Latest News
TPC Group completes initial phase of di-isobutylene expansion
TPC Group (Houston) has announced that it has completed the initial phase of its di-isobutylene (DIB) capacity upgrade to supply the growing global demand for DIB driven by the adoption of low global warming potential refrigerants. These next-generation refrigerants are…
Stratasys sells urethane manufacturing facilities in California
3D printing solutions provider Stratasys Ltd. (Eden Prairie, Minn.) announced that on August 31, 2023 it completed the sale of the Stratasys Direct, Inc. (“Stratasys Direct”) urethane facilities located in Poway, California to the Lamarjean Group, dba as PolyCraft Tech.…
BASF and ZeroAvia partner to advance hydrogen fuel cells
BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions (ECMS), a global leader in precious metal services and catalysis, and ZeroAvia, the leader in zero-emission propulsion solutions for commercial aviation, have signed an agreement for the supply of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) and…
Predictive Maintenance Basics
Enabled by modern digitalization tools, predictive maintenance strategies have distinct advantages over traditional approaches and preventive maintenance protocols The era of visual-inspection-only maintenance routines with an employee checking boxes off on a clipboard could soon become a relic thanks to…
Piloting a chemical-recycling process for polycarbonate plastics
Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) has developed a chemolysis process for recycling polycarbonate back into monomers. In laboratory trials, the process has been shown to recycle waste streams with more than 50% polycarbonate content into monomers, closing the loop to…
Immobilizing enzymes as a stable, active foam
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; Germany; www.kit.edu) have developed a new class of materials — enzyme foams. Normally, foaming modifies the enzyme structure and enzymes lose their biocatalytic activity. The new protein foams, however, are said to…
Unlocking the commercial feasibility of graphene-based water sensors
A new, non-intrusive screening method developed by researchers from the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) at the University of Chicago (pme.uchicago.edu), as well as Argonne National Laboratory (Lemont, Ill.; www.anl.gov) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (www.uwm.edu), shows promise for…
Business News: October 2023
Plant Watch OCI Global to double U.S. production capacity for ‘green’ methanol September 14, 2023 — OCI Global N.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.oci-global.com) plans to double its green-methanol production capacity to approximately 400,000 metric tons per year (m.t/yr) in Beaumont,…
Seawater electrolysis stabilizes and immobilizes atmospheric carbon dioxide
Seawater is being used in a new electrolysis scheme for carbon dioxide removal (CDR), while also producing hydrogen as a byproduct. Developed by Equatic (Los Angeles, Calif.; www.equatic.tech), the platform draws seawater into a closed electrolysis system, taking advantage of…
Chemenator Briefs
Carbon Capture Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR; Newark, Calif.; www.mtrinc.com) Carbon Capture announced it has commenced construction of a large pilot plant at the Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC) in Gillette, Wyoming. When operational in 2024, it will be…