Chemical Engineering
Petrofac secures EPC contract for refinery upgrade in Lithuania
Petrofac Ltd. (St. Helier, U.K.) has secured an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) lump sum contract from ORLEN Lietuva, as it continues to support a comprehensive modernisation, environmental upgrade, and expansion Programme at the Mažeikiai Refinery in North-West Lithuania. The…
Grace starts up three PP reactor lines in China, signs new license with PetroChina
W.R. Grace & Co (Grace; Columbia, Md.) announced the successful start-up of several polypropylene (PP) reactor lines in China. Dongguan Grand Resource Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (Dongguan Grand Resource) started up its second plant (consisting of two reactor lines)…
LyondellBasell takes full ownership of QCP joint venture with acquisition of Veolia’s stake
LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) and Veolia Belgium have signed an agreement to restructure the ownership of Quality Circular Polymers (QCP) BV recycling facilities, with locations in Belgium and the Netherlands. Veolia will sell its 50% share to LyondellBasell…
Suncor to acquire TotalEnergies EP Canada for around $4 billion
Suncor Energy Inc. (Calgary, Alta. Canada) has agreed to acquire the entirety of the shares of TotalEnergies EP Canada Ltd for a consideration including a C$5.5 billion cash payment at closing (about US$4.1 billion) and additional payments that could reach…
AnoxKaldnes to deliver world’s largest MBBR wastewater-treatment system in Sweden
AnoxKaldnes, a subsidiary of Veolia focused on moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) based solutions, will supply its space-saving and capacity-increasing solution to support the upgrade of Käppalaverket (Käppala wastewater treatment plant) in Lidingö in Sweden, owned by Käppalaförbundet (Käppala Association). The…
Optimizing CIP for membrane filtration plants
Membrane filtration plants are often used in the food and dairy industry to separate or concentrate substances without thermal stress. Until now, cleaning-in-place (CIP) operations for this equipment was energy- and water-intensive, requiring three or four individual cleaning steps with…
New compressor design for H2 is leak-proof and improves efficiency
A newly developed hydrogen compressor has a linear motor design and is hermetically sealed to increase the efficiency of H2 compression while avoiding potential problems associated with H2, such as leaks and embrittlement. The linear motor-driven reciprocating compressor (LMRC), developed…
Combining photo- and mechanochemistry for ‘greener’ synthesis
Solvents are commonly used for performing photochemical reactions. Many of these solvents are toxic, and require additional downstream processing to purify the product and treat waste. Now, by combining light with mechanical energy in ball mills, researchers at Ruhr University…
Business News: May 2023
Plant Watch Evonik plans to double global PEBA production capacity April 14, 2023 — Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) is doubling its global capacity for polyether block amide (PEBA) with a twofold approach, including a major expansion of its…
How Protective is Your PPE?
As process technologies — and their associated risks to workers — evolve, personal protective equipment must continue to push the boundaries in both functionality and comfort Personal protective equipment (PPE) — helmets, fire-resistant clothing, gloves, goggles and so on —…