Chemical Engineering
BASF expands dispersions production capacity in Durban, South Africa
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) has expanded production capacity for dispersions at its site in Durban, South Africa, strengthening the company’s ability to supply customers with high-quality dispersions used in architectural coatings, construction materials and the paper industry. The significant capacity…
Lonza to divest Capsules & Health Ingredients business
Lonza AG (Basel, Switzerland) has entered into a definitive agreement to divest its Capsules & Health Ingredients (CHI) business to Lone Star Funds (“Lone Star”) for an enterprise value of CHF 2.3 billion (USD 3 billion). Lonza will realize upfront…
BASF sells selected hydrosulfite-related assets to Silox
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) and Silox s.a. (Engis, Belgium) have entered into a definitive agreement under which Silox acquires selected hydrosulfite-related assets from BASF. The transaction comprises specific assets, including intellectual property rights, special containers, selected production equipment, technical expertise,…
Syensqo and Johnson Matthey demonstrate recovery and reuse of platinum-group metals from fuel-cell and electroyzer components
Syensqo (Brussels, Belgium; www.syensqo.com) and Johnson Matthey (London, U.K.; www.matthey.com) have demonstrated a viable pathway to recover and reuse platinum group metals (PGMs) and ionomers from proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell and electrolyzer components without compromising performance. The results,…
Turnkey Integration Improves Reliability & Efficiency in Bulk Processing Systems
This white paper explains how turnkey system integration improves reliability, efficiency, and product consistency in bulk processing operations. It highlights how Carrier Process Equipment Group (CPEG) combines expertise across drying, conveying, blending, thermal processing, and dust collection to engineer fully…
A faster, lower-temperature method for generating graphite with iron-oxide catalyst
Traditional methods for making graphite involve heating premium needle coke and coal-tar pitch at temperatures above 3,000ºC in a process that requires several days of heating and cooling. A new process developed by researchers at the National Energy Technology Laboratory…
Pilot plant launched for process that makes lime sustainably from industrial waste
Calcining limestone (CaCO3) to produce lime (CaO) is a key industrial process for making cement, steel and chemicals, among other uses. Lime production is a target for CO2-abatement efforts because it generates a great deal of CO2 emissions, not only…
Organic flow-battery electrolyte powered by a supramolecular “handshake”
Flow batteries have been widely deployed in large-scale energy-storage applications in recent years, but the low energy density and high cost of the incumbent vanadium electrolyte limit the long-term return on investment of such systems. A new organic redox flow-battery…
Editor Commentary: Inflection point for interoperability
The idea of vendor-neutral industrial control systems built on open standards that allow for interoperability among hardware and software components has been swirling within the industrial automation industry for the past 12 years, but progress toward this objective to date…
Business News: March 2026
Plant Watch Solstice Advanced Materials to expand uranium conversion site in Illinois February 11, 2026 — Solstice Advanced Materials (Morris Plains, N.J.; www.solstice.com) has invested in debottlenecking projects at its facility in Metropolis Works, Ill., resulting in a production expansion…