Tag Archives: Alternative chemical feedstocks

Making “Petrochemicals” without petroleum feedstocks: China successfully uses coal

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Peter Spitz

Ethylene has historically been the most important petrochemical building block: a highly reactive molecule made by the high temperature cracking of hydrocarbons ranging from ethane to heavy gas liquids. This is actually not a specific process in that it produces a number of other … Continue reading →

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Aircraft biofuel blending becoming a reality

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Peter Spitz

 While there is considerable controversy regarding the Greenhouse gas emission-related benefits of biofuels, a number of air lines, notably United, are starting to use a “natural” jet fuel produced by a process patented by UOP. The fact that this biofuel … Continue reading →

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Biobased polymers gaining acceptance

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Peter Spitz

  It’s been getting more difficult to find new, interesting developments in industrial chemistry and energy, which explains why my posts are not as frequent as they used to be. The U.S. petrochemical industry got a robust new lease on … Continue reading →

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New, Middle West cracker breaks the mold

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Peter Spitz

 Last week The Joseph Priestley Society of Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia hosted a luncheon and a speech by Fernando Musa, head of Braskem USA, which is now the largest polypropylene producer in the Americas. The most interesting part of the speech … Continue reading →

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Disruptive technologies: Mushroom packaging

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Peter Spitz

 This blog has periodically covered advances in bioplastics, such as compostable garbage bags, starch- and sugar-based polymers and other biomass-based materials. The current issue of New Yorker magazine carries a long article about a new technology that uses mushroom spores and … Continue reading →

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Corn-based gasohol on way out?

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Peter Spitz

The Federal mandate to inject oxygenated fuels into gasoline to allow cleaner burning car engines spawned a huge gasohol (i.e. ethanol) industry based on turning the starch in corn into sugars, with conversion to alcohol. Originally, gasoline blenders received a subsidy to … Continue reading →

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Biochemicals: Desirable Innovation Model

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Peter Spitz

Sunday’s New York Times  a couple of weeks ago had an interesting article on innovation and job creation, with emphasis on the fact that companies are sitting on a great deal of money, because they see so few opportunitie to … Continue reading →

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Renewable Feedstocks Update: Industrial Biotech Advances

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Peter Spitz

Industrial biotechnology, when defined as large scale production of fuels and chemicals from biomass (i.e. renewable feedstocks) has been around for a long time, though in a limited way compared to production from hydrocarbon feedstocks. Ethanol (from sugar cane, molasses, … Continue reading →

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Ethanol from Natural Gas: An obvious move

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Peter Spitz

With corn prices hitting new highs every day because of the nationwide drought and natural gas prices lower than anyone thought they could go and slated to stay low, there is a good reason for the government to change current legislation regarding … Continue reading →

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Polymer Raw Materials: History Continues

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Peter Spitz

In developing my TED talk on chemical engineers and on the innovations now being made in the use of biomass feedstocks, I started to think about the changes that have been taking place over a number of decades in raw materials for plastics and synthetic … Continue reading →

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