Old or new? Many times that is the question. In general, old equipment no longer operates economically and also has an unnecessarily adverse impact on the environment. On the other hand, new machinery requires a high level of investment and takes up significant resources. Especially in the case of reciprocating compressors, customer-specific modernization is an attractive alternative.

More than 1,140 times, private company fire brigades supported local emergency response team within the TUIS system during 2011. These figures increased by four percent compared to the previous year, states the German chemical industry association VCI.

Cracker projects in the US move North: Currently, five domestic and foreign companies announced plans for new petrochemical plants along the Ohio river in the heart of America’s shale gas economy. The race is on – who will be the first to bring a megaplant on-stream?

Arkema Malaysia Thiochemicals and the Monash University Malaysia (MUM) in Kuala Lumpur have signed a research partnership over 3 years of collaboration during which time researchers will be able to make their resources available to the local teams of the company. The goal: to develop more efficient biocatalysts for the company's Thiochemicals business.

Marubeni signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the long term supply and purchase of Molten Sulphur with Hubei Harvin, one of the biggest phosphate base fertilizer manufactures and distributers in China.

Once complete, the deal will enable Air Products to increase its gasification business footprint across the globe. The company is also expected to develop its synthesis gas solutions via GE’s gasification technology.

With H.C. Shin’s appointment, the firm has selected a professional from outside the company for the maiden time. Shin earlier held the post of Vice Chair and Executive Vice President of 3M.

Clariant announced the expansion of the capacity of its ethylene oxide (EO) unit in Gendorf, Germany. EO-based specialties support a wide range of industries, such as personal and home care, crop solutions, and industrial applications.

Fuel additives such as isooctane have so far been produced from mineral oil. Commissioned by the French-German company Global Bioenergies, the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes CBP in Leuna will soon be producing biobased additives for gasoline. The source is bio-isobutene, which is obtained biotechnically from sugar.

CO2 to chemicals: What potential has the utilisation of carbon dioxide for chemicals production? — CO2 has a bad image. But can the undesired exhaust gas also be used as a raw material? Not an easy task, yet researchers from all over the world are working hard on turning the climate killer as a raw material. And those, who believe this will remain a thought game played in ivory towers or think that these minor experiments will remain confined to the cellar laboratory are making a big mistake: The first production scale plant is already on-stream....