Chemical Engineering
Chem Chronicles: Discovery and Re-discovery of Mechanochemistry
A reclusive expert of 19th-century photography laid the foundation for mechanochemistry, a once-ignored field that is re-emerging in ‘green chemistry’ applications For decades in the late 1800s, Carey Lea had been fascinated by the chemistry of photography, and had studied…
Scaling Up Hydrogenation Processes for Biomass Conversion
When scaling up new processes involving complex feedstocks, such as biomass, well-defined mixing is key. Guidelines presented here will help to efficiently move biomass hydrogenation reactions from the laboratory to commercial-scale operations One of the most promising pathways to biomass-based,…
Monitoring and Control Improves Dust Handling
As dust collection becomes an integral part of chemical processes, monitoring and other technologies promote efficiency and performance Dust control has always been important in the chemical process industries (CPI) due to the often toxic and combustible nature of the…
Covestro starts up NDI plant in Thailand
Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany) recently started up the production of Naphthylen-Diisocyanate (NDI) for the Vulkollan raw material at a newly built plant in its Map Ta Phut site in Thailand. The groundbreaking of the plant happened almost exactly two years…
Invista inaugurates adiponitrile plant at Shanghai Chemical Industry Park
Invista (Wichita, Kan.) announced that INVISTA Nylon Chemicals (China) Co. held the inauguration ceremony for its new adiponitrile (ADN) plant at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP). Being a critical part of INVISTA’s integrated nylon 6,6 value chain, the plant,…
LG Chem to build $3-billion cathode plant in Tennessee
LG Chem (Seoul, South Korea) announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the state of Tennessee to establish a new cathode manufacturing facility in Clarksville with an investment of more than $3 billion. The new plant in…
BASF Coatings inaugurates Surface Treatment site in China
The Surface Treatment global business unit of BASF’s Coatings division, operating under the Chemetall brand, announced the inauguration of its state-of-the-art surface treatment production site in Pinghu City, Zhejiang Province, China. Spanning across 60,000 square meters, the Pinghu site is…
Mitsui Chemicals announces demonstration facility for new carbon-fiber manufacturing process
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo) and Microwave Chemical Co. Ltd. (Suita, Japan) announced that they have decided to set up a new demonstration facility within Mitsui Chemicals’ Nagoya Works. The facility will demonstrate basic technology relating to the manufacture of eco-friendly…
LyondellBasell is evaluating propylene capacity expansion near Houston
LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) announced it is evaluating the expansion of its propylene production capacity at its Channelview Complex near Houston, TX. The potential expansion would involve building a new propylene facility using LyondellBasell's existing technology to convert…
Chevron Phillips Chemical and QatarEnergy to construct integrated polymers facility on U.S. Gulf Coast
Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LLC (CPChem; The Woodlands, Tex.) and QatarEnergy announced that they are proceeding with the construction of an $8.5 billion integrated polymers facility in Orange, Texas, expected to create more than 500 full-time jobs and approximately 4,500…