Imagine you are a producer of lubricants, and you want to go biobased … The market is there, for sure, because many applications — from the chain saw in the forest to the wind power generator in the Wadden Sea — require biodegradable lubricants — a feature that can easily be achieved with biobased source materials.

A regular large-scale inspection of a refinery took place at Mineraloelraffinerie Oberrhein (MiRO) in Karlsruhe, in the spring of 2015. All 41 process plants in No. 1 Works as well as three plants in No. 2 Works were at a standstill for four–six weeks. During this time much more took place than just the fulfillment of legal requirements: The plants were cleaned, repaired and underwent further technical optimization and testing to ensure that they would run reliably and efficiently in the years ahead.

Crude oil, coal, natural gas and biomass — discussions about the future mix of raw materials in the chemical industry has only just begun. PROCESS has compiled the key findings for you.

Ineos Compounds announced that it has entered into a licence agreement with Resysta International.

Filtration centrifuges provide a good method for mechanically separating suspended solids from liquids. Separation in a centrifugal field generated by equipment rotating at high speed has a number of advantages compared to simple vacuum and pressure based techniques.

Chemical production in Leverkusen has one foot in the future. The F³ project was launched to ensure that the European chemical industry remains competitive in the world market. PROCESS took a look behind the scenes.

Oil as a natural resource is becoming scarcer and more expensive and there is a need to look at eco-friendly ways of extracting it, thereby reducing CO2 emissions. White biotechnology offers a solution: scientists are now using microorganisms such as bacteria to generate substances for the production of polymers. The advantage is that these miniature biochemical factories run on renewable resources or agricultural waste converting it into valuable chemicals.

One industry sector is responsible for more than one half of construction spending by manufacturing in the United States: American chemistry is going strong and stronger. Despite uncertainties and contractions, the sector grows steadily. And the best might be yet to come…

LyondellBasell restarts its methanol plant at Channelview, Texas, on schedule to take advantage of the low cost feedstock from US shale gas. The unit had been out of service since 2004 due to the rising cost of natural gas, the key feedstock for methanol production.

With a production capacity of 20,000 tonnes per year, the new plant is expected to commence as a brownfield investment and will be situated in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary. The produced rubber bitumen will be used to build more durable asphalt roads with higher load capacity and less maintenance costs.