Plant Watch Roquette launches isosorbide production unit in France April 10, 2015 — Roquette Freres (Lestrem, France; www.roquette.com) has started operations at a new unit for the production of isosorbide at its site in Lestrem. The new unit will produce…
Plant Watch Arkema to expand production of PEKK specialty polymer in the U.S. and France March 9, 2015 — Arkema (Colombes, France; www.arkema.com) plans to double production capacity for poly-ether-ketone-ketone (PEKK) polymer in France in the first half of 2016.…
Plant Watch Prayon to build food-grade sodium hexametaphosphate plant in Georgia February 11, 2015 — Prayon S.A. (Engis, Belgium; www.prayon.com) plans to build a manufacturing plant for food-grade sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) in Augusta, Ga. Projected capacity of the new SHMP…
Plant Watch Dresser-Rand, Ener-Core to provide cogeneration system to Pacific Ethanol January 12, 2015 — Dresser-Rand (Houston; www.dresser-rand.com) will install a 3.5-MW cogeneration system at Pacific Ethanol Inc.’s (Sacramento, Calif.; www.pacificethanol.com) ethanol-production plant in Stockton, Calif. The system will utilize…
Voids in Materials: From Unavoidable Defects to Designed Cellular Materials. By Gary M. Gladysz and Krishan K. Chawla. Elsevier Inc., 225 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA 02144. Web: elsevier.com. 2014. 214 pages. $175.00. How Safe is Safe Enough? Technological Risks, Real…
Greene’s Energy Group LLC (Houston), a provider of testing services, equipment rentals and specialty services for the oil-and-gas industry, names Robert Fraser regional business-development manager, based in Dubai. Philippe Sauquet becomes president of refining and chemicals, and a member of…
PLANT WATCH Bayer MaterialScience inaugurates TDI plant in Dormagen December 9, 2014 — At its site in Dormagen, Germany, Bayer MaterialScience AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.materialscience.bayer.de) has started up a new production plant for toluene diisocyanate (TDI). Valued at around €250…
KBR Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com) has signed an agreement with PT Rekayasa Industri (REKIND) to provide ammonia technology in the Indonesian, Southeast Asian and Asian markets. Under this agreement, REKIND will exclusively promote and license KBR’s proprietary ammonia technology, along with…
Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) is increasing resin production capacity at its plant in Panoli, Gujarat state in India, by 25% to support strong demand for its innovative ultra-high performance polymers KetaSpire and AvaSpire. Solvay's Global Business Unit Specialty Polymers…
KBR Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com) recently won a contract, by Lotte Chemical Titan (M) SDN. BHD., to provide licensing and basic engineering design services to revamp an existing steam-cracker plant in the Asia Pacific Region. Under the terms of the contract,…