Chemical Engineering
Honeywell doubles production capacity for Solstice ze in Baton Rouge
Honeywell International Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.) announced its Baton Rouge, LA., facility has doubled production capacity of Honeywell Solstice ze (HFO-1234ze), an ultra-low-global-warming-potential (GWP) and energy-efficient solution compared to other current technologies. Solstice ze is used in foam insulation, as an aerosol…
DSM begins construction of new manufacturing plant in Scotland
Royal DSM N.V. (Herleen, the Netherlands) began construction of a new manufacturing facility at its site in Dalry, Scotland. The plant will significantly increase global production of Bovaer, DSM’s unique methane-reducing feed additive for cattle. In an official groundbreaking ceremony…
Elementis sells its Chromium business
Elementis plc (London) announced that it has agreed to sell its Chromium business to Yildirim Group for an enterprise value of $170 million. The transaction includes the transfer of environmental liabilities of $35 million and other liabilities of $8m, with…
Recycling halogens electrochemically
Next April, a six-year, €4-million project will begin that aims to develop an electrochemical process to recover halogens (chlorine, bromine and fluorine) from waste products. Funded as part of the CZS Breakthrough program of the Carl Zeiss Foundation (CZS; Heidenheim…
Supercritical extraction drives ‘molecular washing machine’ for plastic waste
A new recycling process has been developed for scrap polypropylene (PP), a waste stream that is currently underserved by many plastics-recycling facilities. The process, developed by PureCycle (Orlando, Fla.; www.purecycle.com), aims to “wash the plastic molecules” using a series of…
Making more from mining water with electrowinning
A new electrowinning process is being field-trialed at the Prieska copper-zinc mine operated by Orion Minerals Ltd. (Melbourne, Australia; www.orionminerals.com.au) in South Africa, which will enable the production of valuable products, including calcium, magnesium, iron and others, from contaminated mine…
Pump Troubleshooting Using Video Analysis
By allowing maintenance professionals to visualize vibration on entire pump systems, video vibration analysis and motion magnification can help to rapidly diagnose vibration issues Video vibration analysis, and motion magnification in particular, is democratizing complex system-level vibration testing by making…
Driving Decarbonization at BASF’s Schwarzheide Production Site
At brownfield operating sites, energy-efficiency gains can be realized by modernizing power-generation equipment. Ideally, such projects can take place without fully shutting off power or halting plant operations Over the last two years, virtually every major chemical producer across the…
Business News Roundup: December 2022
Plant Watch Solvay resumes soda-ash expansion in Wyoming November 11, 2022 — Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) plans to resume the construction of its soda-ash capacity expansion in Green River, Wyo. The investment totals around $200 million, and the expansion…
Quantitative microbial monitoring for corrosion-relevant organisms
LuminUltra Technologies Ltd. (Fredericton, N.B., Canada; www.luminultra.com) recently launched a suite of DNA-based monitoring tools specifically designed to address organisms linked to microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). The collection enables industrial users to collect, prepare and test samples for a range…