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DPT:  Coal-to-SNG project in China

Davy Process Technology (DPT; London; www.davyprotech.com), part of Johnson Matthey Plc, is pleased to announce that it has entered into contracts with Xinwen Mining Group Co. for a plant to produce Substitute Natural Gas (SNG) from coal. The scope of…

KBR awarded Petrobras contract for ammonia plant

KBR (Houston; www.kbr.com) announced today that it was awarded a contract from Petrobras (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; www.petrobras.com) to provide licensing, engineering and technical consulting services for the development of an ammonia plant in Tres Lagoas, Brazil. KBR will license…

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DSM & Roquette: bio-based succinic acid JV

Royal DSM N.V. (Heerlen, the Netherlands; www.dsm.com) and Roquette Frères (Lestrem, France; www.roquette.com) have signed a joint-venture (JV) agreement for the production, commercialization and market development of bio-based succinic acid, subject to regulatory approvals and notifications. The formation of the JV…

DOE: $24 million for algal biofuels research

The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE; Washington, D.C.; www.energy.gov) announced today the investment of up to $24 million for three research groups to tackle key hurdles in the commercialization of algae-based biofuels. The selections will support the development of a…

PSE releases gPROMS v3.3

Process Systems Enterprise Ltd. (PSE; London, U.K.; www.psenterprise.com), providers of the world-leading gPROMS advanced process modeling (APM) software and related services, today released gPROMS version 3.3. gPROMS v3.3 continues PSE’s philosophy of advancing the frontiers of high-fidelity predictive process modeling…

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BASF to buy Cognis

BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has reached an agreement with Cognis Holding Luxembourg S.à r.l. controlled by Permira Funds, GS Capital Partners and SV Life Sciences to acquire the specialty chemicals company Cognis for an equity purchase price of €700…

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M+W Group opens first Li-ion battery factory

The engineering and construction company M+W Group (formerly M+W Zander; Stuttgart, Germany; www.mwgroup.net) has successfully completed its first order to build a lithium-ion battery plant. In Varkaus, Finland the Finnish battery manufacturer European Batteries Oy has commissioned its new factory…

Global chemical output expected to rise 7.2% in 2010, ACC says 

Global chemical output is expected to grow 7.2% in 2010, the American Chemistry Council (Arlington, Va.; www.americanchemistry.com) says in its just released 2nd Quarter 2010 Situation & Outlook report. The anticipated 2010 gain will be followed by a more moderate 5.0%…

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KBR: Grassroots ammonia plant in Argentina  

KBR, Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com) has been awarded a contract by Tierra Del Fuego Power & Chemical Co., Ltd. to provide licensing and process design for a grassroots ammonia plant in Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina. KBR will license its conventional ammonia…

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Praxair China signs agreement with Evergreen Solar

Praxair (China) Investment Co. (Shanghai; www.praxair.cn) has signed a multi-year agreement with Evergreen Solar Energy China Co. to supply bulk industrial gases for its solar wafer manufacturing facility in Wuhan, China. Evergreen Solar develops, manufactures and markets solar-power products based…