Toyo Engineering has been awarded a contract for a project of Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited (CFCL), a major private sector fertilizer producer in India, to construct a large-scale fertilizer complex in Kota, Rajasthan, India.

Chevron Phillips Chemical has reached final investment decision to expand the low viscosity polyalphaolefins (PAO) capacity at its Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, Texas by 10,000 metric tons per year or about 20 percent.

A new method could revolutionize numerous processes in the chemical industry. Scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology in Jena (Leibniz HKI) developed a new synthesis method in organic chemistry that enables the production of numerous pharmaceuticals without the use of toxic heavy metals.

Almatec has recently announced the release of its new C-Series AODD pump. Ideally suited for virtually any pumping application where an oscillating pump can be found, C-Series pumps have been specifically developed to be a cost-effective alternative to similar plastic pumps while retaining the reliable and solid design typical of all Almatec pumps.

The fewer the components the better — the insides of the pump type series MegaCPK is really as simple as that. This intelligent piece of re-engineering caters not only to lower maintenance costs, but also to higher operating reliability and optimised efficiency.

The times in which one could optimise process developments or regulation in isolation are long past. Nevertheless, there is still obviously a lack of mutual understanding between chemical/process engineers and the colleagues in process automation technology. What is the reason for this, and how can it be changed? NAMUR chairman Wilhelm Otten, leader of business line technology at Evonik Industries, faced this and many further questions by PROCESS—and makes a clear plea for process automation technology.

A treatment module developed at Fraunhofer IKTS provides a remedy against pharmaceutical residues in waste water and completely eliminates these harmful substances. Apart from water treatment, possible applications of this new technology also include chemical synthesis.

The joint venture project is expected to be an integral part of Saudi Aramco’s refining, fuels marketing and chemicals business strategies which will enable it to strengthen its position in the Southeast Asia region.

Frost & Sullivan’s recent intelligence, Global Analysis of Battery Materials Market, Forecast to 2023, examines the battery materials used in lead-acid and Li-ion batteries. The study finds that China, Japan and South Korea in Asia-Pacific (Apac) are proving to be lucrative markets for Lithium (Li)-ion battery material suppliers.

Specialty chemical producer Clariant believes that it is now on equal footing again with its competitors after a series of painful cutbacks. The Clariant Excellence Initiative, launched in 2009, forms the nucleus of an improvement process which extends to all areas of the corporation starting with production. PROCESS spoke with Dr. Michael Riedel, who is in charge of the Excellence Initiative, about the challenges created by the change process.