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Chemical Engineering

KBR green ammonia technology selected for Lotte Chemical project in Malaysia

KBR, Inc. (Houston) announced that its K-GreeN technology has been selected by a consortium consisting of Lotte Chemical, KNOC (Korea National Oil Corp) and Samsung Engineering for Lotte Chemical’s H2biscus green ammonia project development in Sarawak, Malaysia. Under the terms…

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical to build new production facility for ophthalmic lens monomers

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. (MGC; Tokyo) has announced new capacity investment at the ophthalmic lens monomer IURESIN plant in Yokkaichi Plant (Yokkaichi City, Mie, Japan) and the sales launch of a bio-based lens monomer which is produced in the existing…

AGC Biologics to build one of Japan’s largest biomanufacturing sites in Yokohama

AGC Biologics Inc. (Bothell, Wash.) announced plans to construct a new manufacturing facility at AGC Inc.’s Yokohama Technical Center in Japan. The new site is a part of the company's strategic growth strategy to create more high-quality pharmaceutical development and…

Metso to build ferrochrome plant for FACOR in India

Metso Corp. (Espoo, Finland) and Ferro Alloys Corp. Ltd. (FACOR), part of Vedanta, have agreed on the design and delivery of a ferrochrome plant for FACOR’s expansion project in Bhadrak, Odisha, in India. The contract value of approximately EUR 80…

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Converting natural gas to alcohols using MOFs

Capturing natural gas from petroleum drilling wells is economically challenging, but would have positive environmental impacts because it would eliminate the need for flaring and could allow the hydrocarbons to be converted into useful chemicals. Now, research led by chemists…

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Direct molten-salt electroplating cuts battery costs

The extremely high material purity demanded for conventional lithium-ion battery manufacturing creates considerable costs for transporting and refining lithium and other raw materials. Through the development of a single-step electroplating process that uses lower-purity raw materials and a nanostructured-foam electrode…

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First commercial DAC facility in the U.S. captures CO2 for concrete

In November 2023, Heirloom Carbon Technologies (Tracy, Calif.; www.heirloomcarbon.com) unveiled the United States’ first commercial direct air capture (DAC) facility, which can capture up to 1,000 ton/yr of CO2. The process first uses renewable energy to remove CO2 from limestone…

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Fouling-immune membrane available for brackish-water RO applications

In November 2023, the first commercial test was initiated for a novel, fouling-immune membrane for brackish-water reverse osmosis (BWRO) applications through an early-access program. Membrane developer ZwitterCo (Woburn, Mass.; www.zwitterco.com) says its membrane is fouling-immune in cases where fouling of…

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Business News: January 2024

Plant Watch Trinseo inaugurates new PMMA depolymerization plant in Italy December 7, 2023 — Trinseo (Berwyn, Pa.; www.trinseo.com) inaugurated a new polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) depolymerization plant in Rho, Italy. This depolymerization operation will be designed to enable the efficient recycling…

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Cybersecurity Threats Prompt Proactive Approach

An evolving threat landscape for plant security is attracting more attention to the development of operational technology (OT)-specific cybersecurity programs, underlining the importance of collaboration and blurring the line between cyber- and physical security Cybersecurity threats against critical infrastructure sites,…