Evonik and Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions have granted a license for HPPO Technology to Zibo Qixiang Tengda Chemical to produce propylene oxide. Corresponding agreements were signed by the parties in Guangzhou in China.

Technology company The Linde Group has been awarded a major contract by Reliance Industries (RIL) to build several plants to generate and purify gases in Jamnagar, India. Part of the Reliance Group, India’s largest private enterprise, RIL specialises in the energy and petrochemicals industries.

Over 100 years after the development of the air separation process, gases are an indispensable ingredient in modern processes. Are we taking full advantage of these volatile enablers? Jens Waldeck, Linde Gas European CEO, and Elisabeth Mehlan, Head of Market Development in Europe, are convinced that, in order to win customers for new avenues in gas exploitation, it is essential to understand their processes.

For 140 years Linde has been setting standards in the world of gases and helping to make our world more productive — Gases have made it possible. Whether chemicals, metallurgy, food industry, processing industry or environmental technology, there is barely any sector that can do without the hidden champions from the tank or pressure cylinder. Here, the development of technical gases has been inextricably linked to the achievements of one man — and of the company that bears his name to this day. Since the development of the air separation process, Linde has constantly reinvented itself — and is now developing the solutions for the industries of tomorrow.

Not much is possible without catalysts: More than 80 % of all chemically manufactured products undergo a catalytic step during their production. The active material is usually platinum or another precious metal, so production is correspondingly expensive and requires several steps. Physicists at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) have now filed a patent application for a process that produces highly active and long-term stable catalyst material in a single step.

It may just be “nothing,” but this “nothing” really packs a punch! Without vacuum, many everyday things would be impossible — whether spectacles, smartphones, medicines or foodstuffs with a long shelf life. Pfeiffer Vacuum has been synonymous for high-quality vacuum technology for over 125 years. And it is not just the technology itself that makes the company stand out, but above all its feeling for the different challenges faced by particular industries.

Process engineers at oil & gas refineries will find that the rugged ST100 Thermal Mass Flow Meter Series from Fluid Components International (FCI) provides highly accurate, dependable measurement of air and fuel gases to optimise the performance of the boilers utilised by sulfur recovery units (SRUs).

Petronas and Evonik Industries signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to jointly embark on the development of production facilities of specialty chemicals within Petronas’ Refinery & Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) project in Pengerang, Johor/Malaysia.

The Korean firm SK E&C won the front end engineering & design contract for Ineos’ 750 ktpa facility in Belgium. The scheduled plant is expected to be energy as well as carbon efficient and aims to provide Europe with a sustainable industry.

The plant which is capable of converting renewable electricity into green hydrogen can be scaled up from 20MWs to 60 MWs. The move will enable the facility to convert 9,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year and meet the demand for sustainable aviation fuel.