To reduce dependency on petroleum-based plastics, thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG (Essen, Germany; www.thyssenkrupp-industrial-solutions.com) has developed a new manufacturing process for producing the biopolymer polylactide (PLA). The company is now building the first commercial plant based on its patented PLA neo…
New process technology from Chemetry (Moss Landing, Calif.; www.chemetrycorp.com) aims to revitalize the chlor-alkali product chain by manufacturing ethylene dichloride (EDC) and caustic using much less power than conventional processes. Through an exclusive licensing and engineering agreement, Technip (Paris, France;…
Phenpropanone monomers can be produced from lignin via an enzymatic process developed by Yukari Ohta and coworkers at the R&D Center for Marine Biosciences, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (Yokosuka City; www.jamstec.go.jp), in collaboration with National Defense Academy,…
A patented, inline absorption system has been developed and field-tested by ExxonMobil (Houston; www.exxonmobil.com), and has just been licensed to Sulzer Chemtech (Winterthur, Switzerland; www.sulzer.com). Because the tradenamed cMIST technology operates inside pipes, it replaces the need for conventional methods…
Cyclohexasilane 3DIcon Corp. (Tulsa, Okla.; www.3dicon.net) has signed a supply agreement with Gelest Inc. (Morrisville, Pa.; www.gelest.com) to produce cyclohexasilane (CHS) at pilot scale using 3DIcon’s newly developed CHS process. 3DIcon’s process (see CE, Sept. 2016, p. 9; www.chemengonline.com/new-process-cyclohexasilane-offers-lower-cost-improved-safety) offers a…
HVAC cooling tower A newly introduced cooling tower for building heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) has both its structural casing and fill made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) resin that contains additives designed to prevent the growth of microorganisms and…
Gas Innovations (La Porte, Tex.; www.gasinnovations.com) has signed a 15-year, pay-per-use agreement with Haldor Topsøe A/S (Topsøe; Lyngby, Denmark; www.topsoe.com) for a second on-site carbon-monoxide production unit, using Topsøe’s electrolytic Carbon Monoxide solution (eCOs) technology. The first eCOs unit in…
Scientists from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST; Ulsan, South Korea; www.unist.ac.kr), led by Prof Jae Sung Son, have succeeded in producing high-performance, solid-state thermoelectric (TE) materials with liquid-like properties that can be easily brush-painted on surfaces of…
A collaboration between ExxonMobil Chemical Co. (EMCC; Spring, Tex.; www.exxonmobilchemical.com) and Thanh Phu Plastic Packaging Co. (TPPP; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; www.thanhphupack.com) has resulted in the development and commercialization of laminate packaging materials that can be collected and recycled…
Large supermarkets routinely waste 500 lb of food daily from past-due produce, deli and meat scraps and other sources. A new process developed by California Safe Soil (CSS; McClellan, Calif.; www.calsafesoil.com) converts the nutrient-rich waste food into a liquid fertilizer…