Chemical Engineering
Seawater-derived solids can serve as carbon-negative components of concrete
Aggregate — solid materials like sand, gravel and crushed stone — is combined with cement to make concrete, the world’s most widely used human-made material. But sand is in short supply, so there is a need for alternate materials to…
New production facility for high-purity graphene announced in Texas
A new facility in Texas to manufacture high-purity graphene powder from acetylene has been announced by HydroGraph Clean Power Inc. (Vancouver, B.C.; www.hydrograph.com). At capacity, the facility will generate thousands of metric tons per year of sp2-bonded powdered graphene with…
Pilot planned for electrochemical extraction of REEs and other critical metals
Construction is planned for a pilot plant that will demonstrate a modular electrochemical technology for extracting rare-earth elements (REEs) and nickel from industrial wastes, such as coal ash. The startup Blueshift (Boston, Mass.; www.buildblueshift.com) recently announced venture capital funds that…
SAFs from multiple feedstocks at lower cost
A pilot project completed at the end of last year demonstrated the ability of a technology to convert a range of feedstocks into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at lower cost than current ethanol-to-jet (ETJ) processes. Universal Fuel Technologies (UniFuel; Los…
SUEZ commissions one of China’s largest desalination plants
SUEZ (Paris, France) has commissioned China’s largest industrial membrane-based seawater desalination plant for Wanhua Chemical’s Penglai Industrial Park to support industrial needs while conserving scarce water resources A landmark seawater desalination plant, designed and built by SUEZ for Wanhua Chemical…
DuPont to launch its spinoff electronics business under the name Qnity Electronics
DuPont (Wilmington, Del.) announced Qnity Electronics, Inc. as the name of the planned independent Electronics public company that will be created through the intended spin-off of its Electronics business*. As a pure-play electronics materials company, Qnity will be one of…
Stepan starts up alkoxylation facility in Pasadena, Tx.
Stepan Co. (Northbrook, Ill.) announced the start of production at a new alkoxylation facility in Pasadena, Texas, which began in early April. This milestone marks a significant achievement for the startup team, including Stepan employees and contractors, who have collectively…
BASF to construct new semiconductor-grade sulfuric acid plant in Ludwigshafen
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) will expand its production capacity for semiconductor-grade sulfuric acid (H2SO4), which is an essential ultra-pure chemical. The new production facility at its Ludwigshafen site in Germany will feature cutting-edge purity capabilities to serve growing demand for…
Perstorp inaugurates new specialty chemicals laboratory in China
Perstorp AB (Malmö, Sweden) and BRB, wholly-owned subsidiaries of PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG), inaugurated a new innovation hub in Shanghai, China. This advanced laboratory will support growth in the region by increasing technical support for customers with a specific…
thyssenkrupp Uhde and Praj Industries to partner on polylactic acid production
thyssenkrupp Uhde’s polymer specialist subsidiary Uhde Inventa-Fischer (UIF) and Praj Industries Ltd. (PIL; Pune, India) announced a strategic partnership to jointly offer an end-to-end integrated technology for the production of Polylactic Acid (PLA). This strategic partnership offers a unique, seamless…