Industry News
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New greenfield chemical plant in Siberia to use SUEZ technology
SUEZ has signed a contract for a large wastewater treatment project and has been awarded an associated 10-year service agreement with Irkutsk Polymer Plant of Irkutsk Oil Company, one of the largest independent oil and gas producers located in Russia
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McDermott invests in Lummus Technology
McDermott Intl Ltd has announced that it has invested in Lummus Technology Holdings I LLC, a holding company of Lummus Technology.
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Alfa Laval to test new fuels for more sustainable shipping
Alfa Laval will soon start testing two new types of marine fuels in its strive towards zero carbon shipping.
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IChemE Safety Centre holds webinar to mark International Women’s Day
THE IChemE Safety Centre (ISC) held a webinar on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Safety to mark International Women’s Day.
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Caribbean refinery to test promises on poverty and pollution
St. Croix is a long way from the U.S. mainland. But the battle over the refinery's pollution on this Caribbean island and tourist resort is one of the first tests of how the Biden administration will prioritize environmental justice.
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Attack on Saudi facilities sends oil prices surging
Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said that a drone hit a petroleum tank farm at Ras Tanura port, one of the world's largest oil shipping ports.
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Missile strikes hit oil refineries in north Syria, killing one
Deadly explosions rocked local oil refineries near the towns of al-Bab and Jarablus, sparking large fires and injuring several people.
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Exxon refinery restarts hydrocracker after CDU restart
Exxon has begun restarting the hydrocracker at its 560,500 bpd Baytown, Texas, refinery, shortly after restarting a crude distillation unit.
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Spain's Cepsa expects COVID-19 to keep squeezing oil refining margins
Spanish oil company Cepsa said it expects the coronavirus pandemic to keep downward pressure on its refining margins and demand for refined products in Europe in the next few months.
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Gevo selects Axens for renewable gasoline and sustainable aviation fuel project
Axens announces that Gevo, Inc. selected its PolynaphthaTM oligomerization technology for its Net-Zero 1 project in Preston, South Dakota. Axens scope will include technology license, basic engineering, and catalyst supply for the conversion of renewable olefins into a flexible slate of renewable gasoline and jet fuel.
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Latam lags in energy transition race; urgent needs unmet
As oil majors and developed nations push for a faster transition to clean energy, much of Latin America is struggling just to cover its basic supply needs for fossil fuels, which is forcing some countries to actually rely more on dirty energy sources. Experts speaking at this year’s all-virtual CERAWeek conference said a portion of Latin America could fall behind in the energy transition due to outdated policies and resource nationalism in nations like Venezuela and Mexico, combined with an urgent need for cheap imported fuel.
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Former IChemE President’s donation will help promote sustainability
FORMER IChemE President Ian Shott has announced a £200,000 (US$279,000) donation to IChemE to be used to promote the role that chemical engineers have in addressing societal challenges.
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UK to introduce petrol with 10% bioethanol
E10 fuel – petrol blended with 10% bioethanol – is set to be introduced in the UK in September.
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Johnson & Johnson to collaborate with Merck to increase vaccine production
MERCK will produce Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines in a collaboration that the Biden administration helped to facilitate.
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Prax concludes purchase of Total’s UK refinery, downstream assets
Prax Group has completed its proposed acquisition of Total SE’s UK downstream business, including subsidiary Total Lindsey Oil Refinery Ltd.’s 109,000-b/d refinery in North Killingholme, Immingham, Lincolnshire, and associated logistics assets.
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UK launches new high-risk research funding agency
THE UK Government has launched a new scientific research agency to fund high-risk, high-reward research.
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IChemE announces 2021 Medals and Prizes recipients
ICHEME has announced that it is recognising more than 30 chemical engineers with prizes and medals for their exceptional contributions to the profession within research and academia.
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Partners to develop waste-to-fuel plant by 2025
WASTE-to-fuel company Fulcrum BioEnergy, along with Essar Oil UK and its subsidiary Stanlow Terminals, have partnered to develop a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in the North West of England. Expected by 2025, the project is to receive a £600m (US$837m) investment.
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Partners move closer to first-of-its-kind CO2-to-methanol plant
CIVIL engineering is now underway for a first-of-its-kind 110,000 t/y carbon dioxide (CO2)-to-methanol plant that will recycle industrial waste gases. This follows project partner Carbon Recycling International (CRI) achieving a major milestone by completing and delivering the process design package.
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Novel anodes for safe and stable seawater-based aqueous batteries
US RESEARCHERS have developed a battery anode based on a new nanostructured alloy that could change how energy storage devices are designed and manufactured. The novel alloy also progresses the potential of replacing solvent electrolytes with seawater, a safer, inexpensive, and abundant alternative.
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Drax scraps plan for new gas-fired power plant
DRAX has decided to abandon a controversial plan to build Europe’s biggest gas-fired power plant, in North Yorkshire, UK.
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Engineering regulator issues fresh guidance on sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY guidance for engineering professionals has been issued by the Engineering Council, the regulatory body for the UK engineering profession.
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Equinor and Engie announce hydrogen partnership
EQUINOR and Engie have announced a partnership for the development of low-carbon hydrogen.
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GSK to close two UK antibiotics manufacturing sites
GSK is closing two UK antibiotics manufacturing operations, in Barnard Castle and Ulverston.
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UK announces nuclear waste competition winners
FOURTEEN companies have won contracts in a £3.9m (US$5.5m) competition aimed at developing a waste toolkit that will contribute to meeting the aims of the nation’s nuclear sector deal.
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Winter storm ices USGC refining, petrochemical operations
US Gulf Coast refining and petrochemical operators are assessing gradual restarts of plants following days of freezing temperatures that led to unprecedented unplanned shutdowns of regional processing and production capacities.
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Consortium investigates Australian P2X industry
A RESEARCH consortium led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Australia is investigating the potential to grow a new power-to-X (P2X) industry to benefit a range of New South Wales (NSW) infrastructure. The industry could contribute to accelerating a hydrogen economy.
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CEMEX receives funding to develop carbon capture in cement industry
CEMEX has been awarded a grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a pilot carbon capture unit.
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Accelerating novel vaccine inactivation method
SEEKING to accelerate a novel method for producing inactivated vaccines to market and ensure competitivity, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation has partnered with a specialist machinery manufacturer and an information analysis company. The novel method could make vaccine production faster, safer, and cheaper.
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Rio Tinto launches sustainability label for aluminium industry
RIO Tinto has launched a sustainability label that will ensure transparency and traceability for the aluminium industry.
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Velocys signs agreement for commercial-scale biomass-to-jet fuel in Japan
VELOCYS has signed a collaboration agreement with Toyo Engineering to produce renewable fuels in Japan at commercial scale.
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New hydrogen hub in Australia gets funding
SWINBURNE University of Technology in Australia has received A$10m (US$7.8m) from the Victorian Government to build a new hydrogen hub.
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ExxonMobil creates low-carbon business
EXXONMOBIL has created a new business unit to commercialise its low-carbon portfolio, which it is calling Low Carbon Solutions (LCS).
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BioNTech secures deals for lipids needed in vaccine
BIONTECH has partnered with Merck and Evonik to expand lipid production for its Covid-19 vaccine.
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Howard Energy completes purchase of Javelina gas plant
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BP and Rosneft to collaborate on sustainability goals
BP and Rosneft have signed a strategic collaboration agreement to focus on their carbon management and sustainability activities.
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AstraZeneca plans to expand European vaccine manufacturing
ASTRAZENECA has signed a deal with IDT Biologika to explore options to accelerate manufacturing of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine in Europe.
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Shell lays out net-zero strategy
OIL and gas major Shell has set out a strategy for achieving net zero energy transformation by 2050, which it says will be powered by growth in its customer-facing businesses.
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Closure of Altona refinery fuels concerns about Australian manufacturing
EXXONMOBIL is closing its Altona refinery in Victoria, Australia. The decision comes hot on the heels of BP’s plans to shut the Kwinana refinery and has elevated concerns about fuel security and the future of downstream manufacturing in Australia.
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Elon Musk puts up US$100m prize for carbon removal tech
TECH billionaire Elon Musk is launching a US$100m prize for innovators who can remove CO2 from the atmosphere and oceans, in a bid to develop technologies capable of scaling massively to gigaton levels.
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UK offers £40m for manufacturers to plan and deploy greener technologies
THE UK Government is offering £40m (US$56m) in funding for energy-intensive companies to conduct feasibility and engineering studies, and deploy greener technologies.
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NRL lets contract for Numaligarh refinery expansion
Numaligarh Refinery Ltd. has let a contract to Lummus Technology LLC to deliver technology licensing for a new PFCC unit to be built as part of expansion of its 3-million tpy Numaligarh refinery
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Petrobras finds buyer for RLAM refinery
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IChemE releases special issue of LPB to mark Fukushima anniversary
ICHEME has released a special edition of Loss Prevention Bulletin (LPB) to mark the tenth anniversary of the nuclear accident that occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.
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Australia plans network of hydrogen clusters
A NETWORK of hydrogen technology clusters is to be established across Australia with the aim of creating a globally competitive hydrogen industry.
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Shangdong Yulong lets contract for integrated refining complex
Shandong Yulong Petrochemical has let a contract to UOP to provide a suite of technologies for new units at the aromatics complex of its integrated refining and petrochemical complex under construction in Yantai City, Shandong Province, China.
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IOC adding new processing unit at Haldia refinery
Indian Oil Corp.has broken ground on construction of a new processing unit to improve quality and production capacity of lubricant base oils at its recently expanded 8-million tonnes/year refinery in Haldia, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India.
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Survey finds UK engineering companies lack skills to meet net zero target
A SURVEY by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has found that 93% of engineering employers think that their staff don’t have the necessary skills to meet sustainability goals.
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CVR Energy advances alkylation unit revamp at Wynnewood refinery
CVR Energy Inc. has let a contract to KBR Inc. to provide a suite of additional services for the second phase of a proposed project to convert process technology of an existing hydrofluoric acid alkylation unit at a subsidiary refinery in Wynnewood, Okla.
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Parties reach US$7.02bn settlement for fatal Brazil dam collapse
MINING giant Vale and Brazilian authorities have agreed on a global settlement of about R$37.69bn (US$7.02bn) to repair the environmental and social damage that resulted from the fatal collapse of a Vale dam in 2019.
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