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Popular Posts

Biobased 1,4-butanediol (BDO)

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Versión en Español Type of post: Fact sheet. Series: Biobased chemicals – Alcohols. Publication date: 01/06/2021. Last update: 11/06/2021. Description - Diol with 4 carbon atoms. - It is a colourless, viscous liquid. Applications - In the presence of phosphoric acid and high temperature, it dehydrates to the tetrahydrofuran (THF), which is used in various industrial applications such as a solvent in pharmaceuticals. Half of the BDO consumption is used for production of THF. - The second largest market for BDO is the synthesis of γ-butyrolactone (GBL). GBL is used in industrial cleaning products and in the production of Methylpyrrolidone (NMP) and 2-pyrrolidone. - Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) is produced by polymerising terephthalic acid and BDO. PBT is an engineering plastic is used in a wide range of applications, mainly in electrical and automotive component. Conventional petrochemical routes (1) - Reppe process (acetylene): 42% of global capacity. - Davy Process (maleic anhyd...
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New HVO plant enters into operation in China

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Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS. According to S&P Global Platts, last month, State-owned energy company Beijing Sanju Environmental Protection & New Materials launched a 400 ktons/year capacity HVO plant in Rizhao (Shandong, China) province. The biorefinery utilizes used cooking oil (UCO) and palm oil mill effluent (POME) as feedstocks. News (S&P Global Platts): “ China reinforces position in HVO market with launch of new 400,000 mt/year plant ”, 24/03/2021. Hydrotreating (HVO) – Concepts, feedstocks and specifications . HVO posts. Figure 1. Beijing Sanju, current and planned HVO plants (source: S&P Global Platts Analytics) The new HVO plant (Shandong Sanju Bioenergy) was the result of a cooperation agreement (07/04/2020) between Beijing Sanju (primary owner, investor and tech provider), Hainan Qilu Development (investor and subsidiary of Qilu Transportation Development Group) and the Juxian County Government (minority owner, fixed assets). Shandong Sanju Bio...
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Finding out about the Canada’s first algal biorefinery project – ACC demonstration plant

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New Year, new dreams, new projects… We begin 2017 with several posts about CO 2 conversion technologies. Today, in the first one of them, an overview on the Canada’s first algal biorefinery demonstration project is provided. It includes an interesting interview with one of the responsible for the success of this engaging project. Let us start by knowing more about the background. Background The Government of Canada is supporting clean energy research and development at all stages of the innovation spectrum. In particular, it is boosting later stage technology demonstrations to help speed the commercialization and adoption of cleaner techniques and methods. In this sense, in 2013, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) and Pond Technologies announced a multi-million dollar investment to build and operate a demonstration-scale algal biorefinery facility in Alberta. While the project’s initial engineering phase was complete...
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Biobased polyolefins - Biobased Polyethylene (bio-PE)

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Versión en Español Section: BIOBASED PLASTICS Series: Biobased Vinyl Polymers. - Biobased Polyethylene (bio-PE). Biobased Polyethylene (bio-PE) / Green Polyethylene / Renewable Polyethylene - Its biobased carbon content can reach 100%. - Renewable resource . It is produced from renewable biomass feedstocks as sugars or vegetable oils. - It reduces GHG emissions. Each ton produced captures and sequesters CO 2 from the atmosphere. - 100% drop-in . Chemically identical to its petrochemical counterpart. It has the same processing characteristics as fossil PE, therefore, it can be processed in the same equipment. - Non-biodegradable . It cannot be composted or biodegraded. - Thermoplastic . It can be molten and remoulded into the desired shape. - It can be recycled and processed into new bio-PE products using conventional technologies without requiring additional investments. - Building block or monomer: biobased ethylene . ...
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Profile: MiniDest – The small-sized corn ethanol plants of Porta

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A new addition to the list of references of small-scale biorefineries . Today I introduce a concept that is revitalizing the rural zones in Argentina: the MiniDest. Porta carries the distillery to the farm to integrate the production in the origin minimizing logistic and energy costs. The company Porta Hnos. SA , a company settled in Córdoba (Argentina), has a well-known industrial trajectory of more than 130 years in the production of liquor, alcohol and vinegar. They have invested years devoted to the development of engineering and technology for the processes of distillation and fermentation. In this sense, its staff have achieved important goals for the own company and third parties, in addition to the sign of collaboration agreements with major biotechnology companies in Argentina and all over world. The MiniDest concept The MiniDest are small, modular, automatic and remotely operated plants. These mini distilleries are installed in farms aimed to produce cor...
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