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Chemical Engineering

BASF and Hannong Chemicals announce JV for non-ionic surfactants

Subject to the approval of all relevant authorities, BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) and Hannong Chemicals are planning to establish a production joint venture “BASF Hannong Chemicals Solutions Ltd.”.  BASF will hold 51% and Hannong Chemicals 49% shareholding, in the proposed…

Orlen Unipetrol commissions dicyclopentadiene production unit

The ORLEN Unipetrol Group (Prague, Czech Republic) has commissioned a new production unit for dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), which will expand its product portfolio. DCPD, a liquid hydrocarbon, has a broad range of applications in the automotive industry, construction, electrical engineering, medicine,…

Fluor awarded two contracts for BASF’s Zhanjiang Verbund site project in China

Fluor Corporation (Irving, Tex.) announced today that the company was awarded two reimbursable engineering, procurement and construction management contracts by BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) for the ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol and infrastructure, offsites and utilities packages as part of the company’s…

Technip Energies awarded contract for Ineos Olefins’ ethane cracker in Antwerp

Technip Energies (Paris) has been awarded a large contract for the proprietary equipment supply for INEOS Olefins Belgium NV’s 1,450,000 ton/yr ethane cracker in Antwerp, Belgium. This latest award is in line with the company's early engagement strategy and consolidates…

LyondellBasell acquires Colortech da Amazonia

LyondellBasell (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) announced it has acquired Colortech da Amazonia, a manufacturer of color concentrates, additive masterbatches and mineral-filled compounds located in Manaus, Brazil. “As a well-respected producer of masterbatches, compounds and additives in Brazil, Colortech da Amazonia is…

Wet Surface Air Coolers For Cryogenic Systems

Condensing industrial refrigerants in cryogenic processes is a major contributor to energy consumption and has a direct impact on the production output of the facility. By condensing at lower temperatures, the Wet Surface Air Cooler allows for increased condensing capacity…

CPI Booklist: October 2022

October 2022: The following are recently published books that may be relevant for professionals working in the chemical process industries (CPI).  Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturing: Nondestructive Creation. By Girish Malhotra, deGruyter Press, 2022, 317 pages, $94.99 (e-book). Keys to Improving…

Water scarcity worsening

A few months ago, this column addressed the megadrought in the U.S. Southwest and the increasing concerns over water scarcity [ 1]. Since that time, the drought in that region of the U.S. has continued, further impacting communities across the…

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Engineering soybean plants to increase crop yield

For the first time, researchers have proven that multigene bioengineering of photosynthesis increases the yield of the major food crop soybean in field trials. An international collaborative team of the RIPE project (Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency), led by the University…

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Chementator Briefs [October 2022]

E-Cracking Last month, construction began on the world’s first demonstration plant for large-scale, electrically heated steam cracker furnaces. The demonstration plant will be fully integrated into one of the existing steam crackers at BASF’s Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. It…