triazine herbicide contamination.
US 7,585,987, Sumitomo Chemical Company Ltd, Osaka, Japan, 8 Sep 2009
Outlooks on Pest Management, Aug 2009, 20 (4), 176-177
Enerkem turns municipal waste to biofuel Enerkem has been accorded permission to construct a plant in North America for converting municipal wastes into biofuels. The company will work in association with Toronto, Canada’s Green Field Ethanol in this project. The plant construction is planned to start from the end of 2009. The completed plant is expected to contain an ethanol production capacity of 36 M lt/y. The plant will make use of waste for the production of synthetic gas, which in the presence of catalysts will be converted into biofuels such as ethanol, methanol, diesel, and highvalue biochemicals such as acetic acid or acetate. Chemical Engineering World, 30 Jun 2009, 44 (6), 30
PATENTS
Optimisation of hydroformylation The manufacture of C6 – C15 alcohols is commonly done by a two-stage process – hydroformylation of an olefin to produce an aldehyde, followed by hydrogenation of this aldehyde. Water should be excluded from the first stage, and concentrations of sulfur and chlorine in the second stage should both be below 10 ppm by weight. The catalysts used in both stages are described. US 7,586,017, ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc, Houston, TX, USA, 8 Sep 2009
Optimisation of MTO The established Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) process converts methanol or other light oxygenates primarily to propylene. But less-valuable by-products are also produced – ethylene, butenes, hexenes. This specification describes how these by-products can be converted to propylene, thereby increasing the overall yield of this. The additional processing steps include dimerization, isomerization, and metathesis. US 7,586,018, UOP LLC, Des Plaines, IL, USA, 8 Sep 2009
Propylene glycol from glycerol Efficient conversion of bio-derived glycerol to the more useful propylene glycol is the objective of many research projects today. In this invention, the glycerol need not be separated from its accompanying water. The liquid is passed, with hydrogen, through a fixed bed of catalyst at 170-200°. The catalyst is a mixed copper/cerium oxide supported on silica. Conversion is up to 99%, selectivity up to 97%. US 7,586,016, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Lanzhou, China, 8 Sep 2009
Propylene oxide production
F-T process in a micro-channel reactor
The production of propylene oxide by reacting propylene with dioxygen in the presence of a silver catalyst is well established. Unexpectedly, it has now been found that the presence of
The Fischer-Tropsch process, whereby a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen is converted to a mixture of hydrocarbons, is usually conducted in a fixed bed, fluid bed, or slurry reactor. It
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ENVIRONMENT Union calls for phase-out of HF alkylation The United Steelworkers (USW) are calling for a phase-out of HF alkylation units through the US. HF is an acid used as a catalyst in alkylation units to make high-octane petroleum and is deadly in large amounts. Solid-state catalysts offer promise as a safer alternative but are currently at the pilot plant stage and have not yet been used commercially for alkylation. The USW will be discussing with the industry other alternatives to HF and if necessary will work through the regulatory agencies and Congress to get the issue resolved. Press release from: United Steelworkers of America, Five Gateway Center, Pittsburgh PA 15222, USA. Tel: +1 412 562 2400. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: http://www.uswa.org (31 Aug 2009)
Ogino introduces photocatalytic odourremoving paint for interiors Ogino Paint has begun marketing in Japan a waterborne photocatalytic odour-removing paint for interior uses, called StoClimasanColor. Developed by German company Sto AG, StoClimasanColor is the first photocatalytic paint in Japan that can be used in interior areas with just indoor illumination and no ultraviolet radiation exposure. The paint has a special ingredient that allows its titanium dioxide to be activated by light in the visible spectrum released by traditional lighting equipment. Ogino holds the exclusive selling rights to StoClimasanColor in Japan. Japan Chemical Web, 17 Aug 2009 (Website: http://www.japanchemicalweb.jp)
OCTOBER 2009
O N
C ATA LY S T S
An enzyme to protect waterways from the herbicide atrazine
a specified concentration of water substantially improves the yield.
Contamination by triazine herbicides such as atrazine is a significant problem in freshwater wetlands near the sugarcane-growing regions of Australia and the marine ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef catchment area. Attempts at bioremediation to remove triazine herbicide residues proved unsuccessful. However, trials by CSIRO Entomology have shown that an enzyme-based remediation technique can effectively remove atrazine contamination of water bodies in the sugar-growing regions of northern Queensland. Ongoing research aimed at improving the efficiency of the atrazine-degrading enzyme is outlined. The aim is to provide farmers with a cost-effective bioremediation product that effectively deals with triazine herbicide contamination.
US 7,585,987, Sumitomo Chemical Company Ltd, Osaka, Japan, 8 Sep 2009
Outlooks on Pest Management, Aug 2009, 20 (4), 176-177
Enerkem turns municipal waste to biofuel Enerkem has been accorded permission to construct a plant in North America for converting municipal wastes into biofuels. The company will work in association with Toronto, Canada’s Green Field Ethanol in this project. The plant construction is planned to start from the end of 2009. The completed plant is expected to contain an ethanol production capacity of 36 M lt/y. The plant will make use of waste for the production of synthetic gas, which in the presence of catalysts will be converted into biofuels such as ethanol, methanol, diesel, and highvalue biochemicals such as acetic acid or acetate. Chemical Engineering World, 30 Jun 2009, 44 (6), 30
PATENTS
Optimisation of hydroformylation The manufacture of C6 – C15 alcohols is commonly done by a two-stage process – hydroformylation of an olefin to produce an aldehyde, followed by hydrogenation of this aldehyde. Water should be excluded from the first stage, and concentrations of sulfur and chlorine in the second stage should both be below 10 ppm by weight. The catalysts used in both stages are described. US 7,586,017, ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc, Houston, TX, USA, 8 Sep 2009
Optimisation of MTO The established Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) process converts methanol or other light oxygenates primarily to propylene. But less-valuable by-products are also produced – ethylene, butenes, hexenes. This specification describes how these by-products can be converted to propylene, thereby increasing the overall yield of this. The additional processing steps include dimerization, isomerization, and metathesis. US 7,586,018, UOP LLC, Des Plaines, IL, USA, 8 Sep 2009
Propylene glycol from glycerol Efficient conversion of bio-derived glycerol to the more useful propylene glycol is the objective of many research projects today. In this invention, the glycerol need not be separated from its accompanying water. The liquid is passed, with hydrogen, through a fixed bed of catalyst at 170-200°. The catalyst is a mixed copper/cerium oxide supported on silica. Conversion is up to 99%, selectivity up to 97%. US 7,586,016, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Lanzhou, China, 8 Sep 2009
Propylene oxide production
F-T process in a micro-channel reactor
The production of propylene oxide by reacting propylene with dioxygen in the presence of a silver catalyst is well established. Unexpectedly, it has now been found that the presence of
The Fischer-Tropsch process, whereby a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen is converted to a mixture of hydrocarbons, is usually conducted in a fixed bed, fluid bed, or slurry reactor. It
7