Monthly Archives: October 2017

10.31.17
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Celebrate Halloween through chemistry


Halloween, the yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, is the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows (or Saints). Typical festive Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. A little chemistry can add a lot of ghastly, ghostly effect to the Halloween celebration. Here are some top Halloween projects that apply command of chemistry. Read more

 

Scientists at Harvard University and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have developed a new class of genome editing tool. This new “base editor” can directly repair the type of single-letter changes in the human genome that account for approximately half of human disease-associated point mutations. These mutations are associated with disorders ranging from genetic blindness to sickle-cell anemia to metabolic disorders to cystic fibrosis. Read more

 

Brenntag AG celebrates the official hand-over of the keys to its new company headquarters in Essen, Germany. Employees are scheduled to move into the new building in Essen-Ruttenscheid – named the “House of Elements” – in mid-November. The six-storey House of Elements in Essen’s Gruga Carree is the headquarters of Brenntag AG, Brenntag Holding GmbH and Brenntag GmbH. With a gross floor area of around 20,700 square meters, it can accommodate up to 650 employees. Read more

 

BASF SE and Poietis SAS have signed a framework agreement on further development and services in the field of 3D bioprinting technology. The main goal is to further improve the 3D laser-assisted bioprinted skin models that have been co-developed since 2015 to evaluate cosmetic ingredients for skin care applications. The 3D laser-assisted bioprinting technology, by which organic tissues can be reproduced, allows a precise positioning of skin cells in three-dimensional structures. Read more
10.30.17
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AkzoNobel completes chemical island expansion, supports pulp industry in Brazil


AkzoNobel’s speciality chemicals business has completed the expansion of a chemical island in Brazil, to support a major project for Brazilian forestry company Fibria. The world’s leading producer of eucalyptus pulp from planted forests, Fibria has invested $2.2 billion to more than double pulp capacity at its mill in Tres Lagoas to 3.25 million tonnes per year. The expansion of the chemical island (a concept developed by AkzoNobel) includes the installation of a second chlorine dioxide plant, as well as increased space for storage and logistics. Read more

 

Singapore eDevelopment Ltd (SeD) said that US biomedical subsidiary Global BioLife Inc has developed a breakthrough low-calorie, low glycemic index, natural, modified sugar Laetose – which has the potential to affect the world’s sugar market. Global BioLife has established a collaboration with top US candy manufacturer Quality Candy Company LLC for the development, manufacture and global distribution of Laetose. Read more

 

 

BioAmber Inc (BIOA) has accepted the resignation of Fabrice Orecchioni as president and chief operating officer (COO). Orecchioni will be assuming an advisory role with BioAmber, supporting a series of strategic initiatives through to February 24, 2018. BioAmber appointed Orecchioni as its new president recently in Feb 2017. He succeeded Jean-Francois Huc who has resigned as the company’s president and CEO for personal reasons. Read more

Clariant has confirmed that White Tale Holdings, the biggest investor in Clariant, has increased its stake in Clariant in additional of 20 percent. This follows earlier mandatory notifications by White Tale Holdings to the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX) regarding its holdings. Read more

10.27.17
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Vital role of Chemistry behind Anger


Vital role of Chemistry behind Anger

Have you ever been so mad that you felt hot headed, blood boiling, palms sweating? Yes, I’m sure everyone would have experienced all this while in anger. Anger is an actually very interesting thing if you think about it. There goes on a lot of chemistry when you become angry. Let us first know about what actually is anger. Anger is an emotional response natural and most of the time an automatic response to one or another form of pain like emotional or physical pain. Read more

 

Kraiburg TPE, a leading global manufacturer of thermoplastic elastomers said that it will present a new series of thermoplastic elastomers, that were specially developed for excellent adhesion and UV resistance in two-component applications with ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM). The new compounds of the THERMOLAST K family are intended primarily for automotive applications such as EPDM window trim and sealing profiles with moulded TPE corner joints and end elements. Read more

 

Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (India) has been awarded a contract from Kutch Chemicals Limited, the Gujarat-based speciality chemicals major, for its grassroots 421 tonnes per day (100 percent sodium hydroxide) membrane cell caustic soda-chlorine facilities in Kutch, Gujarat. Thyssenkrupp will provide engineering services, construction supervision services and supply proprietary equipment for the new facility. Start-up of the plant is scheduled for March 2019. Read more

 

 

Dow Performance Silicones, a global business unit of DowDuPont Materials Sciences division, announced the rollout of a new product brand name—DOWSIL, for its heritage Dow Corning high-performance silicone-based building products. The new DOWSIL product brand name represents the combined power of Dow and Dow Corning and emphasizes longstanding global expertise in silicone technologies across dozens of industries. Read more

10.25.17
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The Discovery of Four New Elements in the Periodic Table


The Discovery of Four New Elements in the Periodic Table 

The international union of pure and applied chemistry (IUPAC) which is U.S.-centered world authority of chemistry on 28 November 2016 approved the designations and symbols of four new elements. These elements are named as nihonium (Nh), moscovium (Mc), tennessine (Ts), and oganesson (Og), respectively with the atomic number of 113, 115, 117, and 118. The addition of these elements completed the seventh row of the periodic table. Read more

 

 

Wacker Chemie AG will be presenting its new liquid silicone rubber line ELASTOSIL LR 5040. These grades feature excellent mechanical properties after curing even without thermal post-treatment. They contain only a few volatile components making the liquid silicone rubber (LSR) compliant with regulatory specifications governing sensitive applications in baby-care, food-contact and medical sectors. Read more 

 

Ever higher performance is required of motors and machinery as a result of increasingly stringent emission regulations as well as demand for fuel efficiency and durability of vehicles and equipment. Lubricants are crucial to achieving today’s standards. They keep moving components of motors apart, reduce friction between them, transmit power, heat or cool surfaces, help to flush away contaminants and foreign particles, and prevent corrosion and wear. In other words, they prolong the useful life of vehicles. Read more

 

BASF SE has opened a new state-of-the-art production plant for biocatalyzed acrylamide at its site in Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park, China. With this investment in its wholly-owned BioACM plant in Nanjing, BASF is strengthening its production set-up for reliable and high-quality supply of polyacrylamide to customers in Asia Pacific, especially in China. The plant has a capacity of more than 50,000 tonnes of biocatalyzed acrylamide per year. Read more 

10.24.17
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Distinct Inferences of CFC’s


Distinct Inferences of CFC’s

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are organic compounds that is a hydrocarbons which encompass of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine, formed as volatile byproduct of methane, ethane, and propane. The utmost common symbolic of CFC’s are dichlorodifluoromethane or R-12 or Freon-12. They are utilized for the manufacturing of aerosol sprays, blowing agents used for foams and packing materials, solvents, and also as refrigerants.  Read More

 

 By Hermann Althoff: According to the United Nations estimates, over 9 billion people will be living on Earth by the year 2050. The amount of arable land needed to feed them, however, will not increase at the same rate. Inexpensive greenhouses made from plastic film represent one way to solve this problem: With the aid of such greenhouses, the output per hectare can be increased considerably.  Read More

Clariant International Ltd introduces a unique label-free surfactant based on 100 percent renewable sunflower oil sourced in Europe – GlucoPure Sense. Announces a new era for renewable surfactants in hand dishwashing liquid (HDWL) detergents. GlucoPure Sense supports HDWL experts in addressing challenges such as irritant labelling, non-tropical ingredient sourcing, and achieving comparable performance to traditional surfactants. Read More

 

By Debarati Das: India has historically grown on the foundation of agriculture. And over the decades, even though the country has witnessed the rise of industrialization, information technology and various other sectors, agriculture still forms the very backbone and pillar of the country’s growth. And hence, it comes as no surprise that this sector accounts for about 15 percent of the country’s GDP. Read More
10.23.17
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Carbonic Acid: Occurrence, Preparation, Properties and Uses


Carbonic Acid: Occurrence, Preparation, Properties and Uses

Carbonic acid: Carbonic acid is a chemical compound with the chemical formula as H2CO3 and molecular formula as CH2O3. It is an inorganic weak acid, which exists only as a solution. Carbonic acid is also known as acid of air, aerial acid or dihydrogen carbonate. It forms two kinds of salts: carbonates and bicarbonates. Ph of carbonic acid is 4.68 in 1mM. Carbonic acid is specifically diprotic acid, which means that it has two protons which can disassociate from the parent molecule. Read More

 

By Debarati Das: Paper is an indispensable part of our daily life. Be it a tissue paper in your backpack, stickons on your refrigerators for reminders, a piece of paper for making your grocery list, a travel ticket, a movie bill, a calendar on your work table, or a dictionary- at any point of time, you always have a paper on you.  But the use of paper is consistently witnessing a shift. On one hand, the rising use of electronic devices is steadily encouraging the trend of going “paperless” to avoid wastage of paper. Read More

 

Exxon Mobil on Tuesday began production at a new petrochemical facility in Mont Belvieu, Texas, just two months after Hurricane Harvey pummeled the U.S. Gulf Coast and hobbled the U.S. refining and specialty chemicals hub. The new first of two lines turning out polyethylene — the most common plastic used in manufacturing — will increase the plant’s output by 650,000 tons per year. The next line at Mont Belvieu will match that addition and bring total production at the plant to 2.5 million tons per year, making it one of the biggest polyethylene plants in the world. Read More

 

The use of carbon dioxide and other waste gases as a new source of raw materials is increasingly a topic of interest at the European level. A new consortium of 14 partners from seven countries, led by materials manufacturer Covestro, is now planning to investigate how flue gas from the steel industry can be used to produce plastics in a particularly efficient and sustainable way. This will save crude oil, the raw material used in conventional methods. The cross-sector project called Carbon4PUR receives funding from the European Union. Read More

10.17.17
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Coke, Pepsi to change recipe of best-selling drinks


Coke, Pepsi to change recipe of best-selling drinks

Beverage giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have embarked on a big gamble in India by changing the recipes of their best-selling drinks to include stevia, a plant-based natural sweetener. Atlanta-headquartered Coca-Cola may also launch a variant of the country’s largest-selling mango drink Maaza with 30 – 50 percent less sugar, said sources. Pointing to public concern over high sugar content in fizzy drinks, PepsiCo, too, is test-marketing a reformulated low-calorie option of its lemony drink 7UP, while Coke is doing the same with Fanta, the new variant of which includes stevia and around 5 percent orange juice. Read More

 

In earlier days, just stepping onto the outskirt of the city, you would start seeing plush green agricultural fields spread over acres and acres. But nowadays, this spread has become restricted and is getting positioned in between residential locations. Inspite of the growth in infrastructure, industrialization, IT, manufacturing among others, agriculture continues to form the backbone of the Indian economy. The sector accounts for about 15 percent of the country’s GDP. Thus, it is no surprise that the scope of agrochemicals is set to firm up in the coming years. Read More

 

Bringing a digital revolution in shipping: In an interview, Jayakumar Krishnaswamy with Chemical Today Magazinediscusses ways in which the shipping industry is experiencing tectonic shifts of change and how the company is working towards revolutionizing this global industry. By Shivani Mody Future of things to come in the marine industry. Our team of chemical engineers, material scientists, biologists, hydrodynamic experts, physicists and – nowadays – digital innovation specialists have been developing innovative technologies for decades to transform the shipping industry. Read More

 

Sowing a green growth story. In an interview, Pradip Dave with Chemical Today Magazine gives a holistic growth story of agrochemicals and crop protection industry in India. By Shivani Mody. Trends in the agrochemicals and pesticides industry. The emerging trends for Agrochemicals/Pesticide Industry are good. The next generation Agriculture in the country will include all possible sustainable solutions for crop protection which will include Crop Protection Chemicals, Biotechnology and Seed treatment. Read More

10.16.17
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How technology is empowering sales in chemical industries


How technology is empowering sales in chemical industries

As the world is progressing with an utmost pace, plenty of opportunities get discovered every day in chemical fraternity. Such an immense number of opportunities & wide growth has never been witnessed earlier into the chemical niche. Every corner that deals with chemical have an ocean of opportunities to mint money. Well, the greater are the opportunities; more are the number of hurdles to confront. Read More

 

 Hair fixative polymers find application in hair styling products such as hair gels, hair creams, hair sprays, hair mousse and various other hair styling products. The global hair fixative polymer market is projected to cross 29,000 metric tons by 2022,” according to recently published TechSci Research report.North America is the largest consumer of hair fixative polymers in the world due to robust demand emanating from the region’s hair services industry. Read More

 

Sabic said that it will showcase its industry-leading water management resources, technical support services and materials that are helping customers address global industry trends in revitalizing infrastructures and raising operational efficiency.In particular, the company will spotlight its growing portfolio of high-performance engineering resins for the water management industry, extensive application development capabilities, and new predictive engineering services that can enable the industry to solve tough challenges, ranging from optimizing hydrolytic stability and water quality to preventing corrosion and biofouling. Read More

 

BASF SE has succeeded in developing a semi-crystalline polyamide that allows light to pass through largely unhindered. Ultramid Vision combines very high light transmission with low light scattering. This makes it the world’s first semi-crystalline polyamide for semi-transparent or transparent components in chemically challenging environments. Additionally, the unique polyamide is UV and temperature resistant, scratch-proof as well as suitable for flame-retardant requirements. Read More

10.13.17
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Evonik opens plant-based active ingredients site in France


Evonik opens plant-based active ingredients site in France

Evonik Industries has opened a new site for its Evonik Advanced Botanicals subsidiary in Tours (France). Now part of the personal care business line, the new subsidiary was created in 2016 when Evonik acquired experts in biotechnological production of plant-based active ingredients, French start-up, Alkion Biopharma SAS.As a result, Evonik now claims one of the world’s leading technologies for plant-based cosmetic active ingredients.At the opening ceremony, Evonik announced its plans to develop the site into a centre for plant-based active ingredients. Read More

 

BASF SE has officially commissioned a new construction chemicals plant in Saint Petersburg, Russia.The new plant has three lines which produce, respectively, concrete additives, alkali-free concrete setting accelerators, and tunnelling shield lubricants. The company’s product range includes a number of innovative solutions developed and launched into production in 2016 and 2017. The entire range of concrete additives is produced at the plant are below others additives based on lignosulfonates and naphthalenesulfonates as well as additives based on polycarboxylate esters and polyaryl ether. Read More 

 

Wood Group has been awarded a new multi-million-dollar contract by Total SA, supporting their Lindsey Oil Refinery located in North Killinghome, UK. The five-year contract is to provide onshore maintenance services and includes the option to be extended up to two years.The new contract will commence on 1 January 2018.It builds on Wood’s support of Total’s assets across the globe, including their UK offshore portfolio. Read More

 

AkzoNobel’s speciality chemicals business has entered the next phase of a major expansion at its organic peroxides facility in Ningbo, China, which will increase production capacity by more than 100 percent by the third quarter of 2018.The company’s Ningbo site produces dicumyl peroxide (DCP), an organic peroxide used as a crosslinking agent in the manufacture of polymers. Capacity at the site was boosted by 40 percent in August, following the completion of an initial project, and is set to double to a capacity of 38,000 tonnes per year. Read More

10.12.17
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Centre to open first institute for chemical engineering in Dahej – Ananth Kumar


Centre to open first institute for chemical engineering in Dahej – Ananth Kumar

The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals of the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Government of Gujarat jointly hosted the 5th edition of ‘India Chem Gujarat 2017 – Speciality Chemicals: Way to go for Chemicals Industry’ in Gandhinagar from 21 to 22 September.The two-day event aimed to showcase India’s capability in the chemical sector and & allied industry, providing opportunity to utilize the immense potential for more trade and investments in India. Read More

 

AkzoNobel’s speciality chemicals business has completed the expansion of a production site in Denmark which supplies essential pharmaceutical grade salt for the healthcare industry. Located in Mariager, the products supplied by the facility are used as an active pharmaceutical ingredient in various applications, including intravenous solutions, insulin and baby food.Prior to the expansion – which increased capacity by 60 percent – supply struggled to keep up with demand. Read More

 

The Tata Strategic Management Group presented a report on Indian chemicals industry at the 5th edition of ‘India Chem Gujarat 2017. Titled “India Chem Gujarat 2017” was released by Ananth Kumar and Vijay Rupani.The report is a source of knowledge and information on the current scenario of the chemical industry highlighting the importance of chemicals in everyday life by taking the reader through the key sub-segments such as petrochemicals, agrochemicals, speciality chemicals and fertilizers. Read More

 

Brenntag AG has officially launched Brenntag South Africa (Pty) Ltd, one of the leading chemical distributors for speciality chemicals in the Southern African region.The new company has about 180 employees and locations in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.This is following the merger of the separate operating entities Lionheart, Plastichem, Multilube and Warren Chem Specialities.The business includes chemical distribution and services in life science (food, nutrition, pharma and personal care), material science as well as industrial sales and services. Read More