Exelus, Inc. (see also story on p. 11) has demonstrated a process that makes styrene monomer (SM) by the side-chain alkylation of toluene with methanol — an energy-neutral process — instead of the conventional dehydrogenation-of-ethylbenzene route, which is energy-intensive and…
Two specimens made from Basell Corp.’s Hostalene GM5010 high-density polyethylene (HDPE) that were installed in October 1956 are still in service, according to Ulrich Schulte, head of the application and technical service for Basell’s Pipe and Sheet business unit and…
Researchers from the Laboratory for Sustainable Technology, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Sydney (Australia; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6891-538) have produced spiral and straight carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a fluidized bed (FB) by adjusting the synthesis temperature, catalyst compostion, and carbon…
Datang International Power Generation Co. Ltd. and Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group (SNCG; both China) have awarded a contract in excess of €100 million to Lurgi AG (Frankfurt, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6891-535) as part of two projects (€1 billion per project) for…
GE Plastics (Pittsfield, Mass.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6891-543) has launched Extem thermoplastic polyimide (TPI) resins, a new family of amorphous polymers. The new resin is said to overcome the drawbacks of semicrystalline materials, imidized thermosets and competitive amorphous thermoplastics. Among Extem resin’s properties…
Excelsyn Molecular Development (Holywell, U.K.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6519-541) has made a “major” advance in its development of improved technology to produce the unnatural amino acid tert-L-leucine (tert-butyl glycine; TBG) — a precursor for synthesizing promising new drug candidates. Transaminase technology is a…
An innovative design of a pulsed-electric-field (PEF) treatment unit for the inactivation of Escherichia coli bacteria has been developed by associate professor Mohammed Farid and Sally Alkhafaji at the Chemical and Materials Engineering Department of the School of Engineering, the…
Since 2002, the need for electronics-grade phosphoric acid as an etching agent for semiconductors in flat screens (liquid-crystal displays) has increased five fold, according to Thierry Vassalo, general manager at Febex S.A. (Box, Switzerland; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6519-545). In order to reduce manufacturing…
Reinforced PVC makes a kink-free hose Kink- and crush-resistant Vardex hose (photo) for both pressure and vacuum applications is now available from this manufacturer. Made of clear PVC with steel wire reinforcement, Vardex is suitable for either fluid…
Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6519-549) has launched its next-generation PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resin, tradenamed ParaStar, which is made using the company’s proprietary IntegRex technology (CE, October 2004, p. 15). ParaStar is a drop-in replacement for standard PET on bottle-manufacturing…