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RELEASED ON 11/01/13 (DD/MM/YY)
Three rubber producers in China is planning to start up new butadiene rubber (BR) plants in Jiangsu, Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces respectively in the first and second quarter of 2013, company sources said on Friday.
Maoming Petro-chemical Shihua will start up its new 100,000 tonne/year BR plant at Maoming, Guangzhou province in February, a company source from Maoming Petro-chemical Shihua said.
YPC-GPRO (Nanjing) Rubber plans to start up its new 100,000 tonne/year BR plant at Nanjing, Jiangsu province in April, one company source from YPC-GPRO (Nanjing) Rubber said.
Zhejiang Transfar Synthetic Material will bring on stream its new 100,000 tonne/year BR plant at Hangzhou in Zhejiang province in the second quarter of 2013, a source from the company said, without specifying the start-up date.
The details of these projects were not available immediately.
The total BR capacity in China is 1.162m tonnes/year, and it is expected to reach 1.462m tonnes/year following the new start-ups.
The BR market will face supply pressure with the rapid increase of the total capacity amid weak downstream demand, an industry source said.
SOURCE ICIS News - For internal use only
Three rubber producers in China is planning to start up new butadiene rubber (BR) plants in Jiangsu, Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces respectively in the first and second quarter of 2013, company sources said on Friday.
Maoming Petro-chemical Shihua will start up its new 100,000 tonne/year BR plant at Maoming, Guangzhou province in February, a company source from Maoming Petro-chemical Shihua said.
YPC-GPRO (Nanjing) Rubber plans to start up its new 100,000 tonne/year BR plant at Nanjing, Jiangsu province in April, one company source from YPC-GPRO (Nanjing) Rubber said.
Zhejiang Transfar Synthetic Material will bring on stream its new 100,000 tonne/year BR plant at Hangzhou in Zhejiang province in the second quarter of 2013, a source from the company said, without specifying the start-up date.
The details of these projects were not available immediately.
The total BR capacity in China is 1.162m tonnes/year, and it is expected to reach 1.462m tonnes/year following the new start-ups.
The BR market will face supply pressure with the rapid increase of the total capacity amid weak downstream demand, an industry source said.
SOURCE ICIS News - For internal use only
RELEASED ON 02/01/13 (DD/MM/YY)
Global Bioenergies, an industrial biology company developing sustainable routes to light olefins, recently announced that they have launched its activities in Hong Kong to prospect industrial and financial opportunities in Asia.
Jean-Baptiste Barbaroux, Head of Corporate Development of Global Bioenergies, who recently relocated to Hong Kong, declares: “The premise to our Asian network had been initiated and managed from France. Our presence on the ground, in one of Asia’s major financial hubs, will be instrumental in strengthening and broadening this network.”
Marc Delcourt, CEO of Global Bioenergies, adds: “Global Bioenergies has previously established activities in the United States and Germany. With this new presence in Asia, Global Bioenergies fully deserves its name, and extends itself to the world’s most dynamic region.”
About Global Bioenergies
Global Bioenergies is one of the few companies worldwide, and the only one in Europe, that is developing a process to convert renewable resources into hydrocarbons through fermentation. The Company initially focused its efforts on the production of isobutene, one of the most important petrochemical building blocks that can be converted into fuels, plastics, organic glass and elastomers. Global Bioenergies continues to improve the yield of its process and prepares the phase dedicated to pilot testing. The company recently replicated this success to propylene and butadiene and is also looking to continue with other members of the gaseous olefins family, key molecules at the heart of petrochemical industry.
SOURCE Global Bioenergies Official Press Release
RELATED STORIES
France’s Global Bioenergies progresses on renewable butadiene
Global Bioenergies, an industrial biology company developing sustainable routes to light olefins, recently announced that they have launched its activities in Hong Kong to prospect industrial and financial opportunities in Asia.
Jean-Baptiste Barbaroux, Head of Corporate Development of Global Bioenergies, who recently relocated to Hong Kong, declares: “The premise to our Asian network had been initiated and managed from France. Our presence on the ground, in one of Asia’s major financial hubs, will be instrumental in strengthening and broadening this network.”
Marc Delcourt, CEO of Global Bioenergies, adds: “Global Bioenergies has previously established activities in the United States and Germany. With this new presence in Asia, Global Bioenergies fully deserves its name, and extends itself to the world’s most dynamic region.”
About Global Bioenergies
Global Bioenergies is one of the few companies worldwide, and the only one in Europe, that is developing a process to convert renewable resources into hydrocarbons through fermentation. The Company initially focused its efforts on the production of isobutene, one of the most important petrochemical building blocks that can be converted into fuels, plastics, organic glass and elastomers. Global Bioenergies continues to improve the yield of its process and prepares the phase dedicated to pilot testing. The company recently replicated this success to propylene and butadiene and is also looking to continue with other members of the gaseous olefins family, key molecules at the heart of petrochemical industry.
SOURCE Global Bioenergies Official Press Release
RELATED STORIES
France’s Global Bioenergies progresses on renewable butadiene
RELEASED ON 10/01/13
Dairen Chemical Corp. is likely to shut operations at its vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) plant
Located at Mailiao in Taiwan, the VAM plant has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year.
the plant will be taken off-stream for a maintenance turnaround in August-September 2013 and will remain shut for around one month, according to a Polymerupdate source in Taiwan.
SOURCE Polymer Update
Dairen Chemical Corp. is likely to shut operations at its vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) plant
Located at Mailiao in Taiwan, the VAM plant has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year.
the plant will be taken off-stream for a maintenance turnaround in August-September 2013 and will remain shut for around one month, according to a Polymerupdate source in Taiwan.
SOURCE Polymer Update
RELEASED ON 11/01/13 (DD/MM/YY)
China's petrochemical market is expected to see increasing capacity expansion in 2013 and beyond, while continuing economic growth bodes well for demand.
China's petchem capacity is set to jump significantly in the next several years
Copyright: RexFeatures
China GDP is expected to significantly outpace world economic growth in the coming years, although the rate of growth will slow, according to OPEC. It estimates global GDP will have grown at 3.1% in 2012 and at 3.2% in 2013. The US will show growth of 2.2% and 2.0% in 2012 and in 2013, and the eurozone will register growth of -0.5% and 0.1% during the two years.
China is expected to grow at 7.6% in 2012 and 5.7% in 2013, while India will grow at 8.0% and 6.6% in the two years.
The fourth quarter of 2012 is likely to see low inflation. However, with rising food prices, greater inflation is expected to appear in the first half of 2013. As such, China is less likely to issue very loose monetary policies.
C2 EXPANSIONS
China will see increasing ethylene capacity in the coming years. Some major plants have already started up, in the latter half of 2012.
Daqing Petrochemical started up its 600,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker in early September of 2012, Fushun Petrochemical started up 800,000 tonne/year cracker in end October, Heyuan Petrochemical plans to start up 240,000 tonne/year methanol-to-olefin (MTO) plant by end 2012. However, the actual output from these new plants will ramp up in 2013.
There are still new plants to start up in 2013 - two naphtha crackers from Sichuan Petrochemical and Wuhan Petrochemical with capacities of 800,000 tonnes/year each.
China's propylene capacity will show high-speed expansion through 2015. According to statistics from ICIS Chemease, propylene capacity will expand 11m tonnes from 2012-2015.
POLYOLEFINS EXPANSIONS
Polyolefins players also see capacity expansion as the main trend in for 2013.
Qilu Petrochemical plans to start up its 250,000 tonne/year high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant in February or March 2013. Sichuan Petrochemical also plans to start up its 300,000 tonne/year HDPE plant and 300,000 tonne/year linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) plants in 2013. Wuhan Petrochemical will also start up its 300,000 tonne/year HDPE and 300,000 tonne/year LLDPE plants in the middle of 2013.
However, capacity expansions of benzene will be insufficient to meet demand, leading a further shortfall of benzene supply in 2013.
Based on statistics from ICIS China, an increase of 1.3m tonnes/year in domestic benzene capacity is expected in 2013, but the pace of growth is much slower than that in the downstream sectors. Therefore, China's benzene supply will be much tighter in 2013, and more imports are expected to flow into China.
SOURCE ICIS News - For internal use only
China's petrochemical market is expected to see increasing capacity expansion in 2013 and beyond, while continuing economic growth bodes well for demand.
China's petchem capacity is set to jump significantly in the next several years
Copyright: RexFeatures
China GDP is expected to significantly outpace world economic growth in the coming years, although the rate of growth will slow, according to OPEC. It estimates global GDP will have grown at 3.1% in 2012 and at 3.2% in 2013. The US will show growth of 2.2% and 2.0% in 2012 and in 2013, and the eurozone will register growth of -0.5% and 0.1% during the two years.
China is expected to grow at 7.6% in 2012 and 5.7% in 2013, while India will grow at 8.0% and 6.6% in the two years.
The fourth quarter of 2012 is likely to see low inflation. However, with rising food prices, greater inflation is expected to appear in the first half of 2013. As such, China is less likely to issue very loose monetary policies.
C2 EXPANSIONS
China will see increasing ethylene capacity in the coming years. Some major plants have already started up, in the latter half of 2012.
Daqing Petrochemical started up its 600,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker in early September of 2012, Fushun Petrochemical started up 800,000 tonne/year cracker in end October, Heyuan Petrochemical plans to start up 240,000 tonne/year methanol-to-olefin (MTO) plant by end 2012. However, the actual output from these new plants will ramp up in 2013.
There are still new plants to start up in 2013 - two naphtha crackers from Sichuan Petrochemical and Wuhan Petrochemical with capacities of 800,000 tonnes/year each.
China's propylene capacity will show high-speed expansion through 2015. According to statistics from ICIS Chemease, propylene capacity will expand 11m tonnes from 2012-2015.
POLYOLEFINS EXPANSIONS
Polyolefins players also see capacity expansion as the main trend in for 2013.
Qilu Petrochemical plans to start up its 250,000 tonne/year high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant in February or March 2013. Sichuan Petrochemical also plans to start up its 300,000 tonne/year HDPE plant and 300,000 tonne/year linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) plants in 2013. Wuhan Petrochemical will also start up its 300,000 tonne/year HDPE and 300,000 tonne/year LLDPE plants in the middle of 2013.
However, capacity expansions of benzene will be insufficient to meet demand, leading a further shortfall of benzene supply in 2013.
Based on statistics from ICIS China, an increase of 1.3m tonnes/year in domestic benzene capacity is expected in 2013, but the pace of growth is much slower than that in the downstream sectors. Therefore, China's benzene supply will be much tighter in 2013, and more imports are expected to flow into China.
SOURCE ICIS News - For internal use only
RELEASED ON 14/01/13 (DD/MM/YY)
China’s Sinopec Guangzhou shut its 30,000 tonne/year butadiene (BD) unit on 12 January for maintenance, a source close to the company said on Monday.
Sinopec Guangzhou originally planned to shut the BD unit on 10 January, the source said without specifying the reason for the delay.
The shutdown will last 10 days, and it is expected to result in a loss of 900 tonnes of BD output, the source added.
The spot BD price is at yuan (CNY) 13,300/tonne ($2,138/tonne) EXW (ex-works) on 14 January, unchanged from 11 January, according to Chemease, an ICIS service in China.
China’s Sinopec Guangzhou is a BD producer in China.
SOURCE ICIS News - For internal use only
RELATED STORIES
China’s Sinopec Guangzhou to shut BD unit on 10 January
China’s Sinopec Guangzhou shut its 30,000 tonne/year butadiene (BD) unit on 12 January for maintenance, a source close to the company said on Monday.
Sinopec Guangzhou originally planned to shut the BD unit on 10 January, the source said without specifying the reason for the delay.
The shutdown will last 10 days, and it is expected to result in a loss of 900 tonnes of BD output, the source added.
The spot BD price is at yuan (CNY) 13,300/tonne ($2,138/tonne) EXW (ex-works) on 14 January, unchanged from 11 January, according to Chemease, an ICIS service in China.
China’s Sinopec Guangzhou is a BD producer in China.
SOURCE ICIS News - For internal use only
RELATED STORIES
China’s Sinopec Guangzhou to shut BD unit on 10 January
RELEASED ON 12/01/13
BASF is consolidating its U.S. non-crop herbicide, insecticide and fungicide businesses into a single department. About 30 jobs will be moving to the Research Triangle Park as part of the change.
Tom Hill, a spokesman for BASF's new specialty products department, said most of what the company sells through its crop protection business is products for application on "big acres to farmers."
In contrast, the specialty department uses the same kinds of chemistry, but in different formulations, he said, for use on golf courses, by pest control companies or for use in nurseries or greenhouses in the ornamentals industry.
The company announced this week that it's consolidating its pest control solutions, professional turf and ornamentals, as well as its professional vegetation management and market business development segments. They'll together be known as the BASF Specialty Products Department.
Hill said only a few jobs will be lost. According to a news release, the business manager roles of the pest control solutions and turf and ornamentals businesses are being dissolved, and the two marketing departments for those divisions are being consolidated.
Dan Carrothers, the former pest control solutions business manager, and Brian Lish, formerly turf and ornamentals business manager, will assume the new roles of marketing manager and strategic account manager.
Both will report directly to Jan Buberl, who will lead the department.
Also as part of the consolidation, BASF is moving about 30 jobs for its pest control solutions business, which was based in St. Louis, to the Research Triangle Park.
"They have been offered the opportunity to take those jobs and just move with them," Hill said. "If they elect not to, they would obviously leave the company."
That company's pest control business was previously based in the Research Triangle Park, Hill said, but was moved to St. Louis following a 2008 acquisition of a pest control manufacturer and marketer.
The manufacturing part of that business will stay in St. Louis., he said.
The new structure is planned to be in place by March 31.
Hill said BASF has more than 700 employees in the Research Triangle Park in its crop protection and plant science as well as in its specialty products divisions.
SOURCE The Herald Sun
BASF is consolidating its U.S. non-crop herbicide, insecticide and fungicide businesses into a single department. About 30 jobs will be moving to the Research Triangle Park as part of the change.
Tom Hill, a spokesman for BASF's new specialty products department, said most of what the company sells through its crop protection business is products for application on "big acres to farmers."
In contrast, the specialty department uses the same kinds of chemistry, but in different formulations, he said, for use on golf courses, by pest control companies or for use in nurseries or greenhouses in the ornamentals industry.
The company announced this week that it's consolidating its pest control solutions, professional turf and ornamentals, as well as its professional vegetation management and market business development segments. They'll together be known as the BASF Specialty Products Department.
Hill said only a few jobs will be lost. According to a news release, the business manager roles of the pest control solutions and turf and ornamentals businesses are being dissolved, and the two marketing departments for those divisions are being consolidated.
Dan Carrothers, the former pest control solutions business manager, and Brian Lish, formerly turf and ornamentals business manager, will assume the new roles of marketing manager and strategic account manager.
Both will report directly to Jan Buberl, who will lead the department.
Also as part of the consolidation, BASF is moving about 30 jobs for its pest control solutions business, which was based in St. Louis, to the Research Triangle Park.
"They have been offered the opportunity to take those jobs and just move with them," Hill said. "If they elect not to, they would obviously leave the company."
That company's pest control business was previously based in the Research Triangle Park, Hill said, but was moved to St. Louis following a 2008 acquisition of a pest control manufacturer and marketer.
The manufacturing part of that business will stay in St. Louis., he said.
The new structure is planned to be in place by March 31.
Hill said BASF has more than 700 employees in the Research Triangle Park in its crop protection and plant science as well as in its specialty products divisions.
SOURCE The Herald Sun
RELEASED ON 11/01/13
Petkim Sadettin Korkut will increase production capacity at the ethylene plant under petrochemical complex Petkim by 13%, general manager of the company said in a press release.
Alongside the plant capacity, the production of pure terephthalic acid will be increased from 70,000 tons per year to 105,000 tons.
Due to new investment the power capacity of the petrochemical complex will increase from 3.2 million tons to 3.5 million tons per year. This means Petkim production costs will be significantly reduced upon completion of the investment process.
Prior to 2015, it is planned to invest about six billion dollars in the complex.
SOURCE CCIN
Petkim Sadettin Korkut will increase production capacity at the ethylene plant under petrochemical complex Petkim by 13%, general manager of the company said in a press release.
Alongside the plant capacity, the production of pure terephthalic acid will be increased from 70,000 tons per year to 105,000 tons.
Due to new investment the power capacity of the petrochemical complex will increase from 3.2 million tons to 3.5 million tons per year. This means Petkim production costs will be significantly reduced upon completion of the investment process.
Prior to 2015, it is planned to invest about six billion dollars in the complex.
SOURCE CCIN
Released on 10/01/13
Polymer Lithium Sulfur cells battery technology is considered to be the next generation of battery, complementary to Lithium-ion systems. It has the best performance record among all battery technologies to date. Compared to other batteries currently on the market, this technology displays double the energy density as well as perfect reliability and lower manufacturing and operating costs. OXIS Energy Limited and Arkema, have signed a Joint Development Agreement to further improve the performance of Polymer Lithium Sulfur cells battery.
The parties have agreed that Arkema will provide access to different specialty materials like carbon nanotubes, electrolyte and advanced technical polymers that could be tested by OXIS for use in developing and extending its technology. The collaboration’s aim is to optimize two aspects: the conductivity increase of the electrolyte that should improve energy density, and reinforcement of mechanical resistance of some components in order to extend the lifetime and safety of the battery.
Source chemEurope
RELATED STORIES
Oxis, Lincad to develop Li-S batteries
Polymer Lithium Sulfur cells battery technology is considered to be the next generation of battery, complementary to Lithium-ion systems. It has the best performance record among all battery technologies to date. Compared to other batteries currently on the market, this technology displays double the energy density as well as perfect reliability and lower manufacturing and operating costs. OXIS Energy Limited and Arkema, have signed a Joint Development Agreement to further improve the performance of Polymer Lithium Sulfur cells battery.
The parties have agreed that Arkema will provide access to different specialty materials like carbon nanotubes, electrolyte and advanced technical polymers that could be tested by OXIS for use in developing and extending its technology. The collaboration’s aim is to optimize two aspects: the conductivity increase of the electrolyte that should improve energy density, and reinforcement of mechanical resistance of some components in order to extend the lifetime and safety of the battery.
Source chemEurope
RELATED STORIES
Oxis, Lincad to develop Li-S batteries
Released on 09/01/13
Evonik Stockhausen LLC Merges Into Evonik Corporation
Evonik Degussa Corporation has changed its name to Evonik Corporation, effective January 1, 2013. In addition, Evonik Stockhausen LLC has merged into Evonik Corporation.
"Simplifying our name to Evonik Corporation formalizes a shift in corporate strategy,” said Tom Bates, president of Evonik Corporation. “We believe merging Evonik Stockhausen into Evonik Corporation reflects the global brand image of our business and strengthens our ability to communicate the benefits of our high quality products and our commitment to provide our customers with superior and sustainable solutions."
Following the merger, Evonik Stockhausen LLC – a leading provider of skin care products and superabsorbent polymers – is no longer a legal entity and is fully incorporated into Evonik Corporation.
"With our continued focus on delivering innovative products, and maximizing growth and value in the consumer care markets, it is imperative we strengthen the Evonik brand,” said Reinhold Brand, head of Consumer Specialties in North America. “These changes emphasize the Evonik brand and reflect the company's long-term strategy to advance its global image.”
The Stoko® brand, services to customers, and operations will not be affected.
Source EVONIK Official Press Release
Evonik Stockhausen LLC Merges Into Evonik Corporation
Evonik Degussa Corporation has changed its name to Evonik Corporation, effective January 1, 2013. In addition, Evonik Stockhausen LLC has merged into Evonik Corporation.
"Simplifying our name to Evonik Corporation formalizes a shift in corporate strategy,” said Tom Bates, president of Evonik Corporation. “We believe merging Evonik Stockhausen into Evonik Corporation reflects the global brand image of our business and strengthens our ability to communicate the benefits of our high quality products and our commitment to provide our customers with superior and sustainable solutions."
Following the merger, Evonik Stockhausen LLC – a leading provider of skin care products and superabsorbent polymers – is no longer a legal entity and is fully incorporated into Evonik Corporation.
"With our continued focus on delivering innovative products, and maximizing growth and value in the consumer care markets, it is imperative we strengthen the Evonik brand,” said Reinhold Brand, head of Consumer Specialties in North America. “These changes emphasize the Evonik brand and reflect the company's long-term strategy to advance its global image.”
The Stoko® brand, services to customers, and operations will not be affected.
Source EVONIK Official Press Release
Released on 10/01/13
If batteries had larger energy storage capacities, portable electronics and electric vehicles would spend less time tethered to electrical outlets. However, to make fast-charging, high-storage batteries, researchers need new electrode materials that don’t degrade during use. Now a team has developed a process for making tin-carbon composites to produce battery electrodes that charge up quickly and don’t break over time (Nano Lett., DOI: 10.1021/nl303823k).
The anodes in today’s lithium-ion batteries consist of graphite. To improve the batteries’ storage capacity, researchers are looking to other elements including tin. In theory, a battery with a pure tin anode would store over 2.5 times as much energy as one with a graphite anode does. But there is a downside to tin: When a tin anode reacts with lithium in a battery, its volume triples. The volume change can crack the material and destroy the battery.
Researchers have tried to reduce the strain from the expansion by making composite anodes that mix carbon with nanostructured tin. “The smaller the tin particles, the smaller the strain,” says Chunsheng Wang, a chemical engineer at the University of Maryland, College Park. Carbon provides mechanical support and prevents the tin particles from clumping together.
However, researchers have had difficulty making tin nanoparticles of reliable dimensions within these composites. The melting point of tin—about 232 °C—is well below the reaction temperature for making the carbon composite. So the tin particles often melt and clump together, increasing strain during the anode’s use.
To make nanoparticles that wouldn’t clump, Wang collaborated with University of Maryland mechanical engineer Michael R. Zachariah on a method called aerosol spray pyrolysis. The process involves rapid heating and cooling of droplets of carbon and tin reactants.
The Maryland team starts with an ethanol solution of tin chloride and the polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone, which acts as the carbon source. They aerosolize the solution and rapidly heat the droplets to 900 °C. At this temperature, the tin chloride decomposes and the polymer degrades into elemental carbon. The two elements form a powder of spherical carbon particles, each 200 to 500 nm in diameter, riddled with 10-nm-diameter tin spheres. The transformation takes less than a second, and then the powder quickly cools to room temperature.
Though the reaction happens well above tin’s melting temperature, the tin nanoparticles don’t have time to move through the carbon and form clumps. Doing the chemistry in droplets is much faster than in beakers of reactants, which require long times to heat and cool, says Zachariah.
The team built a test battery with a tin-carbon anode made from the composite powder and a cathode made of lithium. The battery maintained its storage capacity after charging and draining 220 times. The battery could charge and drain about 20 times in an hour—faster than a typical cell phone battery.
Most important, says Yuegang Zhang, a materials scientist who develops battery materials at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, was that the tin-carbon composite’s nanostructure remained stable after these cycles. Such stability could lead to a long battery lifetime, he adds.
However, Zhang says, the anode needs more testing to prove it will last. If the composite stays stable after more than 1000 charge cycles, it would be commercially viable, he says.
Source Chemical & Engineering News
If batteries had larger energy storage capacities, portable electronics and electric vehicles would spend less time tethered to electrical outlets. However, to make fast-charging, high-storage batteries, researchers need new electrode materials that don’t degrade during use. Now a team has developed a process for making tin-carbon composites to produce battery electrodes that charge up quickly and don’t break over time (Nano Lett., DOI: 10.1021/nl303823k).
The anodes in today’s lithium-ion batteries consist of graphite. To improve the batteries’ storage capacity, researchers are looking to other elements including tin. In theory, a battery with a pure tin anode would store over 2.5 times as much energy as one with a graphite anode does. But there is a downside to tin: When a tin anode reacts with lithium in a battery, its volume triples. The volume change can crack the material and destroy the battery.
Researchers have tried to reduce the strain from the expansion by making composite anodes that mix carbon with nanostructured tin. “The smaller the tin particles, the smaller the strain,” says Chunsheng Wang, a chemical engineer at the University of Maryland, College Park. Carbon provides mechanical support and prevents the tin particles from clumping together.
However, researchers have had difficulty making tin nanoparticles of reliable dimensions within these composites. The melting point of tin—about 232 °C—is well below the reaction temperature for making the carbon composite. So the tin particles often melt and clump together, increasing strain during the anode’s use.
To make nanoparticles that wouldn’t clump, Wang collaborated with University of Maryland mechanical engineer Michael R. Zachariah on a method called aerosol spray pyrolysis. The process involves rapid heating and cooling of droplets of carbon and tin reactants.
The Maryland team starts with an ethanol solution of tin chloride and the polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone, which acts as the carbon source. They aerosolize the solution and rapidly heat the droplets to 900 °C. At this temperature, the tin chloride decomposes and the polymer degrades into elemental carbon. The two elements form a powder of spherical carbon particles, each 200 to 500 nm in diameter, riddled with 10-nm-diameter tin spheres. The transformation takes less than a second, and then the powder quickly cools to room temperature.
Though the reaction happens well above tin’s melting temperature, the tin nanoparticles don’t have time to move through the carbon and form clumps. Doing the chemistry in droplets is much faster than in beakers of reactants, which require long times to heat and cool, says Zachariah.
The team built a test battery with a tin-carbon anode made from the composite powder and a cathode made of lithium. The battery maintained its storage capacity after charging and draining 220 times. The battery could charge and drain about 20 times in an hour—faster than a typical cell phone battery.
Most important, says Yuegang Zhang, a materials scientist who develops battery materials at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, was that the tin-carbon composite’s nanostructure remained stable after these cycles. Such stability could lead to a long battery lifetime, he adds.
However, Zhang says, the anode needs more testing to prove it will last. If the composite stays stable after more than 1000 charge cycles, it would be commercially viable, he says.
Source Chemical & Engineering News
Released on 10/01/13
AS its 12-year-old biomedical and pharmaceutical scene matures, Singapore is beginning to change the way in which it adds value to some of the largest companies it has wooed here.
Bayer HealthCare said said it is consolidating six separate cancer-related research tie-ups with Singapore researchers and clinician under a single Integrated Translational Oncology Network geared towards addressing the growing cancer burden in Asia.
Bayer's network, which was facilitated by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), will hopefully accelerate the typical 15-year, US$1 billion process taken to translate research done at the bench to the patient's bedside.
It counts the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore, the National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore General Hospital, A*Star's Singapore Bioimaging Consortium and the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, as some of its partners.
Source Business Times
AS its 12-year-old biomedical and pharmaceutical scene matures, Singapore is beginning to change the way in which it adds value to some of the largest companies it has wooed here.
Bayer HealthCare said said it is consolidating six separate cancer-related research tie-ups with Singapore researchers and clinician under a single Integrated Translational Oncology Network geared towards addressing the growing cancer burden in Asia.
Bayer's network, which was facilitated by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), will hopefully accelerate the typical 15-year, US$1 billion process taken to translate research done at the bench to the patient's bedside.
It counts the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore, the National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore General Hospital, A*Star's Singapore Bioimaging Consortium and the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, as some of its partners.
Source Business Times
Released on 09/01/13
PetroLogistics has restarted its propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant in Texas after completing unscheduled repairs on the unit, the company said on Wednesday.
The 544,000 tonne/year facility was taken down on 17 December.
US propylene prices rose sharply in the past few weeks, partly as a result of the unexpected shutdown, market sources said.
Polymer-grade propylene (PGP) for January traded on Tuesday at 70 cents/lb ($1,543/tonne, €1,173/tonne), rising by 20% from deals done at 58.25-59.00 cents/lb in mid December.
Source ICIS News - For internal use only
PetroLogistics has restarted its propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant in Texas after completing unscheduled repairs on the unit, the company said on Wednesday.
The 544,000 tonne/year facility was taken down on 17 December.
US propylene prices rose sharply in the past few weeks, partly as a result of the unexpected shutdown, market sources said.
Polymer-grade propylene (PGP) for January traded on Tuesday at 70 cents/lb ($1,543/tonne, €1,173/tonne), rising by 20% from deals done at 58.25-59.00 cents/lb in mid December.
Source ICIS News - For internal use only
Released on 09/01/13
Spot prices for US vinyl acetate monomer have risen $50/tonne (€38/tonne) on domestic and European plant issues and because of a recent jump in feedstock costs, sources said on Tuesday. Spot VAM prices increased to $900-1,000/tonne, up from $850-950/tonne the previous week, according to buyers and sellers.
In the US, sources said DuPont’s 335,000 tonnes/year Texas VAM plant in La Porte will go down later in January for 22 days of planned maintenance. A DuPont spokesman said the company did not comment on plant operations.
Much of the increase comes from a jump in feedstock US ethylene.
December contracts dropped slightly by 0.75 cent/lb, but the real attention grabber has been the 17% rise in spot ethylene since early December.
Spot ethylene has been trading in the 59-60 cents/lb range this week, compared with around 50 cents/lb in late November and early December, as assessed by ICIS.
Earlier, Dow Chemical sent a letter to customers saying it planned to raise VAM prices by 6 cents/lb ($132/tonne, €100/tonne) immediately. The letter followed a force majeure on VAM made at an INEOS plant in England that was announced on 4 January.
Dow offered no explanation for its increase. But sources close to the company said the INEOS declaration and rising ethylene influenced the decision to raise prices.
Buyers and sellers have said that December was not a good month for VAM pricing when compared to November.
“We’re not seeing the sales we had in January last year,” a buyer said. “It’s been strong so far, but not like it was last year.”
Source ICIS News - For internal use only
RELATED STORIES
Dow seeks 6 cent/lb VAM hike following INEOS force majeure
Spot prices for US vinyl acetate monomer have risen $50/tonne (€38/tonne) on domestic and European plant issues and because of a recent jump in feedstock costs, sources said on Tuesday. Spot VAM prices increased to $900-1,000/tonne, up from $850-950/tonne the previous week, according to buyers and sellers.
In the US, sources said DuPont’s 335,000 tonnes/year Texas VAM plant in La Porte will go down later in January for 22 days of planned maintenance. A DuPont spokesman said the company did not comment on plant operations.
Much of the increase comes from a jump in feedstock US ethylene.
December contracts dropped slightly by 0.75 cent/lb, but the real attention grabber has been the 17% rise in spot ethylene since early December.
Spot ethylene has been trading in the 59-60 cents/lb range this week, compared with around 50 cents/lb in late November and early December, as assessed by ICIS.
Earlier, Dow Chemical sent a letter to customers saying it planned to raise VAM prices by 6 cents/lb ($132/tonne, €100/tonne) immediately. The letter followed a force majeure on VAM made at an INEOS plant in England that was announced on 4 January.
Dow offered no explanation for its increase. But sources close to the company said the INEOS declaration and rising ethylene influenced the decision to raise prices.
Buyers and sellers have said that December was not a good month for VAM pricing when compared to November.
“We’re not seeing the sales we had in January last year,” a buyer said. “It’s been strong so far, but not like it was last year.”
Source ICIS News - For internal use only
RELATED STORIES
Dow seeks 6 cent/lb VAM hike following INEOS force majeure
Released on 13/12/12
L'Institut technologique de Karlsruhe (KIT, Bade-Wurtemberg) et l'entreprise Siemens ont récemment signé un accord en vue du développement commun d'un concept global de fabrication de batteries lithium-ion. L'objectif est de pouvoir mettre rapidement en pratique les innovations développées au KIT, et ainsi d'augmenter la qualité tout en réduisant les coûts du produit.
La fabrication de cellules lithium-ion requiert une série de processus individuels, comme le séchage des électrodes enduites, la formation de la cellule ou l'assemblage des cellules en chambre sèche. Jusqu'à présent, ces différents processus étaient chacun contrôlés directement par leurs machines respectives. L'un des points centraux de la coopération entre le KIT et Siemens consistera par conséquent en l'élaboration d'un système de contrôle global de l'ensemble des processus par un poste d'ordinateur central. Entre autres, un nouveau système de gestion électronique des données permettra d'analyser et d'ajuster en ligne les différentes étapes de la fabrication. Le système permettra également d'observer les facteurs influant sur l'ensemble de la chaîne de valeur, et non plus uniquement sur une étape du procédé. L'objectif visé est la sécurité maximale des différents processus, ainsi qu'une minimalisation des défauts.
Dès 2013 est attendue l'intégration du nouveau système de contrôle dans les premières installations de fabrication de cellules lithium-ion du KIT, afin de démontrer ses avantages en termes de qualité de production et de réduction des coûts.
Du côté du KIT, cette coopération rentre dans le cadre du projet "Competence E" [1], qui regroupe tous les travaux réalisés au KIT sur le stockage d'énergie électrique pour des applications mobiles et stationnaires. Ce projet est financé par le Ministère fédéral de l'économie et de la technologie (BMWi) sur arrêté du Parlement fédéral.
Source ADIT
L'Institut technologique de Karlsruhe (KIT, Bade-Wurtemberg) et l'entreprise Siemens ont récemment signé un accord en vue du développement commun d'un concept global de fabrication de batteries lithium-ion. L'objectif est de pouvoir mettre rapidement en pratique les innovations développées au KIT, et ainsi d'augmenter la qualité tout en réduisant les coûts du produit.
La fabrication de cellules lithium-ion requiert une série de processus individuels, comme le séchage des électrodes enduites, la formation de la cellule ou l'assemblage des cellules en chambre sèche. Jusqu'à présent, ces différents processus étaient chacun contrôlés directement par leurs machines respectives. L'un des points centraux de la coopération entre le KIT et Siemens consistera par conséquent en l'élaboration d'un système de contrôle global de l'ensemble des processus par un poste d'ordinateur central. Entre autres, un nouveau système de gestion électronique des données permettra d'analyser et d'ajuster en ligne les différentes étapes de la fabrication. Le système permettra également d'observer les facteurs influant sur l'ensemble de la chaîne de valeur, et non plus uniquement sur une étape du procédé. L'objectif visé est la sécurité maximale des différents processus, ainsi qu'une minimalisation des défauts.
Dès 2013 est attendue l'intégration du nouveau système de contrôle dans les premières installations de fabrication de cellules lithium-ion du KIT, afin de démontrer ses avantages en termes de qualité de production et de réduction des coûts.
Du côté du KIT, cette coopération rentre dans le cadre du projet "Competence E" [1], qui regroupe tous les travaux réalisés au KIT sur le stockage d'énergie électrique pour des applications mobiles et stationnaires. Ce projet est financé par le Ministère fédéral de l'économie et de la technologie (BMWi) sur arrêté du Parlement fédéral.
Source ADIT
Released on 08/01/13
Monsanto raised its 2013 earnings outlook as first-quarter corn seed and traits results pushed profits far above Wall Street expectations. The company posted net income of $339 million (62 cts/share) for the quarter ended 30 November, up from $126 million in the year-ago period, on "significant contribution from the corn seed and traits business, led by the corn opportunity acceleration in Latin America and strong shipments in the United States," Monsanto says. Analysts had expected 37 cts/share according to Thomson Reuters (New York). Net sales increased 21%, to $2.9 billion.
Monsanto raised its 2013 earnings guidance from $4.18–4.32/share to $4.30–4.40/share, although the revised forecast still misses analysts' consensus estimate of $4.43/share.
"We've achieved a successful start to the year, with contributions from multiple areas that speak to the strength of our global business and provides confidence in our ability to realize a third consecutive year of significant growth," says Hugh Grant, chairman and CEO for Monsanto. "The momentum in our business is also seen in our record research and development progress. Through continued innovation in our integrated yield pipeline, we remain committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions that will bring additional value to our customers."
Seeds and genomics gross profit increased 12%, to $1 billion, on sales 14% higher, to $1.8 billion. Corn seed and traits net sales increased 27%, to $1.1 billion, driven in part by the business strength in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico, Monsanto says. In Brazil, farmers continue to upgrade from single trait corn products to the first double stack, VT PRO 2. In Argentina, the company says it has seen strong adoption of its Genuity VT Triple PRO triple-stack corn seed, which is on track to be 40% of the company's Argentine corn portfolio in just its second year on the market. In the US market, seed orders point to growth in 2013, the company adds.
Crop protection sales increased 21%, to $1.2 billion, and segment gross profit more than doubled, to $372 million. Monsanto says the strong performance reflects near-term supply and demand imbalance and higher prices for generic glyphosate.
Source Chemical Week