chemicals posts, articles, and infographics

As Wyoming goes, so goes the nation? - WY commission votes to disclose fracking chemicals

June 20, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 285 views

The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission voted unanimously last week to approve new rules that require oil and gas companies in the state to disclose the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing of underground formations during drilling. The vote is particularly notable in a state where fossil fuels rule, and suggests... [read more]

Chemicals profit in solar

May 3, 2010 by Doris de Guzman
with 344 views

DuPont, Dow Corning, BASF, Wacker Chemie, Solutia (and other chemical companies) have been announcing left and right about recent developments and projects within the solar market -- especially solar encapsulants. According to DuPont, encapsulants are among the most important materials to solar module manufacturers for high-volume... [read more]

Walmart's supply chain beware

March 2, 2010 by Doris de Guzman
with 221 views

Let me get this news from Walmart last week before it becomes stale. Everybody knows in the supply chain community that what Walmart and other big box retailers do vibrates all the way even up to chemical feedstock producers. This year, Walmart decided to further put their nose in their supply chain's businesses by asking them (very... [read more]

Sustainable value of chemical companies

February 25, 2010 by Doris de Guzman
with 163 views

I've posted before about the sustainability value of certain chemicals based on their lifecycle analysis - from raw material sourcing to product use/disposal. One recent report about that is a study initiated by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) last year. This study analyzed the life cycle carbon dioxide... [read more]

Algae coming soon in resins

October 23, 2009 by Doris de Guzman
with 144 views

Major green chemical news were being announced this week while I'm gone...of course. Elevance and Myriant both send me a press release on Wednesday, which I'll soon post. Metabolix have two major announcements on their bioplastics; Cargill continues in its biobased industrial chemicals development this time in pulp and paper... [read more]

Chemical firms love biofuel

October 9, 2009 by Doris de Guzman
with 173 views

There are several chemical companies who like what they see when it comes to biofuel's growth in demand. Why? Because it gives them the opportunity to develop (and sell) products that make biofuel cheaper and more efficient to use. Take for an example companies such as Albemarle, BASF, and Evonik who offer high performance catalysts... [read more]

Is the solar slump over?

September 23, 2009 by Doris de Guzman
with 249 views

Seems to me that solar is shining bright again from the recent activities I saw the past few weeks. Interestingly enough, most of the news are coming from chemical companies that developed new materials to make photovoltaics more efficient and cheaper. BASF presented its Seluris range of cutting fluids products for cutting, etching,... [read more]

WWF endorses industrial biotech

September 20, 2009 by Doris de Guzman
with 174 views

Environmental group WWF is giving a green thumbs-up approval to industrial biotechnology stating that not only could it reduce up to 2.5 billion tons/year of CO2 emissions by 2030, it could also help create a true 21st century green economy. "Low carbon biotech solutions are a good example of hidden or invisible climate solutions that... [read more]

Another "New" Thermochemical Approach

September 17, 2009 by Robert Rapier
with 270 views

Thanks to a reader for bringing this story to my attention:Segetis: Making a Brand New BiochemicalThe Minnesota-based startup turns cellulosic biomass into something called levulinic ketal, a brand-new molecule that can be made into a host of industrial chemicals.Segetis wants to make mixed biomass into a hitherto unknown chemical, and... [read more]

A bit of concrete thinking

August 31, 2009 by David Hone
with 109 views

During my second year at University I worked for two months in a cement plant as part of the “practical experience” element of my chemical engineering studies. This was about 30 years ago and in those days nobody talked about CO2 – I don’t recall any mention of the CO2 footprint of cement or the overall impact of the industry on the... [read more]

BASF enters green city

August 19, 2009 by Doris de Guzman
with 158 views

I've posted information last year about the $15bn Masdar city - which aims to be the world's first zero-carbon and waste free city - and I wondered if investment and construction would slow down for this project because of the global financial crisis. I guess that's not happening as indicated by this news announced today from BASF. The... [read more]

Industrial Biotech Interview: Verdezyne

August 17, 2009 by Doris de Guzman
with 110 views

This is actually the first time that the Green Blog was able to interview and know more about Verdezyne, an industrial biotechnology company (or a synthetic biology company, whatever fits!) based in Carlsbad, California. The company, founded in 2005, was formerly known as CODA Genomics, a spin-out from the University of Irvine,... [read more]

Global green chems worth $45bn

August 11, 2009 by Doris de Guzman
with 99 views

I've been waiting for some figures from consultants about the possible current worth of renewable chemicals and one finally arrived from a Delaware-based firm called Markets and Markets. They estimated the global renewable chemicals market to be worth $45bn this year and is expected to reach $59.1bn by 2014, with an aggregate growth... [read more]

Chemical Industry wants to be green...really?

July 6, 2009 by Doris de Guzman
with 83 views

I am finally able to post this recently released sustainable chemical industry survey from ICIS (the company I work for) and green chemistry company Genomatica. An article about it was published from ICIS Chemical Business last week. For those who haven't checked it out yet (as I've been tweeting about it the past week or so), the... [read more]

Let the climate change debates begin

May 25, 2009 by Doris de Guzman
with 92 views

Washington (and the chemical industry) is abuzz this week with the proposed American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act by House Reps Waxman and Markey.The House Committee on Energy and Commerce passed the bill on May 21 with a 33-25 vote. The bill aims to cut global warming pollution by 17% compared to 2005 levels in 2020, by 42% in... [read more]