The Velovac-FIBC vacuum system, which can cleanly and safely bag the finest powders into big bags (FIBCs), is the first of its kind worldwide. Equally innovative is the development process that gave rise to this new product. An interdisciplinary team from Greif-Velox optimized the design of the classic Velovac system – from operation to digital system integration to transport, everything is ideally designed for the use of big bags.

Shell has plans to sell its interest in Deer Park Refining Ltd Partnership, a 50:50 joint venture firm between Shell and Pemex, to Pemex for 596 million dollars. Once the deal is finalized, Pemex will solely own the company.

Chevron Phillips Chemical announced plans to expand its alpha olefins business with a second world-scale unit to produce on-purpose 1-hexene. Expected capacity for the new unit is 266 KTA with targeted startup in 2023 and its location will be Old Ocean, Texas, near the company’s Sweeny facility. At its peak, the project anticipates supporting more than 600 construction jobs and 50-plus full-time positions.

Under an agreement signed between Origin Materials and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, Origin Materials will sell Mitsubishi Gas Chemical’s carbon-negative materials. Together both the companies will also aim to develop and industrialize new as well as advanced carbon-negative chemicals based on Origin Materials’ technology platform.

Under the new business strategy, Sabic will focus on petrochemicals and the Aramco Trading Company will focus on fuel products. Aramco acquired a 70 % stake in Sabic in June 2020 and now aims to make Sabic its chemicals arm.

The companies Evonik, Adare, Solvay, PPG, Icheme, Syngenta and Romaco have made new appointments to senior positions. PROCESS summarizes the latest management decisions for you.

The year 2020 has confronted Feige Filling, one of the market leaders for filling equipment, with very special challenges: Within a very tight time frame and under pandemic conditions, seven fully- automatic fillers had to be planned and manufactured for a Chinese customer.

With the help of special bacteria and an innovative process concept, BASF and Lanzatech have been able to produce n-octanol at laboratory scale from carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The combination of Lanzatech’s gas fermentation technology into BASF’s Verbund will help the firms to move into the direction of a carbon-neutral circular economy.

A study by Cowi and the nova-Institute has been completed for the European Commission. Supported by the University of Utrecht, the study aims at exploring the role and potential of renewable carbon in the economy towards mitigating climate change.

Neste has awarded Technip Energies with two contracts which revolve around the development of its renewables production platform in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The first contract includes EPCM for the modification of Neste's existing renewables production refinery in order to produce SAF while the second one includes FEED for Neste's potential renewable products refinery.