MFG upgrade completed

US speciality and custom chemical manufacturer has completed an upgrade of its pilot plant in Dalton, Georgia. In particular, the company has upgraded a 0.38 m3 stainless steel reactor, which produces hot oil and steam reactions up to 288ºC, placing it on a mezzanine off the floor and giving it new insulation. The entire plant has also had a pressure cleaning and general upgrading. Another reactor of the same size will be added as demand grows, according to CEO Keith Arnold.

Chief science and technology officer Guido DeStefano (pictured in the pilot plant) said that the reactor “is worth its weight in gold. It is popular with customers because it produces one and two drum sized quantities of the needed speciality chemicals for evaluation and use prior to total scale-up. It is also used for internal studies to optimise process and improve safety.“

This is part of Project Odyssey, which MFG announced in July 2019 after upgrading the commercial manufacturing plant it acquired at Pasadena, Texas, in 2018. This project envisaged “significant investment” in cooling towers, new process control technology, upgraded reactor piping for improved pressure relief and new safety instrumented systems to improve safety and increase capacity at all three of its plants in Dalton.