Total (Paris, France; www.total.com) has started up production at the La Mède biorefinery in southeastern France, with the first batches of biofuel coming off the line. It is the final step in converting a former oil refinery into a new…
Cabot Corporation (Boston, Mass.; www.cabotcorp.com) announced that the company has successfully closed the previously announced transaction to divest its specialty fluids business to Sinomine (Hong Kong) Rare Metals Resources Co. Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinomine Resource Group…
Celanese Corporation (Dallas, Tex.; www.celanese.com), a global chemical and specialty materials company, today announces a further consolidation of its global acetate manufacturing operations by initiating the shutdown of its manufacturing facility in Ocotlán, Jalisco, Mexico. The consolidation is designed…
Berry Global Group, Inc. (Evansville, Ind.; www.berryglobal.com), today announced the completion of its acquisition of RPC Group Plc (RPC) for a purchase price of approximately $6.5 billion, which includes approximately $4.3 billion of cash paid for the equity interest in…
KBR, Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com) has been awarded a contract by Qingdao Haiwan Chemical Co., Ltd. (Haiwan Chemical) to license KBR's leading phenol and acetone technology for a new phenol and acetone plant in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China. Under the…
The following list is a selection of recently published books with relevance for the chemical process industries (CPI), July 2019 Guidelines for Investigating Process Safety Incidents, 3rd ed. By the Center for Chemical Process Safety, Wiley/AIChE Publishing, 2019, 408 pages,…
Heterogeneous catalysis in industrial processes involves a complicated set of physical and chemical phenomena that help lead to products. This one-page reference provides information about the formation of products in an industrial process using solid catalyst materials. Catalyst materials…
A number of factors are involved in selecting the right intermediate bulk container (IBC). An overview is presented here An intermediate bulk container (IBC) is a large package for transporting chemicals into a plant or products from the plant. IBCs…
Water-treatment programs for cooling towers have evolved in recent years, favoring non-phosphorus programs today. This article reviews the impact on water chemistry and operating reliability Cooling towers are a critical component of many industrial facilities. Cooling towers evaporate only pure…
Several methods and calculations are available for determining particle size and particle-size distribution. This article provides and overview on how to use them The behavior of particulate material is greatly dependent on its geometric properties, including particle size, shape and…