Indian Oil and carbon recycling company Lanzatech have signed a Statement of Intent to construct the world’s first refinery off gas-to-bioethanol production facility in India.

Falling energy prices, cheap feedstock and reduced global dependencies: Shale gas is America’s new bonanza. But while European manufacturers lament the slow development in the “Old World”, its time to face the chances that this boom provides for chemical companies. Fracking fluids and waste water treatment solutions call for innovative solutions.

Dream Production is a new approach to making stuff that dreams are made of (at least if you are a chemist): Industry and scientists are working together on a project to produce chemical feedstock from CO2 which is extracted from power station flue gas emissions. The underlying reaction is revolutionary, but there is uncertainty surrounding the economic viability of the process. It remains to be seen whether this time the vision is more than just a dream.

Praj Industries and Gevo jointly announced that Gevo’s proprietary isobutanol technology will now be available for licensing to processors of sugar cane juice and molasses.

The heroic age has passed. Very little revolutionary process technology has emerged in the chemical industry in recent years. No pioneering achievements like Haber-Bosch. Nevertheless, the labs are still alive and well — a journey to the world of developers and innovation.

At the recent “Thailand 4.0 Towards Connected Industries” symposium, PTT Global Chemical encouraged partnerships with Japanese companies and foreign investors for projects in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

Akzo Nobel has officially opened a new paint plant in Ashington, UK. The hi-tech facility, which cost more than € 100 million to build — represents the largest ever global investment by the company’s Decorative Paints business.

Chlorine production at the new Akzo Nobel membrane electrolysis plant in Frankfurt is significantly more efficient and output capacity has been increased by 50 %. This is the first time that Uhde zero–gap technology is being used at a European site.

Caloric has won the international tender for engineering and construction of a biomethanation pilot & demonstration plant in Solothurn, Switzerland. For the methanation of carbon dioxide and hydrogen, microorganisms are used as biocatalyst.

Commodity prices only recently gave in by about five percent – analysts blame the recent turbulences in the world economy. A new report by the German industrial bank IKB provides detailed insight for different commodities and materials.