Chemical Engineering
Facts At Your Fingertips: Liquid-Liquid Extraction Basics
Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) is a separation technique that exploits differences in the relative solubility of compounds of interest (the solute) in two immiscible liquids — most often an aqueous phase and an organic solvent. This one-page reference reviews basic information…
Simultaneous Pump and System Sizing
Flow analysis can aid in simultaneously sizing pumps and associated piping systems. The concurrent sizing can reduce wasted energy and improve pump reliability In the chemical process industries (CPI), a variety of incredible process-simulation tools are available to provide greater…
Iridium-free electrolysis demonstrated for stable hydrogen production
The necessity for precious metals, such as iridium, in water-splitting catalysts is a major challenge in the feasibility of large-scale production of hydrogen using electrolysis. Now, a team of researchers from Rice University (Houston; www.rice.edu) has developed a mechanism for…
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…