Lanxess moves global operations toCologne

Previously headquartered inLeverkusen, Germany, Lanxess isrelocating to Cologne for its globaloperations starting 1 Aug 2013.Production will remain at current sites.Lanxess has also converted its formerZiegler-Natta chemistry productionline for Keltan-branded ethylenepropylene diene monomer syntheticrubber in The Netherlands to ACEtechnology. This approximately €12 Minvestment for the line at its site inSittard, Geleen, has 95,000 tonne/ycapacity.

Original Source: Rubber World, Jul 2013, 248 (4), 7(Website: http://www.rubberworld.com) © RubberWorld Magazine 2013

Louisiana projects advance

A number of major chemicalcompanies have launched projects inLouisiana, US. Honeywell hasinvested $200 M at its fluorineproducts plants in Baton Rouge andGeismar, its catalyst facility inShreveport, and an adsorbentsmanufacturing line in Baton Rouge.The investment includes building up a new facility ($169 M), andmaintenances of other capacities.Sasol will also build an ethylenecracker and derivatives complex inLake Charles. The project, due in2017 and which costs $7 bn, willproduce ethylene, ethylene glycol,polyethylene, alcohols, and alpha-olefins. Meanwhile, CF Industries hasbeen granted air permits for itsplanned nitrogen fertilizer complex inDonaldsonville.

Original Source: Chemical and Engineering News, 22Jul 2013, 91 (29), 16 (Website: http://www.cen-online.org) © American Chemical Society 2013

Exhaust gas treatment unit is made forAcron at a cost of Roubles 49 M

OJSC Uralkhimmash, under anagreement with OJSC Acron, hassuccessfully constructed R-40, acatalytic reactor for exhaust gasespurification, for more than Roubles 49M. The reactor will be part of AK-72,Acron’s nitric acid-producing facility,where nitrogen oxides in the gas arecatalytically reduced. Acron also plansto build a 700,000 tonne/y ammoniaplant. OJSC Uralkhimmash will

provide some equipment for thisAmmiak-4 project.

Original Source: RCCnews, 13 Aug 2013, (Website:http://www.rccnews.ru/Eng) © RCCnews.ru 2013

Biorefinery produces fully renewableparaxylene

In the US, a biorefinery whichproduces fully renewable paraxylenehas been opened in Silsbee, TX, byGevo. The company has beencollaborating with Toray Industries Incand the Coca-Cola Co to develop bio-paraxylene production technology,and the facility is a demonstration-scale plant. The bio-paraxylene will beused to produce renewable PET, aplastic used to make beveragebottles.

Original Source: Renewable Energy Focus (OnlineVersion), 28 Aug 2013, (Website:http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com) © ElsevierLtd 2013

Vadxx Energy to build new plasticsrecycling plant using no catalysts

Alternative recycler Vadxx Energy is planning to build a new plant inAkron City, USA. It is expected tocreate 15 jobs with an additional 5jobs within the next three years. Inaddition, the company is looking inWisconsin, Tennessee, California, andToronto for partners that would use itstechnology in developing usable fuel.The plant is expected to processaround 20,000 tonne/y of wasteresulting to 80,000 barrels of fuel.Without the use of catalysts, thedevice heats waste polyolefinproducts turning these back intocarbon and hydrogen products, which can be used to produce dieselfuel.

Original Source: Plastics News, 13 Aug 2013,(Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com) © CrainCommunications Inc 2013

NEWTECHNOLOGY

Mussel shells treat wastewater

Waste shells from the fast growinggreen-lipped mussel farming industrycould be the answer to the build-up ofanother kind of waste: industrial waste

water. In New Zealand, 100,000tonne/y of the mussels are produced.A research team of chemicalengineers from the universities inAuckland in New Zealand and Bath inUK have developed a method thatuses waste shells as a photocatalystto clear up pollutants in wastewater.The waste shells from a musselprocessing plant are used tosynthesize hydroxyapatite (HAP) thatwill act as photocatalyst. Thephotocatalyst from waste shells wouldfurther offer a cheap, renewablealternative compared to titaniumdioxide and zinc oxide, which areconsidered as the best catalystsavailable yet are relatively expensiveand non-renewable.

Original Source: TCE (formerly The ChemicalEngineer), Jul 2013, (865), 51 (Website:http://www.tcetoday.com) © Institution of ChemicalEngineers 2013

Petrol in the framework

Researchers from the University ofCalifornia at Berkeley, USA havedeveloped a metal-organic framework(MOF) that can be used in place ofzeolites as a filtration material toobtain petrol fuels with a higherresearch octane number. Thismaterial is called Fe2(BDP)3. It ischeaper than other MOFs but moreexpensive than zeolites. No figuresyet can be provided on energysavings and improved efficiency.There are no further plans fordevelopment but the technology hasbeen patented.

Original Source: Materials World, Jul 2013, 21 (7), 16(Website: http://www.iom3.org) © The Institute ofMaterials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) 2013

Iron catalyst gives hydrogenation agreen makeover

Scientists at McGill University, incollaboration with the Institute ofPhysical and Chemical Research andthe Institute for Molecular Science,have developed an iron-basedcatalyst that could makehydrogenation more environmentallyfriendly and less expensive. The newcatalyst consists of iron nanoparticlesinstead of heavy metals such aspalladium or platinum that are efficientbut also expensive, rare and toxic.The iron nanoparticles were attachedto an amphiphilic polymer and whentested in a flow reactor, had efficiently

6 OCTOBER 2013

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