NEWS
New developments in the Chemical industry
Provence Technologies acquires Synprosis
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rovence Technologies Group, a specialist fine chemistry research group, has announced its acquisition of Synprosis, a company specialis-
ADT to provide Borouge with packaging services at Khalifa Port
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bu Dhabi Terminals (ADT), the manager and operator of Khalifa Port Container Terminal, has signed a contract with Borouge, a leading provider of innovative, value creating plastics solutions, through which ADT will design, construct and operate a state-of-the-art packaging facility for Borouge’s export products at Khalifa Port. Borouge produces 2 million tonnes of polyolefins at its petrochemical plants in Ruwais and is currently expanding its industrial complex that will be resulted in increasing its total production capacity to 4.5 million tonnes in 2014. The new packaging facility set to be built at Khalifa Port is expected to be completed in early 2015 with a total capacity of 385,000 metric tonnes. Visit: www.borouge.com
Clariant and Siemens to introduce New Technology for coal gasification
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lariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, has signed an agreement with Siemens Fuel Gasification Technology to cooperate in the commercialisation of a new, jointly developed sour gas shift (SGS) technology for coal gasification. The agreement appoints Clariant as the exclusive catalyst supplier
12 Industry Europe
ing in the chemical synthesis of peptides and proteins for therapeutic use. Synprosis is based in Aix-en-Provence, France. The deal opens up new development opportunities for the Provence Technologies Group in the area of biologically active pharmaceuticals. Synprosis has a ten-year history of producing active principles in the field of vaccines under development (for malaria, cancer and allergies, etc.) as well as in other therapeutic fields (for neurogenerative diseases and the treatment of pain). For Provence Technologies Group, the acquisition is consistent with the management team’s strategic objective to strengthen its core business of therapeutic chemistry. www.provetech.com
INEOS Enterprises acquires Sasol Solvents Germany
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ollowing clearance from the European Commission, INEOS Enterprises has successfully completed its agreement to purchase one of Europe’s leading solvent manufacturers, Sasol Solvents Germany. The acquisition includes production facilities at Moers on the Lower Rhine, and Herne in Germany’s industrial Ruhr district. The addition of Sasol’s German based European Solvents businesses provides a complementary fit with the portfolio and expertise of INEOS and opens up new opportunities within its existing manufacturing sites in Germany. Both sites and their products will now be integrated into the new business to be called INEOS Solvents, itself a part of INEOS Enterprises. Ethanol and isopropyl alcohol are produced at Herne and oxygenated solvents isopropyl alcohol (IPA), secondary butyl alcohol (SBA), and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) are produced at Moers. Visit: www.ineosenterprises.com for all Siemens gasification integrated SGS projects. While the collaboration covers all global projects, commercialisation will focus on China – the region with the highest growth rate of coal-to-chemical projects. The advanced SGS technology from Clariant and Siemens significantly decreases total capital cost for coal-to-chemical and IGCC applications through optimisation
SABIC and Kringlan developing world’s first thermoplastic carbon composite wheel
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ABIC, Kringlan Composites and other industry partners are working to further advance the development of the world’s first thermoplastic composite wheel. This ground breaking innovation leverages SABIC’s proprietary ULTEM™ resin and Kringlan’s proprietary three-dimensional composite design capabilities to create a material solution that can be used to replace traditional materials, such as metal and aluminum alloy, helping reduce weight and emissions, and potentially save manufacturing costs across industries from aerospace to automotive, and consumer goods. Thierry Materne, vice-president, Technology & Innovation for SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business, said, “Combining SABIC’s high-performance ULTEM resin with Kringlan’s proprietary three-dimensional manufacturing technology for carbon composites offers OEMs the opportunity for reduced weight, lower production costs as well as material recyclability. When compared to other thermoplastic materials, the ULTEM resin composite concept offers superior strength at high temperatures, dimensional stability as well as resistance to chemicals.” Visit: www.sabic.com
and simplification of total plant concepts. The entrained-flow Siemens Fuel Gasifier (SFG) is able to produce syngas from a wide range of fuels – even for low ranks of coal. Clariant’s new ShiftMax® 821 catalyst enables a simple, once-through process without further adjustment of the exit gas from the gasifier. Visit: www.clariant.com
