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…
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…
Chementator Briefs [December 2022]
Li extraction A new technology is going to be introduced at the Schlumberger NeoLith Energy direct lithium-extraction (DLE) project in Clayton Valley, Nev. Developed by Gradiant Ventures (Boston, Mass.; www.gradiant.com), the technology enables high levels of lithium concentration (while simultaneously…
New smelting furnace enables the use of lower-grade ore in DRI ironmaking
In late October, Metso Outotec Corp. (Helsinki, Finland; www.mogroup.com) introduced the DRI (direct reduced iron) Smelting Furnace to substitute blast furnaces used in iron- and steelmaking. The furnace was developed to tolerate high-slag volumes, which are problematic for a conventional…
Using ‘coke’ to reduce CO2 emissions from steelmaking
Liberty Steel UK (LSUK; London; www.libertysteelgroup.com) has completed trials of ecoke — a sustainable new raw material that can replace anthracite, the main source of charge carbon used in the electric-arc furnace (EAF) of steelmaking, and reduce steel’s carbon footprint…
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…