axens invests €25 m in salindres

has reported net sales of $1801.7 M($1935.4 M for its fiscal 2009), ofwhich: Refining Technologiesaccounted for $742.0 M ($992.1 M),Materials Technologies $673.6 M($606.0 M), and SpecialityTechnologies $386.1 M ($337.3 M);and adjusted EBIT of $399.6 M($307.3 M). There is discussion of thebusiness and of the results, including:Refining Technologies (catalysts,chemical additives), MaterialsTechnologies (engineered materials,coatings, sealants), and SpecialityTechnologies (catalysts).

WR Grace Results 4Q and Full Year 2010, 10 Feb2011, 3-5,13 (WR Grace & Co, 7500 Grace Drive,Columbia, MD 21044, USA. Website:http://www.grace.com)

NEW PLANTSAxens invests €25 M in Salindres

Axens (the 100% subsidiary of IFPEnergies Nouvelles) recentlyannounced an €8 M investment inbuilding a new unit (Isabel) at its sitein Salindres, France. This will open atend 2012 making a new generation ofhydrotreating catalysts (designed toreduce the sulfur content of fuels).The project follows on from the €18 Minvestment announced in 2010concerning the construction of a newmixing/extrusion unit (Hector) at thesite. These projects reflect Axens’commitment to the Salindres sitewhere it will have invested €25 M+between 2011-2012. The group alsohas industrial units in Calvert City andSavannah in the US, and in Brockville,Canada. Thanks to its acquisition atstart Jan 2011 of US reformingcatalysts producer Criterion Catalystsand Technology, Axens will gainanother US site (Willow Island, WV).Details of the deal have not beendisclosed.

Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 7 Feb 2011, (538), 6 (in French)

Comar builds in Clariant park

Comar Chemicals will construct its No2 organometallic catalyst andnanoparticle chemicals facility withinClariant’s industrial complex inMuttenz, Switzerland. An R&D hubwill also be set up by Comar inMuttenz. Comar’s products includerare earth catalysts for the synthetic

rubber sector and nanochemicals forpollution abatement systems.

Chemical Week, 14 Feb 2011 (Website:http://www.chemweek.com)

Comar Chemicals to open secondcatalyst production site

The S African company ComarChemicals is to open a secondorganometallic catalyst andnanoparticle production site in 2011.This will be at the Infrapark Basellandsite run by Clariant at Muttenz,Switzerland. The announcementfollows the signing of an agreementbetween the two companies. Comarwill provide rare earths, catalysts forthe production of high qualitysynthetic rubber used in automotivetyres. Its other plant in Cape Town, SAfrica, has a production capacity ofaround 1000 tonne/month.

Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 14 Feb 2011, (539), 6 (in French)

Eurecat to build a new catalyst-processing plant in India

Eurecat SA, a jv between IFPInvestissements and Albemarle Corp,is setting up a new catalystprocessing unit in India, with startupexpected in 2Q 2012. The new plantwill be focused on the ex-situregeneration of spent catalysts andrelated services, as well as fieldservices tools for industrial reactorturnarounds.

Chemical Engineering (New York), Feb 2011, 118 (2),55

Korea Gas to build 300,000 tonne/yDME plant

Unitel Technologies Inc (Unitel) hasbeen awarded a contract by KoreaGas Technology Corp (KOGAS) toprepare the basic engineering anddesign package for a plant that willmake 300,000 tonne/y of dimethylether (DME). As of 9 Feb 2011, DMEis currently manufactured by acumbersome ‘two step’ process.KOGAS is the first organisation in theworld to successfully develop anddemonstrate a commercially viablecatalytic ‘one step’ process. DME isan ideal one-to-one substitute andadditive for liquefied petroleum gas(LPG). It is also a direct replacementfor diesel, with the added advantage

that DME is 100% clean in terms ofsulfur, soot, and particulates, and theexhaust is about 50% lower in termsof greenhouse gas emissions.

Press release from: Unitel Technologies Inc, 411Business Centre Drive, 111, Mt Prospect, IL 60056,USA. Tel: +1 847 297 2265. Fax: +1 847 297 1365.Website: http://uniteltech.com (9 Feb 2011)

BASF plans to build second plant forsodium methoxide in S America

BASF is to build an additionalproduction plant for sodium methoxidein S America. Argentina is theplanned location for the second plantwith a capacity of 60,000 tonne/y.Thus, BASF wants to strengthen itsregional presence in one of the mostimportant growth markets forbiodiesel. The construction of theplant is planned at BASF’s GeneralLagos site in Rosario, which is in thecentre of Argentina’s biodieselproduction. The start of operation forthe first sodium methoxide plant in SAmerica, located in Guaratingueta,Brazil, will take place as scheduled atend 2011. Sodium methoxide is areliable and efficient catalyst for theproduction of biodiesel, allowing highyields.

Press release from: BASF SE, D-67056 Ludwigshafen,Germany. Tel: +49 (0) 621 600. Website:http://www.basf.com (3 Mar 2011)

NEWTECHNOLOGY

A paperweight for platinum

A new combination of nanoparticlesand graphene results in a moredurable catalytic material for fuel cells,according to work published online atthe Journal of the American ChemicalSociety. The catalytic material is notonly hardier but also more chemicallyactive.

Nanite News, 19 Feb 2011 (Website:http://www.nanitenews.com)

New way to design metal nanoparticlecatalysts

Tiny metal nanoparticles are used ascatalysts in many reactions, fromrefining chemicals to producingpolymers and biofuels. How well these

6 APRIL 2011

F O C U S O N C A T A LY S T S