Chemical Industry in a no deal EU Exit: Changes at the UK Border in 60 Seconds

January 23, 2019 | 132 views

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, and you are a company that makes, supplies or uses chemicals, there may be changes that affect your business.

Spotlight

Gunvor Raffinerie Ingolstadt GmbH

The Gunvor Ingolstadt refinery, a member of Gunvor Group Ltd., is located on a 128-hectare site in Ingolstadt (about 80 km north of Munich). The plant was commissioned by ExxonMobil in 1963, taken over by Petroplus in 2007 and acquired by Gunvor in 2012. The refinery has an excellent record in health protection, work safety, environmental protection and energy efficiency.

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Chemical Technology

Reimagining the Workforce with Anglo American

Article | July 20, 2022

“At Anglo-American, we’re really focused on finding the best ways to attract the most talented people in the industry and effectively equipping our existing workforce based on what they need today and what the future will mean for their careers. We’re also committed to providing learning opportunities that lead to growth and development in the communities in which we operate. Our people are a strategic advantage. We want to ensure that continues to be the case as the mining industry evolves and faces more disruption.

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Chemical Technology

We need a global agreement that sets targets for reducing plastic waste

Article | August 2, 2022

What follows is an entirely personal take on the challenge of plastic waste and does not represent the views of ICIS or any other expert opinion I have sought out. The views are put forward in the spirit of debate as we move forward, as an industry, to solve the crisis of plastic waste.

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Chemical Technology

Organic Catalyst Boasts Big Benefits

Article | June 6, 2022

An enzyme-mimicking catalyst opens a new route to important organic molecules such as glycolic acid and amino acids from pyruvate, report researchers in Japan. Moreover, the new catalyst is cheaper, more stable, safer and more environmentally friendly than conventional metal catalysts used in industry, they note, adding that it also displays the high enantioselectivity required by the pharmaceutical industry. “On top of these advantages, our newly developed organic catalyst system also promotes reactions using pyruvate that aren’t easily achievable using metal catalysts,” says Santanu Mondal, a PhD candidate in the chemistry and chemical bioengineering unit at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan, and lead author of a study recently published in Organic Letters. “Organic catalysts, in particular, are set to revolutionize the industry and make chemistry more sustainable,” he stresses. The researchers use an acid and an amine mixture to force the pyruvate to act as an electron donor rather than its usual role as an electron receiver (Figure 1). Effectively mimicking how enzymes work, the amine binds to the pyruvate to make an intermediate molecule. The organic acid then covers up part of the intermediate molecule while leaving another part that can donate electrons free to react to form a new product. Currently, the organic catalyst system only works when reacting pyruvate with a specific class of organic molecule called cyclic imines. So, the researchers now are looking to develop a more-universal catalyst, i.e., one that can speed up reactions between pyruvate and a broad range of organic molecules. The challenge here is to try to make the electron-donating intermediate stage of pyruvate react with other functional groups such as aldehydes and ketones. However, different catalysts create different intermediates, all with different properties. For example, the enamine intermediate created by the researchers’ new reaction only reacts with cyclic imines. Their hypothesis, currently being investigated, is that creation of other intermediates such as an enolate, if possible, would achieve a broader pyruvate reactivity. In terms of cost, the researchers note that a palladium catalyst used in similar reactions is 25 times more expensive than their organic acid — which also is made from eco-friendly quinine. In addition, they believe scale-up of the process for industrial use definitely is possible. However, the researchers caution that the current amine-to-acid-catalyst loading ratio of 1:2 probably would need to be optimized for better results at a larger scale.

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Chemical Technology

Guyana-Suriname basin: Rise from obscurity to super potential

Article | May 13, 2021

Recent discoveries in the Guyana-Suriname basin attest to estimates of 10+ Bbbl of oil resources and more than 30 Tcf of gas.1 Like many oil & gas successes, this is a story that begins with early exploration success onshore, followed by a long period of exploration disappointment in coastal to shelf regions offshore, eventually culminating in deepwater success.

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Spotlight

Gunvor Raffinerie Ingolstadt GmbH

The Gunvor Ingolstadt refinery, a member of Gunvor Group Ltd., is located on a 128-hectare site in Ingolstadt (about 80 km north of Munich). The plant was commissioned by ExxonMobil in 1963, taken over by Petroplus in 2007 and acquired by Gunvor in 2012. The refinery has an excellent record in health protection, work safety, environmental protection and energy efficiency.

Related News

Tampa fire rescue working to clean up after chemical spill

Tampa | February 20, 2019

Tampa Fire Rescue officials responded to a hazmat situation Wednesday morning on Columbus Drive. According to a press release, a tanker trunk was transferring a cleaning chemical to another storage tank, which caused a chemical reaction and spill from the top of the holding tank. Residents next to the complex were moved to another place while crews cleaned up the spill, and the leak was stopped by 9:20 a.m. The shelter order was lifted, and residents were allowed back shortly thereafter. Two workers were seen at the hospital for observation following the spill, but there were no reported injuries. Crews are working to neutralize and clean up the chemicals, and there is currently no threat to the surrounding area or public, fire rescue officials say.

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A catalyst for ‘greener’ hydrogen production

The Chemical Engineer | January 14, 2019

A RESEARCHER at the University of Delaware (UD), US has patented a process that could enable greener production of hydrogen. The process uses electricity and a copper-titanium (Cu-Ti) catalyst to make hydrogen from water. Hydrogen is an energy carrier and can be used to power fuel cells in vehicles, buildings, and other infrastructure. It can also be used to upcycle biomass, such as straw and grasses, into high-value chemicals to produce a range of products, such as plastics, paint, and personal care items. However, using hydrogen for these purposes is challenged by the unsustainable methods required for hydrogen production. Currently, the main processes for production use fossil fuels and produce carbon dioxide.

Read More

NGOs demand release of REACH studies submitted as confidential under TSCA

Chemical Watch | December 20, 2018

A coalition of NGOs has filed a public records request demanding the release of REACH studies submitted to the US EPA under TSCA that are being withheld as confidential. And the NGO action could represent an early test to the EPA's interpretation of what types of information can be protected as CBI under the law. At issue is the first of ten draft risk evaluations issued under the reformed TSCA, which focuses on pigment violet 29. Released to some controversy last month, the draft proposes to conclude that the substance does not pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment.

Read More

Tampa fire rescue working to clean up after chemical spill

Tampa | February 20, 2019

Tampa Fire Rescue officials responded to a hazmat situation Wednesday morning on Columbus Drive. According to a press release, a tanker trunk was transferring a cleaning chemical to another storage tank, which caused a chemical reaction and spill from the top of the holding tank. Residents next to the complex were moved to another place while crews cleaned up the spill, and the leak was stopped by 9:20 a.m. The shelter order was lifted, and residents were allowed back shortly thereafter. Two workers were seen at the hospital for observation following the spill, but there were no reported injuries. Crews are working to neutralize and clean up the chemicals, and there is currently no threat to the surrounding area or public, fire rescue officials say.

Read More

A catalyst for ‘greener’ hydrogen production

The Chemical Engineer | January 14, 2019

A RESEARCHER at the University of Delaware (UD), US has patented a process that could enable greener production of hydrogen. The process uses electricity and a copper-titanium (Cu-Ti) catalyst to make hydrogen from water. Hydrogen is an energy carrier and can be used to power fuel cells in vehicles, buildings, and other infrastructure. It can also be used to upcycle biomass, such as straw and grasses, into high-value chemicals to produce a range of products, such as plastics, paint, and personal care items. However, using hydrogen for these purposes is challenged by the unsustainable methods required for hydrogen production. Currently, the main processes for production use fossil fuels and produce carbon dioxide.

Read More

NGOs demand release of REACH studies submitted as confidential under TSCA

Chemical Watch | December 20, 2018

A coalition of NGOs has filed a public records request demanding the release of REACH studies submitted to the US EPA under TSCA that are being withheld as confidential. And the NGO action could represent an early test to the EPA's interpretation of what types of information can be protected as CBI under the law. At issue is the first of ten draft risk evaluations issued under the reformed TSCA, which focuses on pigment violet 29. Released to some controversy last month, the draft proposes to conclude that the substance does not pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment.

Read More

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