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BP, DuPont JV Butamax announces acquisition of ethanol facility in Kansas

Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC, a 50/50 JV between BP and DuPont, combining expertise in fuels with industrial biotechnology, announced the acquisition of Nesika Energy, LLC and its ethanol facility in Scandia, Kansas. Butamax will now start the engineering work to add bio-isobutanol capacity to the facility, while continuing to produce ethanol before and after adding this capacity.

Brazil's Braskem must face US lawsuit over Petrobras scandal

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem SA must face the main part of a shareholder lawsuit over its role in a massive bribery scandal that engulfed Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras SA, a US judge has ruled.

China to import first SGC, Thunderhorse oil from US in April

SINGAPORE/HOUSTON (Reuters) -- China will import Southern Green Canyon (SGC) and Thunderhorse crude oil from the Gulf Coast of the United States for the first time when a supertanker carrying 2 MM barrels arrives in April, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Business Trends: Standardized modularization—Drivers, challenges and perspectives in the oil and gas industry

RTS Ltd.: Eftimie, C.

Modularization is an alternative way of performing engineering aimed to reduce the number of interfaces, the total installed cost (TIC) and overall schedule length of a project, while optimizing the return on investment (ROI) and allowing standardization for similar future projects.

Industry Perspectives: What is the solution to comply with the IMO’s Global Sulfur Cap regulation?

In October 2016, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced that it will implement a new regulation that calls for the sulfur content in marine fuels to be reduced from 3.5% to 0.5%.

Viewpoint: Operational excellence—The path to world-class performance

Petrotechnics: Murray, P.

Why is operational excellence (OE) increasingly being recognized as the path to world-class performance?

Editorial Comment: Petrochemical project announcements top $80 B since 2014

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

Although new petrochemical project announcements have fallen over the past 3 yr, the global petrochemical sector will continue to see strong growth through the end of the decade.

Through the looking glass: How US EPA regulations are changing the way we visualize methane leaks

Opgal: Yanai, O.

In mid-2016, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published Regulation 40 CFR, Part 60, Sub-part OOOOa, commonly known as QuadOa. This regulation has propelled optical gas imaging (OGI) firmly into the mainstream, and presents a major shift in the way fugitive emissions are regulated and the technologies that can be used.

Calculate gasoline RVP seasonal change giveaway economics

Refinery Automation Institute, LLC: Barsamian, A.  |  Curcio, E.

Despite high demand and depressed refining margins, the US is in the midst of a glut of gasoline. This predicament is causing a rush to convert summer gasoline into cheaper winter gasoline, in the hope that using cheap butane and higher Reid vapor pressure (RVP) specs will increase refining profits.

Fluor completes construction of Dow Chemical’s ethylene production facility

IRVING, Texas – Fluor Corporation announced that it has safely finished the mechanical construction of The Dow Chemical Company’s new ethylene production facility in Freeport, Texas on schedule.