Saint-Gobain S.A. (Courbevoie, France) is reinforcing its construction chemicals portfolio with three new acquisitions: Interstar Materials in North America; Isoltech in Italy; and Soquimic in Peru. Interstar Materials is a leading North American manufacturer of high-performance pigments for all segments…
Clariant AG (Muttenz, Switzerland) announced that it has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shanghai Boiler Works, a full subsidiary of Shanghai Electric, specializing in energy conversion and the development of new energy applications, to jointly foster innovation in sustainable…
Linde plc (Dublin, Ireland) announced it has commissioned one of the world’s largest helium-storage caverns, further strengthening long-term reliability in this critical global market. The storage facility, located in Beaumont, Texas, has a capacity of more than three billion cubic…
Versalis, Eni’s chemical company, and Acea Ambiente, a subsidiary of Acea operating in integrated waste management and energy recovery sectors, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Adriano Alfani, CEO of Versalis, and Gabriele Di Cintio, CEO…
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB; Washington, D.C.; www.csb.gov) is sending a team to investigate the fatal explosion at the Horizon Biofuels facility in Fremont, Nebraska, that occurred on July 29. The facility is approximately 30 miles…
Due to rising demand and widespread supply-chain turmoil, researchers around the world are investigating creative methods to obtain rare-earth elements (REEs) and other critical minerals and metals (CMMs). The ash from combusting coal has previously been seen as a potential…
Reducing wear on pneumatic conveying lines This company’s Smart Elbow® serves to deflect high-speed solid material in pneumatic conveying lines, thus minimizing abrasion and wear on the surface of the pipe. The design is an alternative to a traditional sweep…
Magnesium metal is a critical ingredient for aluminum alloys and it is widely used for desulfurization in steelmaking processes. Most magnesium metal is produced in China via high-energy-consumption processes. Now, technology company Magrathea (San Francisco, Calif.; www.magratheametals.com) has developed a…
Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composites are attractive materials for applications requiring lightweight, strong components, such as aviation and automotive. However, their performance has been partially limited by the bonds between the polymer matrix and the embedded carbon fibers. Now, researchers at Oak…
Wastewater from dairy processing facilities can be extremely challenging to treat — not only does the effluent usually contain high volumes of solids, minerals and organic matter, these loads can vary widely from hour to hour. A large cheese-processing facility…