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Lyondell Basell to Close Olefins Plant

LyondellBasell Industries will permanently close its Chocolate Bayou olefins complex near Alvin, Texas, by Aug. 4, 2009. The plant has been out of service since mid-December and the company announced on Feb. 12 plans to ...

26 Mar 2009

Pirelli Launches Incentive for Motorists to Change to Eco-Friendly Tyres

Pirelli launches incentives for substitution of tyres, with a totally self
financed initiative which, similar to incentives for substitution of vehicles,
includes a contribution for purchase of fuel for those who decide to trade in
their old tyres for Pirelli eco-compatible products.

26 Mar 2009

Motor Glider Powered by Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Anyone expecting to hear the engine roar into life when the "Antares
DLR-H2" motor glider takes off, will be in for a surprise: the aircraft
rises almost soundlessly from the runway. And there's no smell of fuel
either.

26 Mar 2009

Weak Market Forces Temporary Closure of Ethylene Cracker

BASF will idle the smaller of its two steam crackers at its site in Ludwigshafen due to continuing weak demand. The temporary shutdown of the cracker, which has an annual capacity of 220,000 metric tons of ethylene, is p...

26 Mar 2009

BASF Go in Search of More Efficient, High Perfmance, Safer Li-Ion Batteries

Financial sponsorship running into millions has opened the way for the development
of new generations of high energy batteries for use in plug-in hybrid automobiles
and the electric powered vehicles of the future.

From SGL CARBON SE 26 Mar 2009

Ascent Solar Open New Production Facility Near Denver

Ascent Solar Technologies, which is 35-percent owned by Hydro,
opened a new production facility and headquarters near Denver, Colorado, in
the U.S. on March 24.

26 Mar 2009

DuPont Holographic Label Helps Prevent Fraud

The DuPont Izon holographic
security label from DuPont Authentication is helping Xi'an Lijun Pharmaceutical
Co., Ltd. secure its brands and regain
customer confidence in its products.

26 Mar 2009

BNL Patents Corrosion Resistant Coating for Metals Based on Nanoparticles

Scientists at the U.S. Department
of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a method
for coating metal surfaces with an ultrathin film containing nanoparticles "particles measuring billionths of a meter" which renders the metal resistant
to corrosion and eliminates the use of toxic chromium for this purpose.

26 Mar 2009

Biomaterials Journal to Host Biomaterials Asia 2009 Conference

Elsevier announced today, that Biomaterials, the leading journal in the field of biomaterials science, will host Biomaterials Asia 2009 in Hong Kong from April 5-8 to highlight the latest Asian research developments, ins...

26 Mar 2009

Economical Process Converts Algae into Biofuel

Chemists reported development of what they termed the first economical, eco-friendly
process to convert algae oil into biodiesel fuel - a discovery they predict
could one day lead to U.S. independence from petroleum as a fuel.

26 Mar 2009

Study Shows Plastic Mineral Water Bottles Contaminate Water with Estrogen

Plastic packaging is not without its downsides, and if you thought mineral water was 'clean', it may be time to think again. According to Martin Wagner and Jorg Oehlmann from the Department of Aquatic Ecotoxicolo...

26 Mar 2009

Hydro Cuts Aluminium Production by Another 100,00 Tonnes

Hydro
has decided to temporary close the oldest production line at its Sunndal plant,
representing an annual production of about 100,000 tonnes.

From Hydro - Aluminium Alloys and Products 26 Mar 2009

Mecmesin Release New Torque Tester

The Vortex-d motorised torsion test system is the latest addition to Mecmesin's
test system range, measuring clockwise and counter-clockwise torques with excellent
precision and repeatability.

26 Mar 2009

Automated System Tests the Quality of Plasterboard

A specially adapted force testing system from Mecmesin
is being used to measure the quality of gypsum plasterboard products.

From 3M Ceramic Textiles and Composites 26 Mar 2009

Aerospace Component Supplier Receives Boeing Award

Crestwood Technology Group (CTG) today announced that it has received a 2008 Boeing Performance Excellence Award. The Boeing Company issues the award annually to recognize suppliers who have achieved superior performance...

26 Mar 2009