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Mussel shells treat wastewater
F O C U S
O N
C ATA LY S T S
Lanxess moves global operations to Cologne
provide some equipment for this Ammiak-4 project.
Previously headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany, Lanxess is relocating to Cologne for its global operations starting 1 Aug 2013. Production will remain at current sites. Lanxess has also converted its former Ziegler-Natta chemistry production line for Keltan-branded ethylene propylene diene monomer synthetic rubber in The Netherlands to ACE technology. This approximately €12 M investment for the line at its site in Sittard, Geleen, has 95,000 tonne/y capacity.
Original Source: RCCnews, 13 Aug 2013, (Website: http://www.rccnews.ru/Eng) © RCCnews.ru 2013
Original Source: Rubber World, Jul 2013, 248 (4), 7 (Website: http://www.rubberworld.com) © Rubber World Magazine 2013
Louisiana projects advance A number of major chemical companies have launched projects in Louisiana, US. Honeywell has invested $200 M at its fluorine products plants in Baton Rouge and Geismar, its catalyst facility in Shreveport, and an adsorbents manufacturing line in Baton Rouge. The investment includes building up a new facility ($169 M), and maintenances of other capacities. Sasol will also build an ethylene cracker and derivatives complex in Lake Charles. The project, due in 2017 and which costs $7 bn, will produce ethylene, ethylene glycol, polyethylene, alcohols, and alphaolefins. Meanwhile, CF Industries has been granted air permits for its planned nitrogen fertilizer complex in Donaldsonville. Original Source: Chemical and Engineering News, 22 Jul 2013, 91 (29), 16 (Website: http://www.cenonline.org) © American Chemical Society 2013
Biorefinery produces fully renewable paraxylene In the US, a biorefinery which produces fully renewable paraxylene has been opened in Silsbee, TX, by Gevo. The company has been collaborating with Toray Industries Inc and the Coca-Cola Co to develop bioparaxylene production technology, and the facility is a demonstrationscale plant. The bio-paraxylene will be used to produce renewable PET, a plastic used to make beverage bottles. Original Source: Renewable Energy Focus (Online Version), 28 Aug 2013, (Website: http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com) © Elsevier Ltd 2013
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Original Source: TCE (formerly The Chemical Engineer), Jul 2013, (865), 51 (Website: http://www.tcetoday.com) © Institution of Chemical Engineers 2013
Petrol in the framework Vadxx Energy to build new plastics recycling plant using no catalysts Alternative recycler Vadxx Energy is planning to build a new plant in Akron City, USA. It is expected to create 15 jobs with an additional 5 jobs within the next three years. In addition, the company is looking in Wisconsin, Tennessee, California, and Toronto for partners that would use its technology in developing usable fuel. The plant is expected to process around 20,000 tonne/y of waste resulting to 80,000 barrels of fuel. Without the use of catalysts, the device heats waste polyolefin products turning these back into carbon and hydrogen products, which can be used to produce diesel fuel. Original Source: Plastics News, 13 Aug 2013, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com) © Crain Communications Inc 2013
Exhaust gas treatment unit is made for Acron at a cost of Roubles 49 M OJSC Uralkhimmash, under an agreement with OJSC Acron, has successfully constructed R-40, a catalytic reactor for exhaust gases purification, for more than Roubles 49 M. The reactor will be part of AK-72, Acron’s nitric acid-producing facility, where nitrogen oxides in the gas are catalytically reduced. Acron also plans to build a 700,000 tonne/y ammonia plant. OJSC Uralkhimmash will
water. In New Zealand, 100,000 tonne/y of the mussels are produced. A research team of chemical engineers from the universities in Auckland in New Zealand and Bath in UK have developed a method that uses waste shells as a photocatalyst to clear up pollutants in wastewater. The waste shells from a mussel processing plant are used to synthesize hydroxyapatite (HAP) that will act as photocatalyst. The photocatalyst from waste shells would further offer a cheap, renewable alternative compared to titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which are considered as the best catalysts available yet are relatively expensive and non-renewable.
NEW TECHNOLOGY Mussel shells treat wastewater Waste shells from the fast growing green-lipped mussel farming industry could be the answer to the build-up of another kind of waste: industrial waste
Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley, USA have developed a metal-organic framework (MOF) that can be used in place of zeolites as a filtration material to obtain petrol fuels with a higher research octane number. This material is called Fe2(BDP)3. It is cheaper than other MOFs but more expensive than zeolites. No figures yet can be provided on energy savings and improved efficiency. There are no further plans for development but the technology has been patented. Original Source: Materials World, Jul 2013, 21 (7), 16 (Website: http://www.iom3.org) © The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) 2013
Iron catalyst gives hydrogenation a green makeover Scientists at McGill University, in collaboration with the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research and the Institute for Molecular Science, have developed an iron-based catalyst that could make hydrogenation more environmentally friendly and less expensive. The new catalyst consists of iron nanoparticles instead of heavy metals such as palladium or platinum that are efficient but also expensive, rare and toxic. The iron nanoparticles were attached to an amphiphilic polymer and when tested in a flow reactor, had efficiently OCTOBER 2013
O N
C ATA LY S T S
Lanxess moves global operations to Cologne
provide some equipment for this Ammiak-4 project.
Previously headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany, Lanxess is relocating to Cologne for its global operations starting 1 Aug 2013. Production will remain at current sites. Lanxess has also converted its former Ziegler-Natta chemistry production line for Keltan-branded ethylene propylene diene monomer synthetic rubber in The Netherlands to ACE technology. This approximately €12 M investment for the line at its site in Sittard, Geleen, has 95,000 tonne/y capacity.
Original Source: RCCnews, 13 Aug 2013, (Website: http://www.rccnews.ru/Eng) © RCCnews.ru 2013
Original Source: Rubber World, Jul 2013, 248 (4), 7 (Website: http://www.rubberworld.com) © Rubber World Magazine 2013
Louisiana projects advance A number of major chemical companies have launched projects in Louisiana, US. Honeywell has invested $200 M at its fluorine products plants in Baton Rouge and Geismar, its catalyst facility in Shreveport, and an adsorbents manufacturing line in Baton Rouge. The investment includes building up a new facility ($169 M), and maintenances of other capacities. Sasol will also build an ethylene cracker and derivatives complex in Lake Charles. The project, due in 2017 and which costs $7 bn, will produce ethylene, ethylene glycol, polyethylene, alcohols, and alphaolefins. Meanwhile, CF Industries has been granted air permits for its planned nitrogen fertilizer complex in Donaldsonville. Original Source: Chemical and Engineering News, 22 Jul 2013, 91 (29), 16 (Website: http://www.cenonline.org) © American Chemical Society 2013
Biorefinery produces fully renewable paraxylene In the US, a biorefinery which produces fully renewable paraxylene has been opened in Silsbee, TX, by Gevo. The company has been collaborating with Toray Industries Inc and the Coca-Cola Co to develop bioparaxylene production technology, and the facility is a demonstrationscale plant. The bio-paraxylene will be used to produce renewable PET, a plastic used to make beverage bottles. Original Source: Renewable Energy Focus (Online Version), 28 Aug 2013, (Website: http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com) © Elsevier Ltd 2013
6
Original Source: TCE (formerly The Chemical Engineer), Jul 2013, (865), 51 (Website: http://www.tcetoday.com) © Institution of Chemical Engineers 2013
Petrol in the framework Vadxx Energy to build new plastics recycling plant using no catalysts Alternative recycler Vadxx Energy is planning to build a new plant in Akron City, USA. It is expected to create 15 jobs with an additional 5 jobs within the next three years. In addition, the company is looking in Wisconsin, Tennessee, California, and Toronto for partners that would use its technology in developing usable fuel. The plant is expected to process around 20,000 tonne/y of waste resulting to 80,000 barrels of fuel. Without the use of catalysts, the device heats waste polyolefin products turning these back into carbon and hydrogen products, which can be used to produce diesel fuel. Original Source: Plastics News, 13 Aug 2013, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com) © Crain Communications Inc 2013
Exhaust gas treatment unit is made for Acron at a cost of Roubles 49 M OJSC Uralkhimmash, under an agreement with OJSC Acron, has successfully constructed R-40, a catalytic reactor for exhaust gases purification, for more than Roubles 49 M. The reactor will be part of AK-72, Acron’s nitric acid-producing facility, where nitrogen oxides in the gas are catalytically reduced. Acron also plans to build a 700,000 tonne/y ammonia plant. OJSC Uralkhimmash will
water. In New Zealand, 100,000 tonne/y of the mussels are produced. A research team of chemical engineers from the universities in Auckland in New Zealand and Bath in UK have developed a method that uses waste shells as a photocatalyst to clear up pollutants in wastewater. The waste shells from a mussel processing plant are used to synthesize hydroxyapatite (HAP) that will act as photocatalyst. The photocatalyst from waste shells would further offer a cheap, renewable alternative compared to titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which are considered as the best catalysts available yet are relatively expensive and non-renewable.
NEW TECHNOLOGY Mussel shells treat wastewater Waste shells from the fast growing green-lipped mussel farming industry could be the answer to the build-up of another kind of waste: industrial waste
Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley, USA have developed a metal-organic framework (MOF) that can be used in place of zeolites as a filtration material to obtain petrol fuels with a higher research octane number. This material is called Fe2(BDP)3. It is cheaper than other MOFs but more expensive than zeolites. No figures yet can be provided on energy savings and improved efficiency. There are no further plans for development but the technology has been patented. Original Source: Materials World, Jul 2013, 21 (7), 16 (Website: http://www.iom3.org) © The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) 2013
Iron catalyst gives hydrogenation a green makeover Scientists at McGill University, in collaboration with the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research and the Institute for Molecular Science, have developed an iron-based catalyst that could make hydrogenation more environmentally friendly and less expensive. The new catalyst consists of iron nanoparticles instead of heavy metals such as palladium or platinum that are efficient but also expensive, rare and toxic. The iron nanoparticles were attached to an amphiphilic polymer and when tested in a flow reactor, had efficiently OCTOBER 2013