This Week in Chemical Engineering - Fuels & Petrochemicals Spotlight: December 18, 2018

Don't miss out on the latest business and technology news for chemical engineers, featuring select items in relation to Fuels & Petrochemicals.

Wanhua Chemical pursues closed loop for industrial production

Creating a closed industrial production loop is part of Wanhua Chemical's "Eco-Chain" growth strategy, says Chairman Liao Zengtai. Wanhua is planning a cracker complex in China by 2020 that will use isocyanates byproducts to produce other items, and in November, it unveiled plans for a $1.25 billion greenfield methyl di-p-phenylene isocyanate project in the US by 2021.

Silicon sun seen as solar energy storage solution

Molten silicon that provides light like the sun is the key ingredient in a solar power storage solution from engineers at MIT and the Georgia Institute of Technology. A system involving thermal energy grid storage using multijunction photovoltaics would employ solar cells to heat up the silicon during the day, while at night the molten silicon's glow would shine on those same cells for continuous electrical power.

Cashew apple to be tested as feedstock for biofuel

The Maharashtra government in India, Praj Industries and others are working together on a project that studies the potential of cashew apple waste as feedstock for biofuel production.

BASF uses mixed plastic waste to produce chemicals

BASF has successfully used processing oil made from mixed plastic waste to produce ethylene and propylene at its site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The feedstock was created using catalytic tribochemical conversion technology from Recenso.

House Republicans seek to ax ethanol mandate

House Republicans have put forward legislation that would end the ethanol blending requirement in 2032 and replace it with a rule that vehicles built from 2023 forward use only gasoline with a minimum octane rating of 95. A hearing was held Tuesday to discuss the proposal, but the legislation failed to garner the support of representatives from the refining and ethanol industries.