In the pilot plant in Leverkusen (f.l.t.r.) Parliamentary State Secretary Thomas Rachel from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister for Innovation, Science and Research, Svenja Schulze, Bayer Board of Management member Dr. Wolfgang Plischke, responsible for innovation, technology and environment.  (Picture: Bayer AG)
Carbon Dioxide as New Raw Material

Bayer Starts Pilot Plant for Plastic Manufacturing with CO2

Bayer is taking a new direction in the production of high-quality plastics with the help of carbon dioxide from the energy sector. A pilot plant has come on stream at Chempark Leverkusen to trial the new process on a technical scale. The plant produces a chemical precursor into which CO2 is incorporated and then processed into polyurethanes that are used in many everyday items. As a result, CO2 – a waste gas and key contributor to climate change – can now be recycled and used as a raw material and substitute for petroleum.

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Field distribution box: Modular fieldbus components support Profibus PA applications in a scalable manner — and therefore always on a demand-oriented basis. Device couplers provide segment protection. (Phoenix Contact)
Milestone Interface Technology/Connectivity

Exciting with Inspiration and Innovations

Ever since the 1920s, Phoenix Contact has been driven by one thing: the pursuit of “better.” Already in its early years, the company demonstrated with its first series terminal block, the so-called RWE terminal block, that it works closely with its customers on all new developments. Then and today, it has always been about connectivity: from the field, through mapping and on to connectivity to the process control level. And time and time again, Phoenix Contact products have spearheaded new technology trends.

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“Before” model of a rotary mixer.  (Picture: CD-adapco)
Engineering Software

CD-adapco’s Engineering Software Star-CCM+ v5.06 Handles Solid Particles Via Discrete Element Modeling

The introduction of a new discrete element modeling (DEM) capability into the latest release of CD-adapco’s Star-CCM+ multi-disciplinary engineering software goes beyond computational fluid dynamics (CFD) by adding the ability to simulate bulk material handling and granular flows. In addition, the software includes a broad range of new features and improvements, including more than 200 customer enhancement requests.

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A new head for a new division at Siemens: Peter Herwecks leads the company's Process Industries and Drives division since October 2014. (Picture: Siemens)
Interview

Siemens Plans to Put Focus on Platforms

On 1 October, Siemens started for the first time with their own division for the process industry–Germany's biggest industrial group has restructured. "Yet again?", critics asked. But this time the group came up with concrete action in keeping with their Vision 2020 and formed their own "Process Industries and Drives" division. Division head Peter Herweck speaks in the PROCESS interview about his strategies, aims and opportunities in the new structure.

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