- Email: [email protected]
Suzuki Coupling reaction commercialised by using nickel catalyst
F O C U S a detailed product- and processrelated discussion. Japan Chemical Week, 8 Apr 2004, 45 (2265), 2
Sino-Korea antimony trioxide project in Guiyang Sino-Korea jv, Guizhou Xiangyun Chemical Materials Co Ltd, has started operating in Guiyang as China’s first international level antimony trioxide high-tech producer. The principal product is special ultrafine particle antimony trioxide catalyst, which has a broad range of applications as a flame retardant and catalyst. $6 M is being invested in the new company, co-established by Samsung and Hong Kong Ruixing Group. It will have a production capacity of 10,000 tonne/y with a production value of $30 M/y. the first phase will give a production capacity of 3000 tonne/y with an investment of $ 2 M. $4 M will be invested in the second phase to give an additional capacity expansion of 7000 tonne/y. China Chemical Reporter, 16 Apr 2004, 15 (11), 14
Sumitomo Chemical’s R&D: search for synergies Sumitomo Chemical’s R&D approach, called Creative Hybrid Chemistry, underlines the important role that management will play in directing research work. It emphasises that R&D and corporate management are one within the company. Core technologies include biotechnology, chiral technology, catalysts, functional dyestuffs and pigments, precision polymers processing and polymers design, and the control of crystal structure. Under its new 3-year plan, Sumitomo will focus on energy, ITrelated chemicals, life sciences, and bulk chemistry. It also plans to collaborate with Japanese and overseas universities and companies in different industrial areas. European Chemical News, 12 Apr 2004, 80 (Sumitomo Chemical Going Global Supplement), 8
Suzuki Coupling reaction commercialised by using nickel catalyst A new synthetic reaction employing organic boron compounds, called Suzuki Coupling, has been combined
JUNE 2004
O N
C ATA LY S T S
with a nickel catalyst by Sumitomo Chemical and made available commercially for making pharmaceuticals and electronic materials. The version currently used needs temperatures of 80-90oC and employs expensive vanadium catalysts, resulting in high production costs. Using a nickel catalyst reduces costs significantly. The high reactivity means that the process operates at around room temperature. There is also little metallic contamination in the final product and side reactions are suppressed. The company has used the process in a pilot plant. It is planning to scale up the process to several hundred kg in order to undertake custom synthesis of chiral compounds with very little formation of racemic mixtures.
also raise silica-based chromiumcoated catalysts capacity at Warrington by 30%.
Japan Chemical Week, 15 Apr 2004, 45 (2266), 2
ExxonMobil Chemical has opened its new 90,000 ton/y commercial metallocene ethylene elastomer production plant in Baton Rouge, LA. The plant, which employs basic process and catalyst technologies, will become the worldwide supply hub for the firm’s metallocene ethylene elastomer offerings. These products will be commercialised in 2Q 2004.
Combinatorial catalysis yields commercial rewards Symyx Technologies Inc and Dow Chemical report that a new family of speciality propylene-ethylene copolymers – Versify Plastomers and Elastomers – are to be made using catalysts developed jointly by Symyx and Dow Chemical. The polymers are to compete with ethylene-propylene diene monomer, styrene copolymers, and polyvinyl alcohol as blending components of polymers used in film, rigid packaging, roofing materials, plastic tubing, and other applications. The single-site, non-metallocene catalysts are amide-ether-based hafnium compounds and are compatible with Dow’s Insite technology. Chemical Market Reporter, 5 Apr 2004 (Website: http://www.chemicalmarketreporter.com)
NEW PLANTS Ineos Silicas expands plants in UK, USA Ineos Silicas, formerly part of ICI and before that a part of Unlilever, is to expand its plants in Warrington, UK, and Joliet, IL. The Warrington plant makes silica gel and chrome-silica catalysts for olefin polymerization. The Joliet plant makes silica gel. Capacity will be increased by 20% with project completion in 2005. By the end of 3Q 2004, Ineos Silicas will
European Chemical News, 12 Apr 2004, 80 (2095), 31 & Chemical Week, 21 Apr 2004, 166 (13) & Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 19 Apr 2004, (253), 10 (in French) & Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 9 Apr 2004, 2 & Press release from Ineos Silicas, website: http://www.ineossilicas.com (Apr 2004)
NE Chemcat expands in Japan NE Chemcat is to expand its automobile catalyst plant in Tsukuba by 15%. Full operation should start in spring 2005. The company also makes catalysts for diesel engines. Japan Chemical Week, 25 Mar 2004, 45 (2263), 2
ExxonMobil opens new 90,000 ton/y commercial plant
Hydrocarbon Processing, Apr 2004, 83 (4), 35 & Modern Plastics International, Apr 2004, 34 (4), 10 & Chemical Engineering Progress, Apr 2004, 100 (4), 18
Toyo to build world’s largest DME plant Toyo Engineering Corp (TEC) of Narashino, Japan, and Luthianhau Group Inc of Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China, have forged a contract to construct a 110,000 tonne/y dimethyl ether (DME) plant. To be finished in 2005, the plant will manufacture DME using methanol dehydration technology from TEC, which built a 10,000 tonne/y DME plant for the same group at the same site. Both plants use TEC’s proprietary alumina catalyst. Chemical Engineering (New York), Mar 2004, 111 (3), 15-16
NEW TECHNOLOGY Al-based polyester catalyst Polyester polymerisation catalysts have hitherto been based on
5
Sino-Korea antimony trioxide project in Guiyang Sino-Korea jv, Guizhou Xiangyun Chemical Materials Co Ltd, has started operating in Guiyang as China’s first international level antimony trioxide high-tech producer. The principal product is special ultrafine particle antimony trioxide catalyst, which has a broad range of applications as a flame retardant and catalyst. $6 M is being invested in the new company, co-established by Samsung and Hong Kong Ruixing Group. It will have a production capacity of 10,000 tonne/y with a production value of $30 M/y. the first phase will give a production capacity of 3000 tonne/y with an investment of $ 2 M. $4 M will be invested in the second phase to give an additional capacity expansion of 7000 tonne/y. China Chemical Reporter, 16 Apr 2004, 15 (11), 14
Sumitomo Chemical’s R&D: search for synergies Sumitomo Chemical’s R&D approach, called Creative Hybrid Chemistry, underlines the important role that management will play in directing research work. It emphasises that R&D and corporate management are one within the company. Core technologies include biotechnology, chiral technology, catalysts, functional dyestuffs and pigments, precision polymers processing and polymers design, and the control of crystal structure. Under its new 3-year plan, Sumitomo will focus on energy, ITrelated chemicals, life sciences, and bulk chemistry. It also plans to collaborate with Japanese and overseas universities and companies in different industrial areas. European Chemical News, 12 Apr 2004, 80 (Sumitomo Chemical Going Global Supplement), 8
Suzuki Coupling reaction commercialised by using nickel catalyst A new synthetic reaction employing organic boron compounds, called Suzuki Coupling, has been combined
JUNE 2004
O N
C ATA LY S T S
with a nickel catalyst by Sumitomo Chemical and made available commercially for making pharmaceuticals and electronic materials. The version currently used needs temperatures of 80-90oC and employs expensive vanadium catalysts, resulting in high production costs. Using a nickel catalyst reduces costs significantly. The high reactivity means that the process operates at around room temperature. There is also little metallic contamination in the final product and side reactions are suppressed. The company has used the process in a pilot plant. It is planning to scale up the process to several hundred kg in order to undertake custom synthesis of chiral compounds with very little formation of racemic mixtures.
also raise silica-based chromiumcoated catalysts capacity at Warrington by 30%.
Japan Chemical Week, 15 Apr 2004, 45 (2266), 2
ExxonMobil Chemical has opened its new 90,000 ton/y commercial metallocene ethylene elastomer production plant in Baton Rouge, LA. The plant, which employs basic process and catalyst technologies, will become the worldwide supply hub for the firm’s metallocene ethylene elastomer offerings. These products will be commercialised in 2Q 2004.
Combinatorial catalysis yields commercial rewards Symyx Technologies Inc and Dow Chemical report that a new family of speciality propylene-ethylene copolymers – Versify Plastomers and Elastomers – are to be made using catalysts developed jointly by Symyx and Dow Chemical. The polymers are to compete with ethylene-propylene diene monomer, styrene copolymers, and polyvinyl alcohol as blending components of polymers used in film, rigid packaging, roofing materials, plastic tubing, and other applications. The single-site, non-metallocene catalysts are amide-ether-based hafnium compounds and are compatible with Dow’s Insite technology. Chemical Market Reporter, 5 Apr 2004 (Website: http://www.chemicalmarketreporter.com)
NEW PLANTS Ineos Silicas expands plants in UK, USA Ineos Silicas, formerly part of ICI and before that a part of Unlilever, is to expand its plants in Warrington, UK, and Joliet, IL. The Warrington plant makes silica gel and chrome-silica catalysts for olefin polymerization. The Joliet plant makes silica gel. Capacity will be increased by 20% with project completion in 2005. By the end of 3Q 2004, Ineos Silicas will
European Chemical News, 12 Apr 2004, 80 (2095), 31 & Chemical Week, 21 Apr 2004, 166 (13) & Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 19 Apr 2004, (253), 10 (in French) & Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 9 Apr 2004, 2 & Press release from Ineos Silicas, website: http://www.ineossilicas.com (Apr 2004)
NE Chemcat expands in Japan NE Chemcat is to expand its automobile catalyst plant in Tsukuba by 15%. Full operation should start in spring 2005. The company also makes catalysts for diesel engines. Japan Chemical Week, 25 Mar 2004, 45 (2263), 2
ExxonMobil opens new 90,000 ton/y commercial plant
Hydrocarbon Processing, Apr 2004, 83 (4), 35 & Modern Plastics International, Apr 2004, 34 (4), 10 & Chemical Engineering Progress, Apr 2004, 100 (4), 18
Toyo to build world’s largest DME plant Toyo Engineering Corp (TEC) of Narashino, Japan, and Luthianhau Group Inc of Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China, have forged a contract to construct a 110,000 tonne/y dimethyl ether (DME) plant. To be finished in 2005, the plant will manufacture DME using methanol dehydration technology from TEC, which built a 10,000 tonne/y DME plant for the same group at the same site. Both plants use TEC’s proprietary alumina catalyst. Chemical Engineering (New York), Mar 2004, 111 (3), 15-16
NEW TECHNOLOGY Al-based polyester catalyst Polyester polymerisation catalysts have hitherto been based on
5