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.

With the rising demand for ammonia, methanol, and DME grassroots plants in Indonesia, the firm aims to offer cutting edge technology, catalysts and solutions for the region’s petrochemical and fertiliser industry.

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....

Materials specialist Lyondell Basell has announced plans to build a new 500,000 tons/year polyethylenen plant in Texas, using its new Hyperzone PE technology.

The digitalisation process ensures that the company’s operative business continues to develop. Significant investments are also being made for the expansion of the company's computing capacity.

The advantages of flexible automation solutions have long been talked about, and now it comes down to putting them into practice. In doing so, the aim is to link the respective smart modules in such a way that the overall plant runs in harmony. ABB shows that it has mastered all the parts in the orchestra.

Cheap gas spawns fertilizer projects: BASF and Yara plan to build a joint world-scale ammonia plant on the US Gulf Coast. Plans include a 750,000 tons-per-year hydrogen-synthesis plant at BASF's Freeport site in Texas.

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) announced that it is moving ahead with plans to expand the capture, storage and utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2), produced from either the Habshan-Bab gas processing facilities or the Shah gas plant. A decision on which plant to capture the CO2 will be taken in 2019. The project will be engineered so as not to interrupt ongoing production from either facility.

Catering to diverse industries, the show exhibited unique solutions from India, China, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. In today’s market, industry players are positive about the development of the niche powder and bulk solids segment.

Evergas will provide shipping services for Ineos: Under a 15-year shipping agreement, the company will operate six LNG tankers to transport ethane into Europe from the US Mariner East project. The contract allows Evergas to place new orders for tank ships.