Akzo Nobel's Specialty Chemicals business is studying plans to expand production of high-purity vacuum salt at its Delfzijl site in the Netherlands. The project would increase output at the facility by around 25 %.

When handling hazardous substances at certain levels of toxicity (OEB 4-5), isolation is simply a must. Containment is not only required to protect the operator but also to preserve product quality, essential in aseptic environments. Here you can read when flexible solutions are best applied for closed processes and what advantages and disadvantages they have in comparison with fixed systems.

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) announced the successful firing test of a large-scale gas turbine fuelled by a 30 % hydrogen fuel mix.

Air Liquide and major Korean chemical company Kumho Mitsui Chemical (KMCI) expanded their cooperation with a recently signed long-term contract, according to which the industrial gases company will increase its supply of both hydrogen and carbon monoxide at the Yeosu industrial complex.

Flexibility is the clincher for contract fillers, all the more so if they have to package biopharmaceutical medicines. The new vial line for a contract filler in the United States combines insulator technology with freeze-drying. The line will be on view at Achema.

In a joint research project called Rheticus, Evonik and Siemens are working on electrolysis and fermentation processes that use electricity from renewable sources and bacteria to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into specialty chemicals.

JGC will provide its proprietary hydrogen sulfide and sodium sulfide production process technology for customers in China: The Japanese company has signed a license agreement with with Zhejiang Engineering Design, to serve as a proxy for licensing the technology to Chinese clients.

Air Products signed of a long-term agreement with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to build, own and operate a new syngas production facility at the BPCL Kochi Refinery in Kochi, India.

Yara and BASF broke ground on a world scale ammonia plant at the BASF U.S.-site in Freeport, Texas. Total capital investment for the plant – which is expected to come online in 2017 – is estimated at $600 million.

Linde will build and operate a state–of–the–art hydrogen plant at Jilin, China. There, companies like Evonik and Huntsman are currently planning a new chemical hub for the production of polymer feedstock.