N15

tnsulatlng foam must be eliminated by the end of the year In the US To date, srx of Dow’s kcensees In North Amenca and Eu- rope have converted to the technology According to Dow the blowrng agent can be retrofitted to exrsting foam sheet extru- sion processes and IS less expensrve than usrng HCFC-22 (Source European Chemical News, 18 Ott 1993)

Catalyst Unlt Starts In Flnland

A pilot plant which will test a solid cata- lyst technology for the alkylatron of petrol IS being commissioned by Catalytrca Inc , Conoco and Neste Oy at Porvoo, Finland The plant will be supplied wrth commercial feedstock by the neighbouring Neste refrn- ery and will have a capacrty of 7 barrel- s/day It IS intended that the solid catalyst will replace hydrofluonc and sulphunc acid systems in the manufacture of high-octane petrol, and rt IS hoped that the process can be licensed throughout the world In 1994 (Source Chem Mark Rep, 244 (5) (2 Aug 1993) 5)

Coalite Puts Hydecats on Line

Coakte Chemrcals has brought a Hyde- cat unrt on-stream at Its Bolsover, YK, srte, and Allied Signal has brought a similar unrt on-stream at Baton Rouge, LA Developed by ICI Katalco, the process IS used for the treatment of chlorinated effluent streams to remove sodrum hypochlorrte by convert- ing rt to gaseous oxygen and bnne It utrlises a patented nickel catalyst ACI In- dustnes Ltd IS to operate a catalyst care programme for ICI It will take spent cata- lysts from anywhere In the world and re- claim them Further Hydecat unrts are to be set up in 1993, rncludrng one rn Japan and one at ICI’s Hillhouse srte Another unn WIII

applied catalysis 8: Environmental

be installed shortly by Coaltte (Source Chem Mark Rep, 244 (3) (19 Jul 1993)

5)

Rhone-Poulenc Private and Public Re- search: Combining Skills

Rhone-Poulenc began forging special links wrth state research arganisations in 1988, when rt teamed up wrth France’s National Centre for Scientrfrc Research (CNRS) and the Unrversrty of Montpellrer to work on the synthesis of ceramic precur- sors using the sol-gel method Since then, 5 more teams have been created to work

on subjects related to the Group’s core business areas In chemrcals, Rhone-Pou- lent and the CNRS are conducting joint research into tnphasrc catalytic reactors The goal IS to improve their understanding of the complex reactions at the gas, lrqurd and solid phases of the production of key chemical intermediates, such as hexa- methylenediamine which IS used to make nylon The benefits will be substantral cost savings of millions of francs, a reduction in energy costs, and the elimination of sol- vents (Source Rhone-Poulenc Presence, (58) (14 Jun 1993) 24-25)

Catalytic Combustion System Con- cepts

Degussa AG IS undertaking a project wrthrn the framework of the EC Bnte EuRam programme, together wrth ten other organisatrons n five drfferent coun- tries of the EC The aim of thus 4-year pro- ject, which commenced In kov 1992, IS to research novel catalytic combustron sys- tems which achieve ultra-low exhaust emissions when operatrng ion natural gas fuel Applications for this 1 research pro- gramme are high pressureiratro, high effl-

Volume 3 No 2-3 - 1 February 1994