Koch Membrane Systems (KMS; Wilmington, Mass.; www.kochmembrane.com), a global leader in membrane filtration technologies, announced in conjunction with Archer Daniel Midlands Co. (ADM; Chicago, Ill.; www.adm.com) the planned upgrade of the water treatment plant for ADM’s Southern Cellulose facility in…
Huntsman Corp. (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.huntsman.com) announced that it has completed the acquisition of IFS Chemicals Limited (IFS), one of the U.K.’s leading independent formulators of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) based systems. The purchase price was not disclosed. Located in…
The American Chemistry Council’s (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) shows that the first quarter ended on a soft note, with headline global production slipping back 0.1 percent in March, as measured on a three-month…
The following is a list of recently published books relevant to the chemical process industries (CPI) Standards for Air-Cooled Condensers, 2nd ed., By the Heat Exchange Institute (HEI), 2017, $450.00. Membrane Characterization, Edited by Nidal Hilal and others, Elsevier, 2017,…
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB; Washington, D.C.; www.csb.gov) is a federal agency that is charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The Board was created to operate independently of other agencies and its principal role, as described on its website,…
Control Engineering for Chemical Engineers The March 2017 Chemical Engineering issue features the article “Control Engineering for Chemical Engineers” [pp. 42–50]. The author has brought up an interesting topic that should concern everybody working at any chemical processing facility. I…
Construction has been completed on a 1,000-ton/yr facility to produce surfactants — mainly sucrose esters for use as additives in dairy products and beverages. The plant will be operated by TMT Co. — a joint venture (JV) established by Microwave…
Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) running on hydrogen are an attractive proposition, particularly as a power source for motor vehicles. In situ release of the required H2 from a stable liquid ensures its safe storage and transportation before use.…
A new fuel-upgrading catalyst for petroleum refineries has several features that boost sustainability and minimize environmental impact. In March, specialty chemical maker Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com) launched PolyMax 850, a new generation of its PolyMax catalyst series. The new catalyst,…
Biopharmaceutical companies — especially those involved in manufacturing vaccines — spend a lot of effort and money to remove host cell nucleic acid (DNA and RNA) impurities from fermentation batches. The total downstream processing costs can account for up to…