Industry Trends

September 2022

See what has been happening in Asia’s petrochemicals, agrochemicals, automotive, bio energy, and mining industries over the last weeks. What are experts and industry magazines talking about?

What has been happening?

Turning whiskey waste into renewable biofuel, Breweries feeling the sting of carbon dioxide shortage, A biodegradable electrolyte made from crab shells, and more. See what journals and industry experts have been discussing in the last four weeks.

Latest Industry Articles

One for the Road: Turning Whiskey Waste into Renewable Biofuel
Advanced BioFuels USA

Leftover grain accounts for 85% of total waste generated by distilleries. What if it could be used to fuel cars and planes? — Irish whiskey is mainly produced from barley and corn while wheat, rye, and oats are utilised in smaller quantities. The spent distillers’ grain is the remainder after filtering-off the liquid (wort). In Ireland, an estimated 350,000 tonnes of grains are used every year by the Irish whiskey distilleries.

Breweries Feeling the Sting of Carbon Dioxide Shortage
Advanced BioFuels USA

The shortage began in 2020 after the pandemic took hold and people spent weeks sheltering indoors and not traveling. Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of ethanol, a key ingredient in gasoline. Because fewer people were using gasoline and, by extension, ethanol, production slowed, and with it, carbon dioxide output. The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine doses also added demand pressure to carbon dioxide production.

A sustainable battery with a biodegradable electrolyte made from crab shells
ScienceDaily

Accelerating demand for renewable energy and electric vehicles is sparking a high demand for the batteries that store generated energy and power engines. But the batteries behind these sustainability solutions aren’t always sustainable themselves. Scientists have now create a zinc battery with a biodegradable electrolyte from an unexpected source — crab shells.

Producing Biodiesel from Palm Kernel Shells
Advanced BioFuels USA

A new paper appearing in the journal Environmental Research has explored the production of biodiesel from palm kernel shells, an agricultural waste stream. Scientists from Malaysia, Brunei, and Oman have contributed to the research. Palm oil is a widely used product in the food industry. Its manufacture produces enormous amounts of waste, with palm kernel shells being one of the main sources of this waste.

Lessons from Natural Photosynthesis: Conversion of CO2 to Raw Materials for Plastic!
Advanced BioFuels USA

In plants, natural photosynthesis binds carbon dioxide (CO2) to organic compounds, which can then be converted into glucose or starch. These useful molecules can be sequestered, storing the carbon in a solid form. Artificial photosynthesis mimics this process by reducing the greenhouse gas CO2—the main cause of climate change—which is converted into other useful substances.

Making sense of the ‘Wild West’ of the battery materials value chain
Mining Technology

Africa and The Middle East will be key long-term suppliers of battery-grade materials to Europe. However, the race to supply the volume of battery minerals to meet soaring demand for decarbonisation technologies is being lost across the globe. “The mining world is adjusting to significant geopolitical challenges impacting the battery materials value chain,” says Greg Pitt, Vice President Batteries – Growth, Worley.

Car electrification unlikely to erase market for ethanol, says producer
Channel NewsAsia

The global movement by governments and automakers to boost electrification of cars does not mean ethanol will be dead as a product, according to an executive of one of the world’s largest producers of the biofuel.

USDA lowers forecast for soybean oil use in biofuel production
Biodiesel Magazine

The USDA reduced both its forecast for 2022-’23 soybean oil use in biofuel production and its estimate for 2021-’22 soybean use in biofuel production in its latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, released Sept. 12.

A new concept for low-cost batteries
ScienceDaily

Engineers have designed a battery made from inexpensive, abundant materials, that could provide low-cost backup storage for renewable energy sources. Less expensive than lithium-ion battery technology, the new architecture uses aluminum and sulfur as its two electrode materials with a molten salt electrolyte in between.

Leading Biofuel Plant Grows Renewable Fuels Offering, Thanks to Sulzer
Advanced BioFuels USA

Sulzer Chemtech is helping Energy Absolute (EA) to expand its manufacturing plant in Map Ta Phut, Rayong, Thailand. The collaboration is key to drive the competitiveness of EA, as the technology provided will enable the producer to deliver winterized renewable fuels. This will expand its market reach and support the wider adoption of cleaner energy in Europe and North America.

Indonesia accounts for over 50% of deforestation caused by large-scale mining
MINING.com

More than half of all tropical deforestation directly attributable to industrial mining takes place in Indonesia, according to new research conducted at Clark University and Vienna University of Economics and Business. In a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the team behind the study looked at the effects of large-scale mining in the tropical forests of 26 countries and found that Indonesia accounted for 58.

Singapore to open first ‘integrated construction park’ this year
Global Construction Review

As part of its ongoing drive to modernise construction, Singapore will open its first ‘integrated construction park’ at Jurong Port in December this year. The park will bring several primary supply chain processes together in one place, including cement and steel fabrication, concrete mixing and precasting, aggregate storage and volumetric module manufacturing.

Biodiesel consumption in the Philippines to increase in 2022
Biodiesel Magazine

Biodiesel consumption in the Philippines is expected to expand by 31 percent in 2022, according to a report filed with the USDA FASA’s Global Agricultural Information Network. The increase is primarily due to a projected movement from B2 to B5.

Shell Investing In Malaysian Offshore Gas Project
Rigzone.com

Shell has taken a final investment decision to develop the Rosmari-Marjoram gas project offshore Malaysia which is set to reach first gas in 2026.

PT Vale and Huayou sign agreement for new HPAL plant in Indonesia
Mining Technology

PT Vale Indonesia and China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt have signed heads of agreement (HoA) to build a smelter with high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) technology in Indonesia. Planned to be built in Sorowako in South Sulawesi Province, the HPAL plant will be equipped to process nickel limonite ore into mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP). The project is estimated to cost $1.8bn, reported Reuters.

GS E&C to Develop Bioethanol Using Cassava Waste
Advanced BioFuels USA

by Kim Jae-heun (Korea Times) GS Engineering & Construction (GS E&C) is joining hands with Finnish bioenergy company St1 to develop a next-generation bioethanol using cassava waste in Thailand. Cassava is a tuber root plant that resembles a sweet potato and it grows in tropical regions.

Global Construction Review

Singapore’s Keppel Energy has reached a final investment decision to develop a 600MW “hydrogen-ready” combined cycle gas turbine power plant, which means it will start operational life burning gas but can switch to hydrogen later. It has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract to a consortium of Mitsubishi Power Asia Pacific and Jurong Engineering to build the plant in the Sakra sector of Jurong Island.

Indonesia boosts B30 blending volume estimate to 11.03B liters
Biofuels Digest

In Indonesia, Reuters reports the government has increased its blending estimate to 11.03 billion liters this year from 10.15 billion liters due to higher demand expected in Q4. The export levy waiver has been extended until October 31 to ensure price stability. Indonesia currently has a B30 blending mandate but is doing tests on higher blending levels including B35, B40 and B50.

Malaysia keeps Oct crude palm oil export duty at 8%
Channel NewsAsia

Malaysia has maintained its October export tax for crude palm oil at 8 per cent and raised its reference price, a circular on the Malaysian Palm Oil Board website showed on Thursday (Sep 15).

Fuel oil price remains elevated despite decrease in Kyat-dollar exchange rate
Global New Light Of Myanmar

Fuel oil price continues an upward spiral even after the Central Bank of Myanmar tried to stop the depreciation of the Kyat against safe-haven dollars, the fuel market’s data indicated. In late August, Kyat weakened against the strong dollar at over K4,500. At present, the exchange rate slid to around K3,200.

Pall breaks ground on US$100mn manufacturing facility in Singapore
Filtration + Separation

Pall Corp has held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new US$100 million state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Singapore to meet unprecedented global semiconductor demand.

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Performance Chemical Trends – February 2024

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Reaction process that could improve lithium-sulfur batteries, Parts of your future car could be made from olive trees, Testing carbon-reduction schemes in rice farming, and more. See what industry experts have been discussing in the last four weeks.

Performance Chemical Trends – January 2024

Performance Chemical Trends – January 2024

Turning waste cooking oil into biofuel easier and quicker, High hopes for solid-state auto batteries, Aiming for mass market hydrogen fuel cells, and more. See what industry experts have been discussing in the last four weeks.

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