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Exelus completes testing of new solid acid alkylation catalyst
FOCUS and gasoline production. Sinopec will handle the integration of the technologies. Synfuel is expected to begin construction in Jun 2007 and commission the plant by Jun 2010. ICIS Chemical Business, 13 Nov 2006 (Website: http://icischemicalbusiness.com)
Chemtura forms Saudi metal alkyls jv Chemtura and Al-Zamil Group will jointly construct a world-scale metal alkyls plant in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The jv plant will employ Chemtura technology and will function as Chemtura’s sales and marketing unit for aluminium alkyls in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries. Aluminium alkyls are used as speciality catalysts for a range of polyolefins, including polyethylene and polypropylene. Chemical Week, 22 Nov 2006, 168 (39), 19 & ICIS Chemical Business Americas, 20 Nov 2006 (Website: http://www.icbamericas.com) & Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 20 Nov 2006, (360), 11 (Website: http://www.france-chimie.com) (in French)
NEW TECHNOLOGY New solid catalyst reduces cost of biodiesel and biolubricants New Century Lubricants has entered into an exclusive worldwide agreement with the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in India, to demonstrate and commercialise NCL’s breakthrough technology (ENSEL) for transesterification of seed oils and etherification of glycerin. According to New Century Lubricants president Dr William Summers, ENSEL will overcome most of the problems and limitations associated with conventional biodiesel production methods. Another major benefit of the ENSEL technology is that it provides a profitable solution to the glycerine dilemma now faced by the biodiesel industry. The glycerine recovered from the transesterification reaction is etherified with methanol, ethanol or butanol using another proprietary heterogeneous catalyst. The end products, primarily di- and tri-ethers of glycerine, are valuable oxygenates for diesel fuels. New Century Lubricants
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intends to build and operate a 1 tonne/day ENSEL pilot plant in India to evaluate different feedstocks from all over the world, generate scale-up data, and optimise catalyst performance. The pilot plant is being engineered and designed by Unitel Technologies, and will be operated under the technical supervision of NCL scientists. Press release, 7 Nov 2006
Exelus completes testing of new solid acid alkylation catalyst Exelus has announced the completion of a 1000 hour test of its new solid acid alkylation catalyst. It is resistant to poisoning by oxygenates, di-olefins, and nitriles. Press release from: Exelus Inc, Livingston, NJ, USA. Tel: +1 973 740 2350. Fax: +1 973 750 1650 (7 Dec 2006)
BioMethanol Chemie plant to produce methanol from glycerine The former Methanor plant at Delfzijl, The Netherlands, is to use glycerine as a raw material for producing biomethanol according to the initiators of the project. The plant was acquired earlier in 2006 from the joint owners DSM, Akzo Nobel, and Dynea by BioMethanol Chemie Holding, a consortium of Ecoconcern, the NOM, the investor OakInvest, and the process technologists Sieb Doorn and Paul Hamm. Glycerine is extremely difficult to sell. The biomethanol is intended for use in the first instance as a petrol additive but at a later stage it could power fuel cells. The plant formerly produced methanol from Dutch natural gas but was closed down because this process was no longer profitable. Modifications to allow the use of glycerine will be carried out over the next 9 months. The plant will be recommissioned as soon as possible and in the first instance will produce 100,000 tonne/y, though there is plenty of scope to expand this tenfold. Chemisch2Weekblad, 6 Nov 2006 (Website: http://www.c2w.nl/) (in Dutch)
Speedy process converts biofuels to syngas An improved gasification technology for rapidly converting renewable fuels,
including biodiesel, and vegetable oils into synthesis gas (syngas) has been developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota. The technology is able to accelerate processing time by 10-20 times, thereby reducing reactor size 10-fold. It involves pyrolysis and catalytic oxidation, and eliminates the need for energy because the heat generated during oxidation is re-used in the pyrolysis process. Syngas is a blend of carbon monoxide and hydrogen that can be processed further into methanol, or liquid hydrocarbon fuels utilizing the Fischer-Tropsch technology. Chemical Week, 8 Nov 2006 (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
New FCC catalyst additive improves propylene yield Catalysts & Chemicals has created a new fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) additive that increases octane value and propylene yield compared with the company’s existing catalyst additives. ZSM-5 is a highperformance synthetic zeolite additive developed using the company’s proprietary stabilizing technology as well as the zeolite’s distribution of fine pores. ZSM-5 selectively cracks olefins and leaves paraffin uncracked, causing increased propylene yield. The new FCC catalyst additive has been implemented in Japanese and overseas refineries and is receiving positive evaluations. Japan Chemical Week, 2 Nov 2006, 47 (2390), 2
Chiyoda aims for high-efficiency desulfurization with new catalyst Chiyoda Corp will use a novel titanium dioxide catalyst offering increased catalytic activity compared with ordinary, alumina based catalyst to step up the development of a high efficiency desulfurization route for producing kerosene and gas. The novel process succeeded in solving the problem of boosting the catalyst’s surface area. Kerosene containing no sulfur is being pushed to help reduce air pollution and boost the fuel efficiency of automobiles. Japan Chemical Week, 2 Nov 2006, 47 (2390), 5
JANUARY 2007
Chemtura forms Saudi metal alkyls jv Chemtura and Al-Zamil Group will jointly construct a world-scale metal alkyls plant in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The jv plant will employ Chemtura technology and will function as Chemtura’s sales and marketing unit for aluminium alkyls in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries. Aluminium alkyls are used as speciality catalysts for a range of polyolefins, including polyethylene and polypropylene. Chemical Week, 22 Nov 2006, 168 (39), 19 & ICIS Chemical Business Americas, 20 Nov 2006 (Website: http://www.icbamericas.com) & Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 20 Nov 2006, (360), 11 (Website: http://www.france-chimie.com) (in French)
NEW TECHNOLOGY New solid catalyst reduces cost of biodiesel and biolubricants New Century Lubricants has entered into an exclusive worldwide agreement with the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in India, to demonstrate and commercialise NCL’s breakthrough technology (ENSEL) for transesterification of seed oils and etherification of glycerin. According to New Century Lubricants president Dr William Summers, ENSEL will overcome most of the problems and limitations associated with conventional biodiesel production methods. Another major benefit of the ENSEL technology is that it provides a profitable solution to the glycerine dilemma now faced by the biodiesel industry. The glycerine recovered from the transesterification reaction is etherified with methanol, ethanol or butanol using another proprietary heterogeneous catalyst. The end products, primarily di- and tri-ethers of glycerine, are valuable oxygenates for diesel fuels. New Century Lubricants
6
ON
C ATA LY S T S
intends to build and operate a 1 tonne/day ENSEL pilot plant in India to evaluate different feedstocks from all over the world, generate scale-up data, and optimise catalyst performance. The pilot plant is being engineered and designed by Unitel Technologies, and will be operated under the technical supervision of NCL scientists. Press release, 7 Nov 2006
Exelus completes testing of new solid acid alkylation catalyst Exelus has announced the completion of a 1000 hour test of its new solid acid alkylation catalyst. It is resistant to poisoning by oxygenates, di-olefins, and nitriles. Press release from: Exelus Inc, Livingston, NJ, USA. Tel: +1 973 740 2350. Fax: +1 973 750 1650 (7 Dec 2006)
BioMethanol Chemie plant to produce methanol from glycerine The former Methanor plant at Delfzijl, The Netherlands, is to use glycerine as a raw material for producing biomethanol according to the initiators of the project. The plant was acquired earlier in 2006 from the joint owners DSM, Akzo Nobel, and Dynea by BioMethanol Chemie Holding, a consortium of Ecoconcern, the NOM, the investor OakInvest, and the process technologists Sieb Doorn and Paul Hamm. Glycerine is extremely difficult to sell. The biomethanol is intended for use in the first instance as a petrol additive but at a later stage it could power fuel cells. The plant formerly produced methanol from Dutch natural gas but was closed down because this process was no longer profitable. Modifications to allow the use of glycerine will be carried out over the next 9 months. The plant will be recommissioned as soon as possible and in the first instance will produce 100,000 tonne/y, though there is plenty of scope to expand this tenfold. Chemisch2Weekblad, 6 Nov 2006 (Website: http://www.c2w.nl/) (in Dutch)
Speedy process converts biofuels to syngas An improved gasification technology for rapidly converting renewable fuels,
including biodiesel, and vegetable oils into synthesis gas (syngas) has been developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota. The technology is able to accelerate processing time by 10-20 times, thereby reducing reactor size 10-fold. It involves pyrolysis and catalytic oxidation, and eliminates the need for energy because the heat generated during oxidation is re-used in the pyrolysis process. Syngas is a blend of carbon monoxide and hydrogen that can be processed further into methanol, or liquid hydrocarbon fuels utilizing the Fischer-Tropsch technology. Chemical Week, 8 Nov 2006 (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
New FCC catalyst additive improves propylene yield Catalysts & Chemicals has created a new fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) additive that increases octane value and propylene yield compared with the company’s existing catalyst additives. ZSM-5 is a highperformance synthetic zeolite additive developed using the company’s proprietary stabilizing technology as well as the zeolite’s distribution of fine pores. ZSM-5 selectively cracks olefins and leaves paraffin uncracked, causing increased propylene yield. The new FCC catalyst additive has been implemented in Japanese and overseas refineries and is receiving positive evaluations. Japan Chemical Week, 2 Nov 2006, 47 (2390), 2
Chiyoda aims for high-efficiency desulfurization with new catalyst Chiyoda Corp will use a novel titanium dioxide catalyst offering increased catalytic activity compared with ordinary, alumina based catalyst to step up the development of a high efficiency desulfurization route for producing kerosene and gas. The novel process succeeded in solving the problem of boosting the catalyst’s surface area. Kerosene containing no sulfur is being pushed to help reduce air pollution and boost the fuel efficiency of automobiles. Japan Chemical Week, 2 Nov 2006, 47 (2390), 5
JANUARY 2007