Refining
US extends offshore leases for deepwater drilling
The Obama administration recently extended nearly 1,400 deepwater oil and gas drilling leases in an effort to offset production delays caused by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the subsequent five-month ban on new offshore drilling.
BP inks $50mn settlement to resolve claims from Texas City refinery blast
BP has agreed to pay $50 million to the state of Texas to resolve air pollution allegations related to the March 2005 explosion at its Texas City refinery, according to a statement from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. An explosion and related fires erupted at BP’s Texas City refinery in March 2005, claiming 15 lives and injuring more than 170 workers.
Refining group names Albemarle top biodiesel firm
US-based specialty chemicals producer Albemarle was named biodiesel corporation of the year by the World Refining Association during the Biofuels 2011 annual meeting in Amsterdam. The award, which was presented to representatives from Albemarle's alternative fuel technologies (AFT) division, recognizes industry leaders that have made substantial contributions in the field of renewable fuels.
BASF, Cargill team up on canola oil development
Cargill and BASF Plant Science announced an agreement to co-develop a new dietary source of EPA/DHA that will make it easier for consumers globally to achieve optimal intakes of EPA- and DHA-rich omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. This next generation canola oil containing EPA/DHA will enable food, pharmaceutical and nutritional supplement manufacturers to deliver the potential health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in a variety of new, cost-effective consumer products available by the end of the decade.
Mitigate refinery influent water supply contamination
Resolving critical water supply and quality issues by managing risk and implementing successful solutions
Spent caustic management: Remediation review
Understanding of waste components needed for proper spent caustic disposal
Pilot-operated safety relief valves: A simple, effective plant upgrade
Replacing spring-loaded valves can help increase efficiency and output
HP Reliability: One pump fire per 1,000 pump repairs
While performing reliability audits decades ago, pump-failure statistics were made available or could be recovered with relative ease. But even then, the sources were usually kept confidential because..
HP Construction: North America
Eastman Chemical Co. has announced a second expansion of its Benzoflex plasticizer line at the Kohtla-Järve, Estonia, site. The expansion will increase Benzoflex capacity by an additional 11,000 ..
HP Construction: Europe
Navum Energy Ltd. has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Turkmenistan state-owned gas concern, Turkmengas, which will lead to the construction of a series of gas-to-liquids (GTL) and ..
- INA nears completion of €700-MM Rijeka refinery upgrade project 12/29
- Topsoe’s advanced technology selected for a SAF and renewable diesel project in Uruguay 12/29
- DHL and CMA CGM accelerate decarbonization of ocean freight with joint biofuel initiative 12/29
- Prysmian and Versalis partner on new, innovative chemical recycling process 12/29
- OCI Global announces startup of new ammonia production facility in Texas (U.S.) 12/29
- Orlen takes control of key petrochemical unit in deal with Synthos 12/29

