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Hexpol acquires Italian thermoplastics manufacturer Vipa Group
HEXPOL AB (Malmö, Sweden) announced that it has acquired 100% of the Italian company Vipa Group (Ancarano, Italy). The company is one of Europe's leading developers and manufacturers of high-quality thermoplastic compounds with focus on the fast-growing Wire & Cable…
AGC transfers shares of polymer material business to Saint-Gobain
AGC Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) has entered into a share transfer agreement with Saint-Gobain K.K. (Tokyo, Japan), the Japanese subsidiary of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. (Courbevoie, France). Under the agreement, AGC will transfer all of its shares in AGC Polymer Material…
ADM to expand oilseed crush capacity to meet North American renewable fuels demand
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. (ADM; Chicago, Illinois), a global leader in innovative solutions from nature, announced a series of investments designed to expand North American oilseed crush capacity and strengthen the company's ability to meet growing demand for renewable fuels and other…
Lallemand and Braskem launch bio-acetone coproduction platform for corn-ethanol industry
Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits (LBDS; Montreal, Queb., Canada), a global leader in yeast, enzymes, microbials and nutrition, and Braskem (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas and global leader in the production of biopolymers on an industrial…
Bp completes sale of Gelsenkirchen refinery to Klesch Group
bp plc (London, England) has completed the sale of its Gelsenkirchen refinery and related businesses to Klesch Group (London, England). The transaction supports bp's continued focus on disciplined capital allocation and is also expected to lower underlying operating expenditure by…
This new chemisorption system supports catalyst characterization
The Autosorb 3300 system introduces a new generation of flow chemisorption analysis designed to make advanced catalyst characterization more accessible, reproducible and efficient. Autosorb supports key chemisorption techniques used in catalyst research, development and quality control, including temperature-programmed reactions, pulse…
Precise molecular order results in remarkably thin monofilaments
A materials-science breakthrough for the production of ultra-fine monofilaments is now being commercialized by startup firm Z-Polymers (Lowell, Mass.; www.z-polymers.com). The company’s Tullomer-branded monofilaments support exceptionally thin functional fibers with low creep and shrinkage, while exhibiting extremely high mechanical strength…
Field trials demonstrate the ability of novel scavenger to remove H2S from natural gas
Field demonstration trials of a novel method for removing hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from natural gas were recently completed in the Permian basin (Texas, USA). The trials demonstrated the ability of the technology, known as ECOTREAT®, to remove H2S from gas…
Low-energy carbon capture using food-production byproducts
Direct-air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is required to meet climate goals, but highly effective and inexpensive DAC remains elusive. Researchers at ETH Zurich (www.ethz.ch) have developed a novel approach using waste proteins from dairy and tofu…
Spark ablation technology cuts iridium use by 90% in PEM water electrolysis
Proton-exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis holds significant promise for “green” hydrogen production, but broader adoption hinges on reducing dependence on costly platinum-group metals, such as iridium. A new production method for ultra-thin nanoporous layers developed by VSParticle B.V. (VSP; Delft,…