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Johnson Matthey adds auto catalysts
F O C U S America and the Middle East. UOP’s slurry hydrocracking process utilises a slurry catalyst to upgrade bitumen and heavy crude to lighter distillates that can then be used to produce clean gasoline and ultra-low sulfur diesel. According to the US Energy Information Association, roughly 80% of the world’s bitumen is located in Canada. Press release from: Honeywell International Inc, 101 Columbia Road, Morristown, NJ 07962, USA. Tel: +1 973 4552000. Fax: +1 973 455 4807. Website: http://www.honeywell.com) 14 Nov 2007
UOP and ENI develop diesel process A new green diesel process that will use hydrogen and vegetable oils to manufacture chemicals and diesel oil is being developed by UOP and ENI. The process will be based on hydrodeoxygenation, decarboxylation, and hydroisomerisation methods. The study of second generation biofuels using non-edible oils is being planned afterwards by UOP. The biofuels unit at ENI’s Livorno, Italy, site is expected to be operational by 2009. Oils and Fats International, Jan 2008, 24 (1), 11
Verenium achieves financial milestone in research collaboration with Syngenta Verenium Corp has achieved an important technical milestone associated with a research programme with Syngenta AG. As a result of this achievement, Verenium will receive a $500,000 payment from Syngenta. A core component of this research effort utilised Verenium’s Direct Evolution technology to engineer the properties of a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of starch. Press release from: Verenium Corp, 55 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Tel: +1 617 674 5300. Website: http://www.verenium.com (8 Jan 2008)
NEW PLANTS Axens to supply technology to Petrobras Axens, a technology and catalyst supplier based in France, will provide its ParamaX aromatics technologies to the Comperj petrochemicals plant of Petrobras in Itaborai, Brazil. The initial operation of the plant in 2012 covers capacities of 780,000 tonne/y
FEBRUARY 2008
O N
C ATA LY S T S
of p-xylene and 690,000 tonne/y of benzene.
Nippon Kasei Chemical to build another AdBlue plant
ICIS Chemical Business, 26 Nov 2007 (Website: http://icischemicalbusiness.com)
Nippon Kasei Chemical, which is the largest manufacturer of AdBlue in Japan, is to build a third plant in Amagasaki and has plans for two more in Japan. The third plant will bring its capacity to 62,000 kl/y. It also plans to increase the number of its AdBlue warehouses from 2 to 10.
BASF expands plant in Spain BASF expects to complete the expansion of its catalysts production plant in Tarragona, Spain, in Sep 2008. The catalysts are being used to manufacture polypropylene. The additional 25% capacity is aimed at supporting the growing polypropylene market, which is expanding at a rate of 4-5%/y. Chemical and Engineering News, 12 Nov 2007, 85 (46), 26 & Chemical Engineering Progress, Dec 2007, 103 (12), 20
Genencor to build Center of Excellence in Cedar Rapids Genencor, a division of Danisco A/S, has announced plans to construct a new 20,000-square-foot Applications and Training Centre in Cedar Rapids, IA. The project will have a capital investment of approximately $3.5 M and will create about 20 new positions. Construction is scheduled to be complete between autumn 2008 and spring of 2009, at the company’s 80-acre manufacturing site. Press release from: Danisco A/S, Denmark. Website: http://www.danisco.com (17 Dec 2007)
Johnson Matthey adds auto catalysts Johnson Matthey will construct emission-control catalyst facilities in Macedonia and Pennsylvania, USA by 2009 to serve Europe and North America. A $70 M plant with a capacity for 4 M/y light-duty diesel auto catalysts and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts for heavyduty vehicles will be built near Skopje, Macedonia. The catalysts will meet new European Union emissions regulations. A $43 M plant producing 1 M heavy-duty SCR catalysts for the North American market will be built in southwest Pennsylvania. New USA standards for heavy-duty diesel emissions are slated to be enforced on 1 Jan 2010. Chemical and Engineering News, 10 Dec 2007, 85 (50), 19 & Press release from: Johnson Matthey, 4042 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8EE. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7269 8400. Website: http://www.matthey.com (29 Nov 2007)
Japan Chemical News, 22 Nov 2007, 48 (2442), 5
Continuous catalytic reforming unit kicks off in China On 9 Nov 2007, Sinopec Guangzhou Petrochemical Co Ltd commenced work on the construction of a 1 M tonne/y continuous catalytic reforming unit at Guangzhou in Guangdong province, China. The RMB Yuan 1.2 bn unit, which should go onstream in Dec 2008, is part of a 10 M tonne/y refinery renovation project. Completion of the unit will increase gasoline capacity by 700,000 tonne/y for Guangzhou Petrochemical, one of the main petrochemical producers in southern China. China Chemical Reporter, 6 Dec 2007, 18 (34), 12
Süd-Chemie to expand catalyst production in Bitterfeld Süd-Chemie Zeolites GmbH has begun to expand its production plant for new speciality zeolites and also construct a new waste-water processing plant at its Bitterfeld site. The investment volume amounts to a double-digit million euro figure. In the wake of this capacity expansion, the Bitterfeld workforce is to be increased from just under 50 to more than 60 employees over the next two years. From 2009 onwards, the products supplied by the enlarged plant will include a new type of catalyst, making it possible to manufacture propylene from coal and natural gas instead of the conventional source of oil. Chemical and Engineering News, 3 Dec 2007, 85 (49), 37 & Chemical Week, 5 Dec 2007 (Website: http://www.chemweek.com) & Chemical Engineering (New York), Dec 2007, 114 (13), 13 & Chemie Technik (Heidelberg), 10 Dec 2007 (Website: http://www.chemietechnik.de) (in German) & Press release from: Süd-Chemie, Germany. Tel: +49 (0)89 5110 250 247. Website: http://www.sued-chemie.com (23 Nov 2007)
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UOP and ENI develop diesel process A new green diesel process that will use hydrogen and vegetable oils to manufacture chemicals and diesel oil is being developed by UOP and ENI. The process will be based on hydrodeoxygenation, decarboxylation, and hydroisomerisation methods. The study of second generation biofuels using non-edible oils is being planned afterwards by UOP. The biofuels unit at ENI’s Livorno, Italy, site is expected to be operational by 2009. Oils and Fats International, Jan 2008, 24 (1), 11
Verenium achieves financial milestone in research collaboration with Syngenta Verenium Corp has achieved an important technical milestone associated with a research programme with Syngenta AG. As a result of this achievement, Verenium will receive a $500,000 payment from Syngenta. A core component of this research effort utilised Verenium’s Direct Evolution technology to engineer the properties of a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of starch. Press release from: Verenium Corp, 55 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Tel: +1 617 674 5300. Website: http://www.verenium.com (8 Jan 2008)
NEW PLANTS Axens to supply technology to Petrobras Axens, a technology and catalyst supplier based in France, will provide its ParamaX aromatics technologies to the Comperj petrochemicals plant of Petrobras in Itaborai, Brazil. The initial operation of the plant in 2012 covers capacities of 780,000 tonne/y
FEBRUARY 2008
O N
C ATA LY S T S
of p-xylene and 690,000 tonne/y of benzene.
Nippon Kasei Chemical to build another AdBlue plant
ICIS Chemical Business, 26 Nov 2007 (Website: http://icischemicalbusiness.com)
Nippon Kasei Chemical, which is the largest manufacturer of AdBlue in Japan, is to build a third plant in Amagasaki and has plans for two more in Japan. The third plant will bring its capacity to 62,000 kl/y. It also plans to increase the number of its AdBlue warehouses from 2 to 10.
BASF expands plant in Spain BASF expects to complete the expansion of its catalysts production plant in Tarragona, Spain, in Sep 2008. The catalysts are being used to manufacture polypropylene. The additional 25% capacity is aimed at supporting the growing polypropylene market, which is expanding at a rate of 4-5%/y. Chemical and Engineering News, 12 Nov 2007, 85 (46), 26 & Chemical Engineering Progress, Dec 2007, 103 (12), 20
Genencor to build Center of Excellence in Cedar Rapids Genencor, a division of Danisco A/S, has announced plans to construct a new 20,000-square-foot Applications and Training Centre in Cedar Rapids, IA. The project will have a capital investment of approximately $3.5 M and will create about 20 new positions. Construction is scheduled to be complete between autumn 2008 and spring of 2009, at the company’s 80-acre manufacturing site. Press release from: Danisco A/S, Denmark. Website: http://www.danisco.com (17 Dec 2007)
Johnson Matthey adds auto catalysts Johnson Matthey will construct emission-control catalyst facilities in Macedonia and Pennsylvania, USA by 2009 to serve Europe and North America. A $70 M plant with a capacity for 4 M/y light-duty diesel auto catalysts and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts for heavyduty vehicles will be built near Skopje, Macedonia. The catalysts will meet new European Union emissions regulations. A $43 M plant producing 1 M heavy-duty SCR catalysts for the North American market will be built in southwest Pennsylvania. New USA standards for heavy-duty diesel emissions are slated to be enforced on 1 Jan 2010. Chemical and Engineering News, 10 Dec 2007, 85 (50), 19 & Press release from: Johnson Matthey, 4042 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8EE. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7269 8400. Website: http://www.matthey.com (29 Nov 2007)
Japan Chemical News, 22 Nov 2007, 48 (2442), 5
Continuous catalytic reforming unit kicks off in China On 9 Nov 2007, Sinopec Guangzhou Petrochemical Co Ltd commenced work on the construction of a 1 M tonne/y continuous catalytic reforming unit at Guangzhou in Guangdong province, China. The RMB Yuan 1.2 bn unit, which should go onstream in Dec 2008, is part of a 10 M tonne/y refinery renovation project. Completion of the unit will increase gasoline capacity by 700,000 tonne/y for Guangzhou Petrochemical, one of the main petrochemical producers in southern China. China Chemical Reporter, 6 Dec 2007, 18 (34), 12
Süd-Chemie to expand catalyst production in Bitterfeld Süd-Chemie Zeolites GmbH has begun to expand its production plant for new speciality zeolites and also construct a new waste-water processing plant at its Bitterfeld site. The investment volume amounts to a double-digit million euro figure. In the wake of this capacity expansion, the Bitterfeld workforce is to be increased from just under 50 to more than 60 employees over the next two years. From 2009 onwards, the products supplied by the enlarged plant will include a new type of catalyst, making it possible to manufacture propylene from coal and natural gas instead of the conventional source of oil. Chemical and Engineering News, 3 Dec 2007, 85 (49), 37 & Chemical Week, 5 Dec 2007 (Website: http://www.chemweek.com) & Chemical Engineering (New York), Dec 2007, 114 (13), 13 & Chemie Technik (Heidelberg), 10 Dec 2007 (Website: http://www.chemietechnik.de) (in German) & Press release from: Süd-Chemie, Germany. Tel: +49 (0)89 5110 250 247. Website: http://www.sued-chemie.com (23 Nov 2007)
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