Monthly Archives: September 2017

09.28.17
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Making concrete from wood


Researchers from the National Research Programme “Resource Wood” have developed a type of concrete that largely consists of wood. The building material offers the construction industry new possibilities and is based in large part on renewable resources. Houses can be made of wood, as they were in the past – or of concrete, as they are today. To build for tomorrow, the two building methods are being combined: these hybrid structures. Read more

 

Chemists have figured out a new, more efficient way to create carbon-based fuels from carbon dioxide (CO2). In chemical reactions performed in the lab, a Caltech team has identified a new additive that helps selectively convert CO2 into fuels containing multiple carbon atoms-a step toward ultimately making renewable liquid fuels that are not derived from coal or oil. Read more

 

Using X-ray techniques, scientists at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory are developing an analysis tool that can more accurately predict how sulphur compounds in a batch of crude oil might corrode equipment– an important safety issue for the oil industry. The results of these ongoing experiments at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory will improve industry guidelines. Read more

 

University of Huddersfield scientist Dr Jason Camp is investigating the potential of a non-toxic, environmentally sustainable solvent produced from waste cellulose that promises to be a greener way to produce a wide range of medicines and other products. The project has also offered an exceptional opportunity for some of his most talented students to take part in cutting-edge, published research. Read more 
09.27.17
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Clariant presents best in class cold flow improving technologies


Clariant presents best in class cold flow improving technologies

Clariant presented a paper on ‘Processing waxy opportunity crudes with advanced cold flow improver and catalytic dewaxing technologies’ recently at the 5th Refining India Conference held in New Delhi, India.The paper was presented by Dr Werner Reimann, global marketing manager, Clariant Refinery Services.To process the challenging waxy opportunity crude types, Clariant has developed several products, such as pour point depressants, cold flow improver-booster systems and dewaxing technologies. Read More

 

A key to producing abundant crops is the quality of the soil in which they are grown.  Soils lacking the proper nutrient content will yield fewer crops of lower nutritional value than crops grown in good soil. Poor soil can be enhanced by the application of fertilizer, but the nutrient content of the soil must be known in advance so that the proper type and amount of fertilizer can be added. When determining the elemental content of soils, both sample preparation and analysis must be considered. Read More

 

Indian Oil approves INR 27K cr Cauvery Basin refinery project

Indian Oil Corp (IOC) said that its board has given approval to setting up of a Rs 27,460 crore refinery by its subsidiary, Chennai Petroleum Corp Ltd.The board of directors of CPCL had earlier this year recommended setting up a new 9 million tonnes a year refinery at an estimated cost of Rs 27,460 crore (with an accuracy of plus-30 percent). The final approval of the project would be obtained after preparation of detailed feasibility report of the project.Read More

 

 

 

ExxonMobil enhances program to reduce methane emissions

ExxonMobil Corporation said that it has enhanced A program to reduce methane emissions from its production and midstream facilities across US.The program, which builds on the company’s longstanding commitment to emissions reduction, prioritizes actions at sites operated by subsidiary XTO Energy and includes efforts to develop and deploy new, more efficient technologies to detect and reduce facility emissions. Read More 

09.26.17
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Honeybees could play a role in developing new antibiotics: Study


An antimicrobial compound made by honeybees could become the basis for new antibiotics, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). No new antibiotics have been discovered for more than 30 years, and some bacteria are becoming immune to the drugs used to treat or prevent infections. Antibiotic resistance called one of the world’s most pressing public health concerns by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can mean illnesses that were once easily treatable are now potentially deadly. Read more 

 

Electric mobility and photovoltaics play a vital role in protecting the climate and conserving fossil resources. Combining them leads to even more innovative and sustainable mobility concepts. To show that these kinds of solutions are already feasible using state-of-the-art materials and technologies, a team of around 45 young researchers has developed a solar-powered electric car. Calling themselves “Team Sonnenwagen,” the students from RWTH Aachen University and Aachen University of Applied Sciences. Read more

 

Univar Inc (UNVR) said that its wholly owned subsidiary Univar Brasil Ltda has acquired the stock of Tagma Brasil Ltda (Tagma). Tagma is a leading provider of custom formulation and packaging services for crop protection chemicals that include herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and surfactants. Tagma formulates more than 200 registered crop protection products and provides conception and preparation of new formulations; adaption of existing formulations; and technical assistance with processing and regulatory requirements. Read more

 

 

LyondellBasell Industries NV has started up production at a new 20 kilotonne per year polypropylene (PP) compounding plant in Dalian, China. This is the company’s third facility in China, strategically located to serve the region’s growing automotive market. The addition of this plant allows the company’s further expansion into the strategically important North China region which is home to a number of major automobile manufacturers including BMW, Daimler, GM, Volkswagen, Audi, Nissan and Chery. Read more
09.25.17
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New stretchable artificial skin gives robotic hand a sense of touch


A team of researchers from the University of Houston has reported a breakthrough in stretchable electronics that can serve as an artificial skin. This skin allows a robotic hand to sense the difference between hot and cold, while also offering advantages for a wide range of biomedical devices. The work, reported in the journal Science Advances, described a new mechanism for producing stretchable electronics, a process that relies on readily available materials. Read more

 

FMC Corporation (FMC) said that it has received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for the proposed acquisition of a significant portion of DuPont’s crop protection business. The CCI is the final jurisdiction to grant antitrust clearance needed to satisfy regulatory conditions for closing. FMC will acquire DuPont’s global chewing pest insecticide portfolio, its global cereal broadleaf herbicides, and substantially all of DuPont’s global crop protection R&D capabilities. Read more

 

 

Covestro AG said that it will be presenting itself as a key supplier of raw materials and partner to the medical technology sector. One focus will be on Baymedix polyurethane raw materials for state-of-the-art wound care. These materials are breathable and enable optimal moisture management in wound dressings in addition to offering design options. Customers can create added value through innovation and differentiation, thus increasing their competitiveness. Read more

 

 

Agilent Technologies Inc (A) has introduced the newest member of its family of triple quadrupole liquid chromatography-mass spectrometers (triple quad LC/MS). The Ultivo triple quad is a transformative approach to LC/MS that integrates several hardware and software innovations designed to deliver even more improved business results for customers. Ultivo is optimized to address the food and environmental routine testing segments employing triple quad LC/MS systems for quantitative analyses. Read more

09.22.17
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Spider silk strength enhanced by graphene-based materials


Spider silk strength enhanced by graphene-based materials

Researchers from the Graphene Flagship have demonstrated that graphene-based materials can be used to boost the properties of spider’s silk.The silk – produced naturally by the spiders, incorporating graphene and carbon nanotubes (rolled up graphene sheets) introduced in their environment – had enhanced mechanical properties of up to three times the strength and ten times the toughness of the unmodified silks.Read More

 

Velocys plc, a renewable fuels company has entered into a partnership to prepare the business case for a commercial scale waste-to-renewable-jet-fuel plant in the UK.Velocys will lead this initial feasibility stage of the project, for which all members of the partnership are providing funding.The members include:British Airways, UK’s largest international airline, which intends to fly with the jet fuel made in the plant. Read More

A combined study by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and NASA have found a layer of aerosol, sub-micron size particles suspended in air, over the Asian region.The pollutant which was found after the study examined into satellite images, confirming the existence of the sub-micron size particle.Aerosol is produced from a variety of man-made and natural processes such as vehicle exhaust, waste-burning, windblown dust, volcanic eruptions and etc. Read More

AkzoNobel’s speciality chemicals business is studying plans to build a world-class plant for its Bermocoll business, which supplies essential ingredients for the paint and buildings and construction industries.The study which is expected to be completed by the end of 2017 – is focused on creating a new facility to increase production capacity for ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose ether (EHEC) cellulosic ethers to help meet growing global demand.Read More

09.21.17
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New 3D printed structures can fold itself


New 3D printed structures can fold itself

A team of researchers from MIT’s computer science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and colleagues have reported something new: a printable structure that begins to fold itself up as soon as it’s peeled off the printing platform.The study appears in the journal Applied Materials and Interfaces.One of the big advantages of devices that self-fold without any outside stimulus, the researchers said, is that they can involve a wider range of materials and more delicate structures.Read More

Industry trends: Leather chemicals market size was more than $6 billion in 2016 and is estimated to witness growth over 6 percent over the forecast timespan, according to a report by Global Market Insights Inc.Escalating leather demand across the globe for manufacturing footwear, apparels etc. will positively influence the leather chemicals market size over the projected timeframe. The product is majorly used in leather processing in order to produce fine finished products.Read More

 

By Dominik Seeger: Whether in the Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics or Food Industry, the costs for raw materials is permanently increasing all over the world and in all fields.Manufacturing companies search for new processes and new possibilities to remain competitive and distinguish themselves from their competitors. Occasionally, they are successful by, for example, substituting expensive raw materials with cheaper ones.Another possibility for savings is to reduce the raw materials consumed in production.Read More

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has made a significant oil discovery to the west of its prime Mumbai High fields in the Arabian sea, a senior official said.The discovery in the well WO-24-3 is estimated to hold an in-place reserve of about 20 million tonnes, he said.Mumbai High, India’s biggest oil field, currently produces 205,000 barrels of oil per day (just over 10 million tonnes per annum) and the new find would add to that production in less than two years’ time.Read More

09.20.17
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Few interesting things about Arsenic you didn’t know


Few interesting things about Arsenic you didn’t know

Arsenic and its properties:Arsenic is a chemical compound with atomic number 33 and symbolised as “As”.Arsenic is a metalloid with various allotropes, the common one are yellow, black and metallic gray, but industries use only gray part the most.It has metallic grey appearance.It is the element of group 15 in p-block. Arsenic is of group called pnictogens.It has boiling point of 614 degree Celsius and melting point of 817 degree Celsius.Read More

 

A solution is defined as a mixture of two or more substances with uniform chemical and physical properties. Every solution consists of two basic components as solvent and solute. The main purpose of the solvent is to convert substances into a suitable form for a particular use, with its ability to dissolve, suspend or attract other materials. Solvents once used can be discarded, reused or recycled in an eco-friendly manner, according to a report by Future Market Insights.Read More

By Nilotpol Kar:Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer – Great Britain, famously said, “To those who say our country cannot afford to invest in infrastructure, I say we cannot afford not to invest in our future.” This statement holds true today, more than ever.According to the UN Global Health Observatory’s findings, cities across the world will witness a high population growth in the forthcoming years. By 2050, almost 70 percent of the global population2 will live in cities.Read More 

 

In an Interview Dr Nemkumar Banthia delves into the grave environmental menace of tackling disposed tyres ending up in landfill by diverting it as a sustainably efficient ingredient for the construction industry. His research is based on extracting fibers from tyres and utilizing them as reinforcement in concrete.Dr Banthia is a Professor, Distinguished University Scholar & Canada Research Chair in Infrastructure Rehabilitation at the Department of Civil Engineering in The University of British Columbia, Canada. Read More

09.19.17
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World’s first 3D-printed reinforced concrete bridge ready for installation


World’s first 3D-printed reinforced concrete bridge ready for installation

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has a massive 3D printer capable of printing immense objects – and it’s currently creating the world’s first 3D-printed reinforced concrete bridge. The bridge will be installed this month in the small Dutch town of Gemert, and it will be the first of its kind with an innovative printing technique that reduces waste.Technically, Madrid introduced the world’s first 3D-printed bridge earlier this year – but the Gemert bridge will be built using a special process that reinforces the concrete layers with steel cables as the concrete blocks are formed.Read More

Physicists at Lancaster University are developing methods of creating renewable fuel from water using quantum technology.Renewable hydrogen can already be produced by photoelectrolysis where solar power is used to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen.But, in spite of significant research efforts over the past four decades, fundamental problems remain before this can be adopted commercially due to inefficiency and lack of cost-effectiveness.Dr Manus Hayne from the Department of Physics said: “For research to progress, innovation in both materials development and device design is clearly needed.”Read More

In an interview, Bhaskar Patil, PhD Candidate, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), delves into his research on plasma assisted nitrogen fixation and the wonders if it can work for the world.Insight into the research.Our current research focuses on developing an alternative energy driven (such as plasma) chemical production, where energy is selectively delivered to the reaction channels which yields higher energy efficiency.Read More

Growing urbanization is setting construction industry at pace, thereby giving rise to raw material industry such as construction chemicals market. In general construction chemical is one of the chemical compounds in specialty chemicals segment of the chemical industry,” according to a report by Future Market Insights.Construction chemicals are widely used in construction of residential, nonresidential as well as non-building infrastructural activities such as roads, highways and expressways. Read More

09.18.17
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Scientists make methanol using oxygen


Scientists make methanol using oxygen

Methanol is currently produced by breaking down natural gas at high temperatures into hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide before reassembling them – expensive and energy-intensive processes known as ‘steam reforming’ and ‘methanol synthesis.’But researchers at Cardiff Catalysis Institute have discovered they can produce methanol from methane through simple catalysis that allows methanol production at low temperatures using oxygen and hydrogen peroxide.Read More

 

 
Researchers from the University of Houston and China have described a new type of electronic device that can be triggered to dissolve through exposure to water molecules in the atmosphere.The work holds promise for eco-friendly disposable personal electronics and biomedical devices that dissolve within the body. There are also defence applications, including devices that can be programmed to dissolve in order to safeguard sensitive information, said Cunjiang Yu, Bill D. Cook assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Houston and lead author of the paper.Read More

A research team from the University of Delaware (UD) has invented a more efficient process for extracting the sugars from wood chips, corn cobs and other organic waste from forests and farms.This bio renewable feedstock could serve as a cheaper, sustainable substitute for the petroleum used in manufacturing tons upon tons of consumer goods annually — goods that consumers want to be greener.Read More

 

 

By Sonal Srivastava: Economic development in Japan thrives on growth of its manufacturing industry. Previously, the manufacturing industry of Japan was known for its competitive strength globally. Chemical sector accounts for a significant section of GDP in Japan. However, emergence of electronic companies in developing countries including South Korea and China has posed significant challenges for the manufacturing industry of Japan. Striving to maintain competitive pace with other countries, the companies in Japan significantly rely on its chemical sector for integrating technological development. Read More

09.16.17
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Fine chemicals market to reach $191 billion by 2021 – Report


Fine chemicals market to reach $191 billion by 2021 – Report

The fine chemicals industry is a typical processed and intermediary materials industry that procures basic chemicals to supply raw materials and auxiliary materials to the downstream industries. Fine chemicals manufacturing is typically carried out in batch processes, with synthesis being followed by separation and purification steps. Pharmaceutical sector has always been the largest market for fine chemicals industry, according to a report by IndustryARC. Read More

 

Impossible Foods Inc announced the launch of production the company’s first large-scale plant. The plant in Oakland, California, is now ramping up production and will eventually have the capacity to produce 1 million pounds of plant-based meat per month. That’s enough to serve about 1 million quarter-pound Impossible Burgers per week.As the 68,000-square-foot plant scales up production, more and more restaurants will be able to serve the plant-based Impossible Burger on their menus. Read More

By Debarati Das: Every industry is constantly trying to reduce its damaging impact on the environment. And this has led companies to explore bio alternatives. As part of this, companies are discovering the plant Soy. It is a versatile plant with hundreds of uses. Apart from being a staple food item in many parts of the world, it is also being used to develop biodegradable biofuel, plastics, cosmetics, paints & coatings etc. making it a better alternative for petrochemical derived products. Read More

By Debarati Das: A building made of bricks and mortar has lot more science involved than we can imagine – a science to make these structures sturdier than ever, a science to make them ecologically compliant and a science to make them economical. And this is what every construction chemicals manufacturer is aiming for.Various advancements in new-age construction chemicals are constantly raising the bar of construction industry itself. Read More