Chemical Engineering
Using waste plastic to simultaneously make graphene and hydrogen
Building off of a process to efficiently manufacture graphene (see Chem. Eng., April 2022, p. 9), a team of researchers from Rice University (Houston, www.rice.edu) have uncovered that the process can be easily altered to also produce a nearly pure…
The first H2-fired low-NOx burner for traveling-grate pelletizing plants
Last month, Metso Corp. (Espoo, Finland; www.mogroup.com) introduced a hydrogen-variant of its Ferroflame LowNOx burners as part of its NextGen Pelletizing plant product range. It is a first-of-its-kind burner to run on H2 and to operate on the LowNOx combustion…
Business News: November 2023
Plant Watch BASF to build a new fermentation plant in Ludwigshafen October 12, 2023 — BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) is investing in a new fermentation plant for biological crop-protection products, such as fungicides, insecticides and seed treatments, at its…
Clariant to acquire cosmetics business from IFF
Clariant AG (Muttenz, Switzerland) announced that it has agreed to acquire Lucas Meyer Cosmetics, a leading provider of high value ingredients for the cosmetics and personal care industry, from International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) for a total cash consideration of…
Nouryon begins production at microspheres plant in Wisconsin
Nouryon (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) has started full-scale production at its new Expancel expandable microspheres plant in Green Bay, Wisconsin, US. The launch of the new plant is an important milestone to better serve specialty additives customers in North America in…
Busch Vacuum Solutions acquires centrotherm clean solutions
Busch Vacuum Solutions has acquired centrotherm clean solutions, one of the technology leaders in industrial-gas abatement systems. The strategic acquisition underlines the commitment of Busch Vacuum Solutions and Pfeiffer Vacuum to sustainability and will help to further strengthen the position…
Toray begins production at filter manufacturing plant in India
Toray Industries, Inc. (Tokyo) announced that a new facility at subsidiary Toray Industries (India) Private Limited began producing air filters earlier this month. These offerings for air purifiers and automotive and building air conditioners and air conditioners minimize pressure losses…
Asahi Kasei to expand global capacity for LIB separator coating
Asahi Kasei Corp. (Tokyo) will invest in additional equipment for coating Hipore lithium-ion battery (LIB) separators. New coating lines will be installed at existing Asahi Kasei LIB separator facilities in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, with start-up scheduled…
Sandvik acquires tungsten manufacturer in New York
Sandvik AB (Stockholm, Sweden) has signed an agreement to acquire Buffalo Tungsten, Inc. (BTI), a leading U.S. based manufacturer of tungsten metal powder and tungsten carbide powder, primarily operating in North America. The company will be reported within the business…
Fluor awarded FEED contract for world’s first industrial-scale sodium-ion battery production facility
Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.) announced that its Advanced Technologies & Life Sciences business line has been selected by Altris AB to provide front-end engineering and design (FEED) services for the world’s first industrial-scale sodium-ion battery production facility in Sandviken, Sweden.…