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Improved granules of manganese-containing bleaching catalysts
FOCUS methane to methanol by UOP is from an award under the Advanced Technology Program of the US Commercial Department. Technoeconomic feasibility and proof-ofprinciple will be demonstrated for the low-temperature process. Commercialisation will be undertaken by UOP if the technology proves successful and this could result in a $22/tonne reduction in the $80/tonne costs of methanol production. The technology also offers a 50% reduction in capital costs, a 60% cut in energy utilization, and 33% lower production of carbon dioxide. European Chemical News, 11 Oct 2004, 81 (2119), 29
Bimodal polyethylene to be made in Russia in single reactor using Univation Technologies’ catalysts Kazanorganosintez is building a 500,000 tonne/y polyethylene (PE) plant in Tatarstan, Russia, which is due to start up in 2007. Linde is building the plant and Univation Technologies is supplying its single site Prodigy BMC 200 pipe catalyst and BMC 100 film grades catalyst. The catalyst can produce bimodal PE in a single reactor, rather than two. This could reduce construction costs by as much as 40%, compared with the older gas-phase and slurry bimodal processes. European Chemical News, 1 Nov 2004, 81 (2122), 28
Novel manufacturing process for peptides uses enzymes Ajinomoto Co Inc announces a new revolutionary enzymatic method to manufacture peptides that have very important physiological functions. Peptides are widely used in creating medicines where the total market size for peptide medicine is estimated to be about $10 bn. The AminoScience laboratories of Ajinomoto Co Inc have discovered a novel enzymatic method for the industrial production of alanylglutamine. In this method, the amino acid is esterified, and this ester is enzymatically coupled with another amino acid. This manufacturing method enables the production of not only dipeptides and oligopeptides, but also peptides including non-native types of amino-acid, so this method is highly advantageous. Ajinomoto
JANUARY 2005
ON
C ATA LY S T S
established this industrial production technology, and will launch alanylglutamine as the first product in spring 2005. The potential world market for the alanylglutamine is estimated at about 200 tonnes. Press release from: Ajinomoto Co Inc, 15-1, Kyobashi, 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-8315, Japan. Tel: +81 3 5250 8111. Website: http://www.ajinomoto.com (25 Nov 2004)
ENVIRONMENT Catalytica Energy Systems awarded diesel emissions reduction grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Catalytica Energy Systems Inc, a leading provider of innovative emissions control solutions for the power generation and transportation industries, announced on 4 Nov 2004 that it had been awarded $330,000 in funding from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) under its New Technology Research and Development Program. This grant will help support the company’s plans for an on-vehicle demonstration in 2005 of its mobile retrofit solution, which is designed to address growing urban smog issues by enabling up to a 50% reduction in nitrogen oxides. The field demonstration will evaluate the performance of the company’s proprietary diesel fuel processing technology in combination with a NOx absorber catalyst, and its ability to offer a cost-effective, easy integration emissions solution for the mobile retrofit market. In support of this effort, the City of Denton, TX, has agreed to supply two heavy-duty diesel trucks for the on-road demonstration, which is scheduled to commence in the 1H of 2005.
PATENTS Improved ammoximation catalyst Titanium silicalite is an established ammoximation catalyst for making cyclohexanone oxime, but it is readily deactivated. This deactivation can be suppressed by adding another silicious compound such as silica gel or silicic acid. US 6,828,459, Sumitomo Chemical Co Ltd, Osaka, Japan, 7 Dec 2004
Improved granules of manganesecontaining bleaching catalysts Manganese complexes with salen are well known catalysts for use in textile bleaching with hydrogen peroxide. They are more effective if the granules containing them are made to dissolve slowly by the addition of an anionic or non-ionic ‘dissolution restrainer’ such as polyvinyl alcohol or sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. US 6,828,293, Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corp, Tarrytown, NY, USA, 7 Dec 2004
Co-catalysts for Phillips catalysts This patent describes what is essentially a family of hybrid Phillips/Ziegler olefin polymerization catalysts. The Phillips component is a reduced chromium compound on silica/titania. The Ziegler component is an alkyl lithium compound or a dilalkyl aluminium alkoxide plus a metal alkyl. Such mixed catalysts yield polyolefins having bimodal molecular weight distributions and therefore improved physical properties. US 6,828,268, Phillips Petroleum Co, Bartlesville, OK, USA, 7 Dec 2004
Press release from: Catalytica Energy Systems, Gilbert, AZ, USA. Website: http://www.catalyticaenergy.com (4 Nov 2004)
Photodegradation of pesticides The Kanawaga Prefectural Agricultural Research Institute has shown that pesticide residues on food crops can be destroyed by UV radiation if titania is incorporated in the pesticide. The product has been demonstrated with the insecticide chlorphenapyr. Japan Chemical Week, 28 Nov 2004, 45 (2292), 2
Magnesium chloride-based olefin polymerization catalysts Solid magnesium chloride is commonly used as a support for metallocene polymerization catalysts. This novel catalyst is made by coating magnesium chloride crystals with a titanium alkoxide plus an alcohol. US 6,828,267, China Petro Chemical Corp and Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Sinopec, Beijing, China, 7 Dec 2004
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Bimodal polyethylene to be made in Russia in single reactor using Univation Technologies’ catalysts Kazanorganosintez is building a 500,000 tonne/y polyethylene (PE) plant in Tatarstan, Russia, which is due to start up in 2007. Linde is building the plant and Univation Technologies is supplying its single site Prodigy BMC 200 pipe catalyst and BMC 100 film grades catalyst. The catalyst can produce bimodal PE in a single reactor, rather than two. This could reduce construction costs by as much as 40%, compared with the older gas-phase and slurry bimodal processes. European Chemical News, 1 Nov 2004, 81 (2122), 28
Novel manufacturing process for peptides uses enzymes Ajinomoto Co Inc announces a new revolutionary enzymatic method to manufacture peptides that have very important physiological functions. Peptides are widely used in creating medicines where the total market size for peptide medicine is estimated to be about $10 bn. The AminoScience laboratories of Ajinomoto Co Inc have discovered a novel enzymatic method for the industrial production of alanylglutamine. In this method, the amino acid is esterified, and this ester is enzymatically coupled with another amino acid. This manufacturing method enables the production of not only dipeptides and oligopeptides, but also peptides including non-native types of amino-acid, so this method is highly advantageous. Ajinomoto
JANUARY 2005
ON
C ATA LY S T S
established this industrial production technology, and will launch alanylglutamine as the first product in spring 2005. The potential world market for the alanylglutamine is estimated at about 200 tonnes. Press release from: Ajinomoto Co Inc, 15-1, Kyobashi, 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-8315, Japan. Tel: +81 3 5250 8111. Website: http://www.ajinomoto.com (25 Nov 2004)
ENVIRONMENT Catalytica Energy Systems awarded diesel emissions reduction grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Catalytica Energy Systems Inc, a leading provider of innovative emissions control solutions for the power generation and transportation industries, announced on 4 Nov 2004 that it had been awarded $330,000 in funding from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) under its New Technology Research and Development Program. This grant will help support the company’s plans for an on-vehicle demonstration in 2005 of its mobile retrofit solution, which is designed to address growing urban smog issues by enabling up to a 50% reduction in nitrogen oxides. The field demonstration will evaluate the performance of the company’s proprietary diesel fuel processing technology in combination with a NOx absorber catalyst, and its ability to offer a cost-effective, easy integration emissions solution for the mobile retrofit market. In support of this effort, the City of Denton, TX, has agreed to supply two heavy-duty diesel trucks for the on-road demonstration, which is scheduled to commence in the 1H of 2005.
PATENTS Improved ammoximation catalyst Titanium silicalite is an established ammoximation catalyst for making cyclohexanone oxime, but it is readily deactivated. This deactivation can be suppressed by adding another silicious compound such as silica gel or silicic acid. US 6,828,459, Sumitomo Chemical Co Ltd, Osaka, Japan, 7 Dec 2004
Improved granules of manganesecontaining bleaching catalysts Manganese complexes with salen are well known catalysts for use in textile bleaching with hydrogen peroxide. They are more effective if the granules containing them are made to dissolve slowly by the addition of an anionic or non-ionic ‘dissolution restrainer’ such as polyvinyl alcohol or sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. US 6,828,293, Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corp, Tarrytown, NY, USA, 7 Dec 2004
Co-catalysts for Phillips catalysts This patent describes what is essentially a family of hybrid Phillips/Ziegler olefin polymerization catalysts. The Phillips component is a reduced chromium compound on silica/titania. The Ziegler component is an alkyl lithium compound or a dilalkyl aluminium alkoxide plus a metal alkyl. Such mixed catalysts yield polyolefins having bimodal molecular weight distributions and therefore improved physical properties. US 6,828,268, Phillips Petroleum Co, Bartlesville, OK, USA, 7 Dec 2004
Press release from: Catalytica Energy Systems, Gilbert, AZ, USA. Website: http://www.catalyticaenergy.com (4 Nov 2004)
Photodegradation of pesticides The Kanawaga Prefectural Agricultural Research Institute has shown that pesticide residues on food crops can be destroyed by UV radiation if titania is incorporated in the pesticide. The product has been demonstrated with the insecticide chlorphenapyr. Japan Chemical Week, 28 Nov 2004, 45 (2292), 2
Magnesium chloride-based olefin polymerization catalysts Solid magnesium chloride is commonly used as a support for metallocene polymerization catalysts. This novel catalyst is made by coating magnesium chloride crystals with a titanium alkoxide plus an alcohol. US 6,828,267, China Petro Chemical Corp and Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Sinopec, Beijing, China, 7 Dec 2004
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