- Email: [email protected]
Fill up with farm waste
C ATA LY S T S cleaning, surface friction reduction, and fuel combustion improvements. Independent performance verification was conducted by the GHG Center using a diesel freight locomotive. Press release from: Southern Research Institute, 2000, Ninth Avenue South, PO Box 55305, Birmingham, AL 35205-5305, USA. Tel: +1 800 967 6774 or +1 205 581 2000. Fax: +1 205 581 2726. Website: http://www.southernresearch.org (7 Sep 2005)
GreenShift unleashes Mean Green BioFuels; acquires exclusive rights to biofuels production process GreenShift Corp announced the formation of Mean Green BioFuels Corp (Mean Green), a developmentstage company that has acquired the rights to a new patent-pending breakthrough technology for the costeffective conversion of corn oil into biodiesel fuels for a territory encompassing most of the eastern half of the US. Mean Green intends to finance, build, and operate a 30 M gallon biodiesel fuel production facility on the eastern seaboard of the US. Press release from: GreenShift Corp, USA. Website: http://www.greenshift.com (7 Sep 2005)
Successful conversion of DynaMotive’s BioOil to syngas demonstrates potential for production of synthetic diesel and other advanced fuels DynaMotive Energy Systems Corp (DynaMotive) announced the successful conversion of BioOil to syngas following full-day gasification testing at the research institute Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK), Germany, on 16 Sep 2005. The objective of testing DynaMotive’s BioOil was to establish if it could be gasified and converted to syngas with characteristics within the predicted range. The test results showed that DynaMotive’s BioOil is suitable for syngas production through demonstrating that a consistently good quality, industrial grade syngas composition with low methane was achievable. With these very encouraging results, further testing and optimisation of syngas composition will be planned. Press Release from: DynaMotive Energy Systems Corp, Angus Corporate Centre, 1700, West 75th Avenue, Suite 105, Vancouver, BC V6P 6G2, Canada. Tel: +1 604 267 6013. Fax: +1 604 267 6005. Website: http://www.dynamotive.com (22 Sep 2005)
NOVEMBER 2005
Fill up with farm waste In conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and with funding from the US Department of Energy, Novozymes has been working since 2001 to reduce the cost of enzymes for turning biomass into ethanol. In Apr 2005, Novozymes completed its part of the project, and the final outcome was a 30-fold reduction in enzyme costs, from over $5/gallon of fuel produced in early 2001 to $0.10-$0.18/gallon. However, the enzyme technology needs to be fine tuned, a system needs to be set up for biomass collection, and the current fermentation organisms need to be optimised. There are also still technical hurdles in the pre-treatment of the biomass, and a financial incentive is needed for ethanol producers to invest in facilities which use biomass rather than corn starch as their feedstock. Abengoa Bioenergy, one of the biggest ethanol producers in the US and Europe, plans to begin testing Novozymes’ enzyme solutions in a pilot plant in 2006 to confirm the technology’s performance. The Zymes (Novozymes’ Shareholder Magazine), Sep 2005, (2), 4 (Novozymes A/S, Krogshojvej 36, DK2880 Bagsvaerd, Denmark. Tel: +45 8824 9999. Fax: +45 8824 9998. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: http://www.novozymes.com)
PATENTS
Production of 3-dimethylamino propylamine This is a commercially important intermediate, made by hydrogenating dimethylamino propionitrile using a Raney nickel catalyst. The product is purer if the Raney nickel is first impregnated with an aqueous solution of mixed sodium and potassium hydroxides. US 6,951,959, Solutia Inc., St Louis, MO, USA, 4 Oct 2005
Orthoalkylation of phenol Magnesia, in its various forms, is commonly used to catalyse the orthoalkylation of phenols. Improved catalyst activity, selectivity, and life are here claimed for a mixture made by co-calcining basic magnesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, and optionally magnesium oxalate. US 6,951,966, Honshu Chemical Industry Co Ltd, Tokyo, Japan, 4 Oct 2005
Catalysts for dimerizing or ologomerizing olefins The catalyst is a mixture of a zerovalent nickel complex (eg nickel bis cyclo-octadiene), an acid, and an ionic liquid (eg a salt of a quaternary ammonium, phosphonium, or sulfonium cation). US 6,951,831, 4 Oct 2005, IFP, Rueil Malmaison, France)
Terephthalic acid manufacture Terephthalic acid is made industrially by the catalytic oxidation of p-xylene in acetic acid. Common side-products are 4-carboxybenzaldehyde, p-tolualdehyde, and p-toluic acid. The quantities of these impurities can be reduced if the reaction is split into two parts in two reactors, operated under different conditions. The extent of the reaction in the first stage is limited to 70% by restricting the oxygen supply. US 6,949,673, Du Pont, Wilmington, DE, USA, 27 Sep 2005
BOOKSHELF Polymer biocatalysis and biomaterials Based on a symposium held during the 226th National Meeting of the ACS held in New York in Sep 2003. A notice of the book produced from the previous meeting was published in Focus on Catalysts in Feb 2004. H N Cheng and R A Gross (eds), 2005, American Chemical Society, Washington DC, ISBN 0-8412-3917-7, 467 pp, £100
Hardening of F-T catalyst particles Breakage-resistance of the ferric oxide catalyst particles used in the Fischer-Tropsch process can be improved by calcination at about 380°. US 6,951,893, Sasol Technology (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa, 4 Oct 2005
Modern organonickel chemistry There are 12 contributors, all from Japan. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts are covered. Y Yamaru (ed), 2005, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, ISBN 3-527-30796-6, 327 pp, £100
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GreenShift unleashes Mean Green BioFuels; acquires exclusive rights to biofuels production process GreenShift Corp announced the formation of Mean Green BioFuels Corp (Mean Green), a developmentstage company that has acquired the rights to a new patent-pending breakthrough technology for the costeffective conversion of corn oil into biodiesel fuels for a territory encompassing most of the eastern half of the US. Mean Green intends to finance, build, and operate a 30 M gallon biodiesel fuel production facility on the eastern seaboard of the US. Press release from: GreenShift Corp, USA. Website: http://www.greenshift.com (7 Sep 2005)
Successful conversion of DynaMotive’s BioOil to syngas demonstrates potential for production of synthetic diesel and other advanced fuels DynaMotive Energy Systems Corp (DynaMotive) announced the successful conversion of BioOil to syngas following full-day gasification testing at the research institute Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK), Germany, on 16 Sep 2005. The objective of testing DynaMotive’s BioOil was to establish if it could be gasified and converted to syngas with characteristics within the predicted range. The test results showed that DynaMotive’s BioOil is suitable for syngas production through demonstrating that a consistently good quality, industrial grade syngas composition with low methane was achievable. With these very encouraging results, further testing and optimisation of syngas composition will be planned. Press Release from: DynaMotive Energy Systems Corp, Angus Corporate Centre, 1700, West 75th Avenue, Suite 105, Vancouver, BC V6P 6G2, Canada. Tel: +1 604 267 6013. Fax: +1 604 267 6005. Website: http://www.dynamotive.com (22 Sep 2005)
NOVEMBER 2005
Fill up with farm waste In conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and with funding from the US Department of Energy, Novozymes has been working since 2001 to reduce the cost of enzymes for turning biomass into ethanol. In Apr 2005, Novozymes completed its part of the project, and the final outcome was a 30-fold reduction in enzyme costs, from over $5/gallon of fuel produced in early 2001 to $0.10-$0.18/gallon. However, the enzyme technology needs to be fine tuned, a system needs to be set up for biomass collection, and the current fermentation organisms need to be optimised. There are also still technical hurdles in the pre-treatment of the biomass, and a financial incentive is needed for ethanol producers to invest in facilities which use biomass rather than corn starch as their feedstock. Abengoa Bioenergy, one of the biggest ethanol producers in the US and Europe, plans to begin testing Novozymes’ enzyme solutions in a pilot plant in 2006 to confirm the technology’s performance. The Zymes (Novozymes’ Shareholder Magazine), Sep 2005, (2), 4 (Novozymes A/S, Krogshojvej 36, DK2880 Bagsvaerd, Denmark. Tel: +45 8824 9999. Fax: +45 8824 9998. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: http://www.novozymes.com)
PATENTS
Production of 3-dimethylamino propylamine This is a commercially important intermediate, made by hydrogenating dimethylamino propionitrile using a Raney nickel catalyst. The product is purer if the Raney nickel is first impregnated with an aqueous solution of mixed sodium and potassium hydroxides. US 6,951,959, Solutia Inc., St Louis, MO, USA, 4 Oct 2005
Orthoalkylation of phenol Magnesia, in its various forms, is commonly used to catalyse the orthoalkylation of phenols. Improved catalyst activity, selectivity, and life are here claimed for a mixture made by co-calcining basic magnesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, and optionally magnesium oxalate. US 6,951,966, Honshu Chemical Industry Co Ltd, Tokyo, Japan, 4 Oct 2005
Catalysts for dimerizing or ologomerizing olefins The catalyst is a mixture of a zerovalent nickel complex (eg nickel bis cyclo-octadiene), an acid, and an ionic liquid (eg a salt of a quaternary ammonium, phosphonium, or sulfonium cation). US 6,951,831, 4 Oct 2005, IFP, Rueil Malmaison, France)
Terephthalic acid manufacture Terephthalic acid is made industrially by the catalytic oxidation of p-xylene in acetic acid. Common side-products are 4-carboxybenzaldehyde, p-tolualdehyde, and p-toluic acid. The quantities of these impurities can be reduced if the reaction is split into two parts in two reactors, operated under different conditions. The extent of the reaction in the first stage is limited to 70% by restricting the oxygen supply. US 6,949,673, Du Pont, Wilmington, DE, USA, 27 Sep 2005
BOOKSHELF Polymer biocatalysis and biomaterials Based on a symposium held during the 226th National Meeting of the ACS held in New York in Sep 2003. A notice of the book produced from the previous meeting was published in Focus on Catalysts in Feb 2004. H N Cheng and R A Gross (eds), 2005, American Chemical Society, Washington DC, ISBN 0-8412-3917-7, 467 pp, £100
Hardening of F-T catalyst particles Breakage-resistance of the ferric oxide catalyst particles used in the Fischer-Tropsch process can be improved by calcination at about 380°. US 6,951,893, Sasol Technology (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa, 4 Oct 2005
Modern organonickel chemistry There are 12 contributors, all from Japan. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts are covered. Y Yamaru (ed), 2005, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, ISBN 3-527-30796-6, 327 pp, £100
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