Fine chemical manufacturer Cabb has replaced the amalgam electrolysis plant for chlorine production at its Pratteln site in Switzerland with a plant using the latest generation of membrane technology. The new plant, which entered operation in October, consumes around a third less energy per metric ton of caustic soda than its predecessor. Mercury is also no longer required. The manufacturing process is automatically controlled, with over 1,000 test points.

The aim of a new initiative of the German Catalysis Society (Gecats) is to unlock the enormous wealth of catalysis research data. In the recently published whitepaper "The Digitalization of Catalysis-Related Sciences", experts from academia and industry outline how "digital catalysis" can accelerate research processes and lead to new insights.

Fine chemical manufacturer Cabb has replaced the amalgam electrolysis plant for chlorine production at its Pratteln site in Switzerland with a plant using the latest generation of membrane technology.

Thyssen Krupp has won a major order from the Egyptian chemical and fertilizer manufacturer NCIC (El Nasr Company for Intermediate Chemicals) for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of a new fertilizer complex.

While the growth of Asia's ethylene market slows down, the US cashes in on their shale gas boom: The availability of huge volumes of cheap ethane in the states “makes ethylene production highly attractive,” an analyst says.

India's vaccine industry ranks third in terms of volume globally in the world. Yet the question remains of why deaths are being reported even after immunization against a disease. One of the reasons for this is the improper transport of vaccines which cause the vaccine to lose its effectiveness. Use of phase change materials (PCMs) can help reduce vaccine wastage during transportation.

When building stadiums, planners are increasingly taking advantage of the benefits offered by membrane architecture, enabling the creation of new and modern forms. Two well-known examples are the Olympic Stadium in Berlin and the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town.

NatureWork overhauls its bio–polymers prododuction: New production technology will increase capacity at the NatureWorks' Blair, Nebraska, facility to 150,000 metric tonnes per annum, making new performance grades available in the second quarter 2013.

“The hermetically sealed centrifugal pump outperforms magnetic-drive pumps with respect to mode of operation and reliable contents of solids and gases in the pumping medium” — the verdict of PROCESS on a new magnetic-drive pump. That was over two and a half years ago, so its now time to find out how the dry-running horizontal pump has fared in day-to-day service.

Many industrial processes require heat energy to be moved from one place to another via a heat transfer fluid: typically water and steam at temperatures up to 200 °C, and heat transfer oils for the range 200–450 °C. Pumping fluids reliably at such high temperatures is a challenge that sealless canned motor pumps can meet. The new generation of solar thermal power stations provides a practical example.