The energy crisis in China has triggered a price explosion for many chemical products. Around a quarter of all chemical companies in the People’s Republic have had to curtail or temporarily halt production since electricity became scarce in September, Chinese media report.

Dow’s net-zero carbon emissions ethylene and derivatives complex is expected to more than triple the company’s ethylene and polyethylene capacity from its Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta site in Canada. The site's existing assets will be retrofitted to meet the requirements of net-zero carbon emissions (Scope 1 and 2). The project is expected to decarbonize ~20 % of the firm’s global ethylene capacity while growing polyethylene supply by ~15 %.

Air Products has plans to establish a 4.5-billion-dollar energy complex in Louisiana, USA which is expected to produce over 750 MMSCFD of blue hydrogen. The mega project is the company’s largest-ever investment in the U.S. and will also feature the world’s largest instance of CO2 capture for permanent sequestration.

The Corona crisis, particularly the lockdowns adopted by many governments, has hit the chemical industry hard in China. However, sales in many of the top companies in China already declined in 2019, even before Corona. But there are exceptions, as the figures from 2019 in our latest top 10 show here.

Flexicon’s new sanitary mobile Tilt-Down Flexible Screw Conveyor with Integral Bag Dump Station and Compactor allows the transfer of material manually dumped from handheld bags into elevated process equipment.

Stand in many an oil field and you will feel yourself transported back to the early 1970s. Despite past price crises and predictions of “peak oil”, little has changed in terms of measurement data acquisition, monitoring, and automation. Employees travel long distances every day; their most important tools are pen and clipboard. Yet efficiency can be significantly increased simply by equipping the measuring points with radio systems. This is the first step on the road to the digital oilfield, at the end of which lies greater added value. The principle of Open Process Automation provides future-proofing.

As a contract manufacturer in the pharmaceutical industry you have to work quickly, flexibly, and extremely accurately. This is exactly how your deployed level sensors also have to work. That’s why for the last five years Aji Bio-Pharma in Visakhapatnam, India, has relied on the versatile Vegapuls 64 radar sensor for its level measurement needs.

The digitization train is picking up speed and many companies in the process industry have already jumped on board to gain a competitive edge through a deeper understanding of their production and a better overview of their various systems and locations. In this process, more and more companies are exploiting the fast and pragmatic approaches offered by open-source software. Automation experts, such as those from Wago Kontakttechnik, in a team with system integrators combine sensor systems, gateways, container applications and cloud computing to extract even more information from company processes.

Ineos intends to develop electrolysis projects across Europe in order to produce green hydrogen. The first facilities are expected to come up in Norway, Germany, and Belgium while investments are also being planned in the UK and France. The hefty investment is claimed to be Europe’s largest in electrolysis projects.

Valmet has started up its new Pretreatment BioTrac pilot facility at its Fiber Technology Center in Sundsvall, Sweden. The company intends to strengthen its R&D capabilities in the biomass pretreatment segment and also support new market demands for bioenergy, biofuels, and biochemicals with the establishment of the new unit.

Under a unique project undertaken by KCCW, waste-free production of calcium nitrate will now be possible. All the cake components are separated in a new technological process and then returned to the calcium nitrate production cycle. With this move, the company aims to reduce the cost of purchasing raw materials released from cake processing and improve the quality of the fertilizers produced.

With an estimated project cost of 950 million dollars, Renewable Energy Group has plans to upgrade its existing Geismar renewable diesel project in Louisiana, USA as well as expand the project in order to produce 340 million gallons of renewable diesel per year.

The efficiency of a fermentation process in pharma or food production often remains unchallenged for years, unless there are acute issues. The white paper gives insights on how to use Artificial Intelligence to improve this process.

According to market research, the market volume for "green" chemistry is due to almost double by 2025. Our white paper sets out how contract manufacturers are reacting to the trend for sustainability.

This paper will show by means of the example of a pusher centrifuge how to achieve optimum product quality, maximum energy efficiency and operation with a minimum of downtime and it describes the most important innovations of the past decade.

This paper looks at how the earlier PTA production method involving a multi-stage process with pressure and atmospheric centrifuges and a re-slurry tank can be replaced with one stand-alone device – the rotary pressure filter (RPF).

The rise of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the chemical and chemical processing industry has helped plant operators to monitor critical infrastructure, undertake better informed decisions and achieve accurate, efficient and quick results without putting their personnel at risk.

To reduce the time involved in setting up equipment and production lines, Ganter has incorporated a new coupling in its product portfolio. With the GN 1050 quick release coupling, components can be quickly and securely connected to a machine or device with just a click.

A week since the deadly chemical leak at Lyondell Basell’s La Porte facility in Texas, USA, one worker is still struggling for his life and two lawsuits have been filed against the chemical company.

Tenova has introduced the new TRKSX (Tenova Self-ReKuperative Flameless) Smart Burner for heat treatment furnaces in the metals industry. The smart burner also helps to maintain NOx emissions well below the strictest future limits.

The Marchesini Group has acquired the Italian firm Dott. Bonapace which specializes in developing laboratory machines for R&D as well as small industrial production of consumables. With this takeover, the Group has entered into its first venture into the laboratory machinery market.

The Quality by Design (QbD) term was originally introduced in the pharmaceutical lexicon in 2005 via ICH Q8(R2) and additionally described in ICH Q9 and Q10. [1] In essence, QbD is a systematic risk management approach which emphasizes maximum product-, process-understanding, and process control in contrast to a trial and error-based quality control approach that banks on success primarily via end stage product testing. [2]

As a contract manufacturer in the pharmaceutical industry you have to work quickly, flexibly, and extremely accurately. This is exactly how your deployed level sensors also have to work. That’s why for the last five years Aji Bio-Pharma in Visakhapatnam, India, has relied on the versatile Vegapuls 64 radar sensor for its level measurement needs.

Although modern containment systems are state-of-the-art technology in the production of solid pharmaceutical formulations, the interfaces to the surroundings and the cleaning processes still represent critical aspects. These need to be managed with a great deal of know-how.

With the introduction of a third size in the GEA Hilge Contra range, the company is expanding the performance spectrum of its centrifugal pumps to a flow rate of 100 cubic meters per hour. The new GEA Hilge Contra III meets the general requirements of the dairy, beverage and food industries.

The exact dosing of small amounts for liquids is the realm of both Bürkert Fluid Control Systems and Reseatech, which was founded as a spin-off of the University of Applied Sciences Bern in 2015. Bürkert has now become a strategic partner of the start-up company.

Tricky fluids handling with viscous and hazardous media? The right pump technology can make all the difference – Even after decades of experience, a carbon black manufacturer still encountered challenges when unloading coal tar. The problem was solved through collaboration between the operator, the contractor and pump experts.

Solö Mechanical selected Elgi’s EG37 VFD screw air compressor to enhance its plant efficiency in Eskilstuna, Sweden. By incorporating the new compressor, the company was able to save 4,364 kWh of energy in a month and 1,910 dollars in just five months.