News Archive
Archive of industry news from the global chemicals industryNews By Date
May 2013
Top
Solvay begins construction of new Polish silica plant
Belgium-based chemical group Solvay has officially broken ground on its new highly dispersible silica (HDS) facility in Włocławek,...
Oxea commissions new German carboxylic acids plant
Oxea has commissioned its new carboxylic acids manufacturing plant in Oberhausen, Germany, marking the company's fifth unit for carboxylic acids across the...
Total approves €1bn to upgrade Belgian refining and petrochemical platform
Total will invest €1bn to upgrade its European refining and petrochemical platform, Antwerp-based production plants, in Belgium, as part of the group's strategy to position its integrated...
Celanese plans to divest two European production facilities
US-based Celanese Corporation is planning to sell its acetic anhydride facility in Roussillon, France, and its vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) production unit in Tarragona,...
Ineos and Tianjin Bohai Chemical to build Chinese acrylonitrile facility
Ineos Nitriles and Tianjin Bohai Chemical Industry Group have signed a non-binding Heads of Terms to establish a 50/50 joint venture (JV) to build and operate an acrylonitrile facility in...
Prime Evolue Singapore breaks ground on metallocene polymer facility
Prime Evolue Singapore (EVLS), a joint venture of Prime Polymer (PRM) and Mitsui & Co., has broken ground on a new manufacturing plant in the Republic of...
H.B. Fuller to acquire Plexbond Quimica
H.B. Fuller Company has entered into an agreement to acquire the chemical polyurethane specialties and polyester resins provider Plexbond Quimica, to support its growing presence in the...
Bayer inaugurates new Asia-Pacific research centre
Bayer MaterialScience has opened a new regional innovation hub for the Asia Pacific region in Shanghai,...
Technip-led consortium wins LNG project in Canada
A Technip-led consortium has received a contract from Pacific NorthWest LNG Limited Partnership to provide the front end engineering design and early detailed engineering services for a...
Koch Nitrogen to construct new US urea facility
Koch Nitrogen is considering investing $1bn to build a new urea plant and revamp its existing manufacturing processes at its Enid site, in Oklahoma,...
BP cleared to divest Carson Refinery and US retail assets to Tesoro
BP is planning to complete the sale of its Carson Refinery and south-west US retail assets to Tesoro Corporation in the second quarter of 2013, following clearance from the US Federal...
EIB funds Repsol RDI programme
Repsol will receive €200m in funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support the company's research, development and innovation (RDI) programme, covering different energy...
Aker to conduct tests for capture of CO2 from cement industry
Norcem, in cooperation with the European Cement Research Academy (ECRA), has awarded a contract to Aker Solutions to test and study the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas emitted by...
US, Germany clear Mexichem to acquire PolyOne's PVC assets
The Federal Trade Commissions (FTCs) in the US and Germany have cleared Mexichem to acquire PolyOne's PVC Specialty Resins assets without imposing any...
Honeywell's UOP to offer technology for on-purpose propylene facility
Honeywell's subsidiary UOP has secured a new contract to provide technology for the world's largest on-purpose propylene production facility, Ascend Performance Materials...
Evonik, OPX Biotechnologies to jointly develop bio-based chemicals
Evonik Industries and OPX Biotechnologies (OPXBIO) have signed an agreement to jointly develop certain bio-based specialty...
Sun Capital to explore sale of Emerald Performance Materials
US-based private investment firm Sun Capital is planning to divest its specialty chemicals company, Emerald Performance...
Nova Chemicals awards Canadian polyethylene expansion project to Technip
Technip has received the engineering and procurement services contract from Nova Chemicals for its polyethylene one expansion project at the Joffre facility in Alberta,...
Celanese-Mitsui JV to construct US methanol production facility
US-based technology and specialty materials company Celanese has signed an agreement with Japan-based business Mitsui & Co to establish a 50:50 joint venture...
Chiyoda JV receives condensate refinery contract in Qatar
Japan-based Chiyoda, along with its partner CTCI Corporation, has received an engineering, procurement, supply, construction and commissioning (EPSCC) contract for the Laffan Refinery Phase 2...
LyondellBasell to shutdown HDPE facility in Germany
LyondellBasell will close down its high density polyethylene (HDPE) unit in Wesseling, Germany, in the third quarter of 2013, as part of the company's European restructuring...
BP commissions diesel hydrotreater / hydrogen plants in US
BP has commissioned diesel hydrotreater and hydrogen plants at its Cherry Point Refinery in Blaine, Washington,...
Mosaic postpones potash mining expansion due to market conditions
North American fertiliser producer Mosaic has postponed its expansion plans for potash mining in western Canada, until the global market conditions for the soil nutrient industry become...
MAI to acquire majority stake in ChileAgro
The Makhteshim Agan Group (MAI) and ChileAgro Solutions have signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in ChileAgro, as part of MAI's global geographical expansion...
Air Products commissions DOE carbon-capture facility
Air Products has commissioned its carbon capture project in Port Arthur, Texas, US, as part of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Demonstration Project that will capture approximately one...
Lanxess opens Brazilian high-performance bladders production facility
Lanxess's wholly-owned subsidiary Rhein Chemie has opened the first production facility for high-performance bladders (curing bladders) at Porto Feliz,...
Flotek Industries to acquire Florida Chemical
Flotek Industries, through its subsidiary, has signed a Definitive Agreement to immediately acquire all of the outstanding stock of Florida Chemical, a US-based...
Valvoline Cummins opens Indian automotive lubricants production facility
Valvoline Cummins, a joint venture between Ashland and Cummins India, has opened a new manufacturing and packaging plant in the Ambernath Industrial Area, Mumbai, India, expanding the...
Northern Plains Nitrogen to construct US fertiliser plant
Northern Plains Nitrogen (NPN) is planning to construct and operate a new nitrogen fertiliser manufacturing plant at Grand Forks, North Dakota,...
BASF licenses Genomatica technology for butanediol production
BASF has licensed US-based Genomatica's technology to manufacture 1,4-butanediol, based on renewable feedstock (renewable BDO), which will be available in the second half of 2013 for sampling...
DuPont and OCP partner for safety and sustainability
DuPont has formed a joint venture (JV) with Morocco-based phosphate producer OCP to offer consulting and training services to enhance the safety, operational and environmental performance...
Air Products to construct air-separation unit in South Africa
Air Products is planning to construct a new air-separation unit in the Eastern Cape's Port Elizabeth Coega Industrial Development Zone, in South...
BNDES funds GranInvest’s second-generation ethanol manufacturing plant
GranInvest, a Bioflex Agroindustrial group company, will receive a loan of $ 300.3m from the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) to construct a second-generation...
AkzoNobel, Solazyme partner for surfactants and coatings markets
Specialty chemicals producer AkzoNobel and renewable oil and bioproducts manufacturer Solazyme have signed an agreement, to develop components for AkzoNobel's surfactants and coatings...
KBR receives turnaround services contract from chemical company
KBR has received a contract from an undisclosed chemical company on the Gulf Coast to provide turnaround services for its pyrolysis gasoline (pygas)...
OMV to construct new German butadiene facility
OMV will invest approximately €230m to construct a new butadiene facility at its Burghausen refinery in Germany, as well as upgrade the existing plant in Schwechat, Austria, as part of its...
ICIG acquires Tessenderlo's Italian electrolysis and chloro-aromatics activities
Tessenderlo Group has divested Tessenderlo Partecipazioni, including its subsidiary Tessenderlo Italia, to private industrial holding company International Chemical Investors Group...
Gazpromneft to upgrade Russian refinery
Foster Wheeler's Global Engineering and Construction Group subsidiary has received a contract from OJSC Gazpromneft Moscow...
PPG Fiber Glass divests stake in PPG-Devold JV
Hexagon Devold, a subsidiary of Hexagon Composites, has purchased PPG Fiber Glass's 50% interest in the PPG-Devold fibre glass joint venture...
Lignol secures fully diluted majority interest in Territory Biofuels
Canada-based technology company Lignol Energy (LEC) has provided A$500,000 ($515,695) in funding to Australia-based Territory Biofuels (TBF), to receive 2.5 million stock options from...
BASF to open Chinese Adsorbents Application Development Center
Germany-based chemical company BASF will open its first regional Adsorbents Application Development Center in Shanghai,...
Dash Multi-Corp buys Pathway Polymers
Dash Multi-Corp, a platform portfolio company of Arsenal Capital Partners, has acquired polyurethane tyre fill material and equipment supplier Pathway Polymers from Vita...
Westlake acquires CertainTeed's PVC pipe, fittings and foundations business
US-based Westlake Chemical has acquired CertainTeed Corporation's Pipe and Foundation Group (PFG) business for $175m, including $22m of working capital, subject to final closing...
Fluor wins Dow contract for US Gulf Coast investments
The Dow Chemical Company has awarded a contract to Fluor to execute a significant portion of work for its US Gulf Coast...
OCI subsidiary issues $1.2bn in bonds in US tax-exempt market
OCI's subsidiary, Iowa Fertilizer Company, has issued $1.2bn of bonds to institutional and retail investors in the US tax-exempt...
KBR wins contract for US manufacturing technology production facility
Global nylon producer Invista has awarded a contract to KBR for its new manufacturing technology production facility in Orange, Texas,...
MCC, JPC and JNC to integrate polypropylene compound businesses
Mitsubishi Chemical (MCC), Japan Polychem (JPC) and JNC will transfer the polypropylene compound (PPCP) business owned by each company and the FUNCSTER (a thermoplastic resin reinforced with...
SK Capital buys Chemtura antioxidant and UV stabiliser solutions business
SK Capital Partners has completed the purchase of Chemtura's antioxidant and UV stabiliser solutions...
ICA Fluor wins Mexican titanium dioxide plant contract
American chemical company DuPont has awarded a contract to ICA Fluor for its new titanium dioxide...
BASF to build new R&D centre in Korea
Germany-based chemical company BASF will build a new research and development (R&D) centre for electronic materials in...
Shandong Wonfull licenses CB&I AlkyClean solid acid alkylation process
US-based energy infrastructure focused company CB&I has received a contract from Shandong Wonfull Petrochemical Group to provide license and processing engineering designs for a new solid...
April 2013
Top
KMG to purchase OM Group's Ultra Pure Chemicals businesses
Specialty chemicals provider KMG Chemicals has signed a definitive agreement to buy OM Group's Ultra Pure Chemicals subsidiaries in the US, England and...
Oxea to open German carboxylic acids production plant
Oxea, a chemical company, will soon open its new carboxylic acids plant in Oberhausen, Germany, following the completion of mechanical...
Sulzer wins contract for Asian polylactic acid facility
Sulzer has received a contract for the delivery of a manufacturing facility plant, based on its patented polylactic acid (PLA)...
Sociedad Quimica to increase potassium chloride production
Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM), a producer of fertilisers and speciality chemicals, is planning to invest $500m to increase the production of potassium...
Indian firm to start fertiliser production
Kanpur Fertiliser and Cement (KFCL) in India is planning to start production at one of its three fertiliser units from 1 May, following the supply of gas from Gas Authority of India...
Stamicarbon to upgrade NFC urea plant in Iraq
The licensing and IP centre of Maire Tecnimont SpA, Stamicarbon, has signed a contract with First Global Company to revamp the urea plant of State Company for Fertilizer North Area (NFC) in...
Dow Chemicals to sell UK plastics business
American multinational chemical company Dow Chemicals is planning to sell its plastics business in the...
BASF, PCG to invest in Malaysian aroma ingredients plant
BASF and Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG) are planning to invest $500m to develop an integrated aroma ingredients project in Gebeng, Kuantan,...
Cabot to close Malaysian carbon black production facility
Cabot will stop production of carbon black at its Port Dickson facility, Malaysia, by the end of July 2013, following approval from the Board of Cabot Malaysia (CMSB), a joint venture carbon...
Crosstex selects UOP's Russell deethaniser and depropaniser fractionators
Crosstex Processing Services, a subsidiary of Crosstex Energy, has awarded a contract to UOP to provide its Russell de-ethaniser and de-propaniser fractionators for installation at its...
Cabot wins contract for DARCO Hg family of activated carbon products
Cabot Norit Activated Carbon has received a $20m contract to provide its DARCO Hg family of activated carbon products to a large power generator in the United...
Indorama to double Indian spandex fibre production
Indorama is planning to double the production of its Inviya brand of products, from 5,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) to 10,000tpa, at its Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, India, by the end of...
Teijin Aramid opens new Chinese technical centre
Teijin Aramid, a subsidiary of the Teijin Group, has opened a new office and Technical Center Asia (TCA) in Shanghai,...
Momentive Specialty opens coating resins plant in Thailand
US-based Momentive Specialty Chemicals has commenced its new production plant in Chonburi,...
Vertellus forms JV to expand Chinese specialty chemicals production
Pyridine, picolines and pyridine derivatives producer Vertellus Specialties and Weifang Green Olive Chemical have formed a joint venture (JV), Vertellus Specialty Chemicals (Weifang), to...
Air Liquide to develop biofuel production pilot unit in France
Air Liquide has entered into a partnership agreement with the Commission for Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies (CEA) in France to develop a second generation biofuel production pilot unit...
Mitsubishi Chemical (MCC) acquires Comtrex compound business
Mitsubishi Chemical (MCC), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings (MCHC), has purchased all of the assets related to Comtrex's compounding...
Wacker opens new Chinese VAE dispersions production plant
Wacker Chemie has officially opened a new vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersions production plant at its Nanjing site, in the province of Jiangsu,...
Aarti Industries to build Indian fertiliser plant
India-based Aarti Industries is investing Rs350m ($6.49m) to establish a fertiliser manufacturing plant in Jhagadia, Bharuch, Gujarat, India, as part of its Rs1bn ($18.54m) investment for...
EBRD acquires stake in Polish fertilisers and chemicals producer
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has purchased a 5.75% stake in Poland-based fertilisers and chemicals producer Grupa Azoty for PLN 296.4m (€ 72.1m), reducing...
Air Products signs MOU for helium purchase in Russia
Process and specialty gas provider Air Products has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Russia-based Gazprom Export for the purchase of...
Haltermann buys UK-based hydrocarbon chemicals producer
German-based producer of specialty hydrocarbons Haltermann has purchased UK-based Petrochem Carless (PCL) for an undisclosed...
Jiangsu licenses Honeywell's methanol-to-olefin technology
Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical has licensed Honeywell's UOP advanced methanol-to-olefin (MTO) technology, intended for use at its MTO unit in Lianyungang, Jiangsu,...
Equate partners Gulf Cryo for Kuwait CO2 recovery project
Equate Petrochemical Company has selected Gulf Cryo for its second CO2 recovery project in...
Solvay to build alkoxylation facility in Singapore
Solvay Novecare, a division of Belgian chemical company Solvay, is planning to build a large-scale alkoxylation facility in...
Jacobs secures BASF Antwerp integrated chemicals complex contract
BASF has awarded a contract to US-based Jacobs Engineering Group for its integrated chemicals complex in Antwerp,...
Texas fertiliser plant explosion kills dozens
An explosion at a major fertiliser plant in Texas, US, has reportedly killed some 60 to 70 people and left hundreds...
Dynea sets up wood adhesives company in Europe
Dynea Oy, a provider of adhesion and surfacing solutions, has set up a new company to focus on the specialty wood adhesives market in...
Air Products wins LNG heat exchanger order from Petronas
Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas has awarded a contract to Air Products, to supply its SplitMR liquefaction process and technology for its LNG Train 9 project in Bintulu, Sarawak,...
Shell to expand petrochemical production in Singapore
Shell is investing in its Jurong Island facility, Singapore, to increase production capacity for...
Evonik, Lintech extend distribution contract for polymers
Georgia-based Lintech International has extended its contract agreement with German-based specialty chemicals company...
BASF selects Toyo as Asia-Pacific engineering partner
Germany-based chemical company BASF has concluded a comprehensive engineering partnership agreement with Japan-based Toyo...
Technip secures Bahrain SRU modification project contract
Integrated national oil company Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) has awarded a contract to Technip to modify its #3 sulphur recovery unit (SRU) at its refinery in...
LyondellBasell plans NGL fractionation unit in US
Netherlands-based chemical company LyondellBasell has entered into an agreement with US-based TexStar MidStream...
Asahi Kasei to expand Duranate HDI polyisocyanate plant
Asahi Kasei Chemicals is planning to expand production capacity of Duranate hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI)-based polyisocyanate at its plant in Nantong, Jiangsu,...
Solvay to build specialty surfactant plant in Germany
Solvay Novecare, a division of Belgian chemical company Solvay, is planning to build a specialty surfactant plant in Genthin,...
Sasol orders MHI main ethylene compressor trains
Sasol, an international integrated energy and chemical company, has placed an order for the purchase of the main ethylene compressor trains from MHI Compressor...
ONGC partners CFCL for Indian urea fertilser plant
Oil and Natural Gas (ONGC) and Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals (CFCL) have agreed to form a joint venture (JV) company, in order to establish a urea fertilser plant in Khubal, Tripura,...
Versalis, Genomatica form JV for bio-based butadiene technologies
Italian chemical company Versalis and Genomatica have launched a joint venture (JV) for the development of bio-based butadiene...
SABIC, MIT sign research collaboration agreement
Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) and US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have signed a research collaboration...
Juffali PolyOne inaugurates Saudi Arabian specialty polymer colourants plant
Juffali PolyOne Masterbatch has inaugurated a new specialty polymer colourants production...
Jacobs secures Shell Hong Kong Transformer Oil Project contract
Shell Hong Kong has awarded a contract to Jacobs Engineering Group for its Transformer Oil Project at its Tsing Yi installation in Hong...
Mitsubishi Gas, Mitsubishi to build natural gas-based petrochemical plant
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Mitsubishi are considering building a methanol and dimethyl ether production plant in Trinidad and...
KBR, Yokogawa form ammonia technology alliance
US-based engineering, construction and services company KBR and Yokogawa Electric have entered into a collaboration...
Reliance to build Indian chemical complex
Reliance Industries (RIL) has awarded a contract to Linde Group to build a chemical complex in Jamnagar, Gujarat,...
Lotte Mitsui commissions Korean PP catalyst plant
Lotte Mitsui Chemicals has started commercial operations at its polypropylene catalyst plant in Yeosu, South...
IKEA invests in DyeCoo Textile Systems
IKEA GreenTech, an IKEA Group company, has invested an undisclosed amount into the Dutch-based DyeCoo Textile...
PAC to provide lab instruments for Jurong Singapore complex
Jurong Aromatics, a Singapore-based provider of aromatics and oil products, has awarded a contract to PAC to provide lab instruments for its new complex on Jurong Island,...
Lanxess buys PCTS Specialty Chemicals
German specialty chemicals group Lanxess has purchased all the assets of Singapore-based PCTS Specialty...
Anichem buys Sasol Gulf assets from Sasol Olefins and Surfactants
Anichem FZC, a member of the Al Nahda International Group, has purchased the assets of G.D. Portbury (Sasol Gulf), a subsidiary of Sasol Olefins and...
Micro Polypet to build new Indian PET plant
Micro Polypet has awarded a contract to German-based Uhde Inventa-Fischer to build a chemical plant in Panipat, Haryana,...
Wood Group secures Chinese GE Frame 6B gas turbine parts contract
CNOOC and Shell Petrochemicals (CSPC) has awarded a $1.6m contract to Wood Group GTS, for the supply of new hot gas path...
Advent buys Cytec Industries coating resins business
Advent International, a private equity firm, has purchased US-based Cytec Industries' coating resins business for a total value of $1,133m, including assumed liabilities of...
Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical selects LyondellBasell Lupotech technologies
Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical, part of the Jiangsu Shenghong Group, has chosen to use LyondellBasell's Lupotech T tubular and Lupotech A autoclave process technologies at its new plant...
Foster Wheeler secures Egypt Qasr compression project contract
Apache Khalda has awarded a contract to the subsidiaries of Foster Wheeler's Global Engineering and Construction Group for its Qasr compression project in...
Brenntag to build sulfuric acid dilution plant in Switzerland
Brenntag Schweizerhall, a provider of business-to-business distribution solutions for industrial and specialty chemicals, is planning to build a new sulfuric acid dilution plant at the...
Arkema buys majority stake in French structural adhesives manufacturer
Arkema, a France-based producer of specialty chemicals, has purchased the majority of shares in AEC...
UOP to provide technology for Brunei aromatics complex
Brunei Hengyi Industries, a subsidiary of China's Zhejiang Hengyi Group, has selected Honeywell's UOP technologies to produce aromatics at its new complex in...
Pertamina, PTTGC to construct Indonesian petrochemical complex
PT Pertamina (Persero) has entered into a head of agreement (HOA) with PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) to jointly construct a petrochemical complex in...
Toyo, ENPPI to build Ethydco Egyptian polyethylene plant
Egyptian ethylene and derivatives company Ethydco has awarded a contract to Toyo Engineering and Engineering for the Petroleum and Process Industries (ENPPI) to build its polyethylene plant...
PPG buys Akzo Nobel North American coatings business
US-based coatings and specialty products company PPG Industries has acquired Akzo Nobel's North American architectural coatings business for...
Sasol selects ExxonMobil technology for US polyethylene facility
ExxonMobil Chemical through its affiliate ExxonMobil Chemical Technology Licensing has entered into an agreement to license its tubular process technology to Sasol North America for its new US...
Johnson Matthey acquires Perstorp catalyst business / formaldehyde technology
Specialty chemicals company Johnson Matthey has acquired Perstorp Specialty Chemicals' catalyst business Formox and formaldehyde technology for SEK 1.05bn (£107m) in...
March 2013
Top
Wacker opens US technical centre for carpet applications
Germany-based Wacker Chemie has opened a new technical centre for carpet applications in Dalton, Georgia,...
Honeywell to support Williams' Canadian PDH facility
Energy infrastructure company Williams has selected Honeywell's UOP C3 Oleflex process technology for its propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility in Alberta,...
Dow commissions photovoltaic film production facility in Germany
US-based Dow Chemical has commissioned a new Enlight polyolefin encapsulant film production line in Schkopau,...
Bayegan to commercialise Myriant bio-succinic acid
Turkey-based chemical production and trading company Bayegan Group has entered into a collaboration agreement with...
Cabot expands UK fumed silica production
US-based specialty chemicals and performance materials company Cabot has expanded fumed silica production capacity by 25% at its facility in Barry, Wales,...
BASF sets up coatings technical competence centre in Thailand
Germany-based chemical company BASF has opened a new Coatings Technical Competence Center ASEAN in Bangkok, Thailand, to meet the growing demand of the motorcycle market in the ASEAN...
Sulzer expands German ceramic materials production
Swiss industrial engineering and manufacturing firm Sulzer has expanded production of ceramic materials at its facility in Barchfeld,...
Caparol opens coatings production facility in UAE
Caparol, a German developer of structural coatings and paints, has opened a new production facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates...
Mexichem to buy PolyOne non-core resin assets
Mexichem, a manufacturer of petrochemical products, has agreed to buy PolyOne's vinyl dispersion, blending and suspension resin assets for $250m in...
Nizhnekamskneftekhim selects LyondellBasell polypropylene technology
Russia-based petrochemical company OAO Nizhnekamskneftekhim has selected LyondellBasell's Spheripol process technology for use in its new single-line polypropylene (PP)...
FMC constructs microcrystalline cellulose manufacturing facility in Thailand
US-based chemical company FMC has started the construction of a new microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) manufacturing facility in Rayong,...
AlphaPet to expand US PET plant
AlphaPet, a polymers subsidiary of Indorama Ventures, is planning to expand its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production unit in the...
Synthomer announces strategic partnership with DKSH in Asia
DKSH Business Unit Performance Materials, a provider of market expansion services for performance materials and a distributor of specialty chemicals, has entered into a collaborative agreement...
Royal DSM acquires light-trapping technology developer
Dutch-based life sciences and materials sciences company Royal DSM has purchased SolarExcel for an undisclosed...
Huntsman to upgrade MDI manufacturing facilities in US and Netherlands
Huntsman, a US-based manufacturer of differentiated chemicals, is investing $135m to upgrade its methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) manufacturing facilities in Geismar, US, and...
Tata Consulting secures Dangote plant contract in Africa
Pan-African conglomerate Dangote Group has awarded a contract to Tata Consulting Engineers to provide management consultancy services for its fertiliser plant in Nigeria,...
Fujian Meide selects UOP C3 Oleflex for Chinese propylene production
Fujian Meide Petrochemical, a subsidiary of China Packing Group, has chosen UOP's C3 Oleflex process technology to produce propylene at its facility in Fuzhou, Fujian,...
Orocobre develops nuclear grade boric acid product
Australia-based mineral resource company Orocobre's wholly-owned Borax Argentina has developed a new refined boric acid high purity nuclear (HPN) grade...
Toyo secures Nippon synthetic resin plant contract in US
Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry, a Japan-based manufacturer of organic synthetic products, has awarded a contract to Toyo Engineering to construct a synthetic resin plant in La Porte, Texas,...
BASF to re-organise leather, textile chemicals business
BASF, a provider of chemicals, plastics and performance products to the oil and gas industries, is planning to restructure its leather and textile chemicals business to focus on the growing...
Ma'aden enters into JV to develop phosphate complex in Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden) has entered into an agreement with the Mosaic Company and Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) to establish a joint venture (JV) and develop an...
Momentive Specialty Chemicals opens Chinese curing agent facility
Momentive Specialty Chemicals, a US-based producer of thermoset resins and specialty products, has inaugurated a new curing agent manufacturing facility in Tianjin,...
Idemitsu, Mitsui to establish linear alpha olefins plant in US
Idemitsu Kosan and Mitsui have entered into a 50-50 joint venture (JV) agreement to set up a new facility for the production of linear alpha olefins in the...
Dow Chemical plans US Gulf Coast plastics units
Dow Chemical, a provider of chemicals, plastics and agricultural products, is planning to set up new specialty material units for the production of performance plastics on the US Gulf...
HPCL to establish refinery-cum-petrochemical complex in Rajasthan
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), a Mumbai-based oil and natural gas company, has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Indian state Rajasthan, in order...
Flotek, Gulf Energy to develop Omani chemistry production facility
Flotek Industries, a US-based developer of oil field technologies, has entered into an agreement with Oman-based Gulf Energy's affiliate to develop advanced oil field chemistry production...
Samsung Engineering secures SOCAR urea plant contract
State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), a producer of oil and natural gas, has awarded a $650m contract to Samsung Engineering for its ammonia and urea plant in Sumgayit,...
ZeaChem starts production at US biorefinery
ZeaChem, a US-based cellulosic ethanol company, has started producing commercial-grade cellulosic chemicals and ethanol at its biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon,...
Air Liquide opens Californian carbon dioxide liquefaction plant
Air Liquide Industrial, a French company supplying industrial gases and services to chemical industry manufacturers, has opened a new 450-tonne carbon dioxide liquefaction plant in Tulare...
Perstorp, Purac to develop caprolactone lactide co-polymers
Perstorp, a Swedish producer of specialty products for coatings and plastics, and Purac have entered into collaboration to develop caprolactone lactide co-polymers for use in plastic, coatings...
Brenntag to buy Lubrication Services (Lsi)
Brenntag, a German distributor of specialty and industrial chemicals, including solvents, acids and lye, has entered an agreement to buy the assets of Lubrication Services (Lsi) for...
Jacobs secures Jiangsu SAR plant contract in China
China-based Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical has awarded a contract to Jacobs Engineering Group to design a sulphuric acid regeneration (SAR) plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu...
BASF to establish FCC catalysts testing, research laboratory
BASF, a provider of chemicals, plastics and performance products to the oil and gas industries, is planning to open a new fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts testing and research laboratory...
Sulvaris, Keyera to construct Canadian sulphur fertiliser plant
Sulvaris, a conversion company, has signed a definitive agreement with Keyera Partnership to construct a new sulphur fertiliser production facility in central Alberta,...
BASF purchases partial TDI business of Ciech
German chemicals maker BASF has acquired parts of Ciech's global toluene diisocyanate (TDI) business for an undisclosed...
Enterprise Products to develop ethane pipeline in Gulf Coast region
Enterprise Products Partners has announced that it will support the development of a new 270-mile ethane pipeline header system to deliver ethane to petrochemical plants found in the US Gulf...
Linde to build air separation units in China
Gases and engineering company The Linde Group has announced that it will build six air separation units in north-west...
KBR wins SOCAR GPP contract in Azerbaijan
State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (Socar) has awarded a contract to KBR for its gas processing plant (GPP) within the new oil-gas processing and petrochemical complex (OGPC) in...
Ineos Phenol and Sinopec YPC to build Chinese facility
UK-based Ineos Phenol and Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical (Sinopec YPC) have signed joint venture agreements to design, build and operate a 1.2 million tonne cumene, phenol and acetone complex...
Jordan Bromine (JBC) doubles its bromine capacity
Jordan Bromine (JBC), a joint venture between Albemarle and Arab Potash, has commissioned the first phase of an expansion project, intended to double its bromine manufacturing...
Rinchem opens new US chemical logistics facility
Chemical management solutions provider Rinchem has opened a new chemical logistics facility in Hollister, California, US, to offer warehousing, regional and long-haul transportation,...
Biofutures raises £32.5m through share placing
UK-based Biofutures International has raised £32.5m (before expenses) through a conditional share placing in conjunction with its proposed acquisition of Malaysia-based Platinum...
AkzoNobel opens additional Chemical Island in Brazil
Dutch specialty chemicals maker AkzoNobel has commissioned its Jupiá Chemical Island in Brazil, in turn allowing it to provide chemicals to the Eldorado Brasil Celulose pulp...
Westlake to buy CertainTeed's PVC pipe, fittings and foundations business
US-based Westlake Chemical has signed a definitive agreement with CertainTeed to acquire its Pipe and Foundation Group (PFG) for a purchase price of $175m in cash, including $22m of...
Arizona Chemical begins constructing US science and technology centre
Pine chemicals manufacturer Arizona Chemical has started construction work on its new, 27,000ft² science and technology centre in Savannah, Georgia,...
Brazilian development bank funds Jotun Brasil's new paint unit
Varnishes manufacturer Jotun Brasil Importação Exportação e Indústria de Tintas will receive R$69m ($26.8m) in financing from the Brazilian development bank...
Hitachi Chemical's Chinese subsidiary begins operations
Hitachi Chemical (Nantong), a subsidiary of Hitachi Chemical, has started its operations as a production and sales base for the functional resin and chemical material businesses in...
Methanex to expand New Zealand operations
Canada-based methanol supplier Methanex Corporation is planning to invest approximately $65m to increase the operating capacity at its New Zealand operations by 700,000 tonnes, to 2.2...
Univation to support Sasol North America's polyethylene plant
Specialty chemicals manufacturer Sasol North America has chosen Univation Technologies' UNIPOL PE Process for its petrochemical project at the Lake Charles site in Louisiana,...
BASF and Markor to build Chinese butanediol and PolyTHF plants
BASF and China-based Xinjiang Markor Chemical are planning to set up two joint venture (JV) companies, for the production of butanediol (BDO) and polytetrahydrofuran (PolyTHF), in Korla,...
Lanxess to convert Brazilian E-SBR facility to S-SBR
Germany-based specialty chemicals manufacturer Lanxess will convert production of emulsion styrene butadiene rubber (E-SBR) to solution styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR) at its facility in...
Fluor to design Al-Karaana Petrochemicals project
Engineering and construction company Fluor has received a contract from Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Shell to provide front-end engineering and design (FEED) services to their joint venture...
Borealis acquires DSM stake in DEXPlastomers JV
Dutch-based life sciences and materials sciences company Royal DSM has divested its 50% participation in DEXPlastomers, a joint venture (JV) between DSM and Exxon Chemical Holland Ventures,...
Dow to receive $2.48bn from PIC for cancelled JV
US-based The Dow Chemical Company will receive $2.48bn in damages from Kuwait-based Petrochemical Industries (PIC) for a scuttled joint venture...
Oxea begins constructing new Chinese specialty derivative plant
Oxea Advanced Derivatives has started the construction of its first oxo derivatives facility in Nanjing Industrial Chemical Park, China, following successful completion of the planning...
Rentech to shut US research and development plant
US-based Rentech is planning to de-commission and mothball its research and development (R&D) product demonstration unit (PDU) in Commerce City, Colorado, and wind up all related R&D...
CESTC acquires Jacam Chemical's business assets
Canadian Energy Services and Technology (CESTC) has purchased the production and specialty oil field chemical business of Jacam Chemical and its subsidiaries, for...
Toyo wins Indonesian ammonia plant construction contract
Japan-based Toyo Engineering has received a contract to construct an ammonia facility for the subsidiary of PT Surya Esa Perkasa (SEP), PT Panca Amara Utama...
Air Liquide to supply ultra-pure carrier molecules to new BOE plants
China-based BOE Technology Group has awarded two long-term contracts to Air Liquide to provide ultra-pure carrier molecules for its two panel display...
SLM to construct new US methanol plant
South Louisiana Methanol (SLM) is planning to construct what it claims to be the largest methanol manufacturing plant in North America, with an investment of...
February 2013
Top
Mitsubishi Chemical offers to buy Tessenderlo's compounds business
Japan-based chemical company Mitsubishi Chemical has offered to purchase the compounds activities from the Tessenderlo...
BASF to establish new Japanese battery R&D laboratory
Germany chemical company BASF will set up a new research and development (R&D) laboratory and an application technology centre for battery materials in Amagasaki,...
Dow Chemical to license polypropylene technology to Oriental Energy
Singapore-based Oriental Energy will license UNIPOL Polypropylene Process Technology from the subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Technology, for...
Sadara selects Intertec's enclosure technology for process analysers
Petrochemical company Sadara has contracted Intertec to protect around 1,000 field-based process analysers at its new complex in Saudi...
TPC to advance US butadiene production
The board of directors of the US-based TPC Group has approved capital for the next phase of engineering, to produce on-purpose butadiene and expand production...
Eastman, UNC-CH to explore chemistry and materials science
Eastman Chemical has entered into a master agreement with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), US, to perform research in chemistry and material...
ICL to purchase Thermphos's phosphorus pentasulfide business assets
Israel Chemicals (ICL), through its subsidiary ICL Performance Products (ICL-PP), has agreed to purchase Thermphos International's operations and phosphorus pentasulfide (P2S5) business assets...
FibeRio raises capital to advance nanofibre production systems
Forcespinning nanofibre production systems developer FibeRio has raised $13m in capital to introduce larger-scale production systems to the market and execute on a growing pipeline of...
Tianqi inches closer to acquiring Talison Lithium
Chinese company Chengdu Tianqi Industry, and its subsidiary Windfield Holdings, have signed agreements with the subsidiary of China Investment (CIC), Leader Investment, as part of...
Reliance Sibur Elastomers begins constructing Indian butyl rubber plant
Reliance Sibur Elastomers (RSEPL), a joint venture (JV) between Reliance Industries (RIL ) and Sibur, has started construction of its new butyl rubber plant in Jamnagar, Gujarat,...
Grupo Idesa, CyPlus to build Mexican sodium cyanide plant
Grupo Idesa and CyPlus have entered into a joint venture (JV) agreement to build a sodium cyanide plant in Coatzacoalcos,...
Clariant commissions new Spanish AMPS polymers facility
Specialty chemicals producer Clariant has officially launched its new 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) polymers facility, at its Tarragona site in Spain, as part of its...
Sekisui Chemical and Lubrizol to create CPVC JV in Thailand
Sekisui Chemical and Lubrizol will initialise a joint venture (JV) company in Thailand, in order to produce chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC), which is used as a raw material in pipes...
World Bank's IFC funds Indorama's Nigerian fertiliser plant
The World Bank's investment arm, International Finance Corporation (IFC), has invested $375m in the Nigeria-based Indorama Eleme Fertilizer Company, in order to support the expansion of...
Honeywell to support Kazakhstan-based refinery revamp project
Pavlodar Oil Chemical Refinery (POCR), a subsidiary of KazMunaiGas (KMG), has selected Honeywell's UOP technology to upgrade its facility in...
EmberClear finishes feasibility study for US gas-to-liquids project
EmberClear GTL MS, a subsidiary of EmberClear, has completed the technical feasibility study for a natural gas-to-liquids project, in Natchez, Mississippi,...
Elementis to acquire Hi-Mar Specialty Chemicals
UK-based specialty chemicals company Elementis has agreed, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Elementis Specialties, to acquire the assets of US-based coatings additives company Hi-Mar...
US court orders Dow Chemical to pay $400m in price-fixing case
A federal court in Kansas, US, has ordered The Dow Chemical Company to pay $400m in a price-fixing case, which involved chemicals used to manufacture foam products for car, packaging and...
Solvay plans to divest Indupa assets
Belgian-based Solvay is considering divesting its assets in the Argentine petrochemical producer Indupa, as part of a major restructuring and portfolio optimisation at...
BASF awards German TDI complex contract to Fluor
US-based Fluor Corporation will provide engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for BASF's toluene diisocyanate (TDI) complex project, in...
Dow and Preferred Sands develop technology for hydraulic fracturing proppants
North America-based hydraulic fracturing sand and proppant manufacturer Preferred Sands has introduced, what it claims to be, the first non-phenolic, resin-coating technology for proppants used...
Indorama Eleme to build fertiliser plant in Nigeria
Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals, a group company of Indorama, is planning to build a fertiliser plant in Eleme, Rivers State,...
QP, Total and Q Analytica sign joint R&D agreement
Qatar Petroleum (QP), Total E&P Qatar and Q Analytica have signed a joint research and development agreement on petroleum profiling technology, which is used to characterise the...
Technip wins Malikai pipeline contract from Sabah Shell
Sabah Shell Petroleum Company (SSPC) has awarded a subsea pipeline contract to Technip, for its Malikai Deepwater project in Sabah,...
Solvay to build highly dispersible silica plant in Poland
Solvay is planning to invest €75m to establish a new highly dispersible silica (HDS) plant in Włocławek,...
Invista commissions new polyamide salt plant in Netherlands
US-based polymer and fibre producer Invista has commissioned a new plant, to expand its polyamide salt site in Rozenburg,...
Rockwood to acquire ownership of Sachtleben
US-based chemical producer Rockwood Holdings will purchase Finnish company Kemira Oyj's 39% stake in a titanium dioxide (TiO2) joint venture (JV), Sachtleben, for €97.5m, to attain full...
Shell Chemicals to expand US petrochemical facility
Shell Chemicals is planning to add a new linear alpha olefin unit to its petrochemical facility in Geismar, Louisiana,...
Airgas to build liquid carbon dioxide plant in US
US-based atmospheric gases producer Airgas is planning to establish a new carbon dioxide purification and liquefaction plant in Houston,...
Sematech and Cabot collaborate on CMP technology
Sematech and Cabot Microelectronics have collaborated to develop advanced solutions for emerging chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) applications, as part of Sematech's front end...
Arizona Chemical to add science and technology centre to Georgia facility
US-based Arizona Chemical is set to add a 27,000ft² science and technology centre to its Savannah site in Georgia, US, with an investment of...
Aubin receives capital investment from UK-based BGF
UK-based specialist chemicals provider Aubin has received a growth capital investment of £2.25m from the Business Growth Fund (BGF) to boost the company's research and development (R&D)...
India's Tata Chemicals to merge Mauritius subsidiary with itself
India-based Tata Chemicals has announced plans to merge its Mauritius-based fully-owned subsidiary Homefield International (HIPL) with...
Wood Group wins North Sea production plant contract
Wood Group Mustang has received a contract from Singapore-based engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor SMOE for an offshore oil and gas production facility in the...
Reliance to modify Indian refinery's crude distillation unit
Indian conglomerate company Reliance Industries will carry out necessary modifications in order to improve the reliability and performance at one crude distillation unit of its special...
Genomatica helps DuPont Tate & Lyle achieve BDO milestone
DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products has commercially manufactured more than five million pounds (2,000t) of 1,4-Butanediol (BDO) at its US biochemical plant, employing Genomatica's bio-based...
TPC Group to increase polyisobutylene production capacity
TPC Group, a service provider of value-added products derived from niche petrochemical raw materials, has started engineering to increase the production capacity of polyisobutylene...
Solvay increases global production of derivatised guar
Brussels-based chemical company Solvay has increased global production of derivatised guar by 40%, with the completion of an expansion of its facilities in Vernon, Texas, US, and Jiangsu,...
Wacker boosts German plant's polysilicon production capacity
Wacker Chemie has decided to increase manufacturing capacities at its Burghausen-based polysilicon plants, ending short-time work at the...
Mitsui, Solazyme collaborate to develop new triglyceride oils
Mitsui has entered a collaboration agreement with renewable oil and bioproducts company Solazyme to jointly develop a new suite of triglyceride oils for use primarily in the oleochemicals...
KBR wins technology contract for Indonesian ammonia and urea plant
Engineering, construction and services company KBR will provide licensing, engineering services and purifier technology for PT Pupuk Sriwidjaja Palembang's plant, as part of a...
Air Liquide to construct carbon monoxide plant in Netherlands
France-based industrial gases and services supplier Air Liquide will construct a new, €65m carbon monoxide (CO) manufacturing plant in the Port of Rotterdam,...
YNCC enters commercial deal with Novatek for light naphtha
South Korean petrochemical company Yeochun Naphtha Cracker Centre (YNCC) has entered into a commercial collaboration deal with Russia-based natural gas producer Novatek for light naphtha...
Wacker opens VAE dispersions production plant in South Korea
Wacker Chemie has opened a new vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersions production plant in Ulsan, South...
Borealis offers to buy Total's stake in Rosier
Chemical and innovative plastics solutions manufacturer Borealis has offered to purchase Total's entire 56.86% stake in Belgium-based Rosier and outstanding shares of France's...
Samsung wins Iraq GSP contract from Gazprom
Russia-based oil and gas company Gazprom's subsidiary Gazprom Neft has awarded an $879m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to South Korea-based Samsung Engineering for its...
Occidental Petroleum plans to build US ethylene plant
US-based oil and gas exploration and production company Occidental Petroleum is planning to build an ethylene plant in Ingleside,...
Invista and Arzeda to develop bio-based butadiene
Polymers and fibres manufacturer Invista Technologies has entered into an agreement with Seattle-based biotechnology company Arzeda to develop new technologies that will enable new...
PMC Group buys Dow polymer additives business
Chemicals and plastics company PMC Group has purchased The Dow Chemical Company's global methyl tin stabilisers and solid lubricants...
Cabot wins contract for mercury control technology
Cabot's purification solutions segment has received a $5m contract to provide its carbon technology to an undisclosed major power generating facility in New England,...
Albemarle to expand Pennsylvania facility
US-based specialty chemicals manufacturer Albemarle is planning to invest $30m to expand its plant at the Tyrone Industrial Park,...
SK Chemicals and Teijin to manufacture super-engineering plastic
South Korea-based chemical producer SK Chemicals will launch a joint venture (JV) with Japan's Teijin Chemicals for developing, producing and marketing a super-engineering plastic,...
BP divests Texas refinery and related assets to MPC
Marathon Petroleum (MPC) has acquired BP's Texas refinery and part of its retail and logistics network in the south-east US for an estimated...
Shell to upgrade Singapore polyols production facility
Anglo-Dutch energy company Shell will upgrade its Jurong Island facility, Singapore, with its proprietary technology, to meet demand for specialised materials from the automotive and...
Sumitomo Chemical to shut ageing Japanese ethylene plant
Japan-based Sumitomo Chemical will permanently wind up the operations of an ethylene plant at its Chiba Works in Ichihara, Chiba, in or before September 2015, following a decline in domestic...
AfDB to fund Nigerian Indorama Eleme fertiliser plant
Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals (IEFCL) will receive a senior loan of $100m from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to construct and operate a new gas to urea fertiliser facility in...
Carlyle Group acquires DuPont Performance Coatings for $4.9bn
US-based global asset management firm the Carlyle Group has acquired DuPont Performance Coatings (DPC) for $4.9bn in cash (approximately $4bn after-tax) and the assumption of certain...
ThyssenKrupp to build Turkish fertiliser plant
German-based engineering company ThyssenKrupp Uhde has received a €141m contract from Turkey-based Bandirma Gübre Fabrikalari (BAGFAS) to build a fertiliser...
Fluor wins Canadian PDH plant contract from Williams
Williams has awarded a contract to Texas-based engineering and construction company Fluor, for its proposed propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant in Redwater, Alberta,...
Longgang Chemical licenses Honeywell's UOP Oleflex technology
China-based Longgang Chemical has chosen Honeywell's UOP Oleflex process for its Dongying facility, marking the second licensing of the technology in the...
January 2013
Top
Torraspapel awards contract to Clyde Bergemann for air systems
Torraspapel has awarded a contract to Clyde Bergemann Hanover (CBHAN) to provide new optimised air systems for use in its two chemical recovery...
Chiyoda wins EPC contract for Taiyo transalkylation unit
Japan-based Taiyo Oil Company has awarded a contract to engineering and construction firm Chiyoda for its transalkylation unit...
Ashland to equip Calvert City facility with new generators
US-based specialty chemicals manufacturer Ashland will equip its Calvert City production facility with three new heat recovery steam generators, as part of the company's $15m investment...
Technip wins US ethylene plant expansion contract from Westlake
Westlake Chemical has awarded an engineering and procurement contract to French-based Technip, to upgrade and modernise its ethylene cracking furnaces and the recovery section of the ethylene...
Bechtel purchases Chevron wastewater treatment technology
US-based engineering, project management and construction company Bechtel has acquired Chevron's wastewater treatment (WWT) process...
Shell and Kinder Morgan plan LNG export project
Royal Dutch Shell's subsidiary, Shell US Gas & Power, and Southern Liquefaction, a Kinder Morgan company and unit of El Paso Pipeline Partners (EPB), are planning to establish a new company...
Lanxess to build Chinese iron oxide red pigments plant
Specialty chemicals company Lanxess is investing €55m to build an iron oxide red pigments plant in Ningbo, Zhejiang,...
Forest BtL Oy licenses Linde's biomass gasification technology
Finland-based Forest BtL Oy has licensed Linde Engineering Dresden's Carbo-V biomass gasification technology for use within its new Biomass-to-Liquid (BtL) plant in...
Versalis and Yulex to build biorubber production facility
Versalis, a subsidiary of Eni, and agricultural-based biomaterials company Yulex Corporation have partnered to set up a new industrial production complex in southern...
Clariant to upgrade Australian chemical plant
Clariant Mining, a provider of flotation chemicals, is investing $3.5m to upgrade its chemical plant in Victoria,...
Mitsui wins EPC contract for Kuraray US polyvinyl alcohol resin plant
Kuraray America, a subsidiary of Kuraray, has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding (MES) for its polyvinyl alcohol resin...
SABIC to launch four research and development centres in 2013
Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) will launch four new technology and innovation centres this year to upgrade its technology, applications and...
Huntsman to launch global transformation at Advanced Materials division
US-based chemicals manufacturer Huntsman is planning to launch a global transformational change programme across its Advanced Materials...
Chesapeake Energy to support Methanex's US methanol project
Canada-based Methanex has entered into a natural gas supply long-term agreement with US-based Chesapeake Energy for its Louisiana-based methanol plant, with a capacity of one million tonnes per...
Technip receives Indian PTA project contract from JBF
JBF Petrochemicals has awarded a contract to French project management, engineering and construction company Technip for its purified terephthalic acid (PTA) project, based in Mangalore,...
Petronas, Evonik to co-develop specialty chemicals production facilities
Evonik Industries and Petronas have entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) to co-develop specialty chemicals manufacturing plants within Petronas's Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated...
BP selects KBR for execution services at Decatur plant
BP has awarded a $3.5m contract to global engineering, construction and services company KBR, to provide specialty turnaround management and turnaround mechanical execution services at its plant...
Praxair to build new Indian air separation plant
Praxair will build a new air separation plant, with an oxygen production capacity of 1,800 tonnes per day, in Bellary, Karnataka,...
BASF-Sinopec JV's Chinese plastics plant progresses
BASF and China Petroleum & Chemical (Sinopec) will form a new joint venture (JV) to construct a new isononanol (INA) plant in Maoming, Guangdong, China, following the successful completion of...
Chevron Phillips Chemical to expand US NAO plant capacity
Chevron Phillips Chemical is planning to increase its normal alpha olefins (NAO) capacity by 20% in a phased manner at its Cedar Bayou Chemical Complex in Baytown, Texas,...
Kemira to license Mitsui Chemicals acrylamide production technology
Finland-based water chemistry company Kemira Oyj has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Mitsui Chemicals for its acrylamide (AAM) manufacturing...
Linde Thailand to construct new liquid carbon dioxide plant
Linde Group member, Linde Thailand, will spend around THB500m (approximately $16.7m) on constructing a new merchant carbon dioxide (CO2) plant in Map Ta Phut, Rayong,...
BASF, Zelfo collaborate to further advance fibre technology
Germany-based chemicals maker BASF has joined forces with Zelfo Technology to further develop and scale-up the company's newly developed processing...
Evonik and Rostov region to construct Russian amino acid facility
Evonik and the government of Russia's Rostov region have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint venture (JV), OOO...
OX Engineered Products buys former Dow Chemical facility
OX Paperboard's division, OX Engineered Products, has purchased a 151,000ft² former Dow Chemical facility in Charleston, Illinois,...
IHI to conduct DGC urea plant FEED study
US-based Dakota Gasification Company (DGC), a subsidiary of Basin Electric Power Cooperative, has awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract to IHI for its urea plant in Beulah,...
Praxair India launches third air separation plant
Praxair's wholly-owned subsidiary Praxair India has launched its third air separation plant in India, to supply gaseous oxygen and nitrogen to wire and wire rope manufacturer Usha...
NRI launches Energy Technology forum on LinkedIn
NRI digital has launched a LinkedIn group to unite professionals across all energy sectors for the opportunity to network and discuss today's most important energy technologies and...
Sichuan-Messer JV to build new Chinese CO2 plant
China-based chemical company Sichuan Meifeng and Germany's Messer Group have entered into an agreement to form a new joint venture...
Praxair to expand Chinese air separation unit
Praxair China will expand its air separation unit in Tongling, China, to double the oxygen production capacity to 700 tonnes per...
Cambodian Petrochemical to license KBR's Veba Combi-Cracker technology
Engineering, construction and services company KBR has received a contract from Cambodian Petrochemical (CPC) to provide licensing and basic engineering services for its Veba Combi-Cracker...
SES to conduct gasification technology feasibility study for green chemicals
Synthesis Energy Systems (SES) has partnered with a US-based company to evaluate the feasibility and optimal uses of its gasification technology to manufacture valuable green chemicals, such...
Rentech expands US nitrogen fertiliser facility
Rentech Nitrogen Partners has expanded its nitrogen fertiliser facility in East Dubuque, Illinois, US, to manufacture an additional 2,650 tonnes of urea using natural gas as a...
JGC-led joint venture to support Vietnam's Nhgi Son refinery
A JGC-led joint venture (JV) has received notification of the award of an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract from Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical (NSRP) for its...
Spectra to provide additional natural gas to Eastman's US facility
Spectra Energy's East Tennessee Natural Gas (ETNG) pipeline will provide an additional 86 million cubic feet per day (Mmcf/d) of natural gas to Eastman Chemical's facility in Kingsport, Tennessee,...
O'Rourke Petroleum buys Texas-based Penco Oil
Houston-based O'Rourke Petroleum, a distributor of lubricants, fuels and select environmental services, has acquired Texas-based Penco Oil Company for an undisclosed...
Switzerland's Clariant commissions new Mexican manufacturing facility
Switzerland-based specialty chemicals manufacturer Clariant has launched a new production site for its Industrial & Consumer Specialties business unit (ICS), in Coatzacoalcos,...
Evonik to expand production of C4-based products
Evonik Industries is planning to expand production of C4-based products at its facilities in Marl, Germany, and Antwerp,...
Sinopec wins EPC contract for M&G PET, PTA plants
The M&G Group has selected the Sinopec Engineering Group (SEG) to build its new facilities, which include a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) facility with a capacity of one million tonnes per...
Dow Chemical partners with University of Illinois for innovation centre
The Dow Chemical Company has partnered with the University of Illinois, US, to open a new innovation centre as part of the company's mission to solve challenging problems through...
Westlake begins US ethylene plant expansion project
Westlake Chemical has started the expansion of its Petro 2 ethylene unit located in Lake Charles, Louisiana,...
Anadarko awards FEED contract for Mozambique LNG project
Anadarko Moçambique Area 1, a subsidiary of Anadarko, has awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract to a 50-50 joint venture (JV) company of Fluor and JGC for its onshore natural...
Intervale Capital provides Aegis Chemical with equity investment
US-based oil and gas production chemicals and chlorine dioxide treatment services provider Aegis Chemical Solutions has received an undisclosed equity investment from Intervale...
Praxair starts new air separation unit in Brazil
White Martins, a Brazil-based subsidiary of US industrial gases company Praxair, has commenced operations at a new air separation plant in Alagoas,...
Golden Gate buys ArrMaz Custom Chemicals
San Francisco-based private equity investment firm Golden Gate Capital has purchased Florida-based ArrMaz Custom Chemicals for an undisclosed...
Shell Chemicals, Qatar Petroleum license Mitsubishi oxo alcohol technology
Shell Chemicals and Qatar Petroleum have licensed Mitsubishi Chemical's (MCC) oxo alcohols production technology for their oxo derivative unit at the Al-Karaana Petrochemicals complex in Ras...
Nova renews pipeline integrity management contract with Synodon
Multinational company Nova Chemicals has re-signed its realSens airborne pipeline integrity management services contract with technology company Synodon, for an additional three...
Momentive purchases interest in Dynea Australia JV with Laminex
Momentive Specialty Chemicals (MSC Australia) has purchased Dynea Chemicals OY's interest in the Dynea Australia joint venture (JV) with Laminex Group for an undisclosed...
Pilot Chemical Company acquires Mason Chemical
Ohio-based Pilot Chemical Company has acquired Illinois-based Mason Chemical Company, which develops, registers and sells quaternary ammonium compounds and related...
Yima JV's China facility begins methanol production
The Yima Joint Venture (JV) facility at the $4bn Maozhuang Industrial Park in Henan Province, China, has commenced with methanol...
Rain CII Carbon buys Belgian coal tar pitch and chemicals manufacturer
Rain CII Carbon has purchased a 100% stake in Belgium-based coal tar pitch (CTP) and chemicals manufacturer...
Dow restarts production at St Charles Olefins 2 plant in US
The Dow Chemical Company has restarted the St Charles Olefins 2 plant in Hahnville, Louisiana, US, for the production of on-spec...
Invista's Chinese HMD plant on schedule for 2015 start
Invista's hexamethylene diamine (HMD) plant in Shanghai, China, is set to meet its scheduled 2015 start, following Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval from the Shanghai...
Bayer to construct toluene diisocyanate plant in Germany
Bayer MaterialScience, a Bayer Group company, will build and operate a new facility at its Chempark Dormagen site, Germany, following approval from the Cologne district...
Alfa Laval purchases Air Cooled Exchangers (ACE)
Specialised products and engineering solutions provider Alfa Laval has purchased Air Cooled Exchangers (ACE) in the US, for an undisclosed...
PPG receives US grant for chemical resistant coating powder
PPG Industries has received a $1.5m award from the US federal government's Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) to develop a chemical-agent-resistant coating (CARC)...
Quaker Chemical offers machining coolant to US aerospace industry
Quaker Chemical has introduced a European-approved machining and grinding coolant to the US aerospace...
BASF to increase global hexanediol production
BASF is planning to increase its annual global production of the chemical intermediate 1,6-hexanediol (HDO) by more than 20%, to more than 50,000tpa, by...
Ethiopia to establish Chemical Industry Corporation
The Ethiopian Government has approved a directive to establish a Chemical Industry Corporation to manage chemical industrial development in the...
Iran launches new petrochemical plant
Iran has opened a new petrochemical plant in the western province of...
Valspar acquires Ace Hardware paint manufacturing facilities
US-based coatings manufacturer Valspar Corporation has acquired Ace Hardware's paint manufacturing assets, which include two facilities in...
Solvay purchases controlling stake in Indian Chemical firm
International chemical Group Solvay has acquired a controlling interest in Sunshield Chemicals, an Indian company specialised in...
Brenntag purchases water treatment chemicals distributor
Brenntag has purchased Altivia, a distributor of water treatment chemicals in Houston, Texas, US, for an undisclosed...
Technip receives new ammonia plant contract from Mosaic
Technip has received front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract for a new ammonia plant, under consideration by The Mosaic Company, a global crop nutrient...
Mitsui Chemicals and Formosa Plastics partner to produce electrolyte solution
Japan-based Mitsui Chemicals (MCI) and Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Corporation (FPC) have joined forces to establish a joint venture (JV) company at the industrial complex of FPC Ningbo in...
SK Capital to buy Clariant's three businesses
SK Capital Partners has signed asset and share purchase agreements to acquire Clariant's textile chemicals, paper specialties and emulsions...
ExxonMobil starts Singapore ethylene facility
ExxonMobil has initiated start-up operations at its ethylene steam crackers in Singapore petrochemical complex in a multi-billion dollar expansion...
December 2012
Top
Pacific Ethanol to purchase additional stake in ethanol plants
US-based low-carbon renewable fuels producer Pacific Ethanol has signed agreements to increase ownership interest in its ethanol plants and improve their debt...
Saudi Arabia's Chemanol plans to build new specialty chemical plants
Saudi Arabia-based Methanol Chemicals Company (Chemanol) is planning to construct many new specialty chemical projects during the next four...
Evonik to expand US silica plant capacity
Evonik is planning to increase the precipitated silica capacity at its Chester site in Pennsylvania, US, by 22,000mt by...
Petrobras to acquire Vale's Brazilian fertiliser plant
Vale has signed an agreement with Petróleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) to sell its nitrogen-based fertiliser plant in Araucária, southern Brazil, for...
BASF contracts Technip, Asahi Kasei Chemicals for chlorine plant expansion
Technip, in a consortium with Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation Japan, has received a lump sum turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract from...
Gabriel Performance Products acquires BASF's Capcure
BASF and Gabriel Performance Products, a US-based specialty chemicals company, have entered into a contract to transfer the Capcure business to...
Kem One to expand polyvinylchloride emulsion capacity
Kem One is planning to expand its polyvinylchloride emulsion capacity at its location in Hernani,...
Sumitomo Chemical acquires majority stake in MGK
Sumitomo Chemical has acquired a majority stake in the US-based McLaughlin Gormley King Company...
Methanol Chemicals Company to build new SNF plant
Saudi Arabia's Methanol Chemicals Company is planning to construct a new plant, to expand its production capacity of sulphonated naphthalene formaldehyde (SNF)...
Toyo, REKIND receive Indonesian fertiliser plant EPC contract
A consortium made up of Toyo Engineering and PT Rekayasa Industri (REKIND) has received an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract from the state-owned Indonesian...
PPG to buy AkzoNobel North American coatings business
PPG Industries has reached a definitive agreement with AkzoNobel to acquire the North American architectural coatings business for...
DuPont acquires Verdezyne's xylose isomerase technology
Renewable chemicals producer Verdezyne has announced that it has sold its proprietary xylose isomerase technology to DuPont Industrial...
Univar acquires US-based chemical manufacturer Magnablend
Industrial and specialty chemicals distributor Univar has acquired Magnablend, a US-based provider of custom chemical manufacturing, blending and packaging...
Foster Wheeler, Statoil sign agreement for Norwegian processing plants
The subsidiary of Foster Wheeler's engineering and construction group has signed a three-year frame agreement with Statoil Petroleum, to provide front-end engineering design (FEED) services...
Indorama licenses KBR ammonia technology for Nigerian plant
Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals has selected KBR to provide ammonia technology for its planned grassroots ammonia plant to be located in Port Harcourt,...
QAFCO unveils Qafco-5 fertiliser project in Mesaieed, Qatar
QAFCO has launched the $3.2bn Qafco-5 project in the industrial city of Mesaieed, Qatar, to produce ammonia and...
BASF opens CSB production plant in Kingdom of Bahrain
BASF has opened a new production facility for customer specific antioxidant blends (CSB) in the Kingdom of...
Reverdia JV commissions new Italian bio-based succinic acid plant
Reverdia, a joint venture (JV) between DSM and Roquette Frères, has commissioned a commercial-scale plant in Cassano Spinola, Italy, to produce Biosuccinium sustainable succinic...
Brightwood Capital, Uni-World jointly acquire VanDeMark Chemical
Uni-World Capital and Brightwood Capital Advisors have jointly acquired US-based VanDeMark Chemical, a producer of specialty, intermediate and catalyst chemicals based on phosgenation...
Dow Epoxy completes LER plant expansion
Dow Epoxy, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, has completed the expansion of its 30kta liquid epoxy resin (LER) capacity at its fully back-integrated facility in Stade,...
Switzerland's Sika acquires Paraguayan construction chemicals company
Switzerland-based company Sika has acquired Paraguay's Inatec SRL, a specialised company for producing construction...
Petronas licenses LyondellBasell's Spheripol PP process technology
Malaysian oil giant Petronas has licensed LyondellBasell's Spheripol process technology for its two 300kta polypropylene (PP) plants, which will be set up in...
Albemarle completes US chemicals manufacturing facility expansion
Albemarle Corporation, a specialty chemicals and services company, has completed the expansion of its Tyrone custom manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania,...
Praxair Volgograd commissions new Russian air separation plant
Praxair Volgograd, a subsidiary of Praxair, has commissioned a new air separation plant in Volgograd,...
Global Bioenergies, Synthos convert renewable resources into butadiene
Global Bioenergies and Synthos have discovered a direct biological pathway to convert renewable resources into butadiene, a light olefin used in petrochemical...
Evonik Industries completes expansion of US L-lysine plant
Evonik Industries has completed the expansion of the production capacity at its L-lysine plant in Blair, Nebraska,...
BP Biofuels to expand Brazilian ethanol production plant
BP Biofuels is planning to invest $350m in order to expand the ethanol processing capacity of Tropical, one of its sugarcane processing ventures in...
Yara to takeover Bunge fertiliser business in Brazil
Yara International has signed an agreement with Bunge to acquire the company's fertiliser business in Brazil for approximately $750m, to strengthen its fertiliser position in the...
Albemarle plans to expand Orangeburg plant, US
Albemarle Corporation is planning to expand its Orangeburg manufacturing operations in the United States to support growing demand for products in all three of its global business units and...
Altana to acquire ChemCor wax additives business
Specialty chemicals group Altana has signed a contract to acquire the business of the Chemical Corporation of America (ChemCor), a US manufacturer of specialty wax...
Nizhnekamskneftekhim licenses Ineos polyethylene technologies
Ineos Technologies has licensed its Innovene G and Innovene S polyethylene technologies to OAO Nizhnekamskneftekhim's new petrochemical project in Nizhnekamsk,...
TPC shareholders approve sale to First Reserve and SK Capital
TPC Group stockholders have approved the sale of the company to First Reserve and SK Capital...
OVR to construct new fertiliser plant in Spencer County, US
Ohio Valley Resources (OVR) has chosen 150 acres in Spencer County, Indiana, in the US, as the site for construction of a new billion-dollar nitrogen fertiliser...
Toyo to construct Indorama urea plant in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Toyo Engineering and its consortium partner Daewoo Nigeria have received a letter of award from Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals to construct single train urea plant in Port Harcourt...
Etileno XXI awards Mexican LDPE plant contract to Tecnimont
Maire Tecnimont's subsidiary Tecnimont has received an engineering and procurement contract (EPC) on a lump-sum basis from Etileno XXI to construct a 300ktpa low-density polyethylene (LDPE)...
Petrofac wins Saudi Aramco's Jazan refinery EPC contracts
Petrofac has received two engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts from Saudi Aramco to work on the Jazan Refinery and Terminal project in Saudi...
Ma'aden grants phosphate PMC contract to Fluor
Fluor Corporation has received a project management consulting (PMC) services contract from the Saudi Arabian Mining Company...
Asahi Kasei Chemicals constructs Japanese research facility
Asahi Kasei Chemicals has completed building its Kawasaki Innovation Center, a new integrated R&D facility at its Kawasaki Works in Kanagawa,...
KNPC awards PMC contract to AMEC for Kuwait oil refinery
Engineering and project management company AMEC has received a $528m (£330m) project management consultancy (PMC) contract from the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) for a new...
Singapore opens laboratory for developing biomass chemical technology
The Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES), a research institute which is part of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), has launched its Metabolic...
Petrobras selects Honeywell technology for processing in Brazil
Honeywell's UOP Separex membrane system technology has been selected by Petrobras to process natural gas aboard up to eight floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO)...
Innospec withdraws from TPC Group purchase
Innospec has pulled away an offer worth $745m to buy the chemical manufacturer TPC...
SAMAPCO, Saudi banks sign agreements for petrochemical project
Sahara Petrochemicals Company's affiliate, Sahara and Maaden Petrochemicals Company (SAMAPCO), has signed financing agreements to the tune of SAR1980.75m...
Pangea seeks approval for US LNG export project
Pangea LNG has started seeking the approvals it needs to construct a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility, South Texas LNG Export, on Corpus Christi Bay in south Texas,...
DuPont breaks ground on US cellulosic ethanol plant
DuPont has commenced construction of its cellulosic ethanol facility in Nevada, Iowa, US, which will be used to commercialise advanced...
November 2012
Top
US OSHA fines Dover Chemical for violations
The US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined Dover Chemical $545,000 for violating 47 health and safety rules, including four willful...
W. R. Grace acquires Noblestar Catalysts assets
W. R. Grace has acquired assets of Noblestar Catalysts, a China-based manufacturer of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts, catalyst intermediates and related products, which are used in...
Lonza to sell urethanes and organics business to Monument Chemical
Monument Chemical has signed a definitive agreement with Lonza to purchase the assets of Lonza Group's USA Performance Urethanes and Organics business, based in in Brandenburg, United...
Estonia's VKG contracts Jacobs for sulphur recovery unit (SRU)
Jacobs Engineering Group has received a contract from Viru Keemia Grupp (VKG) to provide services for a sulphur recovery unit...
Songwon Additive Technologies, Polysys Industries to establish company
Songwon Additive Technologies and Polysys Industries will establish a new company, to be called Polysys Additive Technologies...
BASF acquires Becker Underwood from Norwest Equity Partners
BASF has acquired Becker Underwood from US-based private equity investment company Norwest Equity Partners for $1.02bn...
US company MFG Chemical fined for safety violations
The US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined MFG Chemical $77,000 for breaking 20 safety...
Mexichem pulls out of proposed JV with Pemex
Mexican vinyl resins and compounds producer Mexichem has pulled out from the proposed $556m chloride monomer-producing joint venture (JV) deal with Petróleos Mexicanos...
Air Products to build air separation units in Tainan, Taiwan
Air Products' Taiwanese subsidiary, Air Products San Fu, will construct two new air separation units and expand its existing nitrogen pipeline in the Tainan Science-Based Industrial Park...
Wacker expands technical centre at Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO)
German chemical company Wacker has expanded the service portfolio at its technical centre at the Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) technology...
Petronas awards Malaysian LNG plant contract to Linde
The Linde Group has received a mid-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant contract from Malaysia LNG, a production subsidiary of the country's national oil and gas company...
Foster Wheeler wins Lanxess's Chinese rubber plant contract
Foster Wheeler's subsidiary has received an engineering, procurement and construction management contract from Lanxess...
Rosneft to acquire BP's interest in TNK-BP
BP, Rosneft and Rosneftegaz, the Russian-owned parent company of Rosneft, have entered into definitive sale and purchase agreements (SPAs) to sell BP's 50% interest in TNK-BP to Rosneft and...
India clears BPCL's Kochi Refinery expansion project
India's Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) has issued environmental clearance for the Rs142.25bn ($2.5bn) Integrated Refinery Expansion Project (IREP) proposed by Bharat Petroleum...
PTT to build Vietnamese petrochemical and refining complex
Thailand-basesd PTT is planning to construct a petrochemical and refining complex in the Nhon Hoi Economic Zone in the province of Binh Dinh,...
Textile Rubber & Chemical Company establishes polymers entity
Textile Rubber & Chemical Company has created a new polymers entity, called the TR Polymers Group, within the...
Invista opens fibre production unit in Singapore
Polymers and fibres producer Invista has launched a new production line in Tuas, Singapore, to manufacture a series of specialty Lycra fibre products to meet increasing demands from the Asian...
Eitzen Chemical's financial restructuring moves ahead
Eitzen Chemical's consensual financial restructuring of bank and bond debt has received approval from all the banks in its loan...
Songwon Baifu Chemicals JV becomes fully operational
Songwon Baifu Chemicals, a joint venture between Songwon Industrial and Tangshan Baifu Chemical, has become fully operational in the production of thioester...
PTT Global Chemical to work with Pertamina for Indonesian plant
PTT Global Chemical is in talks with oil company Pertamina regarding building a petrochemical plant in 2013 in...
DKSH takes over chemicals distributor Staerkle & Nagler
DKSH has acquired chemicals distributor Staerkle &...
Qapco unveils Qatar-based LDPE 3 plant
Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco) has started activities at its third low density polyethylene plant (LDPE 3) located in Mesaieed Industrial...
GGOEX to construct $700m Nigerian methanol plant
Gulf of Guinea Oil Exploration (GGOEX) is planning to construct a $700m methanol plant at the Gas Industrial Park in Delta State, Nigeria, in 2015 to produce 850,000mtpa of...
China Shenhua Coal to use Ineos polypropylene process technology
Ineos Technologies has licensed its Innovene PP Process to the China Shenhua Coal to Chemical Xinjiang Coal Chemical...
Albemarle opens new laboratory facility in Louisiana, US
Albemarle Corporation has opened a new laboratory facility and expanded applications capabilities at its Process Development Center (PDC) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the...
Dow grants Midland laboratory services contract to Teledyne
Teledyne Technologies subsidiary, Teledyne Brown Engineering, has received a three year lab and office facility management contract for research services from The Dow Chemical Company in Midland...
BASF to expand US-based SB emulsion polymers facility
BASF is planning to improve production capabilities at its Chattanooga plant in Tennessee, US, to increase emulsion polymer supplies for the paper, paperboard and carpet industries in North...
Zuari Agro Chemicals to build fertiliser plant in UAE
Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Maritime City has entered into an agreement with Zuari Agro Chemicals to construct an $800m diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser manufacturing plant in the...
Omkar Speciality Chemicals to expand in India
India-based Omkar Speciality Chemicals is planning to invest Rs1.5bn ($27m) during the next 18 months in order to increase its production to 3,650mtpa from...
Toyo Engineering wins South Korean EO/EG plant contract
Korea Petrochemical Industry (KPIC) has contracted Toyo Engineering Korea, a Korean subsidiary of the Toyo Engineering Corporation, to construct its ethylene oxide (EO) and ethylene glycol...
Mitsubishi Chemical completes acquisition of TK Industries
Mitsubishi Rayon (MRC) has completed the acquisition of German-based TK Industries, a carbon fibre multi-axial non-crimp fabric (NCF)...
Sipchem begins construction of EVA films project
Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) has started the construction of its ethyl-vinyl acetate (EVA) films project in Hail Industrial City, Saudi...
Solazyme to produce algal oils at ADM's US fermentation plant
Renewable oil and bioproducts company Solazyme and agricultural processor Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) have partnered to produce algal oils for industrial and nutritional markets in North...
ICL Industrial Products to expand polymeric flame retardant production
Israel Chemicals' segment ICL Industrial Products ( ICL-IP ) is planning to expand production of its Fyrol HF-5 polymeric flame retardant at its West Virginia plant, in the...
BASF commissions new US battery materials production plant
BASF has commissioned a new battery materials manufacturing facility in Elyria, Ohio, in the US, to produce cathode components for lithium-ion...
Shell to expand Singapore ethylene cracker
Shell Chemicals, the petrochemicals arm of Royal Dutch Shell, has decided to expand its ethylene cracker on Pulau Bukom (Bukom Island), Singapore, during the next maintenance turn-around of...
SK Capital to buy Chemtura antioxidant and UV stabiliser business
US-based private investment firm SK Capital Partners has signed an agreement to acquire Chemtura's antioxidant and UV stabiliser solutions business for approximately...
SABIC, Shell expand Saudi Petrochemical Company JV
Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) and Shell are set to expand projects at their joint venture firm Saudi Petrochemical Company (Sadaf), situated in one of the world's largest petrochemical...
Sinopec, Huntsman to build new Chinese PO/MTBE facility
US-based Huntsman and Sinopec Jinling Company, a subsidiary of Sinopec, have formed a joint venture (JV), Nanjing Jinling Huntsman New...
US's Sherwin-Williams to acquire Mexico's Comex
US-based company Sherwin-Williams has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Mexico's Consorcio Comex for about $2.34bn, which includes assumed...
Borealis to take over DEXPlastomers
Austrian-based chemical and plastics solutions provider Borealis has entered an agreement to purchase the shares of DEXPlastomers, a company based in the...
Chinese chemical firm licenses Honeywell methanol-to-olefins technology
US-based Honeywell subsidiary UOP LLC will license its methanol-to-olefins (MTO) technology to China-based Shandong Yangmei Hengtong Chemicals as part of a...
TPC revises merger agreement with First Reserve and SK Capital
TPC Group has amended its previously announced merger agreement, signed on 24 August 2012, with Sawgrass Holdings and Sawgrass Merger Sub, entities formed by investment funds affiliated with...
Dow licenses Unipol polypropylene technology to Qinghai Damei
Qinghai Damei Coal Industry has signed a license agreement with Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology to license Unipol polypropylene process technology for its 400kta polypropylene...
MeadWestvaco to buy remaining stake in Resitec
MeadWestvaco Corporation's division, MWV Specialty Chemicals, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the remaining ownership stake of Brazilian-based Resitec Industria...
Solvay launches expanded silica production plant in France
Solvay has inaugurated its expanded dispersible silica production facility and a modernised R&D facility at its Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or site in...
GOCL acquires Houghton International
India-based Gulf Oil Corporation (GOCL), through its United Kingdom-based subsidiary, has acquired a 100% stake in Houghton International for...
BASF to construct emissions catalysts plant in Poland
BASF will construct a mobile emissions catalysts production facility in Sroda Slaska in Wroclaw,...
Spain's LSB plans to sell PET plants to support development
Spain-based La Seda de Barcelona (LSB) is planning to dispose of its PET polymer and raw material plants to raise new capital to develop its PET and chemical...
UAE's Uniplas to establish Indian petrochemical complex
The Indian ministry of chemicals and fertilisers has asked the government of Odisha to consider the possibility of setting up a petrochemical complex at the state's PCPIR (Petroleum, Chemicals...
Iran revokes restrictions on petrochemical exports
The Government of Iran has lifted the recently announced ban on the export of...
QAPCO to open Qatar-based LDPE 3 facility
The Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) will open its QAR 2.3bn ($623m) low density polyethylene (LDPE) 3 petrochemical facility on 20 November 2012 at Mesaieed Industrial...
Dow commissions new Chinese photovoltaics films application lab
The Dow Chemical Company has opened a new Photovoltaics Films Applications Laboratory in Shanghai, China, to help customers in the Asia-Pacific region improve renewable power generation from...
Lanxess contracts Talke for Belgian logistics facility
The Lanxess chemicals group has contracted Talke to plan, construct and operate the logistics facility for its polyamide 6 plant in Antwerp,...
Shell contracts Flour for EAME projects
Fluor Corporation has signed an enterprise framework agreement with Shell for downstream and upstream onshore projects in Europe, Africa and the Middle East...
Oxea to complete feasibility study for chemical plant expansion
US-based chemical company Oxea is set to complete a feasibility study for additional downstream plant expansion projects, following the successful capacity increase of its syngas...
BASF realigns chemicals segment to improve operational efficiency
BASF has optimised its organizational structure to better serve its customers and enhance its operational capabilities and...
Hinduja to acquire Houghton International
India's Hinduja group is planning to take over a US-based chemical company, Houghton International, for nearly...
CF Industries to construct new US fetiliser plants
CF Industries Holdings is planning to construct new ammonia and urea / UAN production units at its complex in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, apart from at its complex in Port Neal, Iowa,...
Rentech Nitrogen Partners acquires Agrifos
Rentech's majority-owned subsidiary, Rentech Nitrogen Partners, has acquired Agrifos, which produces synthetic granulated ammonium sulfate fertiliser in North America, for...
Iran's Government bans petrochemical exports
The Government of Iran has reportedly banned the export of petrochemical products, which also includes polymers to support national production, according to the Islamic Republic News...
Bunge invests in Cobalt Technologies
Bunge Global Innovation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bunge Limited, has become a strategic investor in Cobalt Technologies' Series E Preferred...
Williams Partners to acquire Williams' Gulf Olefins business
Williams Partners has signed an agreement with Williams to purchase the company's 83% undivided interest in the Geismar olefins production facility, a refinery-grade propylene splitter,...
Sinopec to acquire stake in Krasnoyarsk rubber plant
Sibur and Sinopec International (Hong Kong), the wholly owned subsidiary of Sinopec, have entered into an agreement which will allow the company to potentially purchase a 25% + 1...
Momentive, UPC begin Chinese phenolic resins plant construction
Momentive Specialty Chemicals and UPC Technology Corporation (UPC) have started the construction of joint venture manufacturing facility to produce specialty phenolic resins in Zhenjiang...
Sibur opens second Russian polystyrene production line
Sibur has officially launched the second phase of its Alphapor expandable polystyrene production line at its production site in Perm,...
October 2012
Top
Jacobs receives sulphuric acid plant expansion contract
Jacobs Engineering Group has received a contract from Paradeep Phosphates (PPL) to provide project management consultancy (PMC) services for PPL's sulphuric acid plant expansion project...
China halts Ningbo petrochemical plant expansion
China has shelved its plans to expand a petrochemical plant in Ningbo, a coastal city of the country, following protests from the...
Mexichem to expand Mexican chemical plant
Mexichem is planning to invest nearly MXN 1.43bn ($109m) to expand its chemical plant in Altamira,...
NKNH to expand Russian polystyrene production capacity
Nizhnekamskneftekhim (NKNH), a Russian petrochemicals group, is considering the construction of a new polystyrene production line at its Nizhnekamsk manufacturing complex, located in...
Petronas Chemicals (PCG) to discontinue vinyl business
Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG) is planning to terminate its vinyl business to help optimise its...
JPFL to acquire ExxonMobil BOPP global film business
Jindal Poly Films (JPFL) has entered into an agreement with ExxonMobil Chemical to takeover the company's biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) global film...
Fargo Beer plans to start brewery in US
Fargo Beer is planning to acquire a site to start brewing in Fargo-Moorhead,...
BP shelves US cellulosic ethanol plant construction
BP has abandoned its plans to construct a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Highlands County, Florida,...
Dow grants ethylene production plant contract to Technip
Technip has received a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract from The Dow Chemical...
Eastman completes Belgian acoustic PVB extrusion plant
Eastman Chemical Company has completed construction of its Saflex Q series advanced acoustic polyvinyl butyral (PVB) extrusion facility in Ghent,...
Dow plans to build rubber plant on US Gulf Coast
The Dow Chemical Company is planning to construct a new plant on the US Gulf Coast to produce metallocene ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) and market it under the brandname of NORDEL...
Wison Engineering to design Shandong MTO plant
China-based petrochemical engineering, procurement and construction contractor, Wison Engineering, has received a contract from Shandong Yangmei Hengtong Chemical to design a...
Chemetall opens new US chemical manufacturing plant
Chemetall has opened a new chemical manufacturing plant in Blackman Charter Township in Michigan,...
BASF unveils Russian polyurethane technology centre
BASF has officially launched its first Russian polyurethane systems applications technology centre in Vsevolozhsk, St....
Evonik to construct new South American chemical plants
Evonik Industries will invest nearly €200m in South America to build three new plants by 2014, to produce cosmetic raw materials, biodiesel catalysts and feed amino...
Sasol launches LAN plant in South Africa
Sasol Nitro has commenced its new R1bn ($114) limestone ammonium nitrate (LAN) granulation plant with a capacity of 400,000tpa of production in Secunda, Mpumalanga, South...
Praxair China to construct ASU plant in Jiangsu
Praxair China has entered into a long-term contract with Oxiranchem Yangzhou to supply on-site industrial gases to their chemical park located in the province of...
Honeywell acquires majority stake in Thomas Russell
Honeywell's business UOP has acquired a 70% stake in Thomas Russell, a provider of technology and equipment for natural gas processing and treating...
Dow Chemical to cut jobs and close plants around the globe
Dow Chemical Company said it will cut five percent of its workforce and close 20 manufacturing facilities, as part of a restructuring programme designed to accelerate cost...
Pakistan plans to commission four fertiliser plants
Pakistan's Government is planning to get four fertiliser plants operational by supplying gas required to stop a loss of Rs100bn ($1bn) of GDP and the unemployment of about 65,000...
Samsung Engineering to expand Luberef's Yanbu refinery
Korea-based Samsung Engineering has received the Yanbu refinery expansion project worth $871m from Luberef (the Saudi Aramco Lubricating Oil Refining...
BP to sell TNK-BP shareholding to Rosneft
BP has signed heads of terms to sell its 50% share in TNK-BP to Russian integrated oil and gas company...
ACWA and Air Products form JV in Saudi Arabia
Air Products and The Arabian Company for Power and Water Development (ACWA) have formed a joint venture, ACWA Air Products Arabia, located in the city of Al Khobar, to develop...
Ube to build additional nylon plant in Spain
Ube Industries is planning to construct and add additional manufacturing capacity for nylon 6 at its subsidiary, Ube Engineering Plastics in Castellón, Spain, to meet the growing demand for...
Praxair launches Peruvian air separation plant
Praxair's subsidiary, Praxair Peru, has commenced operations at its new air separation unit (ASU) to expand the supply of industrial gases to one of the zinc producers in Lima,...
Solvay increases French polyvinylidene fluoride production capacity
Solvay has increased the production capacity of SOLEF polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) at its Tavaux plant, in France, by 50% with the launch of new production...
SCI, SCG and JX to construct ENB plant in Thailand
JX Nippon Oil and Energy (JX), Sanyo Chemical Industries (SCI) and SCG Chemicals have signed an agreement to jointly conduct the commercial feasibility study of a new Ethylidene Norbornene...
Uhde Inventa-Fischer to construct Belgian PET plant
German-based plant engineering and construction company Uhde Inventa-Fischer will construct a PET plant for India-based JBF Industries at Geel,...
Toray to construct Indonesian resin compounding facility
Japan-based Toray Industries will construct a new resin compounding facility, at its subsidiary PT Indonesia Toray Synthetics (ITS) in Indonesia, as part of its efforts to expand the...
LeSaint acquires Chemical Logistics' assets
LeSaint Logistics has acquired the assets of Chemical Logistics, a 3PL specialist in warehousing and distribution of hazmat and non-hazmat...
JGC wins Saudi Arabian ethylene facility contract
JGC's wholly owned subsidiary, JGC Gulf International, has won a contract for the Rabigh phase II project, which is an expansion of ethylene manufacturing facilities in Rabigh, Saudi...
Brenntag to acquire Delanta to improve South American presence
Global chemical distributor Brenntag has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire Delanta...
ONGC, GAIL seek stake in Indian petrochemical project
Indian public sector gas company GAIL and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) have expressed their interest in buying a stake in Bharat Petroleum's Rs50bn ($946m) petrochemicals project to...
Petronas, LanzaTech to convert CO2 into sustainable chemicals
LanzaTech, a producer of low-carbon fuels and chemicals from waste gases, along with Petronas, will co-work to accelerate the development and commercialisation of technologies to...
Dynea Chemicals to sell Asia Pacific unit to AICA Kogyo
Adhesive and surface solutions provider Dynea Chemicals has entered into an agreement to sell its Asian division, the Dynea Asia Pacific unit, to Japan-based AICA Kogyo for €50m on a cash...
BASF to acquire partial TDI business of Ciech
BASF has entered into an agreement with Ciech to acquire a portion of the company's global TDI (toluene diisocyanate) business for an undisclosed...
Sadara to build packaging centre in Saudi Arabia
Foster Wheeler has received an engineering and procurement contract from Sadara Chemical Company (Sadara) for a packaging centre at Jubail Industrial City, located in the Eastern Province of...
LSU opens new $34m chemistry and materials facility
LSU Colleges of Science and Engineering in Lousiana, US, has launched a new Chemistry and Materials Building to expand the university's research capacity in synthetic chemistrym, and also...
Coromandel DAP plant to complete expansion soon
Indian chemical and fertiliser manufacturer Coromandel's DAP plant will increase production by five lakh tons in November 2012 as the facility is nearing completion of an expansion...
Foster Wheeler to construct Nd-PBR rubber plant in Singapore
Foster Wheeler has received an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCm) contract from Lanxesss Butyl to build a new neodymium polybutadiene (Nd-PBR) rubber plant on...
Emery Oleochemicals to expand US facility
Malaysia-based Emery Oleochemicals is investing $50m to expand its manufacturing facilities in Winton Hills, Cincinnati,...
BPCL to invest more than $3bn to expand Indian refineries
Indian refiner Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) is planning to complete expansion projects worth more than $3bn at two refineries by 2015, to increase output and upgrade fuel...
Brown University receives chemical innovation grant
National Science Foundation has granted Brown University researchers $1.75m to evaluate the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of fossil fuels to manufacture common industrial...
Cytec divests coating resins business to Advent International
Cytec Industries has signed a definitive agreement to divest its coating resins business to Advent International, a global private equity firm, for $1.03bn plus assumed liabilities of...
Companies to construct Canadian urea nitrogen fertiliser plant
The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) Canada and La Coop fédérée, in collaboration with Investissement Québec, have signed an agreement of intent to establish a urea production...
Vietnam allocates land for refinery and petrochemicals plant
Vietnam's Government has earmarked land for a Kuwaiti jointly-owned refinery and petrochemicals plant, called the Nghi Son oil refinery and petrochemical...
Ithaca Beer to open new taproom
US-based Ithaca Beer company will open its new taproom on 11October...
Innospec seeks to acquire chemicals manufacturer TPC
US specialty chemicals manufacturer TPC Group has received a non-binding proposal to be acquired by...
Marathon Petroleum to purchase BP's Texas City refinery
BP has reached an agreement with Marathon Petroleum Corporation to sell its Texas City refinery and a portion of its retail and logistics network in the south-east US for...
Sibur, Solvay JV to build Russian chemicals plant
Russian-based petrochemical company Sibur and Solvay have signed an agreement to construct RusPAV, a 50 / 50 joint venture (JV), to produce oil field process chemicals and surfactant...
Coogee Chemicals to go ahead with methanol expansion project
Australia-based chemical company Coogee Chemicals will go ahead with a $1bn investment to expand its methanol plant due to changed carbon price legislation in...
Arkema, CJ begin Malaysian chemical plant construction
CJ and Arkema have started the construction of, what the companies claim will be, the world's first bio-methionine plant and Asia's first thiochemical plant in Kerteh, Terengganu,...
IIL, Otsuka AgriTechno to develop new agro-chemicals
Insecticides India (IIL), an agro-chemical manufacturing company, and Japan-based Otsuka AgriTechno (OAT) are planning to invest nearly Rs5bn ($96m) to develop new agro-chemicals during the...
BASF, Purac to form biobased succinic acid JV
BASF and CSM subsidiary Purac are planning to form a joint venture (JV), called Succinity, in Düsseldorf, Germany, to produce and sell biobased succinic...
Victrex to build new UK polymers plant
UK-based high performance polymers producer Victrex Polymer Solutions is planning to construct a new plant to increase its production capacity by around 70% for its Victrex PAEK...
Braskem Idesa to build Mexican petrochemical complex
Braskem Idesa has awarded a $2.7bn surplus engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to an Odebrecht, Technip and ICA Fluor joint venture (JV) to build a petrochemical complex in...
Jiutai Energy to deploy KBR MTO technology
KBR has received a license and process design package contract from the Jiutai Energy Group for its Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) recovery project in the Dalu new area, Zhungeer Banner, Ordos in...
Bolivia grants urea production technology contract to Toyo
Toyo Engineering has won a urea synthesis and granulation technologies supply contract with the capacity to produce 2,100 tpd of urea for Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB),...
Lubrizol Corporation to build new US manufacturing facility
The Lubrizol Corporation is planning to invest nearly $125m over the course of three years to construct a resin and compounding manufacturing facility in Deer Park, Texas, in the...
Allylix plans to expand research capabilities in Kentucky
Renewable chemicals company Allylix is planning to invest more than $1.6m to add 3,700 square feet of laboratory space at the University of Kentucky Coldstream Research Campus in...
Statoil selects KBR for LNG Pre-FEED studies in Tanzania
US-based KBR has received a contract from Statoil Tanzania to perform pre-front end engineering and design (pre-FEED) studies for a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Tanzania,...
Germany opens chemical biotechnological processes centre
The Fraunhofer Institute has opened its new Fraunhofer Center for chemical-biotechnological processes (CBP) in Leuna,...
Sanmar to expand Egyptian polyvinyl chloride plant
India-based company Sanmar Group is planning to invest $200m to expand its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) factory in Port Said's industrial zone in...
OOC to build PTA-PET plant in Oman
The energy investment arm of Oman's Government, the Oman Oil Company (OOC), will invest nearly $800m to construct a petrochemicals plant to produce purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and...
Westlake to expand US ethylene and PVC plants
Westlake Chemical will invest around $240m in order to expand its US-based ethylene and PVC...
Saudi Polymers' Al-Jubail facility begins production
Saudi Polymers Company (SPCo) and its joint venture partner, the National Petrochemical Company, have launched commercial production of their manufacturing facility located in Al-Jubail, Saudi...
Haldia Petrochemicals plans to halt production
Indian-based Haldia Petrochemicals is planning to suspend production, in light of poor market...
Honeywell to acquire majority stake in Thomas Russell
Honeywell's UOP business has signed a definitive agreement to purchase a 70% stake in Thomas Russell, a provider of technology and equipment for natural gas processing and...
Reliance to buy BP Malaysian PTA plant
BP has agreed to sell all its interests in purified terephthalic acid (PTA) production in Malaysia to Reliance Global Holdings (Reliance), a company based in...
US Ex-Im Bank to fund Saudi Arabia petro complex
The US Export-Import Bank has approved a $4.975bn direct loan to Sadara Chemical Company for construction of a petrochemical complex in Saudi...
Maire Tecnimont wins oil, gas and petrochemical projects
Subsidiaries of Maire Tecnimont have received engineering, procurement and technology services contracts worth...
September 2012
Top
ExxonMobil to build lubricants plants in US
ExxonMobil is planning to expand its Baton Rouge chemical and lubricants plants, by investing more than $200m, to increase capacity for manufacturing synthetic lubricant base stocks and...
Evonik to use Aveneer process at US MMA plant
Evonik Industries is planning to construct a new methyl methacrylate (MMA) production plant using the Aveneer process, at its site in Alabama, in the United...
France's Technip wins Kazakhstan refinery project contracts
French project management, engineering and construction company Technip has received two contracts worth nearly €50m in...
Gevo US facility stops bio-isobutanol production
Gevo has stopped commercial-scale bio-isobutanol production in Luverne, Minnesota, US, and temporarily shifted the facility back to corn-based ethanol after an initial seventeen week...
Petronas, UOP to develop natural gas processing technology
UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, has joined forces with Malaysian national oil and gas company Petronas for the development of natural gas processing...
Williams signs NGL / olefins agreement with Canadian oil producer
Williams has signed a new long-term gas processing agreement with an undisclosed producer in the Canadian oil...
Jacobs to support Petronas sulphur recovery units
Jacobs Engineering Group has received a contract from Petronas, the state-owned Malaysian oil company, to develop a basic engineering package for three sulphur recovery units...
Wacker to build VAE plant in South Korea
Wacker Chemie is planning to expand its vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersions production capacity in South Korea by constructing a new plant, with a capacity of 40,000mtpy, at...
BASF to expand fungicide facilities in Germany and US
BASF is planning to invest more than €200m in order to scale up and integrate production and formulation capacities, to meet rising demands for several key fungicides, including F 500 and...
Foster Wheeler consortium wins Venezuelan refinery contract
Hyundai Engineering and Construction, along with Foster Wheeler's Global Engineering and Construction Group subsidiary, have been granted a phase one contract by Petróleos de Venezuela for its...
Arsenal Capital Partners acquires IGM Resins
US-based investment firm Arsenal Capital Partners has acquired Netherlands-based IGM Resins, a provider of intermediates to the global ultraviolet (UV) radiation cure coatings, adhesives and...
Airgas to build new US air separation plant
Airgas is planning to construct a new air separation unit (ASU) to the meet increasing demand for merchant gases in the Chicago area,...
Vinythai plans new Chinese chemical plant
Thailand's producer of PVC resins and caustic soda, Vinythai, is planning to build a Bt7.2bn ($233m) epichlorohydrin plant in China, as part of doubling annual epichlorohydrin production...
Oxea completes Ester 2 production plant in Germany
Chemical company Oxea has completed work on its 'Ester 2' production plant in Oberhausen, Germany, to expand its speciality esters production capacity by more than...
JGC subsidiary to build Saudi Arabian aromatics plant
JGC Corporation's wholly-owned subsidiary, JGC Gulf International, has won a contract from the Sadara Chemical Company to build an aromatics plant in Saudi...
Ergon Refining to expand US oil refinery
Ergon Refining is planning to expand its naphthenic specialty oil refinery in Vicksburg, Mississippi,...
Methanex mulls relocating second methanol plant
Canada-based methanol producer Methanex is mulling over the relocation of a second methanol plant to the US from Chile, where it has four...
Jiutai selects Honeywell's MTO technology for methanol conversion
China-based Jiutai Energy (Zhungeer) has licensed Honeywell's UOP methanol-to-olefins (MTO) technology to convert methanol from coal into key plastics building...
Momentive to construct resin plant in Thailand
Momentive Specialty Chemicals is planning to construct a new acrylic-based resins plant in Chonburi, Thailand, to serve their south-east Asian...
Technip receives Australian LNG project contract
Technip was granted €210m offshore commissioning contract by Inpex for its Ichthys LNG project based in the Browse Basin, Western...
Genesis to acquire Brazilian pipeline firm
Genesis Oil and Gas has signed a binding agreement to acquire Suporte Consultoria e Projetos, a pipeline and structural engineering company based in Rio de Janeiro,...
Solvay increases Indian polymer plant capacity
Belgian chemical company Solvay has increased production capacity of high performance polymers, including KetaSpire polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and AvaSpire polyaryletherketones (PAEK) by 70%,...
BASF to close Indian and Malaysian Styropor plants
Germany's BASF will close its Styropor (expandable polystyrene) plants at its sites in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia, and Thane, in India, to focus on EPS activities in strategic markets and core...
Lanxess launches new plastics plant in US
Specialty chemicals group Lanxess has opened its first high-tech plastics production plant in Gastonia, North Carolina,...
Yamal LNG licenses BASF technology
BASF and Yamal LNG OAO have signed a license agreement regarding the use of BASF technology for the removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from natural...
Kothari Petrochemicals to set up new Indian plant
India-based Kothari Petrochemicals is planning to set up a plant near the Kochi Refinery, in...
Alexium surface technology wins Australian patent
US-based specialty chemicals producer Alexium International Group has received a patent for the 'Method for Attachment of Silicon-containing Compounds to a Surface and for Synthesis of...
Fluor wins US propylene project contract from Dow
Fluor Corporation has won an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract from The Dow Chemical Company for a propylene production asset project located in Freeport, Texas,...
Organika-Sarzyna selects management programme for chemical plant
Organika-Sarzyna has selected Aveva's Aveva Net to provide an operational integrity management programme for the new MCPA (phenoxy herbicide) production plant...
BPCL to build new Indian petrochemcial complex
Indian public sector petroleum company BPCL is planning to invest Rs200bn ($3.6m) in order to expand its facility at the Kochi Refinery and also to set up a petrochemcial complex in Kerala,...
Solvay to acquire Sunshield Chemicals from Amit Choksey
Belgium-based chemical company Solvay has signed an agreement to purchase a controlling interest in Sunshield Chemicals, an Indian company specialising in surfactants, from the Amit Choksey...
Lanxess strengthens portfolio with Bond-Laminates acquisition
Specialty chemicals company Lanxess has acquired German company Bond-Laminates as part of its strengthening of its lightweight materials product portfolio for the automotive...
Chinese petrochemical company selects Honeywell technology
Heilongjiang Anruijia Petrochemical has selected Honeywell's UOP technology to produce ingredients for fuels, synthetic rubber and plastics in...
Telvent wins PT. Pertamina Gas technology contract
Indonesia oil and gas producer PT. Pertamina Gas has granted a new contract to Telvent to construct and develop the Tempino to Plaju Crude Oil Pipeline (TPCOP)...
M&G to construct new US chemical plants
Italy-based PET producer M&G Group has purchased land in Corpus Christi, Texas, US, to build a 1mtpy polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant and a 1.2mtpy purified terephthalic acid (PTA)...
Jiutai to license Dow polypropylene (PP) technology
Jiutai Energy has signed a license agreement with Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology for a 350 KTA methanol-to-olefin based polypropylene (PP)...
Lotte Chemical awards contract for PET plant in UK
Jacobs Engineering Group has received a contract from Lotte Chemical UK to provide construction management services for a new polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant, to be built at the...
LS9 begins production at US demonstration facility
LS9, a developer of renewable chemicals and fuels, has started the production of fatty alcohols at its Florida facility,...
Lanxess begins butadiene rubber plant construction in Singapore
German specialty chemicals company Lanxess has broken ground for its new neodymium-based performance butadiene rubber (Nd-PBR) plant located in Jurong Island,...
Honeywell, Praxair sign CO2 agreement
Praxair has signed a 15-year agreement with Honeywell Resins & Chemicals to purchase carbon dioxide (CO2), a by-product of Honeywell's caprolactam facility in Hopewell, Virginia,...
Eton Group to fund Nigerian greenfield refinery
Singapore-based Eton Group, along with Qua Petroleum Refinery, is planning to spend around $1.7bn to build a new greenfield refinery in the state of Akwa Ibom,...
Alexium raises funds to develop flame retardant technology
Alexium International Group has raised A1.1m ($1.13m) in funds to progress its development work in the specialty chemical solutions area, including flame retardant (FR) treatments and FR...
BASF to build specialty zeolites manufacturing plant in Germany
BASF is planning to construct a new specialty zeolites production plant at its Ludwigshafen site,...
Gazprom awards steam reformer contract to Foster Wheeler
Global Engineering and Construction Group, a subsidiary of Foster Wheeler, has received a contract from JSC Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat for the engineering and material supply of a new steam...
Rosneft to establish new petrochemical company in Russia
Russian petroleum company Rosneft has signed an agreement with Primorsky Governor Vladimir Miklushevsky to cooperate in the oil and gas refining and petroleum industries in Primorsky Krai,...
BASF opens US thermoplastic polyurethanes research facility
BASF has launched a new thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) research laboratory in Wyandotte,...
Calumet to build new US gas to liquids plant
US-based Calumet Specialty Products Partners will build a 1,000 bpd gas to liquids (GTL) plant in Karns City, Pennsylvania, US, as part of the company's plans to expand its speciality...
Mitsui to establish Chinese functional polymeric materials company
Japan-based Mitsui Chemicals is planning to establish a new company, Mitsui Chemicals Functional Composites, to manufacture functional polymeric materials in Jinshan, Shanghai,...
OCI Construction wins Iowa nitrogen fertiliser plant contract
Iowa Fertilizer (IFCo), a wholly owned subsidiary of Orascom Construction Industries has awarded a $1bn engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to OCI Construction Group to build...
Lanxess to build EPDM synthetic rubber plant in China
German specialty chemicals company Lanxess has announced plans to build an ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) synthetic rubber plant in Changzhou,...
Shell grants Qatar MEG plant contract to Foster Wheeler
Foster Wheeler's subsidiary Global Engineering and Construction Group has received a contract from Shell Global Solutions International to develop a basic engineering package (BEP) for...
Zambian government funds Nitrogen Chemicals
The Government of Zambia has granted approximately ZMK42bn ($8.5m) to Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ), Kafue, to boost the industry and...
Air Products to build ASU and gas liquefier in China
Air Products has entered into a long-term contract with Cangzhou Zhengyuan Fertilizer to build, own and operate an air separation unit (ASU) and integrated gas liquefier in Hebei Province,...
Purified Renewable resumes US ethanol plant operations
Purified Renewable Energy has produced the first ethanol at the former Minnesota Energy plant in Buffalo Lake, US, since early...
BASF plans to set up emission control catalysts facility in India
BASF India is planning to set up an emission control catalysts greenfield facility in Chennai, India, by...
US court prohibits Kolon from producing DuPont Heracron aramid fibre
DuPont has announced that the US Federal Court in Richmond, Virginia, has prohibited Kolon Industries from producing and selling DuPont's Heracron aramid fibre for a period of 20...
German chemical firm opens new acrylic plant in South Africa
BASF has launched its first acrylic dispersions production plant at Umbogintwini Industrial Complex, Durban, South...
Linde to supply industrial gases to Vietnamese firm
The Linde Group's subsidiary Linde Gas Vietnam (LGV) has signed €40m agreement with POSCO SS-Vina (PSSV) to supply industrial...
RCF to launch urea and ammonia plants in India
India's state-owned fertiliser producer Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) is planning to invest Rs40bn ($719m) in the next three years to expand its urea capacity at the Thal plant,...
Technip acquires Shaw's Stone and Webster process technologies
Technip has completed acquisition of the Stone and Webster process technologies, as well as associated oil and gas engineering capabilities, from the Shaw...
August 2012
Top
DFPCL discards Australian ammonium nitrate facility plans
India-based Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation (DFPCL) has dropped its plan to construct a $350m plant at Port Bonython, South...
Carlyle to invest $4.9bn to acquire DuPont coatings business
US-based global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group will invest $4.9bn in cash to acquire DuPont Performance Coatings (DPC) from...
Syngenta to buy DuPont Professional Products insecticide business
Swiss pesticides manufacturer Syngenta has signed an agreement to buy the DuPont Professional Products insecticide business for...
Albemarle opens new R&D centre in South Korea
US-based chemical company Albemarle has opened a new research and operations centre (ROC) at its Yeosu facility, South...
Mitsui Chemicals to expand Singapore elastomer facility
Mitsui Chemicals is planning to invest approximately JPY2.5bn ($32m) to increase the production of Tafmer, a high performance elastomer, at its wholly-owned subsidiary Mitsui Elastomers...
Kumho Mitsui Chemicals expands MDI facility
Kumho Mitsui Chemicals has expanded its Yeosu factory in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, to manufacture an additional 50,000tpa of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate...
MMV selects UCT developed anti-malaria molecule for clinical trials
Switzerland based Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) has selected a new compound, MMV390048 for further pre-clinical...
Tekion, Mantra to develop ERC technology
Mantra Energy Alternatives has signed a technology agreement with Tekion for development of Mantra's electro-reduction of carbon dioxide (ERC)...
Novozymes, BASF, Cargill join for bio-based acrylic acid production
BASF, Cargill and Novozymes have collaborated to produce acrylic acid from renewable raw materials as part of a green...
RSPL contracts Jacobs for Indian soda ash plant
Rohit Surfactants Private (RSPL) has awarded a contract to US-based construction and architecture firm, Jacobs Engineering, to provide engineering services for its new greenfield soda ash plant...
TPC, First Reserve, SK Capital enter merger agreement
TPC has entered into a merger agreement with investment funds sponsored by First Reserve and SK Capital...
Sinopec to acquire overseas upstream assets from parent company
China Petroleum and Chemical (Sinopec) is planning to purchase some of its parent company Sinopec Group's overseas upstream oil and gas assets, after the parent company completes its...
BASF expands German coating facility
BASF has expanded its Ludwigshafen coating centre in Germany by adding a tailor-made and flexible laboratory coating and laminating...
Foster Wheeler to construct gas-to-chemicals project
Global Engineering and Construction, a subsidary of Foster Wheeler, has been granted a contract by Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) for a grassroots gas-to-chemicals complex, Complexo...
Rockwood to acquire Talison Lithium
Specialty chemicals producer Rockwood will acquire global lithium producer Talison Lithium for an equity purchase price of C$724m...
Hanwha Chemical to acquire German solar cell producer
South Korean chemicals maker, Hanwha Chemical will acquire German solar cell maker, Q-Cells for around KRW55bn ($48.4m) in cash and will also take over its KRW300bn($259) outstanding...
Qinghai to use SGL's hydrochloric acid recovery system
SGL Group - The Carbon Company has signed a contract worth more than €20m with Qinghai Salt Lake Industry to supply a recovery system that allows recycling and re-use of hydrochloric acid...
USDA to fund Chemtex cellulosic ethanol facility
Chemtex International has received a Letter of Conditional Commitment for a $99m loan guarantee from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) under their 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Program...
India's Himadri Chemicals defers German firm acquisition plans
India-based Himadri Chemicals and Industries has shelved its plans to acquire Rutgers, a German...
Aemetis licenses Chevron jet and diesel fuels production technology
Renewable chemical and advanced fuels company Aemetis has signed a licence agreement with Chevron Lummus Global (CLG) to produce cost effective renewable jet and diesel fuel, by converting...
ZapSibNeftechim awards polypropylene plant contract to ThyssenKrupp
ThyssenKrupp's plant construction business has won a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract for a single-train polypropylene (PP)...
Clariant loses patent infringement case to Sudarshan Chemical
India-based Sudarshan Chemical Industries has won a patent infringement case in Europe against Clariant Produkte with regard to its organic pigment, SudafastR Yellow 132...
BASF to upgrade German acetylene production facility
BASF is planning to upgrade and service its acetylene facility at its Ludwigshafen Verbund site, in...
MCCP to acquire US polyvinyl chloride compound plant
Mitsubishi Chemical Performance Polymers (MCCP) is planning to purchase a polyvinyl chloride compound plant in Bellevue, US, from A. Schulman (ASI) to expand the North American market reach...
Agrivida, Poet to reduce cellulose ethanol production costs
US-based ethanol producer Poet Research and Agrivida have signed a four-year technology collaboration joint development agreement to reduce cellulosic ethanol production...
India to construct methanol and acetic acid facilities
Assam Petrochemicals Limited (APL), an Indian public sector unit, is planning to set up a 500tpd methanol plant and 200tpd acetic acid plant with an investment of more than Rs10.28bn...
Emery Oleochemicals invests $25m in German TDC
Natural-based chemicals producer Emery Oleochemicals is constructing a new technical development centre (TDC) and expanding its manufacturing facility in Loxstedt, Germany, as part of...
Koppers forms JV to build Chinese tar distillation plant
Koppers Holdings' board of directors has approved the formation of a majority-owned joint venture (JV) company by its wholly-owned subsidiary Koppers International to design and construct a...
OxyChem and Mexichem to begin ethylene cracker JV feasibility study
Mexichem has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Occidental Chemical Corporation (OxyChem) to study the formation of a joint venture (JV) to construct an ethane-based cracker...
Novozymes develops new biochemicals technology
Biochemiclas researcher Novozymes has developed a new fungus that produces malic acid from renewable raw materials instead of...
Cargill, BAS and Novozymes to develop bio-based acrylic acid production process
Novozymes, BASF and Cargill have signed an agreement to develop an industrial biotechnology-based production process for acrylic acid from renewable raw...
Prosol to purchase Relius coatings business in Germany and France
German-based chemical company BASF has signed a contract to sell its Relius Coatings decorative paints business in Germany and France to Prosol Lacke + Farben....
NNPC and Delta state to develop petrochemical and fertiliser plants
Delta state in Nigeria and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) have formed a partnership to develop the gas resources in the state to encourage economic...
Evonik to construct new polybutadienes plant in Germany
Specialty chemicals company Evonik Industries will construct a new polybutadienes production plant in Marl,...
Elsevier takes over research management solutions provider
Elsevier, a provider of medical information products and services, has completed the acquisition of...
Ensus to restart bioethanol plant after forced shutdown
UK-based biofuel producer Ensus is planning to restart its £300m Teesside bioethanol facility late in August after a 15-month forced...
Samsung Engineering receives Bolivia fertiliser plant contract
Korean-based Samsung Engineering has received a notification of award (NOA) for a $843m fertilizer plant from Bolivian state-owned oil companyYacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos...
Butamax receives patent and sues Gevo for infringement
Biobutanol technology developer Butamax Advanced Biofuels has been granted a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office...
BASF to construct Chinese automotive coatings plant
Automotive chemical manufacturer BASF Shanghai Coatings will build a new basecoat plant at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in...
Methanex awards EPC contract to Jacobs
Jacobs Engineering Group has received a contract from Methanex Corporation to provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for a methanol production facility in Louisiana,...
BP to sell Carson refinery and assets to Tesoro
BP will sell its Carson refinery, related logistics and marketing assets in the California region to Tesoro Corporation for $2.5bn in cash, as part of a previously announced plan to reshape BP's...
Eastern to use Sequenta LymphoSIGHT method in E1411 phase II trial
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, now a part of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, has entered into an agreement to use Sequenta's new LymphoSIGHT sequencing method in its randomized...
LanzaTech, Invista to develop bio-based butadiene technologies
Specialty chemical producer Invista and China-based biotechnology firm LanzaTech have signed a joint development agreement on bio-based...
Balaji Amines to construct new Indian chemical plant
India-based specialty chemicals manufacturer Balaji Amines will construct a Rs300m ($5.4m) chemical plant to manufacture dimethylformamide (DMF) and di-methyl amine hydrochloride (DMA HCL)...
Formosa Chemicals closes styrene monomer plant after fire
Taiwan-based Formosa Chemicals and Fibre Corporation has closed its 300,000mty styrene monomer production plant in central Taiwan following a fire on 12 August...
Huntsman to expand US MDI production plant
Huntsman Corporation has begun engineering design studies to expand its Geismar facility, Louisiana, US, and take advantage of cheaper natural-gas...
Protalix BioTherapeutics to initiate PRX-102 clinical trials
Biopharmaceutical company Protalix BioTherapeutics has received clearance of its Investigational New Drug (IND) application from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate...
JGC wins ethane cracker expansion project
Japan-based engineering company JGC has signed an agreement to expand an ethane cracker for a petrochemicals complex owned by Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical as part of the Rabigh...
Oxea expands Marl carboxylic acid plant production capacity
German chemical manufacturer Oxea has increased the production capacity of the carboxylic acid plant in Marl, Germany, by 20%, using the Six Sigma...
Japanese chemical company to build Chinese polyester recycling plant
Teijin and Jinggong Holding Group will form a polyester chemical recycling joint venture (JV) in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China, to build a closed-loop recycling system for the...
Albemarle to expand new South Korea facility
Specialty chemicals maker Albemarle will expand its new facility to manufacture the company's PureGrowth products, including high purity trimethyl gallium, triethyl gallium and trimethyl...
Invista buys PTA, PET licensing rights in Europe, Middle East and Africa
US-based specialty chemicals producer Invista has acquired polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin and feedstock technology rights from La Seda de...
Honeywell to support Romania synthetic rubber facility
Energy Bio-Chemicals, in Romania, will equip its CAROM Onesti styrene butadiene rubber facility with Honeywell's UOP KLP process as part of its modernisation investment programme to...
BASF opens new Russian concrete admixtures production plant
German chemical company BASF has commissioned its first manufacturing plant for concrete admixtures at its site in Podolsk, Moscow,...
Jacobs receives design and fabrication contracts from Foskor
South Africa-based Foskor has awarded two contracts to Jacobs Engineering Group to design and fabricate two final acid towers and one acid cooler for the company's sulfuric acid plants at its...
Shaw cleared to sell energy and chemicals business to Technip
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued an early termination of the waiting period, under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, to the Shaw Group regarding the...
Yuma Ethanol to pay penalty over risk management violations
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Yuma Ethanol has agreed to pay a $5,850 civil penalty and correct the storage and usage violations of toxic and flammable substances at its...
Keyuan Petrochemicals commissions second SBS production line
China-based Keyuan Petrochemicals has launched its second production line for styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) following the completion of trial production and comprehensive...
Global polypropylene market to reach $145bn by 2019
The global market for polypropylene (PP) is forecast to generate more than $145bn in revenues in 2019, according to a new Ceresana...
Messer and Quanhui Petrochemical Industrial Park form joint venture
German-based industrial gases provider Messer Group, and Quanhui Petrochemical Industrial Park have signed a contract to form a new joint venture (JV), Fujian Quanhui Messer...
AkzoNobel to build new manufacturing plant in India
The Netherlands-based paints and coatings company AkzoNobel is planning to invest Rs1.5m ($27.50m) in a new manufacturing plant at Gwalior,...
McVicar acquires Chinese chemical company Anhui Linghua
Canada-based McVicar Industries has acquired Anhui Linghua, a chemical company, in the Xiangyu Chemical Industrial Park, Chizhou, China, for ¥ 37,500,000...
BP, RIL expand partnership on aromatic plant
Indian-based Reliance Industries (RIL) has reportedly expanded its $7.2bn exploration and production partnership with UK-based British Petroleum (BP) to downstream...
Genomatica raises $41.5m for bio-based butadiene production
Genomatica has raised an additional $41.5m in a Series D round of preferred stock financing for bio-based butadiene...
Honeywell to support Lukoil's Russian facility
Russian-based Lukoil will license an integrated suite of Honeywell UOP technologies to produce blending components and propylene at their facility in Nizhny Novgorod,...
Eastman, Sinopec YPC JV to build Chinese hydrocarbon plant
Eastman Chemical Company and Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical Company (YPC) have formed a 50-50 joint venture (JV) to construct a new hydrogenated hydrocarbon resin plant in Nanjing,...
Dow commences encapsulant film production in Thailand
Dow Chemical Company has commenced production of Enlight Polyolefin Encapsulant Films at its Map Ta Phut facility in...
Sun Chemical acquires Austria's Benda-Lutz Werke
US-based Sun Chemical and its parent company DIC has completed the acquisition of Austrian metallic effect products manufacturer Benda-Lutz...
ChinaCoal Mengda use Dow Unipol polypropylene process technology
Inner Mongolia ChinaCoal Mengda New Energy & Chemical Industry will license Dow Chemical Unipol polypropylene process technology (PP) for its 300kta polypropylene plant, in Ordos City,...
Cobalt, Rhodia to develop Brazilian biobutanol demonstration facility
Bio-based chemicals developer Cobalt Technologies and specialty chemical company Rhodia have joined forces to jointly develop and operate a biobutanol demonstration facility in...
Total to fund Amyris renewable technology development programme
Total will provide around $82m in incremental funding, during the next three years, to Amyris for the deployment of biofene technology as part of the extended collaboration between the two...
BASF, Sinopec to build isononanol plant in China
BASF and China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build an isononanol (INA) plant in Maoming,...
Tata Chemicals adopts eco-friendly transportation technology
Indian soda-ash producer Tata Chemicals has deployed Lupa bulkers to transport loose soda-ash as part of the company's green supply chain...
July 2012
Top
Kemya rubber plant to begin operations in mid-2015
Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company's (Kemya) rubber plant in Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is expected to begin production in the second half of...
Czech chemical company to construct new polyethylene plant
Unipetrol is planning to construct a new 300,000tpa polyethylene (PE) plant at its Litvínov site, in the Czech...
UK chemical company fined over poor safety procedures
Mold Crown Court in Wales, UK, has fined Euticals Chemicals a total of £100,000 for failing to comply with the three Health and Safety Executive (HSE) improvement notices and ordered the company...
Kallik introduces new online asset library
Kallik, a software technology company specialised in developing, labelling and packaging artwork solutions, has launched a new online asset library, AMS Project Warehouse, for the chemical...
Speciality chemicals producer Kuraray acquires MonoSol
Speciality chemicals and resins provider Kuraray has completed the acquisition of US-based MonoSol, which produces and sells polyvinyl alcohol ('poval') film, following the approval from...
Air Products to construct US LNG manufacturing plant
Process and speciality gases provider Air Products is planning to construct a second liquefied natural gas (LNG) manufacturing facility in Manatee County, Florida,...
TNK-BP, Sibur partner for hydrocarbon feedstock project
Russian petrochemical company Sibur Holding has signed a partnership agreement with TNK-BP to produce, process and use hydrocarbon...
Methanex to build methanol plant in US
Canada-based Methanex Corporation has decided to relocate a 1mt methanol plant from its Chile site to Geismar, Louisiana,...
Germany's Evonik invests in Pangaea Ventures
German-based speciality chemical producer Evonik Industries has invested an undisclosed amount in the North American Pangaea Ventures Fund III in Vancouver,...
FMC to build microcrystalline cellulose facility in Thailand
FMC Corporation is planning to invest more than $100m to build a new microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) manufacturing plant in Rayong,...
Dow Chemical, UCSB team for lab safety programme
Dow Chemical and University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have partnered on a pilot programme to improve laboratory safety awareness and practises in the College of Engineering and in...
Novamont, Versalis, Genomatica to produce bio-based butadiene
Versalis, Genomatica and Novamont have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a joint venture (JV) to develop an 'end-to-end' process for production of polymer-grade butadiene...
Toyo to build BASF's Indian chemical production facility
Toyo Engineering India (Toyo-India), an Indian subsidiary of Toyo Engineering Corporation, has received an engineering, procurement and construction contract (EPC) from BASF India, a subsidary...
Technip to support Kemya's synthetic rubber plant
French-based Technip will provide engineering, procurement and construction services for Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company's (Kemya) Halobutyl plant in Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia, in the United...
BioAmber, Evonik to develop catalysts for succinic acid chemicals
German-based Evonik Industries' Catalysts Business Line and BioAmber have entered into a long term cooperation to develop and manufacture catalysts to produce BDO (1,4- butanediol),...
Praxair commissions air separation unit in Colombia
Industrial gases company Praxair has commissioned a new air separation plant in Gran Sabana, Bogota, Colombia, which will be the company's third cryogenic air separation plant in the...
Air Liquide constructs new hydrogen plant in China
Air Liquide has started construction of a new steam methane reformer (SMR) unit in China, following an agreement with Zhejiang Huafon...
Versalis, Petronas to develop elastomer plants in Malaysia
Petronas and Italian-based Versalis have entered into a Heads of Agreement (HOA) to jointly own, develop, construct and operate elastomer plants within Petronas's proposed Refinery...
Clariant opens cellulose ethanol pilot plant
Swiss specialty chemicals company, Clariant, has opened pilot facility in Straubing in Bavaria, Germany, to manufacture cellulose ethanol from agricultural...
PPG to merge commodity chemicals with Georgia Gulf
PPG Industries will separate and merge its commodity chemicals business with Georgia Gulf, following approval from the boards of directors of both...
Williams plans to build Canadian propane dehydrogenation facility
Williams is planning to build a new propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility in Alberta,...
Petronas selects Air Products technology for FLNG project
The subsidiary of Petroliam Nasional Berhad, Petronas Floating LNG 1, has signed an equipment and process licence agreement with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) provider Air Products for...
Air Products to support Samsung Electronics fabs
South Korea-based Samsung Electronics has granted a contract to Air Products in support of its new fabs in Xi'an,...
Olin Corporation to acquire KA Steel Chemicals
US-based Olin Corporation has entered into an agreement to purchase KA Steel Chemicals, on a cash free, debt free basis, for...
Afton Chemical to build additive facility in Singapore
Afton Chemical Corporation will construct a new chemical additive manufacturing plant on Jurong Island, Singapore, following the NewMarket Board...
BASF wins vinylene carbonate usage licence from Mitsubishi
German chemical producer BASF has acquired vinylene carbonate usage rights from Mitsubishi Chemical, following a royalty bearing licensing...
Aker Solutions to support Australian Ichthys LNG project
Technip has awarded a contract worth NOK485m ($79m) to Aker Solutions to supply a mono ethylene glycol (MEG) reclamation plant for the Ichthys LNG project in...
Jacobs wins UK design contract from INEOS Enterprises
US-based Jacobs Engineering Group has received a design and fabrication contract from INEOS Enterprises for two gas-gas heat...
Sibur to close outdated Russian chlorine production facility
Russian petrochemical company Sibur will gradually shutdown its chlorine production at the former Kaprolaktam factory, Russia, due to worn-out and outdated production...
Kratos to design security system for petrochemical site
US-based defence and security solutions provider Kratos has received a multimillion dollar contract from an undisclosed customer to implement a specialised security system at a...
PPG, APL coatings joint venture receives Indian approval
US-based PPG Industries and Asian Paints (APL) have received approval from the Indian authorities to expand their coatings joint venture (JV) in...
France’s Arkema planning Brazilian additives site acquisition
French chemical producer Arkema is planning to purchase an additives and emulsions production site from the Resicryl...
Petronas grants Malaysian technology contract to CB&I
US-based CB&I have received a Lummus Technology contract from Malaysian company Petronas for its five petrochemicals units in the...
Pennsylvania to fund Braskem’s Marcus Hook refinery acquisition
The US state of Pennsylvania will fund Braskem America's acquisition of parts of Sunoco's idled Marcus Hook...
BPCL, LG Chem to launch Indian petrochemical facility
Indian public sector fuel retailer, Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with South Korea’s LG Chem to form a joint venture and set up a...
Germany’s BASF to invest in battery development
German chemical producer BASF is planning to invest nearly €100m ($122m) in developing and distributing battery...
Shell to acquire Norwegian LPG provider Gasnor
Shell has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire the remaining shares in Norway-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) provider Gasnor for...
Petrofac to support Rabigh II expansion project
Petro Rabigh has awarded a $500m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to UK-based oilfield services provider Petrofac as part of the Rabigh II expansion...
Owner Resource Group (ORG) acquires major stake in KMCO
US-based Owner Resource Group (ORG) has purchased a majority stake in Texas’s chemical company KMCO, DOT Chemical and KMTEX from the McFerrin...
Praxair China opens air separation plant to supply Meishan
Industrial gas and service provider, Praxair China, has launched a new air separation plant in Nanjing in Jiangsu, to supply gases and liquid to Meishan Iron and Steel, a Chinese steel...
Chemicals company Aemetis acquires US-based Cilion
Fuels and renewable chemicals company Aemetis has acquired US-based Cilion, including a 55mgy ethanol production plant in Keyes,...
Evonik JV to build Biolys plant in Volgodonsk, Russia
OOO DonBioTech, a joint venture between Germany’s Evonik Industries and the Russian Varshavsky Group, will construct a new Biolys manufacturing plant in Volgodonsk, Russia, following...
Idemitsu, FPCC to build hydrocarbon resin plant
Japan-based Idemitsu Kosan and Formosa Petrochemical (FPCC) have signed a joint venture (JV) agreement to establish a plant which will produce and sell hydrogenated hydrocarbon...
France’s Arkema to divest tin stabiliser business to PMC
French chemical company Arkema is planning to sell its tin stabiliser business to the US-based PMC...
Nigeria signs MoU with PRSR for modular refineries
The Government of Nigeria has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Petroleum Refining and Strategic Reserve (PRSR) to construct two modular refineries with an investment of...
France’s Air Liquide to construct ASU, SMR facilities in Mexico
France-based Air Liquide has entered into an agreement with Ternium and Tenigal to build and operate an air separation unit (ASU) and a steam methane reformer (SMR) at Ternium's new facility...
ZapSibNeftekhim to deploy Spheripol PP process technology
ZapSibNeftekhim, a fully owned subsidiary of Sibur, has selected LyondellBasell's Spheripol process technology for its proposed polypropylene (PP) plant in Tobolsk, in...
Enterprise Products selects CB&I Catofin technology
US based Enterprise Products Partners has contracted CB&I for the license and basic engineering of a propane dehydrogenation unit to be built on the Texas Gulf Coast in the...
JBF to equip new Indian PTA plant with BP technology
The wholly owned subsidiary of JBF Industries, JBF Petrochemicals, has selected BP's purified terephthalic acid (PTA) technology for its proposed plant in Mangalore,...
KBR to support DuPont’s cellulosic ethanol plant
US-based engineering and procurement service provider KBR has received a contract to work on DuPont's first cellulosic ethanol plant, in the state of Nevada,...
BASF to build Chinese vinylformamide plant
German chemical firm BASF is planning to build a new polymerisation line for vinylformamide (VFA) at the Zhenjiang site in Jiangsu province, China, for processing feedstock from the...
Praxair opens new air separation unit in Anhui Province, China
Shanghai-based industrial gas provider Praxair China has launched an air separation plant in Wuwei, part of Anhui Province,...
BASF to build butadiene extraction plant in Antwerp, Belgium
BASF is planning to build a new butadiene extraction plant at its Verbund site in Antwerp, Belgium, to address the short supplies of butadiene on global...
Indian state to build new chemical facilities in PCPIR
The Cabinet of India has approved the state of Tamil Nadu's proposal to set up a Petroleum Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) in the districts of Nagapattinam and...
Reliance selects Technip ethylene technology for ROGC plant
Technip has received a license, supply of basic engineering package and an engineering and procurement services contract from Reliance Industries (RIL) for its refinery off-gas cracker (ROGC)...
Qatar Petroleum and Shell to begin next phase of petrochemicals complex
Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Shell have signed an agreement to start the next phase of Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) work on a large-scale petrochemicals complex in Ras Laffan...
Reliance awards Indian aromatics plant contract to CB&I
Reliance Industries has awarded a contract to Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (CB&I) to provide paraxylene technology for its aromatics plant to be built in Jamnagar, Gujarat,...
Lenzing begins Austrian Tencel fibre production plant construction
Lenzing has started construction work on the Tencel production plant at its Lenzing site, Austria, following the issuance of a legally binding building permit from the Office of the...
Braskem acquires propylene assets of Marcus Hook plant, US
Thermoplastic resin producer Braskem has acquired the propylene splitter assets at Sunoco's former refinery in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania,...
Carlyle-Sunoco JV to save Philadelphia refinery from closure
US-based alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group and Sunoco have formed a joint venture (JV), Philadelphia Energy Solutions, to save Sunoco's 330,000bpd Philadelphia refinery from...
Eastman Chemical acquires Solutia as part of growth strategy
US-based Eastman Chemical Company has acquired Solutia for $4.8bn as part of its growth...
University-led US team develops catalyst to improve fuel efficiencies
A team led by engineering researchers at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis-St. Paul, US, has developed a catalyst used during chemical reactions in the production of gasoline,...
Government of Nigeria, Erapil to construct $7.5bn oil project
The Government of Nigeria and Epic Refinery & Petrochemical Industries (Erapil) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a $7.5bn oil company in...
Aksa, Dow JV to manufacture carbon fiber and derivatives
Dow Europe Holding, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company, along with Turkey-based Aksa Akrilik Kimya Sanayii have formed a joint venture (JV) to manufacture and commercialise...
Arkema to increase fluoropolymer production capacity in France
Speciality chemical company Arkema is investing more than €70m to increase polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) fluoropolymer production capacity by 50% at its facility in Pierre-Benite in...
Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery to restart ethanol production
US-based Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery (CPBR) is planning to recommence ethanol production in October 2012, according to a company...
June 2012
Top
Brazilian sugar cane mills to implement Blue Sugars ethanol technology
US-based cellulosic ethanol producer Blue Sugars will supply its ethanol technology to three sugar cane mills in Brazil by...
Venezuelan oil refinery awards contract to Wison-led consortium
Chinese chemical engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company Wison Engineering has received an EPC contract from Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA Petroleo (PDVSA) for the...
PPG Industries licenses TiO2 technology to Henan Billions
PPG Industries has licensed its chloride-based titanium dioxide (TiO2) technology to China-based Henan Billions...
Elementis to purchase Brazilian coatings additives company
Elementis, through its subsidiary Elementis Holdings, has agreed to buy Brazilian coatings additives company Watercryl Quimica for $24m in...
Sabic grants design contract to Jacobs
Jacobs Engineering Group has received a design contract from the Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Company, an affiliate to Saudi Basic Industries Corporation...
Skyonic's carbon capture and utilisation plant moves ahead
US-based Skyonic Corporation has secured $9m for first phase investment of the total $35m capital needed to construct a pilot carbon capture and utilisation plant in San Antonio in Texas,...
Kemya awards specialty elastomers plant EPC contract
Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company (Kemya) has awarded a $3.4bn engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to Daelim Industries, Technip and Tecnicas Reunidas to build a new...
Ipic, OOC form joint venture for refinery project
Abu Dhabi's state-owned investment company International Petroleum Investment Company (Ipic) and the Oman Oil Company (OOC) have set up a joint venture to build a $6bn refinery and...
Praxair signs supply agreement with China’s Yankuang Guohong
Praxair China has signed a long-term supply agreement with Yankuang Group and Guohong Chemicals for the supply of industrial gases to its coal gasification process, to produce methanol...
Environmental watchdog urges inspection of ice plants in Philippines
The EcoWaste Coalition, an environmental watchdog, has raised concerns regarding an Ammonia leak in an ice plant in Barangay Santa Cruz, Quezon City, Philippines on...
Samsung wins Abu Dhabi carbon black and delayed coker plant contract
South Korean construction firm Samsung Engineering has won a $2.48bn contract from the Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (Takreer) to build a carbon black and delayed coker (CBDC)...
Makhteshim Agan opens new aroma facility in Israel
The Makhteshim Agan Group (MAI) has opened a new production facility, based on a new chemical process for aroma fine chemicals products, in Ramat Hovav,...
Sibur begins design development for Russian ethylene unit
Russian petrochemical company Sibur and German gases and engineering company Linde have signed a design development agreement for an ethylene cracker unit at the ZapSibNeftekhim...
Cabot to acquire activated carbon provider Norit
Specialty chemicals and performance materials company Cabot has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Norit from Doughty Hanson & Co. Managers and Euroland Investments for...
Aither announces open season for proposed US ethane cracker plant
Aither Chemicals has signed an agreement with Bayer MaterialScience to bring in third party interest for chemicals produced from a potential catalytic ethane cracker in the Kanawha Valley region...
US university forms research partnership with VeruTEK
VeruTEK Technologies has entered into a research partnership with the University of Wyoming Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute (EORI) in Wyoming, US to improve oil...
KBR to support Uz-Kor Gas Chemical ethylene plant
US-based engineering and construction firm KBR will equip Uz-Kor Gas Chemical's 400,000mtpa ethylene plant in Ustyurt, Uzbekistan, with Selective Cracking and Optimum Recovery (SCORE)...
Enterprise to construct propane dehydrogenation unit in US
Natural gas and crude oil pipeline company Enterprise Products Partners is planning to construct a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility on the Gulf Coast in Texas,...
Chevron awards FEED contract to Jacobs
Jacobs Engineering has received a contract from Chevron Phillips Chemical Company (CPChem) to provide front end engineering and design (FEED) services for two polyethylene...
Toho Tenax, Hindoostan Technical to develop carbon fibre fabrics
Teijin Group's carbon fibres and composites business core company, Toho Tenax, has partnered with Indian textile manufacturer Hindoostan Technical Fabrics to develop carbon fibre fabrics...
Air Products to acquire major stake in Indura
Air Products has signed an agreement to buy a 67% stake in Chile-based Indura for CLP 451bn...
First bio-succinic acid plant in US receives financial boost
Myriant Corporation has become the first bio-based chemicals company to receive a loan guarantee from the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Business and Industry (B&I)...
Bluestar Silicones launches new US manufacturing and R&D centre
Silicones raw material manufacturer Bluestar Silicones has opened a new manufacturing and research and development (R&D) centre in York, South Carolina, in the...
Evonik builds Chinese isophorone plants
Evonik Industries has begun construction of its new production plants to manufacture isophorone and isophorone diamine in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP) in...
CNOOC begins Chinese crude processing plant construction
Offshore crude oil and natural gas specialist CNOOC has started construction of a CNY10.2bn ($1.6bn) processing facility in Taizhou, Jiangsu,...
Haldor Topsoe to build new Chinese catalyst plant
Haldor Topsoe has entered into an agreement with the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) to acquire land for building a new catalyst plant in...
Alfa Laval wins order for Packinox heat exchangers
Specialised products and engineering solutions provider Alfa Laval has won an order worth SEK120m ($17.12m) from a refinery in South Korea to supply its Packinox heat...
Evonik to build new Biolys plants in Brazil and Russia
Specialty chemicals company Evonik Industries is planning to build new Biolys feed additive plants in Brazil and...
EdeniQ to launch ethanol pilot plant in US
Biofuel technology company EdeniQ will launch a $25m ethanol pilot plant on 26 June 2012 in Visalia, California,...
Orbite starts high-purity alumina (HPA) plant conversion in Canada
Orbite Aluminae has started the conversion of its pilot high-purity alumina (HPA) plant in Cap-Chat in Quebec, Canada to a full-scale production...
Celanese to build methanol production plant in Texas, US
Specialty materials and technology company Celanese is planning to build a new 1.3mtpa methanol production plant at its existing acetyl plant in Clear Lake, in Texas,...
Dow and DPT license LP Oxo Selector technology to Wison Energy
Dow's oxygenated solvents business and Davy Process Technology (DPT) have licensed the LP Oxo Selector 10 technology to China-based Wison...
FMC completes acquisition of Phytone
Diversified chemical company FMC Corporation has completed the acquisition of Phytone, a UK-based producer of natural...
Jacobs to construct polyethylene trains for Sadara
Sadara Chemical Company, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical, has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract to Jacobs Engineering Group...
Azelis sells thermoplastic polymers business to Gazechim Plastics
Azelis has sold its thermoplastic polymers business to Gazechim Plastics as part of its plan to focus on its specialty chemicals and ingredients...
LyondellBasell to develop new ethane cracking technology
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $4.5m grant to LyondellBasell, a chemical and refining company, to develop a new catalyst-assisted technology for ethane...
Sachtleben to acquire Crenox TiO2 plant
Sachtleben, a titanium dioxide (TiO2) joint venture of Rockwood and Kemira Oyj, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Crenox's 100,000mtpa TiO2 plant in Uerdingen in Krefeld,...
Financing approved for Braskem Idesa’s Mexican ethylene project
The National Bank of Economic and Social Development (BNDES) has approved a loan of $700m for the construction of Braskem Idesa SAPI's Ethylene XXI project in...
Mitsubishi to close Japanese chemical units by 2014
Mitsubishi Chemical is planning to close its No.1 ethylene plant and No.1 benzene plant at its Kashima complex in Ibaraki, Japan, in...
Vinythai to build new epichlorohydrin plant in China
Belgian chemical group Solvay's Thai affiliate, Vinythai, is planning to build a new €155m bio-based epichlorohydrin plant in Taixing in Jiangsu,...
Incitor secures $1.5m in Series A Investment
US-based chemical company Incitor Incorporated raised $1.5m in funding as part of a Series A Investment round led by Cottonwood Technology Fund...
Tecnicas Reunidas to build SABIC ABS plant in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) subsidiary Petrokemya has signed a SAR2.1bn ($556m) deal with Tecnicas Reunidas to build an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plant in Jubail, Saudi...
Calumet Specialty to purchase Royal Purple
Calumet Specialty Products Partners has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Royal Purple for approximately...
Dynea to build new resin plant in China
Adhesion and surfacing company Dynea is currently building a new resin plant in Nanjing in Jiangsu,...
NATPET partners with Schulman to form polypropylene JV
The National Petrochemical Industrial Company (NATPET) has entered into an agreement with A. Schulman to form a 50-50 joint venture (JV) to build a new polypropylene (PP) compounding plant in...
Enerkem starts cellulosic ethanol production at Quebec facility
Waste-to-biofuels and chemicals company Enerkem has started initial production of cellulosic ethanol from waste at its demonstration facility in Westbury, Quebec,...
Kemira-Indus Indian plant to start production in October 2012
Kemira-Indus, a joint venture between Kemira Oyj and IVRCL, has announced it will start production at the €10m inorganic coagulant plant in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, India, in October...
Tessenderlo to boost Californian thiosulfate fertiliser production
Tessenderlo Kerley is planning to build a new thiosulfate fertiliser production plant in Hanford and also optimise its thiosulfate fertiliser plant in Fresno, California, in the...
Jacobs to construct Solutia resin plant in Malaysia
Flexsys Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Solutia, awarded a contract to Jacobs Engineering Group to provide engineering, procurement and construction management to its new Butvar polyvinyl...
Braskem to provide green plastic (Green PE) to Tecnaro
Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem has secured a contract to provide its green plastic (Green PE), a biopolymer material made from sugarcane ethanol, to...
Kuraray to build polyvinyl alcohol resin plant in Texas
Kuraray America is planning to invest CNY20bn ($255m) into a new polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resin plant in La Porte, Texas, US, with production expected to start in September...
European Commission approves Mexichem acquisition of Wavin
The proposed acquisition of Wavin by Mexichem Soluciones Integrales has been cleared by the European Commission (EC) under European Union merger...
Perstorp, PTT Global team up to manufacture isocyanates
Perstorp and PTT Global Chemical have set up a joint venture (JV) company to manufacture isocyanates, including toluene diisocyanate (TDI), hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and its...
Jacobs secures Evonik methionine plant contract
Evonik has awarded a contract to Jacobs Engineering Group for the engineering, procurement and construction management of a new methionine plant in Jurong,...
Lanxess to invest €30m in French rubber site by 2015
Lanxess is planning to invest €30m by 2015 to increase productivity and energy efficiency at its rubber plant in Port Jerome,...
Lanxess to build new polyamide plastics plant in Belgium
Specialty chemicals company Lanxess is investing €75m to build a new polyamide plastics plant in Antwerp,...
W.R. Grace to acquire Noblestar Catalysts
W.R. Grace & Co (Grace) has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase all shares of Noblestar...
May 2012
Top
Sanwei Hexion Chemicals begins VeoVa monomer production
Sanwei Hexion Chemicals, a joint venture company formed between Momentive Specialty Chemicals and the Shanxi Sanwei Group, has started production of VeoVa monomer at its new plant in Shanxi,...
Global Green Matrix signs LOI to purchase Chemicals by Sterling
Global Green Matrix (GGX) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire Westcan Solutions, which is the sole holder of all shares of Chemicals by...
Polyplex to construct $150m PET plant in Turkey
Indian polyester film producer Polyplex Group is planning to invest $150m to build a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant in Corlu,...
Gail to install Axens' AlphaButol technology
Natural gas processing and distribution company GAIL India has selected Axens' AlphaButol technology for use at a new plant in Uttar Pradesh,...
Horizon begins liquid petroleum terminal construction in UAE
Horizon Terminals, a subsidiary of Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), has begun construction of a $142m automated bulk liquid petroleum terminal in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, United...
Mitsui and Sinopec form EPT joint venture in China
Mitsui Chemicals and Sinopec have formed a joint venture (JV) company named Shanghai Sinopec Mitsui Elastomers in Shanghai,...
BASF opens new concrete admixtures plant in Bangladesh
BASF has opened a new concrete admixtures plant in Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh, to meet increased local demand....
European Commisson clears Eastman to acquire Solutia
The proposed acquisition of Solutia by Eastman Chemical has been cleared by the European Commission (EC) under European Union merger regulations....
Ultrapar to acquire American Chemical
Ultrapar Participacoes, through its subsidiary Oxiteno, has entered into a sale and purchase agreement to buy all shares of Uruguayan chemical company American Chemical for approximately...
Gevo starts first biobased isobutanol production plant in US
Green chemicals and biofuels company Gevo has commenced operations at the world's first commercial biobased isobutanol production plant in Luverne, Minnesota,...
Sumitomo and Saudi Aramco to expand Rabigh petrochemical complex
Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical are planning to invest $7bn to expand the Rabigh petrochemical complex in Saudi...
Solvay inaugurates new R&D and technology centre in India
Chemicals and plastic manufacturer Solvay Group has inaugurated a new technology and research and development centre in Savli, Gujarat,...
GraalBio to build first cellulosic ethanol plant in Brazil
GraalBio is planning to build the first cellulosic ethanol plant in Alagoas,...
Royal Adhesives to acquire Clifton Adhesives
Royal Adhesives & Sealants, a portfolio company of Arsenal Capital Partners, is set to acquire the assets of specialty adhesive manufacturer Clifton...
BASF-YPC begins construction of superabsorbent polymers plant in China
BASF-YPC, a joint venture between BASF and Sinopec, has begun construction of its new superabsorbent polymers (SAP) plant in Nanjing,...
Grace to manufacture FCC catalysts in China
WR Grace & Co (Grace) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Qingdao Bureau of Commerce to manufacture fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts and other related products for...
Dyno Nobel to conduct feasibility study for US ammonia plant
Dyno Nobel International has announced it will complete a $30m study to establish the feasibility of building an $800m ammonia production facility in Waggaman, Louisiana,...
New NBR plant opens in China
A joint venture between German chemical company Lanxess and Taiwan's TSRC Corporation has started operations at a new nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) plant in the Nantong Economic and...
Technip to acquire Shaw energy and chemicals business
Technip has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Shaw Group's energy and chemicals (EC) business for...
Kuraray to acquire MonoSol
Japanese chemicals manufacturer Kuraray has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MonoSol, a manufacturer of polyvinyl alcohol (poval)...
Yara, Orica and Apache form JV to build ammonium nitrate plant
Yara International has entered into an agreement with Orica and Apache to form a joint venture (JV) to build an $800m ammonium nitrate plant on the Burrup Peninsula in Pilbara, Western...
Reliance Industries selects Phillips E-Gas Technology for gasification plants
Reliance Industries has selected Phillips 66's E-Gas technology for its planned gasification plants in Jamnagar, Gujarat,...
PetroChina plans to construct crude refining project
PetroChina is planning to start construction on a CNY19bn ($3bn) crude refining project in Anning, Yunnan, China, in the second half of...
Iran opens three petrochemical projects
Iran has inaugurated three petrochemical projects in the southwestern province of...
Fluor completes Chinese LDK Solar polysilicon plant
Fluor has completed construction work on LDK Solar's polysilicon plant in Xinyu in Jiangxi,...
Albemarle to close phosphorous flame retardants business
Albemarle is planning to close its phosphorous flame retardants business in Avonmouth, UK, to address underperforming...
Petronas signs HOA with Itochu for RAPID project
Petronas has signed a heads of agreement (HOA) with Itochu to develop a new project within its Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project in Pengerang in Johor,...
Honeywell introduces new PowerShield 3W laminate film
Honeywell has launched a third-generation laminate film, PowerShield 3W, to protect solar power panels from harsh...
Vertichem acquires Thesis Chemistry
Greentech company Vertichem has completed the acquisition of Thesis...
Air Liquide starts new air separation unit work in Russia
Air Liquide has started work on a new air separation unit (ASU) in the special economic zone of Alabuga, Tatarstan,...
LNG Canada jointly develop liquefied natural gas export facility
LNG Canada, a joint venture between Mitsubishi, Shell Canada, Korea Gas and PetroChina, is planning to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia,...
Excelerate Energy to construct floating liquefaction facility
Excelerate Energy is planning to construct a floating liquefaction facility in Port Lavaca in Texas,...
Dow Chemical acquires Lightscape Materials
Dow Electronic Materials, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical, has completed its acquisition of Lightscape...
LS9 upgrades Florida demonstration facility
LS9, a developer of renewable and sustainable products, has upgraded its demonstration facility in Okeechobee in Florida,...
Sinopec awards power supply equipment contract to AEG Power Solutions
Sinopec Luoyang Petrochemical Engineering Company (LPEC) has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to a subsidiary of AEG Power Solutions to provide all power...
LSB Industries closes El Dorado nitric acid plant after explosion
LSB Industries will close its direct strong nitric (DSN) acid plant in El Dorado in Arkansas, US, indefinitely, following a reactor explosion at the...
Evonik to increase ThreAMINO capacity
Evonik Agroferm Zrt in Kaba, Hungary, is planning to increase its production capacity of an essential amino acid, ThreAMINO...
Petronas launches Malaysian refinery and petrochemical venture
Petronas has launched an RM60bn ($19.45bn) refinery and petrochemical integrated development (RAPID) project in Pengerang, Johor,...
Equate and S+C Group partner to enhance ethylene crackers performance
Equate Petrochemical has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Schmidt + Clemens Group (S+C) to enhance and optimise the production performance of ethylene...
Henkel to purchase Cytec PSA product line
Henkel has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Cytec Industries' pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA) product line for $105m in cash, including working capital of approximately...
Manchester University turn corn waste into succinic acid
Students from Manchester University, UK, have developed a process which uses the Actinobacillus succinogenes microorganism to turn corn waste into succinic...
Nalco begins dry polymer facility construction in Louisiana
Ecolab subsidiary Nalco has started construction of a dry polymer production facility at its Garyville complex in Louisiana,...
Benteler-SGL building new Austrian carbon components plant
Benteler-SGL is building a new production plant for carbon components in Ort im Innkreis in the Upper Austria region,...
Omnia's Sasolburg nitric acid complex starts production
South African chemical company Omnia has started production at its new nitric acid complex in Sasolburg, South...
ATIRA to build centre of excellence (COE) for composites
Ahmedabad Textile Industry Research Association (ATIRA) is investing Rs1.8bn ($33.5m) to build a centre of excellence (COE) to make fabrics composites in Ahmedabad in Gujarat,...
Foster Wheeler signs Asian EFA agreement with Shell
Shell Global Solutions International has entered into an enterprise framework agreement (EFA) with a subsidiary of Foster Wheeler's Global Engineering and Construction...
PFB to acquire Performance Styrenics business from Nova Chemicals
PFB International, a subsidiary of PFB Corporation (PFB), has signed a letter of intent with Nova Chemicals to purchase Nova's Performance Styrenics...
Evonik awards polyamide production plant contract to Jacobs
Evonik Industries has awarded a contract to Jacobs Engineering Group to provide basic engineering services for a grassroots polyamide 12 production plant in...
EuroChem to purchase K+S Nitrogen
EuroChem, a provider of nitrogen and phosphate fertilisers, has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase K+S Nitrogen for...
ExxonMobil introduces new metallocene polyalphaolefin (mPAO)
ExxonMobil Chemical has added a new 65 cSt metallocene polyalphaolefin (mPAO) grade product to its SpectraSyn Elite mPAO base stock...
Sadara awards polyethylene plant contract to L&T ATCO JV
Sadara Chemical has awarded a contract to Larsen & Toubro (L&T) ATCO Saudia to provide procurement and construction services to build polyethylene and specialty elastomer...
SIDF funds Sipchem ethyl acetate and butyl acetate plant
Sipchem Chemicals, a subsidiary of Saudi International Petrochemical, has signed a SR164.8m ($43.9m) loan facility agreement with the Saudi Industrial Development Fund...
Pintuco to acquire H.B. Fuller Central American paints business
Compania Global de Pinturas (Pintuco), a subsidiary of Grupo Mundial, has entered into an agreement to purchase H.B. Fuller's Central American paints business for...
BASF planning construction of new US formic acid plant
BASF is planning to construct a new formic acid plant at its integrated Verbund site in Geismar in Louisiana,...
Evonik partners with Ampaglas Plastics to form EAA joint venture
Evonik Industries and Ampaglas Plastics Group have partnered to form a joint venture (JV) company named Evonik Acrylics Africa (EAA) in Elandsfontein, Johannesburg, South...
Fluor wins Indian refining and petrochemical projects contract from Reliance
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has awarded a contract to Fluor to provide project management services for its refining and petrochemical projects to be executed in Jamnagar, Gujarat,...
Materia wins NIH Phase II grant to develop functional polymers
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has granted a Phase II Fast Track small business technology transfer (STTR) grant to Materia to develop functional polymers for use in organic...
Momentive introduces new SilTRUST silicone encapsulant technology
Momentive Performance Materials, a provider of silicones and advanced materials, has launched its new SilTRUST silicone encapsulant...
ICL Specialty Fertilizers acquires X-Calibur manufacturing equipment
Everris Americas, a business unit of ICL Specialty Fertilizers, has obtained manufacturing equipment from the X-Calibur Plant Health...
Shaw begins work on Chevron Phillips’ Texas ethylene plant
The Shaw Group has commenced front-end engineering design (FEED) work on a new Chevron Phillips Chemical grassroots ethylene plant, as part of a contract signed on 14 December...
Westlake Chemical reports 20% growth in 2012 Q1 sales
Westlake Chemical has reported sales of $1.04bn in the first quarter of 2012, up 20.45% compared with $859.2m in Q1...
Foster Wheeler wins ChemaWEyaat aromatics complex contract
Abu Dhabi National Chemicals Company (ChemaWEyaat) has awarded a contract to Foster Wheeler to provide project management consultancy (PMC) services for its aromatics complex (stage I of...
Chevron Phillips to build polyethylene facilities in Texas
Chevron Phillips Chemical will build two new polyethylene facilities at its plant in Old Ocean, Texas, US, as part of the company's US Gulf Coast (USGC) Petrochemicals...
Sinochem chooses Honeywell technology for new refinery
Sinochem Quanzhou Petrochemical has chosen Honeywell's UOP Polybed pressure swing adsorption (PSA) systems to recover and purify hydrogen at its new refinery in Quanzhou, Fujian,...
Shin-Etsu to build hydroxyethyl cellulose plant
SE-Tylose, a subsidiary of Shin-Etsu Chemical, is planning to build 9,000t per annum hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) plant in Plaquemine, Louisiana,...
LyondellBasell reports decrease in Q1 net income
LyondellBasell Industries has reported a net income of $599m, or $1.04 per share, for the first quarter ended 31 March 2012 compared to net income of $660m, or $1.15 per share, for the same...
Sinopec and Sibur partner for butadiene nitrile rubber JV
Sinopec Group and Sibur have entered into a cooperation agreement to form a butadiene nitrile rubber joint venture (JV) in Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai,...
April 2012
Top
Sohar to open sulphur bentonite fertiliser plant in May
Sohar Sulphur Fertilizers will inaugurate its sulphur bentonite fertiliser plant at Sohar Industrial Estate, Muscat, Oman, in May...
Foster Wheeler wins Cameron LNG liquefaction project contract
Cameron LNG, an affiliate of Sempra Energy, has awarded a new LNG liquefaction project contract to a subsidiary of Foster Wheeler's global engineering and construction...
Wacker polysilicon facilities begin production
Wacker Chemie, a manufacturer of chemical and semiconductor products, has started polysilicon production at its facilities in Nunchritz,...
Rhodia and CTBE to jointly develop bio-based chemistry based on sugarcane
Rhodia, a subsidiary of Solvay, and Brazil's National Bioethanol Science and Technology Laboratory (CTBE) have joined forces to develop chemical routes and processes to acquire molecules of a...
BASF acquires US battery component producer
BASF has acquired Novolyte Technologies, a US based manufacturer of electrolyte formulations for lithium-ion batteries, as well as specialty chemicals, from Arsenal Capital...
Nation Ford Chemical to expand US operations
Nation Ford Chemical, a manufacturer of specialty organic chemicals, is investing $5.5m to expand its current operations in York County, South Carolina,...
BASF to install new ammonium sulfate crystalliser system
BASF will install a new ammonium sulfate crystalliser system at its caprolactam plant in Freeport, Texas,...
Chinese petrochemicals company to deploy Honeywell Oleflex processes
Shandong Chambroad Petrochemicals in China, has chosen Honeywell's UOP C3 and C4 Oleflex processes to manufacture...
Caribbean fertiliser company installs Everest Sciences ECOChill Pro Spec System
Everest Sciences has installed its ECOChill Pro Spec hybrid inlet cooling system at an undisclosed customers' ammonia plant in the Caribbean....
Virdia opens new cellulosic pilot facility
Virdia, a developer of cellulosic sugars, has inaugurated a demonstration facility at its new technology centre in Danville, Virginia,...
Lanxess opens new formalin plant
Specialty chemicals company Lanxess has inaugurated a new €18m formalin production plant in Krefeld, Uerdingen,...
GE to support Braskem Idesa Ethylene XXI project
Braskem Idesa has entered into a collaboration agreement with GE to utilise hyper compressor and booster compressor technologies for its Ethylene XXI project in Veracruz,...
Mitsui stops Iwakuni-Ohtake units production after blast
Mitsui Chemicals has halted production at all its facilities at Iwakuni-Ohtake Works in Yamaguchi, Japan, following an explosion on 22 April...
Solvay to build new fluorinated polymers plant
Belgian chemical company Solvay is planning to construct a new fluorinated polymers plant in Changshu, Jiangsu,...
Notore and Mitsubishi to construct new fertiliser plant
Notore Chemical Industries has entered into a joint venture agreement with Mitsubishi to build an integrated fertiliser plant at its existing facility in Onne,...
Solvay begins production of new phosphoric acid plant
Solvay's new semiconductor grade phosphoric acid plant in Bernburg, Germany, has begun...
Evonik begins hydrogen peroxide plant construction
Specialty chemicals company Evonik Industries has started construction of a new hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plant in Jilin,...
Eastman Chemical expands 2-ethyl hexanol plant
Eastman Chemical has completed the expansion of its 2-ethyl hexanol (2-EH) facility in Longview, Texas,...
Cabot and China National Bluestar expand silica plant
Cabot and its joint venture partner, China National Bluestar Group, have completed expansion of a new fumed silica plant at the Spark Industrial Park in Jiangxi,...
Dow Chemical to construct new ethylene plant
Dow Chemical will construct an ethylene production plant at its Dow Texas Operations in Freeport, US, as part of its comprehensive plan to further connect its US operations with low-cost...
Proper Year Petrochemical awards bisphenol A plant contract to Badger
Proper Year Petrochemical (PYPC), a subsidiary of Kingboard Chemical, has awarded a contract to Badger Licensing to provide proprietary technology and process design services for its bisphenol...
Risun Chemicals and Cabot begin carbon black plant construction
Cabot and its joint venture partner, Risun Chemicals Company, have started construction of a new carbon black manufacturing facility in Xingtai, Hebei,...
Liansu plans to construct polypropylene plant
China-based Liansu Group, a manufacturer of plastics pipe extruder and fittings, is planning to construct a new polypropylene (PP) plant in the western Siberia region of Omsk,...
Jacob to upgrade SABIC Olefins 4 plant
SABIC has awarded a contract to Jacobs Engineering Group to provide engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services to upgrade an Olefins 4 plant at its...
Momentive Specialty to halt formaldehyde production in Leuna, Germany
Momentive Specialty Chemicals has started consultations with an European local firm, Works Council, to halt production of formaldehyde and formaldehyde-based resins at its site in Leuna,...
BioNitrogen urea fertiliser plant moves ahead
BioNitrogen has reported positive results of the Phase I engineering study of its urea fertiliser plant in Lubbock, Texas, US, conducted by...
Dow Global licenses Polymeric FR technology to Albemarle
Dow Global Technologies (DGTL), a subsidiary of Dow Chemical, has granted the third and final licence of its Polymeric Flame Retardant (Polymeric FR) technology to...
Showa Denko to buy major stake in Sichuan Carbon
Showa Denko (SDK) has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase 67% of shares of Sinosteel Sichuan Carbon, a subsidiary of...
Cytec Industries to purchase Umeco
Specialty chemical provider Cytec Industries has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Umeco in an all-cash transaction, valued at approximately...
LIFTRC selects Veeco TurboDisc MOCVD system
Korea-based LED-IT Fusion Technology Research Center (LIFTRC) has selected Veeco Instruments' TurboDisc K465i GaN metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system for the research...
FACT plans to expand fertlisers production
State-owned Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT) in Kerala, India, is planning to invest Rs59.86bn ($1.16bn) to expand fertiliser...
BASF to build new chemical production site in India
BASF India is planning to invest €150m to build a new chemical production site at the Dahej Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) in Gujarat,...
OSCL to build specialty chemicals facility
Omkar Speciality Chemicals (OSCL) will construct a specialty chemicals facility in Chiplun, Maharashtra,...
KBR to construct ethylene furnace for Ineos olefins complex
KBR has entered into an agreement to design and construct an ethylene furnace at Ineos Olefins and Polymers' Chocolate Bayou Works olefins complex in Alvin, Texas,...
Solvay and Peroxidos partner to develop HP production units
Solvay and Peroxidos do Brasil have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly develop a new concept of small sized hydrogen peroxide (HP) production...
Williams Olefins awards ethylene plant contract to CB&I
Williams Olefins has awarded a $300m contract to CB&I to expand capacity of its ethylene facility located in Geismar, Louisiana,...
Jefferson Radiology partners with TeraMedica for Enterprise VNA
Jefferson Radiology has entered into a collaboration agreement with TeraMedica for Evercore Enterprise Vendor Neutral Architecture...
Sinopec JV will cost $1.7bn says Sabic
Sabic and Sinopec's new joint venture (JV) polycarbonate plant will cost $1.7bn, according to...
Technip to industrialise CIMV process
Technip has entered into a green chemistry cooperation agreement with Compagnie Industrielle de la Matiere Vegetale (CIMV), to industrialise CIMV's...
Mitsui and SCG Chemicals form JV to build LLDPE sealant film plant
Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello (MCTI), a subsidiary of Mitsui Chemicals, has entered into an agreement with SCG Chemicals to form a joint venture (JV) company, Siam Tohcello, at Eastern...
UOP to expand adsorbents production facility
UOP is planning to invest $20m to expand its facility in Mobile, Alabama, US, to produce adsorbents and...
EuroChem acquires BASF fertiliser assets in Belgium
EuroChem has acquired BASF's fertiliser activities in Antwerp, Belgium, for around €830m, including a deferred part of around €130m payable over the period 2013 to 2016....
Chevron Phillips Chemical to construct 1-hexene plant
Chevron Phillips Chemical Company is planning to construct a 1-hexene plant at its Cedar Bayou chemical complex in Baytown, Texas,...
Linde wins Sadara on-site gases supply contract
Sadara Chemical has awarded a long-term contract to Linde to supply carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2) and ammonia (NH3) for Sadara's chemical complex being built in Jubail, Saudi...
Dow and Grace partner to develop new catalysts for polypropylene production
Grace has entered into a collaboration agreement with Dow Chemical to develop new catalysts for polypropylene...
March 2012
Top
MHI to support Braskem Idesa ethylene plant
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor (MCO), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), has entered into an agreement to supply Braskem Idesa with three compressor...
Dow Chemical launches new production complex in Thailand
Dow Chemical Company has launched a new production complex in the Asia Industrial Estate, Ban Chang, Rayong province,...
Galata and Georgia Gulf partner to develop bio-based PVC compounds
Georgia Gulf and Galata Chemicals have entered into an agreement to develop flexible bio-based polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compounds containing the primary plasticiser, Drapex...
Toyo and ENPPI jointly win Ethydco petrochemical complex contract
The Egyptian ethylene and derivatives company (Ethydco) has jointly awarded a contract worth $600m to Toyo engineering and Engineering for the Petroleum and Process Industries (ENPPI), to...
Kraton partners with Formosa to build styrene copolymer plant
Kraton Performance Polymers is entering into a 50-50 joint venture agreement with Formosa Petrochemical to build and operate a hydrogenated styrenic block copolymer (HSBC) plant in...
PT Pertamina awards RFCC project contract to Foster Wheeler
PT Pertamina has awarded a contract to Foster Wheeler to provide management and consultancy services for the residue fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC) project at the Cilacap refinery in Java,...
Mitsubishi and Celanese to expand resin production capacity
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical (MCG) and Celanese have entered into an agreement to expand polyacetal (POM) resin production capacity of their affiliate Korea Engineering Plastics (KEP) in Ulsan,...
Chevron Phillips Chemical to upgrade natural gas liquids fractionation unit
Chevron Phillips Chemical is planning to upgrade the natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionator complex at its Sweeny plant located in Old Ocean, Texas,...
Dow to build coating manufacturing facility
Dow Chemical is planning to build a new coating manufacturing facility for its Dow Coating Materials (DCM) business unit at the Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia, as part of a series...
Linde to support new Kaistar LED plant
China-based Linde LienHwa (LLH) has entered into an agreement to deliver bulk gases and ammonia (NH3) to Kaistar's new production facility in Xiamen,...
Indofil, Shanghai Baijin enter JV to build carbon disulphide plant in India
Indofil Industries, a K K Modi Group, has signed a joint venture (JV) agreement with Shanghai Baijin Chemical Group of China to build a $40m carbon disulphide (CS2) plant in Gujarat,...
Celanese Chinese acetyl facility moves ahead
Celanese has received Chinese Government approval to modify and enhance the company's existing integrated acetyl facility at Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park, China, to produce ethanol...
Sony to sell chemical business unit to Japanese state bank
Sony has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to sell its chemical business unit to Development Bank of Japan...
SOCAR to construct petrochemical complex
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) is planning to construct an oil and gas processing and petrochemical complex near Baku,...
Albemarle wins US NAWCWD biojet fuel production contract
The US Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) has awarded a contract to speciality chemicals company Albemarle to complete its first biojet fuel production run based on bio...
Jacobs to design Teck sulfuric acid plant
US-based Jacobs Engineering has won a contract from Teck Metals to design and supply a new sulfuric acid plant for its Trail Operation in British Columbia,...
FTC clears Dow Chemical Torrance plant sale
Dow Chemical Company has been cleared by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to sell a chemical production facility and associated property in Torrance, California, US, to Hager Pacific...
Chemtura upgrades Italian facility
Chemtura, a manufacturer of speciality and agrochemicals, has upgraded its Latina Scalo facility in...
Rivertop moves from lab to pilot-scale for renewable glucarate
Renewable chemicals company Rivertop Renewables has upgraded its patented process technology from the lab to pilot...
Shell signs agreement to evaluate US petrochemical site
Shell Chemical has entered into a land option agreement with Horsehead to evaluate a site in the Appalachian region near Monaca, Pennsylvania, US, for a potential petrochemical...
BASF to expand cyclohexane oxidation capacity
BASF is investing about €10m to expand the capacity of cyclohexane oxidation at its Verbund site in Antwerp, Belgium, as part of two long-term planned...
MHI wins QAFAC CO2 recovery plant contract
MHI Industrial Engineering & Services (MIES), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), has won an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract from Qatar Fuel...
Lanxess purchases Tire Curing Bladders
Rhein Chemie, a subsidiary of Lanxess, has purchased a manufacturer of bladders for the tire...
Air Products to build air separation unit in China
Henan Xinlianxin Fertilizer, a subsidiary of XLX Fertilizer, has awarded a long-term supply contract to Air...
Dahua selects Linde to supply air gases
The chemicals producer Dahua Group based in Dalian, Northeast China, has selected Linde Group to supply air...
Total joins Zhanjiang refinery and petrochemicals project
Total has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Kuwait Petroleum (KPC) to participate in the China-based Zhanjiang...
QAPCO awards ethylene plant contract to CTCI
Qatar Petrochemical (QAPCO) has signed a QAR604m ($165.8m) first phase contract with Taiwan-based...
BASF invests in Allylix
BASF Venture Capital has invested $13.5m in US-based renewable chemicals company...
National Oil Ethiopia launches new ethanol blending facility
National Oil Ethiopia (NOC) has opened a new ethanol and regular benzene blending plant in Ethiopia at a cost of Br45m...
Toray to enhance carbon fibres production capacity
Toray Industries will invest CYN45bn ($550m) to enhance carbon fibres production capacity at its sites in Japan, the US, France and South...
Fluor to support Dow in global capital projects
Fluor has entered into a strategic global engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) and construction management agreement with the Dow Chemical...
Dow Chemical Texas propylene project moves ahead
Dow Chemical will construct a new propylene production facility at Dow Texas Operations, US, following the authorisation of capital by the company's board of...
IVL to purchase PET resin facility of PT Polypet Karyapersada
Indorama Ventures (IVL) has signed a definitive asset purchase agreement to acquire a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin facility from PT Polypet Karyapersada, located in Cilegon, West...
Ashland commissions new RDP production line
Ashland, a producer of cellulose ether, has commissioned a new Aquapas redispersible powders (RDP) production line at its manufacturing campus in Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park, China....
BASF, Petronas to develop RAPID complex
BASF and Petronas have signed a heads of agreement (HOA) to jointly develop Petronas' proposed refinery and petrochemical integrated development (RAPID) complex at Pengerang, Johor,...
Arsenal Capital to acquire Evonik colorants business
US private equity firm Arsenal Capital Partners has entered into an agreement to purchase the global colorants business from Evonik...
Asahi Kasei Chemicals to construct new acetonitrile plant in South Korea
Asahi Kasei Chemicals will build a new acetonitrile plant at the site of Tong Suh Petrochemical's Ulsan plant grounds in South Korea....
Wacker Chemie to expand VAE dispersion plant in China
Wacker Chemie is investing €40m to expand its vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersion plant in Nanjing,...
Dow Chemical sells European fungicide business to Indofil
India-based Indofil Industries has acquired the European Dithane fungicide business of Dow AgroSciences, a subsidiary of Dow...
Lanxess to build new neodymium polybutadiene rubber plant in Singapore
Lanxess will build a new neodymium polybutadiene rubber (Nd-PBR) plant at Jurong Island Chemical Park, Singapore....
Momentive expands Indian specialty silicones facility
Momentive Performance Materials has expanded its manufacturing facility and application development centre in Chennai,...
WorleyParsons wins Evonik isophorone, isophorone diamine plants contract
Evonik Industries has selected WorleyParsons to provide detail engineering, procurement support and construction management to construct isophorone and isophorone diamine plants in Shanghai,...
Solvay selects Jacobs for specialty polymers production plant
Solvay has chosen Jacobs Engineering Group to build a specialty polymers production plant at its Changshu industrial site, located in the province of Jiangsu,...
Samsung Total adopts LyondellBasell Lupotech T process technology
Samsung Total Petrochemicals will install LyondellBasell's Lupotech T process technology at its new Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Ethyl Vinyl Acetate (EVA) copolymer plant....
February 2012
Top
Asahi Kasei grants thermylene PP manufacturing rights to Polyplast
Asahi Kasei Chemicals's wholly owned subsidiary Asahi Kasei Plastics North America has licensed German-based Polyplast Compound Werk (PCW) to manufacture and distribute its thermylene family...
SABIC signs polyurethane technology licence deal with Mitsui
Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) has entered into a technology licence deal with Mitsui Chemicals as part of its strategic plan to be a global provider of polyurethane...
Mybiomass plans to build new chemical facility
Mybiomass is in discussions with several international technology partners over the joint development of a new chemical...
Mitsubishi Chemical selects Genomatica BDO Process technology
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation will use Genomatica's process technology for the production of 1,4-butanediol (BDO) in Asia as part of an agreement to exclusively negotiate definitive...
Lanxess invests in BioAmber
US-based BioAmber has raised $30m, marking the closure of its Series C round of financing....
Flexsys to build PVB resin production facility in Malaysia
Flexsys Chemicals, a subsidiary of Solutia, will invest RM450m ($148.8m) to expand its soluble sulphur plant and construct a new polyvinyl butyral (PVB) resin production facility in...
Bayer Dormagen TDI plant moves ahead
Bayer MaterialScience will build a chemical plant in Dormagen, Germany, following approval from the Cologne regional administration....
Lanxess to equip Newcastle plant with CO2 unit
German specialties chemicals group Lanxess will construct a CO2 concentration unit at its plant in Newcastle, South Africa, which manufactures sodium...
BP Chemicals to build acetic acid and BDO complex
BP Chemicals Investment (BPCIL) has signed a memorandum of understanding to construct an integrated acetic acid and 1,4 butanediol (BDO) complex at Chongqing,...
Iran builds butene unit at Jam petrochemical complex
An $85m butene production unit is ready for production operations at Jam petrochemical complex in Assaluyeh,...
Sibur partners Reliance to form butyl rubber JV
Sibur and Reliance Industries (RIL) have partnered to form a joint venture (JV) company named Reliance Sibur Elastomers to produce 100,000tpa of butyl rubber in Jamnagar,...
Assam Petrochemicals to construct methanol and acetic acid plants
India's Assam Petrochemicals is planning to build methanol and downstream acetic acid (AA) plants in Namrup,...
Saudi Aramco unit signs MOU with Pertamina for integrated complex in Indonesia
Saudi Aramco Asia Company (SAAC) has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with PT Pertamina to assess the economic feasibility of building an integrated refining and...
Sepa fines ExxonMobil for failing to report CO2 emissions
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has fined ExxonMobil £2.8m ($3.3m) for failing to report 33,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from its Mossmorran ethylene plant in Fife,...
Shin-Etsu Chemical develops low RI silicone encapsulating material
Shin-Etsu Chemical has developed a new generation of low refractive index (RI) silicone encapsulating...
Tokuyama begins polycrystalline silicon plant second-phase construction
Tokuyama Malaysia, a subsidiary of Tokuyama Corporation, has initiated the second-phase construction of its polycrystalline silicon plant at the Samalaju Industrial Park in...
BioAmber and NatureWorks join forces for new bio-based polymers
NatureWorks and BioAmber have formed a joint venture (JV) company, AmberWorks, to develop and market a new family of performance bio-based compounded...
Honeywell inaugurates new technology centre in India
Honeywell has inaugurated a new technology centre in Gurgaon,...
Infineum plans to construct new salicylate plant
Infineum, a provider of petroleum additives, is planning to start construction of its new salicylate manufacturing plant at Jurong Island, Singapore, in the first quarter of...
QP and QAPCO to develop new mega-petrochemical complex
Qatar Petroleum (QP) has entered into a heads of agreement (HOA) with Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) to jointly develop a new mega-petrochemical complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City,...
Kao to build new surfactant plant in Indonesia
Kao Indonesia Chemicals, a subsidiary of Kao Corporation, will build a new surfactant production plant at Karawan International Industry City (KIIC), Jakarta, Indonesia, according to president...
Ajinomoto and Toray partner for biobased nylon
Ajinomoto and Toray Industries have joined forces to start joint research for manufacturing the nylon raw material,1,5-pentanediamine (1,5-PD), from the amino acid...
AOC, Dow award PO unit contract to Foster Wheeler
Aramco Overseas Company (AOC), a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, and Dow Europe have awarded a contract to Foster Wheeler to develop a propylene oxide (PO) unit at Jubail Industrial City in the...
Indian petrochemicals industry to grow at 12-15% annually, says study
The Indian petrochemicals industry is expected to grow at 12-15% annually over the next five years, according to a report from the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India...
Eastman Chemical signs licence surface technology deal with Balcas
Balcas and Eastman Chemical have signed a licence agreement that gives Balcas exclusive use of Eastman Cerfis technology to produce moulding and trim products in Ireland and the...
Sabic-Sinopec T&T petrochemical project moves ahead
The Ministry of Energy of Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) will begin talks with a consortium of Sabic and Sinopec on two planned petrochemical plants in the country, according to Energy Minister...
Air Products begins new hydrogen production plant in Netherlands
Air Products and ExxonMobil have inaugurated a new hydrogen production plant in Rotterdam,...
Vietnam's first petrochemical complex moves ahead
The Siam Cement Group (SCG) has entered into a joint venture deal with its Vietnamese and Qatari partners to invest in Vietnam's first petrochemical...
Indian specialty chemical industry could reach $80-100bn by 2020
India's specialty chemical business is expected to grow from $22bn to $80-100bn by 2020, according to a McKinsey & Company...
Honam to set up petrochemical complex in Indonesia
South Korea-based Honam Petrochemical will invest up to $5bn to set up a petrochemical complex in Indonesia in the first quarter of 2013, according to business development managing director...
Dover settles unauthorised chlorinated paraffins production case
Dover Chemical has agreed to pay $1.4m in fines for unauthorised production of chlorinated paraffins at its plants in Dover, Ohio, and Hammond,...
Sumitomo builds S-SBR manufacturing plant in Singapore
Sumitomo Chemical Asia PTE, a group company of Sumitomo Chemical, is constructing a $140m new solution styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) manufacturing plant in Merbau area of Jurong Island,...
Rockwood to build lithium carbonate plant in Chile
Rockwood Holdings is planning to invest $140m to construct a 20,000 metric ton lithium carbonate production facility at LeNegra, near the port of Antofagasta, northern...
Indorama Ventures to purchase Old World
Indorama Ventures (IVL) has entered into a deal to purchase US-based Ethylene Oxide (EO) and Ethylene Glycol (EG) producer, Old World Industries and Old World Transportation, for $...
SI Group to construct phenolic resin plant in China
SI Group is investing $30m to construct a new phenolic resin manufacturing site at the Nanjing Chemical Industry Park (NCIP) in...
Chemcel opens CMS extrusion plant
Sri Lanka-based Chemcel, a subsidiary of Chemanex, has opened a $7.18m carboxy methyl starch (CMS) extrusion plant in the Mirigama export processing zone, north of Colombo, Sri...
AkzoNobel to build new pulp Chemical Island facility in Brazil
AkzoNobel will invest €80m ($105m) to build a new pulp Chemical Island facility in Imperatriz, Maranhao, Brazil....
Italian agency to fund RIL petrochemical plants expansion
Sace, an Italian export-credit agency, has approved a $400m equivalent loan to Reliance Industries (RIL) to expand and upgrade the production capacity of its petrochemical plants, a...
Samsung Total to use LyondellBasell technology for LDPE, EVA production plant
Samsung Total Petrochemicals, a joint venture of Samsung General Chemicals and Total Petrochemical, will use Netherlands-based LyondellBasell's Lupotech T process technology to build a 200...
Nisshoku Chemical to expand SAP plant in China
Nisshoku Chemical Industry (NSC), a China subsidiary of Nippon Shokubai, will invest approximately $56m, including ancillary facilities, to expand its superabsorbent polymers (SAP) plant...
Flotek expands Marlow chemical production facility
Flotek Industries, a developer and distributor of specialty chemicals, has completed an initial expansion of its chemical production facility in Marlow, Oklahoma,...
Marubeni plans to form PET and PTA plant JV in Russia
Japan-based investment agency Marubeni is planning to form a joint venture (JV) with the government of Tatarstan to build a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and purified terephthalic acid...
January 2012
Top
Qatar to invest $25bn in petrochemical production over next decade
Qatar will invest $25bn to expand and develop its domestic petrochemical industry over the next decade, according to an...
HPC to broaden PP complex in Yeosu
Honam Petrochemical (HPC) is adding a 300,000 tonnes per year (tpa) polypropylene (PP) line to its PP complex in...
Total and Samsung to expand JV petrochemical complex in South Korea
Total and Samsung Petrochemicals are investing $1.8bn to expand and upgrade their joint venture (JV) petrochemical complex, Samsung Total Petrochemicals, in Daesan, South...
Eastman Chemical to buy Solutia
Eastman Chemical Company has signed a definitive agreement to purchase a provider of performance materials and specialty chemicals,...
Rhodia and Avantium partner to develop biobased polyamides
Rhodia, a member of the Solvay Group, and Avantium have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly develop new bio-based polyamides that target a variety of...
USDA to fund ZeaChem cellulosic biorefinery
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Programme, has granted a conditional commitment worth $232.5m to ZeaChem Boardman Biorefinery...
Indorama to construct PTA and PET plants in India
Indorama Ventures is planning to invest $700m to build purified terephthalic acid (PTA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyester staple fibre (PSF) plants in...
Yanchang Petroleum to equip new HDPE resin plant with Lyondell process technology
Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Yanan Energy and Chemical has been granted permission to use LyondellBasell's Hostalen ACP process technology under a new licence...
Genomatica adopts Beta technology for BDO production
Genomatica is adopting Beta Renewables' Proesa technology for the production of butanediol (BDO), as part of the definitive agreement between the two...
DSM and POET join forces for cellulosic ethanol production
Royal DSM has entered into an agreement with POET to form a cellulosic ethanol joint venture (JV)...
DNCC to construct caprolactam plant
DSM Nanjing Chemical Company (DNCC), a joint venture (JV) between Royal DSM and SINOPEC Group, has awarded contract to Toyo Engineering for the construction of a caprolactam...
Novamont and Genomatica sign BDO plant JV agreement
Novamont and Genomatica have formed a joint venture (JV) to operate the first butanediol (BDO) industrial plant in Europe to use renewable...
Bayer constructs new plant for coating raw materials
Bayer MaterialScience, a Bayer Group company, has started construction of a multipurpose facility to produce polyurethane coating for raw materials at Leverkusen,...
Nuplex signs MoU with KVIL Group
Nuplex Resins BV, a European business of Nuplex Industries, has entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to form a joint venture (JV) company with KVIL Group...
BASF FINA awards ethylene furnace contract to Selas
BASF FINA Petrochemicals, a joint venture of BASF Corporation and Total Petrochemicals, has awarded a contract to Selas Fluid Processing Corporation for a cracking ethylene furnace....
Rosneft to build petrochemical complex in Russia
Rosneft will invest between €3.5bn and €5bn ($4.4bn and $6.3bn) in the construction of a giant petrochemical complex close to the Russian city of...
Samsung Total to use UOP technology for petrochemical and fuels production
Samsung Total Petrochemicals, a joint venture between Samsung General Chemicals and Total Petrochemical, will use UOP's technologies for the production of petrochemicals, diesel and jet fuel at...
Methanex to resume methanol production in New Zealand
Methanex Corporation is investing $60m to restart its second methanol plant at its Motunui site in New Zealand, which has been closed since 2004....
BASF to construct TDI production plant in Germany
BASF is investing €1bn to set up a 300,000tpa toluene diisocyanate (TDI) production plant in Ludwigshafen,...
Aramco signs oil refinery JV agreement with Sinopec
Saudi Arabian Oil company (Saudi Aramco) has entered into a $8.5bn joint venture (JV) agreement with China Petrochemical (Sinopec Group) to build an oil refinery at the Saudi Red Sea port of...
Pittsburgh RMG and Aither to build petrochemical plant
Aither Chemicals and Pittsburgh Renewable Manufacturing Gateway (RMG) of Pennsylvania, US, have signed a letter of engagement (LOE) to fund and construct a petrochemical plant on Marcellus...
Solvay and Air Liquide form JV for fluorine gas business
Solvay and Air Liquide have entered into a joint venture (JV) agreement to establish a fluorine gas business....
GMR to build new refinery and petrochemicals complex in India
GMR Holdings, the holding company of GMR Group, has announced a five-year project to set up a refinery-cum-petrochemicals complex in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh,...
Lanxess to construct new production plant in Russia
Rhein Chemie, a subsidiary of Lanxess, is to construct a new production plant in Lipezk, Russia, to manufacture rubber additives and release agents to meet the demand from the Russian and...
Coromandel SQM fertiliser plant to begin commercial production
Coromandel SQM (India) is set to launch commercial production at what it claims is India's first water-soluble fertiliser...
BASF acquires equity ownership in Sion Power
BASF has invested $50m to obtain equity ownership in Sion Power, a manufacturer of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries based in Arizona, US....
Pennsylvania potential site for proposed Shell chemical plant in US
US Senator for Pennsylvania Bob Casey has written to a Shell executive to select a Pennsylvania site for the construction of a new chemical plant in the...
UOP to provide petrochemicals production technology in South Korea
Kumho P&B Chemicals of South Korea has selected Honeywell UOP's Q-Max and UOP Phenol process technologies to produce key petrochemicals for the manufacture of...
BASF and Sinopec complete $1.4bn petrochemical expansion project
BASF and Sinopec have completed the $1.4bn second phase of the Nanjing investment, bringing chemicals to the Chinese market that could support the development of sustainable local...
Sinofert Fertilizer Company to acquire Xundian Lomon
Sinofert Fertilizer Company, a subsidiary of Sinofert Holdings, has entered into an agreement to purchase Xundian Lomon Phosphorus Chemical, based in Yunnan province, China for 1.38bn...
GSFC to build biofertiliser complex
Gujarat State Fertilizers Company (GSFC) is investing Rs500m ($9.5m) to build a biofertilizer complex in Vadodara, Gujarat,...
PCS Phosphate plans sulpur factory
PCS Phosphate, a unit of Potash Corp of Saskatchewan, is in talks to build a sulphur plant at Portsmouth Marine Terminal in Virginia, US, according to a company...
Jordan Company acquires Vantage Specialty Chemicals
HIG Capital, a private equity investment firm, has completed the sale of Vantage Specialty Chemicals to the Jordan...
Rentech Nitrogen ammonia capacity expansion moves ahead
Rentech Nitrogen Partners has obtained a loan of around $40m from Rentech to carry out its ammonia capacity and storage...
Dow Chemical adopts UOP Oleflex technology
Dow Chemical Company has adopted Honeywell UOP's C(3) Oleflex technology to produce propylene at its petrochemicals production site in Texas,...
Sibur plans new petrochemical complex in Siberia
Sibur is planning to construct a new petrochemical complex in Tobolsk in Tyumen, western Siberia, Russia, according to CEO Dmitry...
Whiting Equipment to support Vale potash crystallisation plant
Vale has awarded a contract to Whiting Equipment Canada to supply salt evaporators and potash crystallisers for its Potasio Rio Colorado (PRC) potash crystallisation plant in Mendoza...
Arkema takes over Seppic speciality alcoxylate business
Arkema has completed the purchase of Seppic's speciality alcoxylate business, as announced on 8 November...
Enterprise to build ethane pipeline in US
Enterprise Products Partners has obtained sufficient transportation commitments to build its 1,230-mile Appalachia to Texas pipeline (ATEX Express) from the Marcellus / Utica Shale areas...
BASF invests in Renmatix technology
BASF, through its subsidiary BASF Biorenewable Beteiligungs, is investing $30m in the US-based technology firm...
Orica resumes production at Australian ammonia plant
Orica has today restarted its Newcastle ammonia plant in Australia following the completion of repair work at its plant and pre-start...
CPC allies with local firms to promote high-value petrochemicals
Taiwa-based CPC Corporation has entered into collaboration agreement with local firms and research centres to promote high-value...
December 2011
Top
PetroFina to acquire interest in Fina Antwerp Olefins
PetroFina, a 100% affiliate of Total Petrochemicals, has signed an agreement with ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical to transfer 35% shareholder interest in Fina Antwerp Olefins to...
Asahi Kasei to build second S-SBR plant in Singapore
Asahi Kasei Chemicals has decided to advance plans to build a second solution-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) plant near Tembusu district, Jurong Island,...
PolyOne acquires ColorMatrix
PolyOne, a provider of specialised polymer materials, services and solutions, has completed the purchase of...
Abengoa plans temporary shutdown of two ethanol plants
Abengoa Bioenergy is set to temporarily shutdown ethanol production at its plants in Portales, New Mexico, and Colwich Kansas, both in the US, due to bad market...
Dow and Aksa to launch carbon fibre joint venture
Dow Europe, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company, has entered into a joint venture agreement with Aksa Akrilik Kimya Sanayii to develop, manufacture and market carbon fibre and its...
Gujarat State Fertiliser Corporation to build fertiliser and petrochemicals complex
Gujarat State Fertiliser Corporation is investing Rs70bn ($1.29bn) to build an integrated fertiliser and petrochemicals complex in Dahej, Gujarat, India, according to a...
BPCL to sign joint venture agreement with LP Chemical
Bharat Petroleum Corporation is set to enter into a joint venture agreement with UK-based LP Chemical to build a petrochemical plant at its Kochi refinery in Kerala,...
Evonik to build new methionine production complex in Singapore
Evonik Industries is investing €500m to build a new methionine production complex on Jurong Island, Singapore, to broaden its core business of essential amino acids used for animal...
Apollo Global to acquire Belgian chemical producer
Apollo Global Management and its subsidiaries have entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Taminco Group from subsidiaries of CVC Capital Partners for approximately...
Momentive and UPC Technology join forces for phenolic resins production
Momentive Specialty Chemicals has signed a joint venture agreement with UPC Technology to produce phenolic...
Wesfarmers board approves CSBP expansion project
CSBP has received approval from the Wesfarmers board to commence the expansion of its $550m ammonium nitrate project at the company's Kwinana industrial complex, located 40km away from...
Chevron Phillips plans to build ethane and ethylene facilities
Chevron Phillips Chemical Company is planning to establish new ethane cracker and ethylene derivatives facilities in the US Gulf Coast (USGC)...
Yara enters into JV agreement with OCP
Oslo-based Yara International has entered into a 50:50 joint venture agreement with Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP), a provider of Moroccan...
QPIC to build $1bn petrochemical complex
Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company (QPIC) is planning to build a $1bn petrochemical complex in the industrial city of Al-Jubail in Saudi Arabia to produce purified terephthalic acid (PTA)...
Egypt Hydrocarbon awards ammonium nitrate plant contract to DSWP
Egypt Hydrocarbon Corporation has awarded a AED142m ($38.6m) contract to Drake & Scull Water and Power (DSWP) to construct its mining grade ammonium nitrate plant in the province of Ain Sukhna...
Shell upgrades Pernis polyol site
Shell Chemicals has upgraded its site at Pernis, the Netherlands, to increase coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers (CASE) polyol...
Glycos selects Toyo as contractor for new biochemical plant
Toyo Engineering & Construction has entered into an agreement with Glycos Biotechnologies to provide engineering, procurement, and construction services for Glycos's new biochemical...
Dow plans to expand cellulosic production capacity in Asia-Pacific
Dow Chemical Company is planning to expand its cellulosic production capacity with a focus on the Asia-Pacific...
Sasol plans to build ethane cracker complex
Chemicals group Sasol is planning to establish an ethane cracker and derivatives complex at its site in Lake Charles, Louisiana,...
BASF to upgrade Vidalia adsorbents plant
BASF is investing $20m to make improvements to its existing alumina absorbent products plant in Vidalia,...
INEOS plans to increase ethylidene norbornene capacity
INEOS Oxide, a provider of solvents and speciality chemicals, is considering an expansion of its ethylidene norbornene...
IMCD purchases Organotec fine chemicals business
IMCD Italia, a subsidiary of IMCD Group, has completed the acquisition of Organotec's Italy-based fine chemicals...
Evonik to broaden polyamide 12 plant capacity in Germany and Asia
Speciality chemicals provider Evonik Industries is set to expand the capacity of its polyamide 12 plants in Germany and...
Israel Chemicals acquires stake in Chemutura
Israel Chemicals has acquired the 50% stake of Tetrabrom Technologies owned by US-based Chemutura to become the company's exclusive...
Orica to resume operations of nitric acid and ammonium nitrate plants
The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority in Australia has lifted the prevention notices that were issued due to an incident on 9 November 2011 on Orica's pressurised ammonia...
SCC to purchase LGLS ethaboxam fungicide business
Sumitomo Chemical Company (SCC) has entered into an agreement to purchase South Korea-based LG Life Sciences' (LGLS) ethaboxam fungicide...
Honeywell buys Evonik manufacturing technology
Honeywell has entered into an agreement to acquire Evonik Industries' portfolio of manufacturing...
Qatar and Shell sign petrochemicals complex development agreement
Qatar Petroleum has signed an agreement with Shell to develop a petrochemicals complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City,...
Linde to set up new hydrogen plant in JCIP
The Linde Group will establish and run a new hydrogen plant at Jilin Chemical Industrial Park (JCIP) in north-east China to supply high-purity hydrogen to several companies....
Honeywell partners with JR Simplot for new ASN fertiliser production facility
Honeywell has partnered with JR Simplot to establish a new facility that will produce Honeywell's new, dry granular ammonium sulphate nitrate (ASN) fertiliser - Sulf-N...
AkzoNobel buys coatings assets of Korean SSCP
AkzoNobel has acquired the coatings business of Korean SSCP as part of the larger agreement signed with the...
Lummus licences technology for Russian plants
CJSC Vostochnaya Neftechimicheskaya has awarded a licence and basic engineering contract to Lummus Technology, a CB&I subsidiary....
Evonik acquires hydrogen peroxide facility in Canada
Germany-based Evonik Industries has acquired Kemira Chemicals' Canadian hydrogen peroxide...
Chevron Phillips Chemical International acquires Belgian polyalphaolefin plant
Chevron Phillips Chemical's wholly owned subsidiary Chevron Phillips Chemical International has completed the acquisition of Neste Oil's polyalphaolefin plant in Beringen,...
Sika Canada acquires Duochem company
Sika Canada has acquired Duochem, a privately owned Canadian company that produces polymer flooring and waterproofing...
Zhejiang chooses UOP propylene technology for Chinese plant
Zhejiang Shaoxing Sanjin Petrochemical has chosen Honeywell company UOP to provide technology for propylene production at its propane dehydrogenation facility in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang...
Sumitomo to construct diesel particulate filters plant in Poland
Sumitomo Chemical is set to build a new PLN1.6m ($470,000) plant to produce aluminum titanate diesel particulate filters at its subsidiary Sumika Ceramics Poland Spolka Z...
Sasol to launch feasibility study for ethane cracker
Sasol is to proceed with a feasibility study for an ethane-based cracker and downstream derivative units at its Lake Charles site in Louisiana, US....
Indorama completes deal to buy Wellman International
Bangkok's Indorama Ventures has concluded a deal to acquire Wellman International's recycling business in Europe from...
Taiwan petrochemical firm to build phenol plant in China
Taiwan-based China Petrochemical Development (CPDC) is set to invest TWD$30bn (US$987m) to build a phenol plant in Jiangsu Province,...
K+S Group gets approval to begin Saskatchewan potash project
Germany-based K+S Group has received approval to commence a C$3.25bn (US$3.15bn) solution-mining potash project in southern Saskatchewan,...
Teijin plans pilot plant for carbon-fibre reinforced thermoplastic components
Teijin is planning to set up ¥2bn ($25m) pilot plant at its Matsuyama Factory in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, to produce carbon-fibre reinforced thermoplastic components from carbon...
Taminco to increase US methylamines capacity
Taminco, a producer of alkylamines and their derivatives, is planning to increase its methylamines capacity in the US by the end of...
LanzaTech and Yankuang Group to jointly produce chemicals
China's LanzaTech and Yankuang Group have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly produce fuels and...
China's petrochemical sector posts 27.3% rise in sales revenue
China's petrochemical industry has reported sales revenue of 979.2bn yuan ($153.6bn) in the 12 months to October, equivalent to an increase of...
Xingda lowers expandable polystyrene production rate to 50%
China's Xingda Group, a producer of expandable polystyrene, reduced its total production rate from 75% of capacity to 50% in late November due to poor...
Solutia acquires Southwall Technologies
Performance materials and speciality chemicals company Solutia has acquired Southwall Technologies for...
November 2011
Top
Dow and Saudi Aramco officially form Sadara
US-based Dow Chemical and Saudi Aramco have announced the official formation of Sadara Chemical Company as a joint...
Solvay to acquire Orbeo
Solvay has said it will acquire Société Générale's 50% stake in the companies' joint venture,...
Primavera acquires minority stake in Chinese fertiliser producer
Chinese private equity firm the Primavera Capital Group has acquired a 14.97% stake in China XLX...
PPG increases caustic soda price in US and Canada
PPG Industries has said that it will increase prices for all grades of off-schedule liquid caustic soda (anhydrous basis) in the US by US$45 per short ton and in Canada by C$50 (US$48.3) per...
WorleyParsons wins deal for Ecuador refinery project
Australian engineering and services company WorleyParsons has been awarded a $200m contract for the project management consultancy of the $12bn Refinería del Pacífico refining and...
Borealis offers to acquire PEC-Rhin
Borealis, a provider of chemical and plastics solutions, has announced that it has made an offer to GPN to buy France-based PEC-Rhin in its...
Cosmo to begin mixed xylene unit operations next month
Japanese refiner Cosmo Oil is set to commence commercial operations of a new 300,000t/year mixed xylene distillation unit in late...
Sinopec delays start of crude unit
China Petroleum and Chemical (Sinopec) has said that the start-up of a new 160,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) crude oil unit at its Jinling refinery in Nanjing has been delayed to June...
Amvac gets clearance to sell pentachloronitrobenzene products in the US
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved certain registrations for the American Vanguard's pentachloronitrobenzene product line for all major commercial...
Braskem and Petroperu to build $3bn petrochemical plant
Brazilian petrochemicals producer Braskem and Peruvian state oil company Petroperu have signed a letter of intent to build a $3bn petrochemical plant on the latter's coast to meet growing...
Chinese polyethylene imports rise year-on-year
Data released by the Chinese customs service has revealed that the country's polyethylene imports rose year-on-year, including a 47.6% increase in...
BP and IndianOil to explore potential for acetic acid plant
BP and IndianOil have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the potential to establish an acetic acid plant as a 50:50 joint venture in Gujarat,...
Petronas posts rise in second quarter profit
Petronas Chemicals Group has reported its second quarter results for the period ending September...
Klesch to buy Arkema's vinyl division
Arkema is set to divest its vinyl division to investment company Klesch Group, creating a major player in the European PVC...
ChevronPhillips Chemical resumes ethylene production at Texas complex
ChevronPhillips Chemical said that it is restarting ethylene production at its olefins complex in Sweeny, Texas, US, following a power and steam...
Canned food leads to rise in BPA levels: study
A new study has found that daily day consumption of canned food items may lead to the rise of compound bisphenol A (BPA) levels in urine....
Taminco starts new dimethylaminopropylamine unit in US
Methylamines and derivatives producer Taminco has started up a new dimethylaminopropylamine unit at its production facility in St Gabriel, Lousiana,...
SCG and Barito seek funds for Chandra Asri expansion
Siam Cement Group (SCG) and PT Barito Pacific are looking to raise $500m to expand ethylene capacity at its Chandra Asri Petrochemical joint venture in...
MBAC secures loan for Itafós Arraias SSP project
MBAC Fertilizer has executed a $40m loan agreement with International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank...
Perstorp and PTT Global Chemical plan isocyanates joint venture
Perstorp and PTT Global Chemical are planning to form a joint venture to manufacture and commercialise aromatic and aliphatic isocyanates for the polyurethane...
Kuraray gets approval for capacity expansion at Texas plant
Kuraray America has received approval for a $49m project to increase production capacity for ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer resin at its facility in Pasadena, Texas,...
OCI Fertilizer Group to buy Pandora Methanol minorities
Orascom Construction Industries' Fertilizer Group has entered into an agreement to acquire minorities in its Texas-based subsidiary, Pandora...
Lanxess expands neodymium polybutadiene rubber capacity
Lanxess has expanded the production capacities of neodymium polybutadiene rubber at its sites in Dormagen in Germany, Cabo in Brazil and Orange in Texas,...
Arkema to acquire Hipro Polymers and Casda Biomaterials
French speciality chemicals group Arkema said that it plans to buy polyamide producer Hipro Polymers and sebacic acid leader Casda Biomaterials for...
China begins anti-dumping proceedings on chemical solvent and boxboard imports
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has initiated two anti-dumping investigations on imports of certain chemical solvents and boxboard from the US and the...
Eastman expands hydrocarbon resins facility in Netherlands
US-based Eastman Chemical has expanded its Regalite hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins facility in Middelburg, the...
AkzoNobel to set up dicumyl peroxide plant in China
Dutch-based speciality chemical producer AkzoNobel is planning to invest €45m in a new dicumyl peroxide plant at its Ningbo multi-site in...
Sipchem secures loan for new plant in Saudi Arabia
Sipchem affiliate International Polymers has signed a SAR600m ($160m) loan facility agreement with Saudi Industrial Development...
Qifeng commences carbon fibre production facility
Jilin Qifeng Chemical Fiber, a PAN-based fibre manufacturer, has started operations at a 550m yuan ($86.5m) carbon fibre precursor production...
Sinopec and Kuwait Petroleum commence petrochemical project in China
Sinopec and Kuwait Petroleum have initiated the construction of a ¥59bn ($9.3bn) joint refining and petrochemical complex in the southern Chinese province of...
EPA files enforcement action against Asarco
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken enforcement action against the Asarco copper smelter in Hayden, Arizona, following complaints about toxic...
Toray successfully produces renewable bio-based PET
Japan's Toray Industries has successfully produced renewable bio-based PET fibre using Gevo's bio-based...
Shell Oil to build ethane cracker plant
Shell Oil is planning to build a multibillion-dollar ethane cracker plant somewhere in the US states of West Virginia, Ohio or...
Henan Xinlianxin Fertiliser signs gas supply agreement
China XLX Fertiliser subsidiary Henan Xinlianxin Fertiliser has signed a gas supply framework agreement with Air Products and Chemicals (China) Investment to supply oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen...
PPG declares force majeure in Thailand
PPG Industries, a maker of coatings and speciality products, has declared force majeure on certain optical products due to flooding in...
Special Materials Company to raise para-chlorobenzotrifluoride price
Special Materials Company is set to increase the price of para-chlorobenzotrifluoride by 10% across all grades and...
Polish firms to build caprolactam plant in Asia
Poland's Zaklady Azotowe Pulaway and Zaklady Azotowe w Tarnowie-Moscicach have signed an agreement to build a caprolactam plant in south-east...
Evonik doubles production capacity of moulding compounds at Chinese plant
Evonik has doubled the production capacity of moulding compounds after a two-phase expansion at its plant in Shanghai, China, to about...
Technip wins Michelin elastomer composite plant contract
Technip has been awarded a lump-sum turnkey engineering, procurement and construction contract by Michelin Siam to build a new elastomer composite plant in Southern Region Industrial Estate...
Michelman acquires Clariant Licomer business
Michelman, a developer of water-based barrier and functional coatings, has purchased Clariant's Europe-based Licomer...
Japanese group secures contract for Angola facility
Sojitz, Sumitomo, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Toyo Engineering have won a 100bn yen ($1.3bn) contract to build a fertiliser plant in Angola,...
Tosoh shuts monomer manufacturing facilities after fire
Japanese intergraded chemicals maker Tosoh has shut three vinyl chloride monomer manufacturing plants at its Nanyo complex in western Japan following a...
PhosAgro to merge subsidaries
PhosAgro, a phosphate-based fertiliser producer, is planning to merge two of its subsidiaries, OJSC Ammophos and OJSC Cherepovetsky...
GSFC to set up nylon-6 engineering plastic facility
Indian-based Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals is set to invest Rs1.25bn ($24m) to set up a nylon-6 engineering plastic facility at its Fertilizernagar unit in...
Kuraray completes construction of new elastomer plant in Japan
Japan's Kuraray held a ceremony at its Niigata Plant in Tainai City to mark the completion of a Kurarity production...
New chemical and biological institute opens in UK
The University of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England, has opened a new £4.3m life sciences institute, which allows collaborative work in chemical and biological...
Cristal Global, Outotec to build ilmenite-processing plant
Cristal Global, an integrated chemical and pigments company, has partnered with Outotec to build a new fully scalable ilmenite-processing plant in Yanbu, Saudi...
Rockwood opens butyllithium plant in India
Rockwood Holdings' Chemetall Lithium India business unit has opened a new butyllithium production facility in Gujarat,...
Arkema to restructure chlorochemicals, H2O2 operations in France
Arkema will invest €40m to restructure chlorochemicals and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) operations at its Jarrie site in France, to help meet demand for hydrogen in hydrogen peroxide...
Lubrizol to acquire Chemtool
Lubrizol has entered into an agreement to acquire US-based Chemtool, a manufacturer and supplier of formulated greases to the lubricant...
Rhodia expands US silica production unit
Rhodia, a specialty chemical company, has expanded its dispersible silica production unit at Chicago Heights, Illinois,...
AMRI strikes manufacturing deal with Revolymer
Albany Molecular Research (AMRI) has signed a three-year manufacturing and supply agreement with UK-based technology development company Revolymer, which designs, develops and formulates...
Lanxess buys biocides business in US
German-based specialty chemicals company, Lanxess, has acquired biocide maker Verichem to expand its biocide manufacturing platform in the...
Jacobs wins Sadara Chemical contract
Jacobs Engineering Group has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction management contract by Sadara Chemical for the company's Chemicals 1...
Dow and Mitsui form joint venture for bio-ethanol production
US-based Dow and Japan's Mitsui have formed a 50:50 Joint Venture (JV) in Brazil, to develop sugar cane-derived ethanol for use as a renewable feedstock...
Mitsubishi Rayon to develop renewable feedstock for methyl methacrylate
Mitsubishi Rayon and its subsidiary group Lucite International are jointly developing alternative renewable feedstock sources for the production of methyl...
Arkema to acquire Seppic alcoxylate business
Arkema is planning to acquire Seppic's speciality alcoxylate business, which generated sales of €47m in...
Indian chemical firm plans to expand manufacturing units
Balaji Amines, a manufacturer of speciality chemicals, is set to invest Rs700m ($14m) to expand its manufacturing facilities in Solapur, Maharashtra,...
Monument Chemicals to buy Hercules lubricant business
Ashland subsidiary Hercules has entered into a definitive agreement to divest its aviation and refrigerant lubricants business to Monument...
BioAmber and Mitsui join forces for succinic acid and 1,4 butanediol projects
BioAmber has partnered with Mitsui to build and operate a biosuccinic acid and 1,4 butanediol manufacturing facility in Sarnia, Ontario,...
Air Liquide opens new air separation unit in US
Air Liquide Industrial has opened a new air separation unit at its facility in Rancho Cucamonga, California,...
Kiri Industries acquires Taiwanese chemical distribution firm
India's Kiri Industries, a manufacturer of dyes and dye intermediates formerly known as Kiri Dyes & Chemicals, has acquired the Taiwan-based chemical distribution firm SMS Chemical for...
Ellba and Shell lift force majeure on styrene monomer supplies
Singapore-based Ellba Eastern and Shell Singapore have lifted their force majeure on styrene monomer...
Ajinomoto to expand feed-use amino acids capacity
Ajinomoto Animal Nutrition Group is planning to expand the production capacity of feed-use amino...
Sinopec Group acquires majority stake in Pecten Cameroon
Royal Dutch Shell has sold its 80% stake in Pecten Cameroon to Addax Petroleum, a unit of Sinopec, for...
BASF to increase Neopor capacity
BASF is planning to expand the production capacity of its insulation material Neopor (expanded polystyrene) at its site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, by around...
Lubrizol to acquire thermoplastic polyurethanes maker
Lubrizol has signed an agreement to acquire Merquinsa, a European producer of speciality thermoplastic polyurethanes, to strengthen its engineered polymers...
FMC hikes soda ash prices in South Africa
FMC Wyoming has said that it will increase the price of its Grade 260 'dense' soda ash by $20 per ton for South African...
EcoSynthetix commissions new Biolatex production line
EcoSynthetix, a renewable chemicals company, has commissioned a new EcoSphere Biolatex production line within its existing facility in Oosterhout, the...
Eastman acquires TetraVitae Bioscience
Eastman Chemical's subsidiary Eastman Renewable Materials has acquired the assets of US-based TetraVitae...
Huntsman sells stereolithography and Digitalis machine manufacturing businesses
Huntsman's Advanced Materials division has sold its stereolithography resin and Digitalis machine manufacturing businesses to 3D Systems for $41m in...
Formosa to restart styrene monomer units
Taiwan's Formosa Chemicals & Fibre is planning to restart its No 1 and No 2 styrene monomer plants at Mailiao by the end of the...
Haverhill buys Sunoco phenol facility
Haverhill Chemicals, an affiliate of Goradia Capital, has acquired Sunoco's manufacturing facility in Haverhill, Ohio,...
Saudi firm to build soda ash and calcium chloride complex
Saudi-based Idea Soda Ash and Calcium Chloride has announced that it will build a SAR1.1bn ($293m) soda ash and calcium chloride production facility in...
Dow hikes polyethylene resin prices
Dow Europe has raised the prices of all grades of its LDPE, linear LDPE and HDPE resins by €100 per ton across the European, Middle Eastern and African...
Jacobs wins German Oxea ester plant contract
Jacobs Engineering has been awarded a contract by Oxea to provide detailed engineering, procurement and support services for a new ester production facility in Oberhausen,...
Praxair buys American Gas Group
Praxair subsidiary Praxair Distribution has acquired American Gas Group, whose assets include Specialty Gases of America, American Specialty Gases and Semiconductor...
XLX Fertiliser to build urea-based compound fertiliser plant
China XLX Fertiliser is planning to invest 15m yuan ($2.3m) to build a 150,000t/year urea-based compound fertiliser plant near its second urea...
Kuraray to increase ethylene vinyl alcohol resin capacity
Kuraray America will invest 4bn yen ($51m) to expand production capacity of ethylene vinyl alcohol resin, sold under the brand name Eval, at its facility in Pasadena, Texas,...
Hackers target chemical firms
Hackers have targeted about 50 organisations, including chemical and defence companies, in a global wave of cyber-attacks that has been traced to China, security provider Symantec said in a...
Maire Tecnimont wins Egyptian fertiliser plant contract
Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) has awarded an EGP700m ($120m) contract to Maire Tecnimont to execute civil, electromechanical and erection works for Egyptian Chemical Industries...
SABIC awards energy optimisation project to Toyo
Toyo Engineering has been awarded an energy optimisation project for SABIC's existing ammonia plant and package boilers at Al-Jubail Fertilizer (Al-Bayroni) in Saudi...
Oman Oil plans sulphur bentonite fertiliser expansion
Takamul Investment, the downstream investment arm of Oman Oil, is planning to double the capacity of its sulphur bentonite fertiliser project in Sohar by...
Davy and Dow license oxo alcohols technology to Chinese plant
Davy Process Technology and Dow Chemical's oxygenated solvents business have licensed their LP Oxo Selector technology to Wison (Nanjing) Clean Energy's new oxo alcohols plant in...
Amyris and Method partner to produce renewable ingredients
Renewable chemicals and fuels company Amyris has signed an agreement with Method Products to develop renewable ingredients from...
Incitec to conduct feasibility study on ammonium nitrate plant
Incitec Pivot will conduct a feasibility study to construct an ammonium nitrate plant at its fertiliser facility in Newcastle, New South Wales,...
DuPont Teijin Films to increase polyester film capacity in China
DuPont Teijin Films, a 50:50 polyester films joint venture between Teijin and DuPont, is set to increase production at DuPont Hongji Films Foshan in Guangdong Province,...
Oxea to construct first chemical plant in China
German-based Oxea is planning to build a chemical plant for the production of oxo derivatives in Nanjing, China, in...
Shanghai Petrochemical reports improved operating income
Shanghai Petrochemical has reported the unaudited operating results of the company and its subsidiaries for the nine-month period ending 30 September...
October 2011
Top
Nuplex to buy Viverso German operations
Nuplex Industries, a polymer resins manufacturer, has entered into a binding agreement to buy Viverso's operations and product groups in Germany from Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) for...
AkzoNobel plans to expand coatings business
Paints and coatings company AkzoNobel is set to invest around €60m to expand the production capacity of its automotive and aerospace coatings business in China to meet rising...
CB&I licenses technology for olefin units
CB&I's Lummus Technology business has been awarded a contract by China Coal Shaanxi Yulin Energy & Chemical to provide licence and engineering design for two light olefins recovery units in...
Evonik to buy Kemira hydrogen peroxide plant
Water chemistry company Kemira has signed a contract to sell its Canadian hydrogen peroxide unit in Maitland to...
Linde opens new air separation plant in Korea
The Linde Group has opened a KRW206bn ($180m) air separation plant in Giheung, South...
Cytec plans phosphine capacity expansion
Cytec Industries is planning to invest around $125m to double its phosphine capacity, to meet the growing demand for the company's phosphine and mining chemical...
Crest Chemicals acquires assets in South Africa
Crest Chemicals, a joint venture between Brenntag and AECI, has acquired the assets of South African caustic soda importer WK...
India levies anti-dumping duty on imported rubber chemical
India's finance ministry has imposed an anti-dumping duty of up to $0.23/kg on all imports of MBTS dibenzothiazole disulphide from China, for a period of five...
GE and Penrice consortium to build brine pilot plant in Australia
The GE and Penrice consortium has formed an agreement with Australian coal seam gas producer QGC to design, build and operate a brine pilot plant at Penrice's chemical works in Osborne,...
Lukoil commences construction of gas chemical facility in Russia
Lukoil has commenced construction works on a gas processing plant in Stavropol Territory,...
EBX and Orascom to build fertiliser plant
Brazil's EBX Group is planning to build a $3bn nitrogen-based fertiliser complex in Açu Superport in Brazil, in collaboration with Egypt's Orascom Construction...
Israel Chemicals acquires remaining stake in Nutrisi
Fertiliser and speciality chemical maker Israel Chemicals has signed a deal to acquire a further 50% stake in Nutrisi Holdings, bringing its stake to...
Tianjin Soda begins methanol plant operations
China's Tianjin Soda has commenced operations at its new 500,000 metric tonne per year methanol plant in the Binhai harbour industrial area in northeastern...
DEA issues emergency ban for bath salt chemical
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a temporary ban on three synthetic stimulants used to make products marketed as bath salts and plant...
Hamdi Plans $1.4bn chemical plant in Jordan
Al Hamdi Group, a Saudi Arabian mining company, is set to build a $1.4bn chemical plant in...
BioAmber and Lanxess to develop renewable non-phthalate plasticisers
Lanxess and BioAmber have entered into a joint development agreement for renewable and non-phthalate succinic acid based...
Rhodia and Cobalt join forces to develop bio n-butanol plants
Rhodia has executed a memorandum of understanding with Cobalt Technologies to develop bio n-butanol refineries throughout Latin...
Badger to provide technology for Chinese cumene plant
Badger Licensing has been awarded a contract by Lihuayi Weiyuan Chemical to provide its proprietary technology for a 300,000t/year grassroots cumene plant in Dongying City, Shandong Province,...
ETH and Amyris form Biofene joint venture in Brazil
Amyris and ETH Bioenergia have signed a memorandum of understanding to form of a joint venture to produce Biofene in...
Ineos licenses polypropylene technology for Sinopec project
Ineos Technologies has licensed its Innovene polypropylene process to Sinopec Maoming for the manufacture of polypropylene homopolymers, random copolymers and impact copolymers in Maoming...
PPG finalises deal to acquire Dyrup
PPG Industries has finalised a purchase agreement to acquire European coatings company Dyrup for around €115m...
Wacker and Dow open joint silica plant in China
Wacker Chemie and Dow Corning have opened a $1.8bn joint pyrogenic silica plant in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province,...
Rhodia expands production capacities at Chinese plant
Rhodia, a member of the Solvay group, has constructed three new production units for Novecare's speciality surfactants and polymers, and Aroma Performance's Guaiacol and IsoBornyl...
Indian chemical company to build new SSP plant
Indian chemicals and fertilisers maker, Chambal Fertilisers & Chemicals, will invest $24.7m to set up a single super phosphate (SSP) plant at Dahej in the Bharuch district of Gujarat, India....
Enterprise begins new NGL fractionator operations
Enterprise Products Partners has begun operations of the new fifth natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionator at its Mont Belvieu, Texas, US,...
Arkema awards EPCM contract to Jacobs
Jacobs Engineering Group has been awarded a contract by French chemicals maker Arkema to provide engineering procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for two new projects at...
China imposes anti-dumping tax on caprolactam imports
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said it will impose an anti-dumping tax on imports of caprolactam from the EU and the US for a period of five years, effective from 22 October...
POSCO Engineering wins polymers compounding plant contract
Saudi International Petrochemical (Sipchem) and Hanwha Chemical's affiliate Gulf Advanced Cable Insulation has awarded an Engineering Design, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for...
Yule Catto acquires Malaysian aqueous polymers producer
UK-based Yule Catto has acquired Quality Polymer, a Malaysian aqueous polymer producer from Nippon Paint Malaysia for...
SOCC breaks ground on Jubail aluminum alkyls facility
Saudi Organometallic Chemicals (SOCC), a 50-50 joint venture (JV) company owned by Albemarle Netherlands and SABIC affiliate Speciality Chem, has broken ground on a new aluminum...
PolyOne forms Saudi colour concentrates JV
Specialised polymer materials, services and solutions provider, PolyOne, has signed an agreement to form a joint venture (JV) with Saudi Arabia's E.A. Juffali & Brothers, that will enable...
Kemira restarts polyaluminium chloride production in Austria
Kemira, a water chemistry company, has restarted the production of polyaluminum chloride at the Krems production site in Austria due to the increasing demand for water treatment in Central...
KPC plans to sell minority stake in Sinopec JV
Kuwait Petroleum (KPC) is planning to sell around 20% of its stake in a $9bn joint project with Sinopec in China to an international oil...
ChemChina acquires majority stake in Makhteshim Agan
China National Chemical's (ChemChina) subsidiary China National Agrochemical has acquired 60% of shares in Israel's Makhteshim Agan Group (MAI), while the other 40% remain owned by Koor...
China Chemical to merge with NSH subsidiary
China Chemical (CHCC) has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which it will be merged with a subsidiary of New Source Holding (NSH), an entity created by certain stockholders of...
DuPont seeks buyers for Teijin venture
US-based chemical maker DuPont is seeking buyers for the sale of DuPont Teijin Films, a polyester-film joint venture and a business that makes powder-based...
Chemtex, GraalBio to build cellulosic ethanol plant in Brazil
Brazilian biofuels and biochemicals company GraalBio Investimentos and Chemtex Italia have entered into collaboration for the development and construction of the first industrial scale...
Petron plans to sell Bataan refinery
Philippine refiner Petron is set to sell its 180,000 barrel a day complex at Limay in Bataan to the government to stabilise prices and secure the supply of petroleum products in the domestic...
M&G partners TPG to form Beta renewables JV
Gruppo Mossi and Ghisolfi (M&G), through its wholly-owned subsidiary Chemtex, has formed a joint venture (JV) company, Beta renewables, with TPG Capital and TPG Biotech to produce second...
CNPC, Qatar, Shell sign agreement on Taizhou refining complex
China National Petroleum (CNPC), Qatar Petroleum International and Royal Dutch Shell have signed a framework deal to build a joint refining and petrochemical complex in...
Yantai Wanhua to start new propylene, isobutane plants
China's Yantai Wanhua Polyurethanes is planning to start up a new propylene plant at Yantai, in Shandong province, in...
Evonik to build isophorone plants in China
Evonik Industries is set to invest €100m to build world-scale plants to produce isophorone and isophorone diamine in Shanghai,...
Lanxess Acquires Phthalate-free Plasticiser Maker
German chemical company Lanxess has agreed to acquire Unitex Chemical in Greensboro, North Carolina, US, to strengthen its global phthalate-free plasticiser...
Shell's non-phosgene DPC manufacturing process moves closer to commercialisation
Shell Chemicals has said it is “very close” to commercialising a less costly process of producing diphenyl carbonate (DPC) which avoids using the highly toxic chemical compound phosgene....
BASF plans superabsorbent polymer capacity expansion
BASF has said that it is planning to increase the capacity of superabsorbent polymers with investments in local production sites in fast-growing emerging...
PTTGC acquires 50% stake in NatureWorks
PTT Chemical said its PTTGC International USA subsidiary has signed an agreement to acquire a 50% stake in US-based biopolymer company, NatureWorks for 4,572m Baht ($150m)....
Technip secures lubricant base stock contract
Technip has been awarded a project management, detailed engineering, procurement, and construction contract by ExxonMobil Chemical for a grassroots lubricant base stock facility....
BASF-Sinopec joint venture completes first phase of expansion
BASF-YPC, the 50:50 petrochemical joint venture of BASF and Sinopec, said that operations have begun at the first production facilities at its $1.4bn expansion project in Nanjing,...
AkzoNobel to expand surfactants capacity
Dutch-based AkzoNobel is planning to invest $20m to increase surfactants capacity at its surface chemistry plants in Itupeva, Brazil, and Morris, US, over the next two...
Keyuan completes styrene-butadiene-styrene facility
Keyuan Petrochemicals has completed the construction of its new 70,000t/year styrene-butadiene-styrene production facility located in Ningbo, Zhejiang...
Sibur and Sinopec plan nitrile rubber joint venture
Sinopec has entered into a memorandum of extended cooperation with Russian firm Sibur regarding the possible formation of two joint ventures to produce butadiene nitrile rubber in...
Cardiovascular CRO selects Datatrak software suite
Datatrak International has entered into collaboration with a cardiovascular academic contract research organization (CRO) for three clinical trial...
Merrimack begins patient enrollment for MM-121 trial in HER2-negative breast cancer patients
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals has initiated patient enrollment in randomized Phase 2 clinical trial of MM-121 with Paclitaxel in HER2-negative breast cancer...
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries consortium wins Malaysian fertiliser contract
Malaysian petrochemicals producer Petronas Chemicals has awarded the basic and detailed engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning alliance contract for its $1.5m fertiliser...
Saudi Aramco and Dow sign joint venture for Jubail chemical complex
Saudi Aramco has signed a joint venture agreement with Dow Chemical for an integrated chemicals complex in Jubail Industrial...
Linde to build nitrous oxide plant in South Korea
Linde Korea is planning to build a new 5,200t/year nitrous oxide gas production plant at Asan Industrial Complex in South...
Solutia to buy Southwall Technologies
Solutia, a performance materials and speciality chemicals company, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Southwall Technologies for a purchase price of approximately...
Anteco Pharma to expand manufacturing facility
US-based Anteco Pharma is all set to expand its manufacturing facility in the city of Lodi,...
FMC acquires RheinPerChemie persulphates business
FMC has completed its acquisition of the European persulphates business of RheinPerChemie from...
DuPont opens Kevlar plant in South Carolina
DuPont has begun operations at its $500m Cooper River Kevlar facility near Charleston, South Carolina,...
India imposes anti-dumping duty on imported caustic soda
India's Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties has imposed an anti-dumping duty of $366 per dry metric ton on imports of caustic soda from South...
Milliken acquires speciality silicones maker
Milliken has completed the acquisition of SiVance, a privately-held provider of speciality silane, silicone and siloxane...
Japan approves Vitrolife aspiration needles, micro pipettes
Vitrolife has received Japanese regulatory approval for its aspiration needles and micro pipettes to treat human...
Dow plans feasibility study to build EPDM plant
Dow Chemical is planning to initiate a feasibility study for the construction of a world-scale plant for the production of metallocene ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), sold under...
Dow and Solvay joint venture starts hydrogen peroxide plant in Thailand
Solvay's hydrogen peroxide joint venture with Dow Chemical, MTP HP (Thailand), has commissioned a hydrogen peroxide plant in Map Ta...
Punj Lloyd wins Qatar Solar Technologies polysilicon plant contract
India-based engineering and construction company Punj Lloyd has secured an engineering, procurement and construction contract from Qatar Solar Technologies to set up a polysilicon plant in...
Evonik to build hydrogen peroxide plant in China
Germany-based Evonik Industries is planning to invest more than €100m to build a new hydrogen peroxide production plant in Jilin province, northeastern...
ICL acquires phosphate products firm Halox
ICL Performance Products has acquired Halox, a division of US-based Hammond...
AZ Electronic Materials buys Clariant polysilazane coatings business
Swiss-based Clariant has divested its polysilazane coatings business, including the production site in India, to AZ Electronic Materials (AZ) for a consideration of approximately...
Rhodia to produce rare earth formulations in China
Rhodia said it is commissioning a new production unit at Liyang in Jiangsu Province, China, to produce rare earth-based compounds for the local automotive catalysis...
Dow, Oxychem plan to jointly produce chlorocarbon
US-based Dow Chemical and Occidental Chemical (OxyChem) is set to form a joint venture (JV) to manufacture and market a new chlorocarbon solution to meet the growing demand for...
CDRI, NITD to develop Tuberculosis treatment
The Chemical Diversity Research Institute (CDRI) has signed collaboration and license option agreement with Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD) in Singapore to develop...
Eastman to expand non-phthalate plasticiser capacity
US-based Eastman Chemical said it will increase the capacity of Eastman 168, a non-phthalate plasticiser at its Kingsport, Tennessee, US, site by around 6,000 tons a...
Saudi Polymers to commence Jubail polyolefins complex operations
Saudi Polymers is planning to start operations at its new integrated polyolefins complex in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, within a month, after pending ongoing safety...
PolyOne to acquire ColorMatrix
PolyOne, a global provider of specialised polymer materials, has entered into an agreement to acquire US-based ColorMatrix, a manufacturer of specialty liquid colorants, additives and...
Quaker buys metalworking lubricants firm
Quaker Chemical has acquired GW Smith & Sons, a die cast lubricants and metalworking fluid maker with annual sales of approximately...
Oxea expands Syngas capacity in Texas
Oxea, a global chemical manufacturer of oxo intermediates and oxo derivatives, has increased the capacity of Syngas at its Bay City plant in Texas, US, by...
Shell declares force majeure at Singapore plant
Oil major Royal Dutch Shell has declared force majeure on its naphtha supplies to some of its customers following a fire at its chemical complex in...
Sinopec begins first phase coal-based petchemical project
China's petrochemical Sinopec Group and the provincial government of Guizhou have invested CNY18bn ($2.8bn) for the first phase of a coal-based petrochemical project in Qianxinan city,...
NAFAS to increase fertiliser capacity in Malaysia
The National Farmers Association (NAFAS) is planning to start the second phase of its Petronas Fertiliser Kedah (PFK) fertiliser plant expansion project in Gurun, Kedah, Malaysia, to...
Air Products acquires minority stake in AHG gases and equipment businesses
Air Products has agreed to acquire a 25% stake in the gases and equipment businesses of Abdullah Hashim Industrial Gases & Equipment (AHG), based in The Kingdom of Saudi...
Braskem to buy Dow PP business
US-based Dow Chemical has completed the sale of Dow's global Polypropylene (PP) business to Brazil's...
DSM buys majority stake in ICD
Netherlands-based Royal DSM has acquired a 91.75% stake in China's Shandong ICD High Performance...
Evonik, RusBiotech JV to produce L-lysine in Russia
Evonik Industries and Russia-based RusBiotech International have formed a joint venture (JV) company, named Russkie Biotechnologii, for the manufacture of L-lysine in...
EPA provides health assessment for TCE
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the final health assessment for trichloroethylene (TCE) to the integrated risk information system (IRIS)...
France agrees Lonza acquisition of Arch chemicals
Swiss-based Lonza Group has received antitrust clearance from the Autorité de la Concurrence in France for its tender offer, through its wholly owned subsidiary LG Acquisition, for all...
Protex acquires paper chemicals firm
France-based Synthron's parent company, Protex International has acquired US-based paper chemicals company Northern Specialty...
Dow Chemical, K2 Pure Solutions open new chlor-alkali plant
US-based Dow Chemical and K2 Pure Solutions have begun operating a new chlor-alkali plant at Dow's Pittsburg site, California,...
September 2011
Top
BASF to open new chemical mechanical planarisation plant in Taiwan
BASF plans to start a new production plant for chemical mechanical planarisation products at its KuanYin site in Taoyuan, Taiwan, to serve the semiconductor...
Amyris joins Michelin to develop renewable isoprene
Renewable chemical and fuel company Amyris has has signed a definitive agreement with Michelin to jointly develop and commercialise Amyris No Compromise renewable...
LyondellBasell to shut French refinery
Netherlands-based LyondellBasell intends to close its 105,000 barrels-per-day refinery in Berre, France, following an unsuccessful attempt to sell...
Nuplex to acquire Acquos Masterbatch business
Nuplex Industries, a manufacturer of polymer resins, is set to acquire Acquos' Masterbatch business for A$23.5m (US$23.2m), following regulatory clearance from the Australian Competition...
COG, Apeiron to conduct APN301 trial in neuroblastoma patients
Children´s Oncology Group (COG) and Apeiron Biologics AG (Apeiron) will
jointly investigate Apeiron´s APN301 in a clinical phase II study in pediatric neuroblastoma...
Health Inventures, Sansum Clinic to develop ambulatory surgery center
Health Inventures has entered into a collaboration agreement with a nonprofit outpatient healthcare organization - Sansum Clinic to develop and operate a new ambulatory surgery center (ASC)...
PerkinElmer launches new cellular imaging software version
PerkinElmer has introduced Volocity 6.0, a new version of the company's 3D cellular imaging...
Aramco awards Jazan refinery and aromatics complex contract to Axens
Saudi Aramco has awarded a contract to Axens to provide its process technologies for its Jazan refinery and terminal project, as well as the associated aromatics...
Air Products to expand nitrogen capacity in Korea
Air Products plans to build a new nitrogen plant at its site in Cheonan Industrial Complex, South Chungcheong province, Korea to serve increasing demand from the electronics...
BASF to sell fertiliser business to EuroChem
Germany's BASF has signed a contract with Russia-based EuroChem to sell its fertiliser activities in Antwerp,...
Tronox to acquire Exxaro mineral sands operations
US-based chemical company Tronox has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Exxaro mineral sands operations, which produce the titanium bearing ore feedstock used in the production of...
Telstar supplies lyophilization system to Zambon, R-Pharm
Telstar has supplied two integrated systems for lyophilization of aseptic pharmaceutical product in vials to Italy-based Zambon and Russia-based...
SOCAR to build $15bn petrochemical complex in Azerbaijan
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) is planning to set up a $15bn petrochemicals complex in the...
CPC restarts steam cracker at 85-90% capacity
Taiwan's CPC is running its No. 5 naphtha-fed steam cracker in Kaohsiung at around 85-90% of capacity, following its...
Jacobs Engineering wins two plant contracts from Office Cherifien des Phosphates
Moroccan phosphate producer Office Cherifien des Phosphates has selected Jacobs Engineering to provide engineering, procurement and construction management services for two new diammonium...
HPCL to perform feasibility study at refinery and petrochemical project
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is seeking bids to conduct a feasibility study for a refinery and petrochemical project at Visakhapatnam in southern...
PPG to expand precipitated silica capacity
PPG Industries plans to increase the precipitated silica production capacity by more than 18,000 tonnes per year to meet the growing...
EPA fines chemical company for violations
John R Hess & Company has agreed to pay a penalty of $23,400 to settle claims by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to appropriately report chemicals used on its site...
China's propylene imports ramp up in August
China's propylene imports rose by 40% to 145,649 metric tonne in August 2011, from the 103,703 metric tonne in the same month of 2010, Chinese customs report...
Tata Chemicals, Church & Dwight and FMC to form dry sorbent joint venture
Tata Chemicals, Church & Dwight and FMC have signed a definitive agreement to jointly manufacture and market sodium-based, dry sorbents for air pollution control in electric utility and...
Badger bags contracts for LG Chem cumene and bisphenol A projects
Badger Licensing has been awarded a contract by LG Chem to license its proprietary technology for a 200,000t/year cumene plant and a 120,000t/year bisphenol A plant in Daesan, South...
ExxonMobil to build synthetic lubricant base stock plant in US
ExxonMobil Chemical plans to build a metallocene polyalphaolefin synthetic lubricant base stock plant at its integrated refining and chemical complex in Baytown, Texas,...
Lanxess to produce bio-based EPDM rubber
German speciality chemical company Lanxess has announced that it plans to commercially produce ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) from bio-based ethylene by the end of...
India imposes anti-dumping duty on morpholine imports
India's Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties has imposed an anti-dumping duty of up to $0.81/kg on imports of morpholine from China, the US and European...
Sinopec cuts butadiene prices in east and south China
Sinopec has lowered butadiene prices in the eastern and southern provinces of China by 1,000 yuan per ton ($157/t) to 26,000 yuan per ton ($4,073/t) in...
India explores provisional import duties on soda ash
India's Directorate General of Anti-Dumping & Allied Duties, part of the commerce ministry, has proposed to impose anti-dumping duties ranging from $11.55/t to $38.38/t on imports of soda ash...
Williams plans Geismar ethylene capacity expansion
US-based natural gas company Williams said that its Board of Directors has approved an expansion of its Geismar olefins production...
Indorama Ventures to acquire Wellman's recycling and fibre manufacturing businesses
Thailand's Indorama Ventures has signed a definitive share purchase agreement to acquire Wellman International's European recycling and fibre manufacturing businesses from...
SK Engineering and Construction to build $3.5bn petrochemical plant in Egypt
South Korea's SK Engineering and Construction has partnered with US-based Shaw Group and Egyptian firm Carbon Holdings to build a $3.5bn petrochemical plant in...
SCG to acquire minority stake in Chandra Asri
Siam Cement Group's subsidiary SCG Chemicals has agreed to buy a 30% stake in Indonesia's PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical for around THB13.5bn ($441m)....
Rotary Engineering secures chemical plant contract in Singapore
Rotary Engineering has secured a S$110m (US$87m) contract from Taiwan-based Chang Chun Group for the construction of the chemical plant on Jurong Island,...
EPA fines Maine facility for unsafe hazardous chemical storage
Monson Companies has been fined $151,900 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the improper storage of hazardous materials, in violation of federal and state...
Berkshire Hathaway completes Lubrizol-acquisition
Berkshire Hathaway has completed the acquisition of US-based speciality chemical company Lubrizol for $135 per share in an all-cash...
Cabot opens masterbatch plant in China
US-based speciality chemical and performance materials company Cabot has commenced operations at its new $20m black masterbatch plant in Tianjin,...
Bharat Petroleum plans petrochemical project in southern India
Bharat Petroleum has planned for an Rs50-60bn ($1.04-1.25bn) petrochemical project that will be linked with its Kochi refinery in southern...
Technip secures fertiliser plant contract in Brazil
Technip has been awarded a basic and front-end engineering services contract by Petrobras for its grassroots fertiliser complex at Uberaba,...
Enerkem signs offtake agreement with Methanex
Canadian biofuels and chemicals maker Enerkem has entered into an offtake agreement with Methanex for the sale of methanol to be produced at Enerkem's facility in Edmonton, Alberta,...
Evonik plans for new biodiesel plant in Argentina
Germany-based Evonik Industries is set to build a new plant for manufacturing catalysts for biodiesel production in Argentina. The plant will have a capacity of 60,000t/year and is expected...
India levies anti-dumping duty on Chinese para-nitroaniline
India's Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties has imposed an anti-dumping duty of up to $0.26/kg on imports of para-nitroaniline from China. The duty will range from $0.09/kg...
Chevron Phillips Chemical subsidiary to buy Neste Oil polyalphaolefin plant
Chevron Phillips Chemical International, a subsidiary of Chevron Phillips Chemical, has entered into an agreement to acquire a polyalphaolefin plant located in Beringen, Belgium, from Neste Oil. ...
BioAmber to build polybutylene succinate plant for PTTMCC
BioAmber has agreed to build a polybutylene succinate plant in Thailand in 2012 and supply PTTMCC Biochem, a joint venture between PTT and Mitsubishi Chemical, with biobased succinic acid on...
Huntsman to increase epoxy resins capacity in US
Huntsman, a maker and distributor of differentiated chemicals, has commenced an in-depth engineering study at its facility in McIntosh, Alabama, US, as part of plans to expand its...
Huachang Chemical and Oriental Energy to set up joint venture in China
Jiangsu Huachang Chemical, a maker of basic chemicals, fine chemicals and biochemicals, has signed agreements with Jiangsu Feixiang Chemical and Oriental Energy to set up a joint venture. ...
Braskem hikes domestic polyethylene offer prices
Brazilian polyethylene producer Braskem has increased domestic polyethylene prices for September by R$200-250 per ton (US$117.27-146.60 per ton) due to the 9.5% rise of the US dollar. Prices...
Chevron Phillips and Sumitomo to close Texas polypropylene plant
Chevron Phillips Chemical and Sumika Polymers America are set to permanently shut down the polypropylene assets of Phillips Sumika Polypropylene, their joint venture company, and wind-up...
Formosa Plastics to restart linear LDPE unit
Taiwan's Formosa Plastics is set to restart its 260,000t/year linear LDPE unit in Mailiao, which was shut down in August 2011 following cut in ethylene feedstock. The company's...
Sasol to build gas-to-liquids facility in the US
South African energy and chemicals group Sasol has selected the southwestern region of the State of Louisiana as the site for a planned gas-to-liquids facility in the US. Construction...
Poullaides begins construction on BASF antioxidant plant in Bahrain
Poullaides Construction Company has begun construction work on the new BASF customer specific antioxidant blends plant in Bahrain International Investment Park. According to gulf daily...
Showa Denko plans chloroprene rubber price hike
Japan's Showa Denko has decided to raise its chloroprene rubber price in markets outside of the country, effective from 1 October 2011. Prices will be increased by at least $600 per...
Joint venture selects Technip for Gabon fertiliser project
Gabon Fertiliser Company, a joint venture between Tata Chemicals, Olam International and the Government of the Republic of Gabon, has signed a pre-construction services agreement with Technip...
Satorp to open refinery in 2013
Saudi Aramco Total Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (Satorp) plans to start up its new Jubail refinery in Saudi Arabia in December 2013. Satorp CEO Fawwaz Nawwab has said that...
EFCG approves FDA Generic Drug Use Fees Act
European Fine Chemicals Group (EFCG), the representative body for European manufacturers of fine chemicals, has approved a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal to put forward...
Lanka Phosphate to buy fertiliser plant
Lanka Phosphate is planning to buy a Rs40m ($0.84m) fertiliser plant to increase fertiliser production. The demand for fertiliser has increased in Sri Lanka due to the issuing of...
Sasol reports 27% rise in earnings
South African petrochemicals group Sasol posted a 27% rise in full-year earnings to R33.85 for the year ending 30 June 2011, boosted by cost cuts and higher oil and product prices. ...
Fujian Meide to begin petrochemical unit operations in 2014
China's Fujian Meide Petrochemical, a wholly owned subsidiary of China Packing Group, plans to start operations at a new propane dehydrogenation unit at Fujian province in 2014. The new...
Lonza subsidiary extends tender offer to acquire Arch Chemicals
LG Acquisition, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Lonza Group, has extended the expiration date for its previously announced tender offer for all outstanding shares of biocides maker...
EPA fines Missouri chemical plant over Clean Air Act violations
US-based chemical company Hercules has agreed to pay a $245,521 civil penalty to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for violating the Clean Air Act's leak detection and...
Chinese chemical company suspends cracker and downstream plants
China's Shanghai SECCO Petrochemical has halted operations at its 1.2 million tons a year naphtha cracker and several downstream plants following a blast at an olefins pipeline. The...
UOP to provide propylene technology to Chinese petrochemical firm
Honeywell company UOP has agreed to provide technology to Fujian Meide Petrochemical's new propane dehydrogenation unit in Fujian province, China. The p unit will use UOP's C3...
Eastman to expand plasticiser capacity in Estonia
Eastman Chemical has planned a second expansion of its Benzoflex plasticiser line at the Kohtla-Järve site in Estonia. The project will increase Benzoflex capacity by 11,000t and...
Dow Chemical increases 2-EHA production capacity
Dow Chemical's performance monomers business has increased the production capacity of 2-ethyl hexyl acrylate (2-EHA) at its facility in Hahnville, Louisiana, US, by 15%. Chad Holzer,...
CaliSolar to construct polysilicon plant in Mississippi
California-based CaliSolar is set to construct a polysilicon manufacturing plant in Mississippi, US, at an estimated cost of $600m. The plant will produce about 16,000t of polysilicon a year...
Ineos licenses polypropylene technology to Chinese plant
China's Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group has selected Ineos Technologies' Innovene polypropylene process to manufacture polypropylene homopolymers, random copolymers and impact copolymers. ...
Lanxess to expand thionyl chloride capacity in India
Lanxess plans to increase production of thionyl chloride by 20% at its Nagda plant in Madhya Pradesh, India. Thionyl chloride is used in the manufacturing of agrochemicals, dyestuffs,...
Praxair plans to build air separation plant in India
Industrial and medical gases supplier Praxair India, a subsidiary of Praxair, is to build an air separation plant in the Pune-Mumbai industrial corridor of western India. The plant will have...
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Suhail Bahwan Group form Indian joint venture
Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Suhail Bahwan Group of Oman have set up a joint venture engineering company in India, named MHI Engineering and Industrial Projects. MEIP will...
Evonik to double L-lysine capacity in US
Germany's Evonik Industries is planning to double amino acid L-lysine production at its plant in Blair, Nebraska, US. The plant is expected to produce 280,000t/year of L-lysine and is...
Perstorp doubles Capa caprolactone plant production capacity in UK
Speciality chemicals company Perstorp has doubled production capacity of its Capa caprolactone plant in Warrington, UK. Caprolactones are used in applications such as resin...
Iran explores petrochemical collaborations for port city
The Iranian Government is in talks with investors across Asia to form petrochemical joint ventures in south-eastern port city Chabahar. Authorities hope to establish methanol, urea and...
Phosagro plans gas-chemical complex in Russia
Russian fertiliser group Phosagro plans to invest in a new $2.5bn gas-fired chemical plant in Cherepovets, Russia. Phosagro chief executive Maxim Volkov told Reuters the new plant will...
Dia-Nitrix cuts acrylonitrile operating rates
Japan's Dia-Nitrix has cut the operating rates for acrylonitrile at its 90,000t/year plant at Ohtake and 115,000t/year plant at Mizushima to 90% this month, down from 100% in August. The...
Lanxess to increase glass fibre capacity in Belgium
Speciality chemicals company Lanxess is investing €15m in its glass fibre plant in Antwerp, Belgium. The expansion involves the replacement of two glass furnaces and will see capacity...
Cyalume acquires JFC Technologies
Cyalume Technologies Holdings has acquired JFC Technologies' operations and certain related assets for a $5m consideration, split evenly between cash and stock plus an earn-out based on 2012...
Brenntag acquires UK-based speciality chemical distributor
Germany's Brenntag has acquired UK-based Multisol Group, which specialises in the distribution of high-value speciality chemicals. Multisol is a specialist in the distribution of...
CNOOC to restart Huizhou aromatics unit
China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) has announced that it will restart the 800,000t/year aromatics unit at its Huizhou refinery in November. The unit was shut down in July due...
Solutia obtains additional film manufacturing capacity in Taiwan
Performance materials and speciality chemicals company Solutia has obtained additional capacity for high-tech conductive film manufacturing from Taiwan's Aimcore Technology for approximately...
PhosChem strikes deal to supply diammonium phosphate to Indian customers
Phosphate Chemicals Export Association has reached an agreement on a price to supply approximately one million tons of diammonium phosphate to two Indian customers through to March 2012. ...
Eastman buys Brazilian company
US-based Eastman Chemical has acquired Brazil-based non-phthalate plasticiser manufacturer Scandiflex do Brasil Indústrias Químicas. Scandiflex's business and...
Vietnam Polystyrene to begin production at new plant in November
Vietnam Polystyrene plans to start production at its 60,000t/year polystyrene plant in Vung Tau City, Vietnam, in November 2011. The plant will produce both general purpose and...
Univar acquires Arinos Quimica
Univar has acquired Arinos Quimica, a distributor of speciality and commodity chemicals in Brazil. Arinos CEO Mateos Dias said that the combination will create synergies by providing...
DSM and Sinochem form anti-infectives joint venture
Royal DSM has formed a 50:50 joint venture with Sinochem involving DSM's anti-infectives business group. Under the agreement, Sinochem has taken the 50% equity interest in the business group...
Evonik to sell Dilavest business to Paramelt
Germany's Evonik Industries has signed an agreement to sell its Dilavest expansion wax business to industrial wax producer Paramelt. Dilavest expansion waxes are used in thermostatic...
Ineos licenses polypropylene technology to Yanchang Petroleum
UK-based Ineos Technologies has licensed its Innovene polypropylene process to the Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Yanan Energy and Chemical in China. The 300,000t/year Yanchang Petroleum plant...
DKSH acquires Australian speciality chemicals distributor
DKSH has entered into an agreement to acquire Melbourne-based Tiger Chemicals as part of plans to expand its presence in Australia and gain access to the New Zealand market. Tiger...
Jacobs wins Ras Tanura refinery contract
Jacobs Engineering has been awarded the second phase of the Ras Tanura refinery clean fuels and aromatics project under Saudi Aramco's general engineering and project management services contract....
Sinopec reports rise in first-half profit
Sinopec's first-half net profit rose 12% due to stronger contribution from its oil-production business, although its refining business posted an operating loss owing to rising fuel costs. ...
Sinopec to build petrochemical complex with consortium
Sinopec Group has signed an agreement with a consortium to build a $4.5bn petrochemical complex in Fujian, China. The consortium includes China Petrochemical Development, Ho Tung Chemical,...
European Chemicals Agency to identify 20 hazardous chemicals
The European Chemicals Agency is set to identify 20 chemicals as 'substances of very high concern' due to their potentially hazardous impact on health and the environment. The chemicals will...
KBR licenses Purifier technology to Indian firm
Global engineering, construction and services company KBR has been awarded a contract by India's Jaiprakash Associates, a Jaypee Group company, to provide licence and engineering design...
Mitsui alliance to establish fertiliser plant in Brunei
Mitsui & Co and Mitsui Chemicals consortium are planning to form a nitrogen fertiliser production joint venture with Brunei's state-run petroleum company to build a fertiliser plant at...
SK Global to build petrochemical plant in Singapore
South Korean chemicals maker SK Global Chemical is set to begin construction of a $2.4bn petrochemical plant on Singapore's Jurong Island. The new plant will produce around 2.6 million tons...
Sika to acquire Brazilian adhesives manufacturer
Swiss speciality chemical maker Sika is to acquire Colauto Adesivos e Massas, a manufacturer of adhesives and sealants as well as acoustic damping and structural reinforcement elements based...
August 2011
Top
Air Liquide licenses methanol-to-propylene technology to Chinese coal group
The engineering and construction division of Air Liquide has signed a contract with Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group to build a methanol-to-propylene plant in Ningdong, Ningxia province, China....
BioAmber to build biosuccinic acid plant in Canada
BioAmber has selected Ontario, Canada, as the site for a new biosuccinic acid plant. The plant will be built in Sarnia and will have an initial capacity of 17,000t. It will be commissioned...
PPG to form fibreglass joint venture with Indian firm
US-based coatings and speciality products company PPG Industries has signed a letter of intent with India's Harsha Exito Engineering Private to form a 50:50 joint venture to manufacture and...
Global Advanced Metals to buy Cabot's supermetals business
Global Advanced Metals has entered into an agreement to acquire the supermetals business of Cabot, a speciality chemicals and performance materials maker. Cabot Supermetals operates...
Momentive to expand silane capacity
Momentive Performance Materials has unveiled plans to expand its silane production capacity to help meet demand from its global customer base, particularly in China. The company intends...
Dow and Lehigh partner to develop sustainable tyres
Dow Chemical Company and Lehigh Technologies have partnered to develop sustainable materials for tyres. The programme will combine Dow's expertise in polymer chemistry with Lehigh's expertise...
LG Chem to build petrochemical complex in Kazakhstan
Korea-based LG Chem is planning to construct a $4bn petrochemical complex in Atyrau, Kazakhstan, in partnership with Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries. The project includes production...
Zeon Chemicals selects KBR for nitrile rubber plant expansion
Zeon Chemicals has awarded a construction management and services contract to KBR for its nitrile rubber plant expansion project in Texas, US. KBR will manage the first phase of Zeon's...
Qinghai selects Dow Unipol polypropylene technology
China's Qinghai Salt Lake Industry has selected Dow Chemical's Unipol polypropylene process technology for its new 160,000t/year polypropylene unit. The all gas-phase process for...
Anadarko awards contract for LNG plant study to KBR
Global engineering, construction and services company KBR has been awarded a contract by Anadarko Mozambique to perform a pre-FEED study for a prospective liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant...
Ashland acquires International Specialty Products
US-based Ashland has acquired International Specialty Products, a global speciality chemical manufacturer of functional ingredients and technologies, for $3.2bn. International...
Henkel to build new adhesives facility in China
Henkel has broken ground on a new 150,000m² adhesives facility in Shanghai Chemical Industry Park, China, as part of the overall strategy to expand its capacities in growth regions. ...
Solvay develops on-site fluorine gas production unit
Belgian chemical company Solvay is set to test a new electronic-grade fluorine gas production unit at its industrial site in Onsan, Korea. The equipment, which has a capacity of 100t...
Genomatica produces butadiene from renewable feedstock
Genomatica has produced pound quantities of butadiene, an important chemical in the production of tires, engineering polymers and latex products, from renewable feedstock. The new technology...
Formosa restarts crude distillation unit
Taiwan's Formosa Petrochemical has restarted one of the three crude distillation units at its 540,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery. The company shut the plant for safety reasons after a...
EPA fines US company for chemical reporting violations
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued John R Hess & Company with a $33,400 fine for failing to appropriately report chemicals used on site in violation of...
CNPC and NSFC join to establish petroleum and petrochemical fund
China National Petroleum (CNPC) has signed an agreement with the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) to jointly establish a united petroleum and petrochemical fund. As per...
Evonik begins construction of hexachlorodisilane facility in Germany
Germany-based Evonik Industries has begun construction of a second hexachlorodisilane production facility in Rheinfelden, Germany. Hexachlorodisilane is used to manufacture the memory chips...
Ashland gets European Commission clearance to acquire International Specialty Products
US speciality chemicals maker Ashland has received European Commission approval for its $3.2bn purchase of International Specialty Products. Ashland, a producer of Valvoline oil, expects...
BASF to build acrylic acid production facility in Brazil
Germany's BASF is set to invest in an acrylic acid, butyl acrylate and superabsorbent polymers manufacturing complex in Bahia, Brazil. The €500m investment is the largest investment...
Technip wins Qatari refinery EPC contract
France-based Technip has won an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the expansion of the Laffan Refinery, located in Ras Laffan, Qatar. According to Reuters,...
Nuplex to buy Acquos's Masterbatch business
Nuplex Industries has entered an agreement to acquire Australia-based Acquos's Masterbatch business. Nuplex expects the transaction to make a positive contribution to its earnings per share...
Novamont, Genomatica to build Europe's first butanediol plant
Bio-based chemicals manufacturer Genomatica has signed a letter of intent with Novamont to form a joint venture to build the first European butanediol plant. Novamont, a producer...
EU levies anti-dumping duties on US VAM imports
The European Commission has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on European Union (EU) imports of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) from the US. According to ChemWeek, the duties will be in...
Evonik, SAAC team up for superabsorbent production
Evonik Industries and Saudi Acrylic Acid Company (SAAC) have signed a joint venture agreement for the production of superabsorbent in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Acrylic Polymers...
Sumitomo, Jilin establish polypropylene joint venture in China
Sumitomo Chemical and China's Jilin Xindongtai Engineering Plastics have formed a 50-50 joint venture for the manufacture and sale of polypropylene for automotive applications in the suburbs...
Brenntag acquires majority stake in Zhong Yung Chemical
Germany's Brenntag has completed the acquisition of the first 51% stake in Zhong Yung Chemical as part of an agreement signed on 9 June 2011. The acquisition of the remaining stake is...
KBR licenses phenol technology to LG Chem plant in South Korea
Global engineering, construction and services company KBR has licensed its phenol technology to LG Chem's 240,000t per year phenol plant in Daesan, South Korea. The Daesan plant will be...
Zuari Industries to build speciality fertiliser plants in India
India-based Zuari Industries is to spend Rs450m ($9.9m) on setting up two soluble speciality fertiliser plants in Rajasthan and Orissa. The new plants, which will each have an annual...
Samsung Petrochemical brings forward Ulsan PTA production
Samsung Petrochemical is to begin production at its newly expanded 400,000t per year purified terephthalic acid (PTA) line in Ulsan, South Korea, earlier than expected in September / October 2011....
Sunoco to sell phenol production facility to Haverhill Chemicals
Sunoco has reached a definitive agreement to sell its phenol manufacturing facility in Ohio, US, to Goradia Capital's affiliate Haverhill Chemicals for $106.5m. Sunoco chairman and CEO...
Amyris unveils first US Biofene unit
Amyris, a California-based integrated renewable products company, has opened a Biofene industrial-scale facility in Decatur, Illinois, US, at a facility owned by Tate & Lyle...
Chrysler and ZeaChem Team Up to Boost Cellulosic Ethanol
Chrysler Group and ZeaChem have signed a memorandum of understanding to accelerate the development and market adoption of cellulosic ethanol. The primary goal is to strengthen the...
Invensys Supplies Integrated Refinery Information System to SATORP
UK-based Invensys Operations Management has signed a multi-million dollar contract with Saudi Aramco Total Refining & Petrochemical (SATORP) to implement an integrated refinery...
Momentive's OTG Starts New Production Line in Texas
Momentive Specialty Chemicals' Oilfield Technology Group (OTG) has added a new production line at its Brady facility in Texas, US, to provide additional resin-coated proppants to fracturing...
BASF to Boost Catalyst Production Capacity
BASF has announced a new round of capital investment projects to step up its production capacity and enhance its global manufacturing operations for copper and copper-chrome catalysts. ...
China Closes Fujia Chemical Plant
Authorities in north-eastern China have ordered Fujia Chemical to immediately shut down its plant in Dalian city following a toxic spill scare. Residents living near the plant had to...
Japan Reports Increase in Ethylene Production
Japan's ethylene production in July rose 8% from June to 566,000 million tons, following the restart of two steam crackers owned by Mitsubishi Chemical, data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade...
Orica Plant Remains Closed Following Chemical Leak
Operations at Australian explosives maker Orica's ammonia plant at Kooragang Island remain suspended following a sodium chromate leak. The leak occurred during a routine closure at the plant...
Hengyi Petrochemical Reports Net Profit for the First Half of 2011
Hengyi Petrochemical has posted first-half 2011 net profit of 1.14bn yuan ($178m) on revenue of 13.76bn yuan ($2.15bn). The Chinese aluminium products manufacturer forecasts a net profit...
Saudi Methanol Operates Ar-Razi 5 Plant at Normal Rates
After shutting down due to technical problems in early July, Saudi Methanol has begun to run its Ar-Razi 5 methanol plant at Al-Jubail at normal rates. The plant has a capacity of 1.7...
Cheil-Jedang and Arkema Team Up to Build Plants in Malaysia
CJ Cheil-Jedang and Arkema have chosen the Kerteh site in Terengganu, Malaysia, to build their new bio-methionine and thiochemicals plants, following a thorough feasibility study. The...
Green Chemicals and Clariant Partner for Fire-Retardant Chemical
UK-based chemical solutions maker Green Chemicals has signed a licensing deal with Clariant for a fire-retardant chemical for the use in the textiles sector. The flame retardant chemical...
LG Extends Tender Offer for Arch Chemicals
LG Acquisition, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Swiss Lonza, has extended the expiration date of its tender offer to buy 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Arch...
Sipchem Defers Vinyl Acetate Monomer Plant Closure
Saudi International Petrochemical (Sipchem) has delayed the shutdown of its 330,000 million tons/year vinyl acetate monomer plant in Jubail to either September or October. A source close to...
Indorama to Invest in New Thai Recycling Plant
Indorama Ventures plans to increase its investment in Thailand to set up a new recycling plant in Nakhon Pathom Province that will recycle 36,000t of bottles a year into about 28,500t of...
Kraton Completes Capital Investment to Boost Isoprene Rubber Capacity
Kraton Performance Polymers has completed its multi-million dollar capital investment projects to support sales growth in Cariflex isoprene rubber, a high-performance alternative to natural...
Karpatneftekhim to Build PVC Plant in Ukraine
Ukrainian petrochemicals manufacturer Karpatneftekhim is set to build a new €170m suspension PVC plant in Kalush, Ukraine. The plant is expected to meet local demand for PVC and will...
Chinese Paraxylene Plant to be Moved on Toxic Spill Fears
Authorities in Dalian, China, are to relocate the Fujia chemical plant following fears of a toxic spill sparked by a dike breach. The dike was damaged by high waves that threatened to hit...
SOCAR Invites Bids for Azerbaijan Nitrogen Fertiliser Plant
Azerikimya, a branch of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), has begun a tender procedure for the construction of a nitrogen fertiliser and urea production plant in Sumgait,...
UOP / Foster Wheeler Technology to be Used in Orpic Refinery Expansion
Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries (Orpic) has selected Honeywell's UOP / Foster Wheeler Solvent Deasphalting (SDA) process technology to convert heavy crude to...
Lummus Wins Propane Dehydrogenation Plant Contract
Ningbo Haiyue New Material has awarded a licence and engineering design contract to CB&I's Lummus Technology to build a grassroots propane dehydrogenation unit in Ningbo City,...
Jayant Agro to Buy Mitsui Stake in Indian Speciality Chemicals Firm
India-based Oleochemical company Jayant Agro-Organics has entered into a share purchase agreement with Mitsui, Japan and Mitsui, Asia Pacific (Singapore) to acquire 24% of paid-up share...
Solazyme, Bunge to Form Renewable Oil Plant in Brazil
US-based Solazyme and Bunge Global Innovation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bunge, have entered into a framework agreement to form a joint venture (JV) for the production of triglyceride oils...
India’s Talcher Fertiliser Plant on Road to Revival
India's Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal to revive the closed plant of the Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCIL) at Talcher, Orissa, India, with an investment of INR85bn ($1.87bn). ...
Sadara Chemical Awards EPCM Contract to Fluor
Sadara Chemical, a joint venture company of Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical, has chosen Fluor to provide engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for its...
SAIL, NFL JV to Build Urea Manufacturing Plant
The Steel Authority of India (SAIL) is set to form a joint venture with National Fertilisers (NFL) for its proposed INR44.5bn ($989m) urea manufacturing plant at its site in Sindri,...
Valero Shuts Two Crude Units at Memphis Refinery
Valero Energy has shut its two crude units at the 180,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Memphis, Tennessee, US, following a heater explosion on the 80,000-bpd east crude unit. The...
Bridgestone to Increase Tyre Plant Capacity in China
China's Bridgestone is planning to increase the production capacity of its radial passenger tyre plant in Wuxi, Jiangsu province in China by May 2012. Bridgestone will invest about...
Dow to Boost MBS-Based Additives Capacity in Scotland
Dow Plastics Additives, a business unit of Dow Chemical, has unveiled plans to construct additional equipment to both expand capacity and advance its technology at its Grangemouth,...
Eastman Chemicals Acquires Dynaloy
Eastman Chemical's subsidiary has acquired the assets of US-based Dynaloy from E&A Industries. The acquisition includes Dynalo'’s inventory, equipment, intellectual property and...
JX Nippon and SK Joint Venture to Build Paraxylene and Lubricant Plants in South Korea
Japan's JX Nippon Oil & Energy and SK Global Chemical have agreed to form a 50:50 joint venture company to build a one million ton/year paraxylene plant at SK's refinery in Ulsan, South Korea....
India's JBF to Build PET Facility for BP in Belgium
BP has entered into agreements with India-based JBF RAK to build a new 390,000t/year polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production unit at the company's Geel petrochemicals complex in...
PPG to Acquire Colombian Coatings Maker
PPG Industries and its subsidiary PPG Colombia have entered into an agreement to purchase the coatings businesses of Colpisa Colombiana de Pinturas and its affiliates, including Colpisa Ecuador. ...
PTT Chemical Second Half Operating Profit to Fall Due to Shutdown
Thailand-based olefins manufacturer PTT Chemical's second-half operating profit is expected to be lower than that of the first half of the year due to the 40-day shutdown of its one...
Ineos to Offer Technology to Chinese Plant
Ineos Technologies has agreed to offer vinyl chloride monomer and suspension polyvinyl chloride technologies to a Qingdao Haijing Chemical project. The project is located at the company's...
Dow to Boost Polyolefin Encapsulant Films Production
US-based Dow Chemical is set to build new manufacturing plants in Map Ta Phut in Thailand and Schkopau in Germany as part of plans to increase production of its Enlight polyolefin...
DAK to Acquire Wellman PET Business in US
US-based DAK Americas has agreed to acquire Wellman's polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resins business. The acquisition includes PET Resin production facilities in Bay St Louis,...
Shandong Shenda Selects Dow Polypropylene Technology
China's Shandong Shenda Chemical Industry has selected Dow Chemical's Unipol polypropylene processing technology for its new 200,000t/year methanol-based polypropylene plant. The technology...
Westlake to Increase Ethylene Capacity
US-based Westlake has unveiled its plans to increase its ethylene capacity by nearly 226,800t/year. Two crackers in Louisiana will be expanded. The first expansion will take place in the...
UOP to Provide Technology to Chinese Petrochemical Firm
Honeywell company UOP has agreed to provide technology to Zhejiang Julong Petrochemical's new propylene facility in Pinghu City, Zhejiang Province, China. UOP technology's uses...
Nippon Shokubai to Build Acrylic Acid Plant
Japan-based chemical manufacturer Nippon Shokubai has announced that it will build a new 11bn yen ($140m) acrylic acid plant at its existing facility in Himeji. The plant will produce...
SIIG, Chevron Phillips Form Joint Venture
Saudi Industrial Investment Group (SIIG) and Chevron Phillips Petrochemical have formed a 50-50 joint venture company to establish a nylon manufacturing plant and other downstream...
Sinopec, Syntroleum Launch Coal to Liquids Facility in China
China Petroleum & Chemical (Sinopec) and Syntroleum have opened a new 80bpd coal to liquids demonstration facility in Zhenhai, China. The Sinopec / Syntroleum Demonstration Facility...
OTG Opens New US Manufacturing Plant
The Oilfield Technology Group (OTG) of Momentive Specialty Chemicals has started operating its new manufacturing plant in Batesville, Arkansas, US. The new Batesville facility will...
China National Coal Group Awards Contract to KBR
China National Coal Group has awarded an ammonia technology, process design package and technical services contract to KBR for its two 1,660t per day ammonia synloop units at China Coal...
Dow Settles Federal Pollution Case
Dow Chemical has agreed to pay $2.5m to the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice to resolve alleged violations of environmental laws at its chemical manufacturing...
Evonik Divests Carbon Black Business
Germany-based Evonik Industries has sold its carbon black activities to Rhône Capital and Triton Partners for over €900m to focus on its core speciality chemicals business. In...
BASF and CSM to Form Bio-Based Succinic Acid Joint Venture
Germany's BASF and Purac, a subsidiary of CSM, have started negotiations to form a joint venture to produce bio-based succinic acid. The succinic acid production process combines...
Formosa to Double Ethylene Capacity
Formosa Plastics is set to invest $1.5m to expand the annual ethylene capacity of its naphtha cracking complex at its Point Comfort production base in Texas, US. The expansion project...
Sinopec to Build Lubricant Plant in Singapore
China's Sinopec is set to construct a lubricant plant in Singapore as part of its global expansion strategy. Sinopec Group subsidiary Sinopec Lubricant Company will make an initial investment...
Jurong Aromatics Awards Contract to Essar
Essar Projects, a part of Essar Group, has secured a $320m engineering, procurement and construction contract from Singapore's Jurong Aromatics. The contract includes construction of...
Sibur Buys JSC Acrylate from Atek
Sibur has acquired Russian acrylic acid and esters producer JSC Acrylate from Atek Group. The annual production capacity of JSC Acrylate's plant is 25,000t of ester grade acrylic acid,...
KBR to Provide Phenol Technology to Lihuayi Weiyuan Chemical
Engineering, construction and services company KBR will provide phenol technology for Lihuayi Weiyuan Chemical's 220,000t/year phenol and acetone plant in Lijin County, Shandong Province, China....
Braskem to Buy Dow Polypropylene Business
US-based Dow Chemical has signed a definitive agreement to sell its global polypropylene business to Braskem for $340m. The total enterprise value is comprised of a $323m cash purchase...
Süd-Chemie Breaks Ground on German Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
Germany's Süd-Chemie has broken ground on the construction of a demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Straubing. The plant will use agricultural waste materials to produce...
FMC to Acquire European Persulphates Business
US-based FMC has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the European persulphates business of RheinPerChemie from Unionchimica. The acquisition will strengthen FMC's peroxygens...
Solvay and Sadara Joint Venture to Build Hydrogen Peroxide Plant
Solvay is planning to form a 50:50 joint venture with Sadara Chemical to build and operate a hydrogen peroxide plant in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. Sadara Chemical is a planned...
July 2011
Top
BASF to Double Plasticiser Capacity
Germany's BASF is planning to double production of its phthalate-free plasticiser, Hexamoll DINCH, at its Ludwigshafen site by 2013 to meet growing demand. The second Hexamoll plant...
Kumho Petrochemical to Build Chemical Plants
South Korea's Kumho Petrochemical and its subsidiaries are planning to invest KRW880bn ($837m) by 2014 to build new chemical plants in Yeosu. The project aims to meet surging demand...
Gevo to Build Hydrocarbon Processing Plant in Texas
US-based Gevo has partnered with South Hampton Resources, a subsidiary of Arabian American Development Company, to build a hydrocarbon processing demonstration plant at its facility in...
AkzoNobel to Acquire Boxing Oleochemicals
AkzoNobel is planning to acquire Chinese speciality surfactant producer Boxing Oleochemicals. Upon acquisition, the activities of Boxing will be integrated into AkzoNobel's Surface...
Makhteshim Agan India Opens New Formulation Plant
Makhteshim Agan India, a subsidiary of Makhteshim Agan Group, has opened a new formulation and packaging plant in Dahej, India. The plant's advanced production capabilities and stringent...
Molycorp Awards Contract to KBR
KBR has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract by a wholly owned subsidiary of Molycorp to build a new chlor-alkali plant. The project is part of Molycorp's...
United Phosphorus Limited Acquires Majority Stake in DVA
United Phosphorus Limited has acquired a 51% stake in Brazilian company DVA Agro Do Brasil for around $150m. The remaining 49% will continue to be held by the existing shareholders. DVA,...
Dow and Saudi Aramco Joint Venture to Build Chemical Complex
US-based Dow Chemical and the Saudi Arabian Oil Company has agreed to form a joint venture to build and operate a $20bn world-scale, fully integrated chemicals complex in Jubail Industrial...
South Korean June Petrochemical Exports Reach $3.5bn
South Korea's petrochemical exports rose 23.2% year on year to $3.57bn in June, due to an increase in crude oil prices. Korea International Trade Association data showed that in June...
Molindo to Build Ethanol Plant in 2012
Indonesia's Molindo Raya Industrial is planning to start work on a 55 million litres/year ethanol plant in 2012, following the recent acquisition of land for the project. According to...
Paradeep Phosphates Plans to Build Sulphuric Acid Plant
India-based Paradeep Phosphates plans to invest Rs6bn ($135m) to build a 2,000t/day sulphuric acid plant. The investment is aimed to increase capacity and efficiency of the existing...
China Lifts Anti-Dumping Duty on Imported PBT Resin
China's Ministry of Commerce has lifted anti-dumping measures on polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) resin imported from Japan and Taiwan. The ministry said the anti-dumping measures ended on...
Olin Breaks Ground for New Manufacturing Facility
Cleveland-based Olin Chlor Alkali Products, a division of Olin, has broken ground on a $160m membrane cell manufacturing facility at its plant in Charleston, US. The facility is scheduled...
Japan Reports Decline in Naptha Cracker Run Rates
The Japan Petrochemical Industry Association has said that the country's naphtha-fed steam crackers ran at an average rate of 92.8% in June, down from 94.5% a month earlier and from 95.1% in...
China Extends Anti-Dumping Duties on Imported Trichloroethylene
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has extended anti-dumping measures on imports of trichloroethylene from Russia and Japan for another five years, starting 22 July. The move follows the...
AkzoNobel's Second Quarter Net Income Declines Marginally
Dutch-based AkzoNobel has reported a decline of net income by 1.8% in the second quarter of 2011 because of raw material price inflation, low demand in mature markets and prolonged...
BASF to Construct Antioxidant Blends Plant in Bahrain
BASF is set to build a customer-specific antioxidant blends plant in Bahrain as part of its plans to expand its presence in the Middle East. The 16,000t/year plant will come in addition to...
Lanxess to Double Menthol Facility Capacity
Germany-based Lanxess is planning to double the size of its menthol manufacturing facility in Krefeld-Uerdingen to meet growing global demand. The extended production facility will make use...
Tyco to Buy Chemguard
Tyco International has signed an agreement to acquire Chemguard, a US-based manufacturer of fire-suppression foams, equipment and systems, speciality pumps and fluorosurfactant...
Lignol and HA International Present Foundry Resin Trial Results
Canada-based Lignol Energy and HA International have announced successful production trials of a new foundry resin using Lignol's high-performance lignin. The trials were conducted in...
European Investment Bank Funds Tunisian Fertiliser Plant
The European Investment Bank has granted a loan of €140m to the Tunisian Chemical Group to construct a triple superphosphate fertiliser plant in Mdhilla. The fertiliser plant will...
SGL to Build Graphite Plant
Germany's SGL Group is set to construct a new 3500m² production centre in Bonn as part of an extensive programme of investment along the global value chain for isostatic graphite. ...
Roxhol Plans Start of Ethanol Plant
Roxhol Bioenergy is planning to start commercial operations at its 100,000l/day ethanol plant in Negros Occidental, the Philippines, in August 2011. According to Platts, the plant ran at...
Dow and Mitsui Joint Venture to Produce Ethanol-Based Polymers
Dow Chemical has agreed to form a joint venture with Mitsui to produce ethanol and bio-based polymers for packaging, hygiene and medical markets. Under the agreement, Mitsui will become a...
Johnson Matthey Reports First Quarter Profit
British speciality chemicals company Johnson Matthey's underlying profit before tax increased by 19% to £98m for the first quarter of 2011/12, primarily due to high demand for products...
India Levies Anti-Dumping Duty on R-134a Imports
India's Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties, a nodal agency under the nation's commerce ministry, has imposed an anti-dumping duty of up to $1.41/kg on imports...
Al Waha Shuts Polypropylene Plant Due to Technical Fault
Sahara Petrochemical's subsidiary Al Waha petrochemicals has shut down its polypropylene facility in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, due to a technical fault in an effluent compressor. Repairs...
HIG Europe Acquires Haltermann Products
HIG Europe, the European private-equity arm of HIG Capital, has acquired the business of Germany-based hydrocarbon chemicals producer Haltermann. Haltermann produces refinery products for use...
Dalian Petrochemical Suspends Operations at Crude Distillation Unit
PetroChina subsidiary Dalian Petrochemical has shut down its 200,000 barrels/day crude distillation unit in Dalian following a fire. The unit and its downstream facilities produce oil...
Clariant Partners Elevance to Develop Bio-Based Additives
Switzerland-based Clariant International has entered into an agreement with Elevance Renewable Sciences to jointly develop bio-based plastics additives. The partnership agreement...
SABIC Reports Second Quarter Profit
Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) has reported a 61% increase in profit in the second-quarter of 2011. The company's net income jumped to SR8.1bn ($2.2bn) from SR5.02bn ($1.37bn) a year earlier...
South Korean Polyvinyl Chloride Exports Rise in June
South Korea's polyvinyl chloride exports in June rose 5.3% month-on-month to 49,664t. According to Platts, South Korea exported 14,007 tons of the chemical in June, an increase of 67.1%...
Formosa Petrochemical and Kraton to Construct Copolymer Plant in Taiwan
Taiwan's Formosa Petrochemical has signed an agreement with Kraton Performance Polymers to form a 50:50 joint venture that will build and operate a 30,000t hydrogenated styrenic block...
BASF Selects Fluor as Engineering Partner
BASF has selected Fluor as an engineering partner for chemicals and petrochemicals capital investment projects across Asia and Europe. Services to be provided will include front-end...
EU Lifts Anti-Dumping Measures on Belarusian and Russian Potash Imports
The European Commission has lifted anti-dumping measures against Belarusian and Russian potash producers. In line with the anti-dumping regulations, Russian potash producers Uralkali...
Foster Wheeler and SOCAR to Form Joint Venture in Azerbaijan
Switzerland-based Foster Wheeler has agreed to form a joint venture company with the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) to build an oil and gas processing and...
TPC Cleared to Restart Chemical Unit
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has issued an air permit to US-based TPC Group to restart an idle dehydrogenation unit to produce isobutylene. Construction of the required...
India Levies Anti-Dumping Duty on Chinese Sodium Triphosphate
India's Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties, a nodal agency under the Commerce Ministry, has imposed an anti-dumping duty of up to $0.556/kg on imports of sodium triphosphate...
Russian Firm to Expand Petrochemical Project
Russia-based Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat is planning to invest R140bn ($4.9bn) to expand the petrochemicals project at its site in Salavat, as part of plans to enter new federal and foreign markets....
Ningxia Petrochemical to Construct Fertiliser Plant
China National Petroleum subsidiary Ningxia Petrochemical is set to build a plant producing 450,000t of synthetic ammonia plant and 800,000t of urea a year in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui...
European Naphtha Exports to Brazil Could Rise
Brazilian naphtha imports from Europe are expected to rise by up to 100,000t/month. According to Platts, Brazil is currently contemplating to cut the ethanol blend in gasoline from 25% to...
Formosa to Resume Naphtha Cracker Operations
Taiwan's Formosa Petrochemical plans to resume operations at its 700,000t/year No 1 naphtha cracker in August. The plant was closed in May following a fire. According to Reuters, operations...
Chinese Urea Plant to Deploy Stamicarbon Technology
Stamicarbon has signed a technology licence agreement with China's Hengang Huahe Coal Chemical Industry for a 1,860t/day capacity urea granulation plant. The plant, to be built in Hegang...
Polyplastics Plans Malaysian Polyoxymethylene Plant Expansion
Polyplastics is set to increase its production capacity of Duracon polyoxymethylene at its facility in Malaysia from 33,00t/year to 123,000t/year. Polyplastics will introduce its...
DSM Acquires Majority Stake in AGI
Royal DSM has acquired a 51% stake in Taiwanese firm AGI for about &128;41m ($57m). AGI offers a broad range of environmentally friendly ultraviolet curable resins and other products for...
Solvay Awards Chemical Plant Construction Contract to Technip
Solvay has selected French plant manufacturer Technip to plan the construction of an epichlorohydrin plant in Taixing, Jiangsu, China. The plant, which will be based on Solvay's...
Lonza to Acquire Arch Chemicals
Swiss-based Lonza Group has signed an agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of Arch Chemicals for $47.20 per share. The hygiene, water treatment, materials protection and personal...
Mossi & Ghisolfi to Build PET and PTA Plants in the US
Italy's Mossi & Ghisolfi Group is set to build a new polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant and accompanying purified terephthalic acid (PTA) facility in Corpus Christi, Texas, US. The...
Cordiant Funds Jordan-India Fertiliser Plant
Jordan-India Fertilizer Company has received a $10m loan from Montreal-based fund manager Cordiant Capital to build a $186m fertiliser plant in Jordan. The project is sponsored by the...
CNOOC Huizhou Refinery Closes Aromatics Unit
China National Offshore Oil Company's (CNOOC's) Huizhou refinery has shut its 800,000t/year aromatics unit near Daya Bay in southern Guangdong province due to a fire on 11 July. According...
Rhein Chemie to Buy Wacker's Tyre-Release Agents Business
Rhein Chemie Rheinau has signed a purchase agreement to acquire Wacker Chemie's tyre-release agents business. Under the agreement, Rhein Chemie will gain the rights to related...
PTT Asahi Chemical to Commence Acrylonitrile Production at Thai Plant
PTT Asahi Chemical is planning to begin commercial acrylonitrile production at its new chemical plant in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, by the end of July. The company is a joint venture...
Dangote Partners with Saipem to Build Fertiliser Plant
Dangote Group and Saipem's Nigerian unit have signed an agreement to construct a fertiliser plant in southern Edo state, Nigeria. Under the agreement, Saipem will build a fertiliser plant...
Chemical Safety Board Faults DuPont Plant
The US Chemical Safety Board has reported unsatisfactory safety procedures at DuPont's chemical manufacturing plant in Belle, West Virginia. The firm was rebuked for issues including a lack...
EU Cuts Import Duty on South Korean PTA and PET by 25%
The EU's import tariff for South Korean purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been reduced by 25% due to a free-trade agreement. According to Platts,...
China to Regulate Chemical Sector
The Chinese Government is drafting a five-year plan to regulate the country's chemicals sector. The move follows a string of reports – 119 in all – submitted to the Ministry of...
Georgia-Pacific Chemicals Awards EPC contract to ENGlobal
US-based Georgia-Pacific Chemicals has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services agreement to ENGlobal. The work will be specific to the Georgia-Pacific...
Shandong Haili Chemical to Start Caprolactam Plant in 2012
China's Shandong Haili Chemical is planning to complete construction of its new 100,000t/year caprolactam plant in Zibo, Shandong province, by the end of 2011. According to Platts,...
Solvay and Avantium to Develop Green Polyamides
Solvay has partnered with Avantium to jointly develop green high-performance polyamides for engineering plastics. The partnership will produce new high-performance polyamides from...
Honeywell to Invest in Louisiana Facility
US-based Honeywell is to invest $33m in its manufacturing facility in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to produce HFO-1234ze, a material used in insulation and aerosols. The facility is scheduled...
OM Group to Acquire German Company
US-based OM Group has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Germany's Vacuumschmelze for around €700m ($1bn), including $50m in common stock equity. Vacuumschmelze recorded revenues...
Wison to Start Nanjing Methanol-to-Olefins Plant
China's Wison (Nanjing) Clean Energy Company is planning to start its 295,000t/year methanol-to-olefins plant at Nanjing in 2013, using technology from US-based Honeywell UOP. ...
Zhejiang Hengyi Petrochemical to Establish PTA Project
China's Zhejiang Hengyi Petrochemical is planning to set up a project for the production of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) with an annual production capacity of 1.5 million tons. The...
Burel Selects Unipol Polypropylene Technology
Burel Industries has selected Dow Chemical's Unipol polypropylene process technology for its 250,000t/year facility at Gebang Industrial Park in Kuantan, Malaysia. The polypropylene plant...
European Commission Cancels Fines for BASF and Elementis
The European Commission has repealed a November 2009 decision to impose fines on BASF and Elementis for participating in a price-fixing cartel for heat stabilisers, as the statute of...
LG Chem Partially Shuts Daesan Naphtha Cracker
South Korea's LG Chem has partially shut a 900,000t/year naphtha cracker in Daesan to change a component. Traders estimated that the cracker could be offline for at least three to four...
ICL Finalises Acquisition of Cosmocel Quimica
Israel Chemicals has finalised the acquisition of Mexico-based Cosmocel Quimica for around $30-40m. ICL Performance Products president and CEO Charles Weidhas said: "Through this...
Iran Petrochemical Exports Expected to Reach $14bn
Iran's petrochemical exports are expected to reach $14bn by 20 March 2012. The Director of National Iranian Petrochemical Company Abdolhossein Bayat said that Iran exported $2bn worth...
Chinese Firm to Build Refinery and Petrochemical Plant in Brunei
China's Zhejiang Hengyi Group has received approval from the Brunei Government to build a $6bn refinery and aromatics cracker complex in Brunei. The first phase project at Pulau Muara Besar...
PetroChina and INEOS Form Trading and Refining Joint Venture
PetroChina has completed a transaction with INEOS to form a trading and refining joint venture for just over $1bn. The joint venture includes trading and refining activities at the...
AkzoNobel to Acquire Solvent-Free Separation Technology
AkzoNobel has agreed to acquire Zeta Fraction technology from Integrated Botanical Technologies to isolate intracellular molecules from plant material without using solvents. The technology...
QAPCO to Start Low-Density Polyethylene Plant in Qatar
Qatar Petrochemical (QAPCO) is planning to start its new 300,000t/year low-density polyethylene plant, named LDPE-3, at Mesaieed in December 2011. ICIS reports that the two...
Petronas to Build Fertiliser Plant in Malaysia
Petronas Chemicals Group (PCG) is to build a $1.5bn fertiliser plant in Sipitang, Sabah, Malaysia. The urea production capacity of the new fertiliser complex, also known as the Samur...
Indorama to Acquire Stake in PT Polyprima to Secure PTA Supplies
Indorama Ventures has signed a definitive share-purchase agreement to buy a 50% stake in PT Polyprima. PT Polyprima has a total production capacity of 465,000t/year of purified terephthalic...
Evonik to Build Sealant Chemical Plant in Germany
Evonik Industries has announced that it will build a plant in Marl, Germany, to produce hydroxyl-functionalised polybutadiene, a chemical used in sealants and adhesives. Evonik is already...
AkzoNobel Plans Acquisition of German Speciality Coatings Manufacturer
Dutch-based AkzoNobel is planning to acquire Germany-based Schramm Holding to bolster its position in speciality coatings and expand its footprint in Asia. AkzoNobel Industrial...
UPC to Expand Phthalic Anhydride and Dioctyl Phthalate Production in China
Taiwan's Union Petrochemical (UPC) will invest US$125m to expand the production capacity of phthalic anhydride and dioctyl phthalate in Nanchong, China. According to China Economic News,...
EIPET Breaks Ground on PET Resin Plant
Egyptian Indian Polyester Company (EIPET), a subsidiary of Dhunseri Petrochem & Tea, has broken ground for the construction of a 420,000t/year polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin plant...
La Seda Sells Portuguese PET Plant
Spain's La Seda de Barcelona (LSB) has agreed to sell its Portugal-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production plant to Control PET for €5.6m ($8.1m). The amount will be paid...
Nova Plans to Build Polyethylene Units
Canada's Nova Chemicals has begun feasibility and engineering work for the construction of two new polyethylene operations at its sites in Alberta and Ontario. The assets will consist of...
Showa Denko to Increase Ammonia Production
Japan-based Showa Denko has said that it will increase its high-purity ammonia production capacity in Japan, Taiwan and China to meet growing demand from the electronics industry. ...
Jaiprakash Associates Awards Urea Plant Design Contract
Toyo Engineering has been awarded a contract by Jaiprakash Associates to develop the basic design of a urea production plant for a planned fertiliser complex in Kanpur, India. The...
Pemex and Mexichem to Form Vinyl Chloride Monomer Joint Venture
Mexico's Pemex has said that it is planning to form a $556m manufacturing joint venture with Mexichem to produce vinyl chloride monomer. The collaboration will include the production...
Samsung Engineering Wins Contract for High-Density Polyethylene Plant
Samsung Engineering has signed a $229m contract with ONGC Petro additions Limited (OPaL) to build a high-density polyethylene plant in Gujarat, India. The plant will produce 340,000t...
June 2011
Top
DSM to Acquire C5 Yeast
Dutch-based Royal DSM has signed an agreement with Royal Cosun to acquire C5 Yeast Company. The acquisition will allow DSM to combine C5 Yeast Company's business with its own advanced yeast...
China Reviews Anti-Dumping Measures on Imported Epichlorohydrin
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has begun a final review of anti-dumping measures on epichlorohydrin imported from Japan, Korea, Russia and the US. China imposed five-year anti-dumping...
Mitsubishi Chemical Restarts Kashima Chemical Plants
Mitsubishi Chemical has restarted its solvents and bisphenol-A plants in Kashima, Japan, which were shut down following the earthquake that devastated the country in March. According to...
Gevo and Toray Produce Renewable PET
Gevo has announced that it has successfully produced fully renewable and recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with its partner, Toray Industries. PET is used for conversion into...
Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation to Develop Plants
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is planning to invest more than $6bn to develop a chain of petrochemical plants in various locations in Nigeria. According to ICIS, the project...
Boubyan Reports Profit Rise on Investment in Equate
Kuwait-based Boubyan Petrochemicals has reported a 7% rise in full-year profit, as it gained from investment in a venture of Dow Chemical. According to Bloomberg, the company's net income...
China Reports Decline in May Petrochemical Imports
China has reported a decline in import volumes of petrochemical products in May 2011 due to weak domestic demand. Naphtha imports fell 29% year-on-year to 107,201t while propylene imports...
Engro Urea Plant Starts Operation
Engro Fertilisers has announced the start of commercial operations at its $1.1bn urea plant in Daharki, Pakistan, which has faced delays for months because of gas supply issues. The...
Takreer to Build Propane Dehydrogenation Unit in UAE
Abu Dhabi Oil Refining (Takreer) is building a new propane dehydrogenation unit in the UAE. The unit will use UOP's C3 Oleflex technology to convert propane to propylene. It is expected...
Sumitomo to Expand Alumina Capacity
Sumitomo Chemical is to expand the production capacity of a high-purity alumina manufacturing facility. The expansion will double the plant's capacity of alumina from 1,600t to 3,200t a year. ...
NB Regeneration and United Advisory Sign Agreement to Build Nitrogen Fertiliser Plant
NB Regeneration, a subsidiary of New Bastion Development, has signed a memorandum of understanding with United Advisory to build and operate a nitrogen fertiliser facility in the Republic...
BASF Takes 75% Stake in Mining Solutions Venture
BASF and Ji'Ning Hock Mining & Engineering Equipment Company have signed an agreement to form a new company, in which BASF will hold a 75% stake. The new company will produce...
Eastman to Acquire Sterling Chemicals
US-based Eastman Chemical has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Sterling Chemicals for $100m in cash. The transaction includes Sterling's plasticiser and acetic...
Solvay to Build Speciality Polymers Production Plant in China
Solvay is planning to invest about €120m ($171m) to build a speciality polymers production plant at its industrial site in Changshu, China. The new plant will be built next to...
Indonesian Firm Plans Two Urea Plants in Java
Indonesian fertiliser producer PT Pupuk Sriwidjaja (Pusri) is planning to build two urea production facilities in Cepu, Central Java, and Gresik, East Java. The two plants will have a...
Celanese Doubles Vinyl Acetate Ethylene Capacity at Nanjing Plant
Celanese has doubled the capacity of its vinyl acetate ethylene unit at its integrated chemical complex in Nanjing, China. The expanded unit, which will use Celanese's advanced vinyl...
Medco to Restart Bunyu Methanol Plant at End of 2012
Medco Energi Internasional has said that it plans to restart its 350,000t / year methanol plant on Indonesia's Bunyu Island at the end of 2012. The plant was shut on 1 February 2009 due to...
Borealis to Shut Two Low-Pressure Melamine Plants
Borealis is set to shut down two low-pressure melamine plants with an overall capacity of 30,000t / year at its site in Linz, Austria. According to the company, the decision to close has...
China to Witness Rise in Styrene Butadiene Rubber Exports
China's styrene butadiene rubber exports are likely to increase due to new domestic capacities that have become operational since late 2010. The country's current produces 1.05 million tons...
Aditya Birla Acquires Columbian Chemicals
The Aditya Birla Group has acquired Atlanta-based Columbian Chemicals Company for $875m. The deal is expected to double the company's capacity of carbon black to two million tons. ...
Safety Checks to Delay Start of ExxonMobil Ethylene Cracker
ExxonMobil is to delay the start-up of its ethylene cracker on Jurong Island in Singapore to 2012 due to ongoing safety checks. According to Reuters, the cracker was part of a project...
Genomatica Wins Green Chemistry Award
Genomatica has been awarded the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award by the US Environmental Protection Agency for producing high-volume chemicals from renewable feedstocks at low...
Dairen to Close Vinyl Acetate Monomer Plant in Taiwan for Turnaround
Taiwan's Dairen Chemical is planning to shut its 300,000t / year vinyl acetate monomer plant in Mailiao for turnaround. The plant is scheduled to be shut down in the fourth quarter of the...
TenCate and Toray Sign Supply Agreement
TenCate Advanced Composites has signed a long-term supply agreement with Toray Industries. Under the agreement, Toray will supply high-performance carbon fibre to TenCate in support of...
China Extends Anti-Dumping Measures on Imported Hydrazine Hydrate
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has extended an anti-dumping duty on imports of hydrazine hydrate from Japan, Korea, the US and France for a further five years. The move follows the...
AkzoNobel to Fit German Chlorine Plant With Electrolysis Technology
AkzoNobel is investing €140m ($199m) to equip a chlorine plant in Frankfurt, Germany, with membrane electrolysis technology. The technology is expected to increase the plants...
Ma'aden Begins Production of Diammonium Phosphate Fertiliser
Ma'aden Phosphate Company has begun production of diammonium phosphate fertiliser at its production complex in Ras Az Zawr, Saudi Arabia. The $5.5bn joint venture between Ma'aden and SABIC...
PPG Starts Operations at Chinese Resin Plant
PPG Industries has begun operations at its first resin plant in the Zhangjiagang Yangtze International Chemical Industrial Park in Jiangsu Province, China. The plant will produce...
Evonik to Build HPPO Plant in China
Germany's Evonik has signed a deal with Chinese authorities to build and operate a 300,000t a year hydrogen peroxide for propylene oxide (HPPO) plant in Jilin Province. The plant will...
RusVinyl Signs Loan Agreement for Polyvinyl Chloride Plant
RusVinyl has signed a loan agreement to finance a 330,000t / year integrated polyvinyl chloride plant in Kstovo, Russia. The agreement consists of a €150m ($214m) loan from Sberbank...
Lotte Pakistan to Triple PTA Capacity by 2014
Lotte Pakistan is planning to triple its purified terephthalic acid (PTA) nameplate capacity to 1.5 million tons a year by late 2014. CEO Asif Saad said the cost of expansion will be...
ALFA to Acquire Wellman PET Business
Mexican industrial company ALFA has agreed to acquire the US polyethylene terephthalate (PET) business of Wellman for $185m. The acquisition includes the PET resin production facilities in...
India Imposes Anti-Dumping Duty on Pentaerythritol Imports from China
The Finance Ministry of India has imposed a definitive anti-dumping duty of $515 a ton on all imports of pentaerythritol from China. The Indian Ministry of Commerce has extended...
ICL Acquires Mexican Speciality Chemicals Company
Israel-based ICL Performance Products has signed an agreement to acquire Mexican functional food ingredients and speciality chemicals manufacturer Cosmocel Quimica. ICL Performance...
BASF Declares Force Majeure on Polybutylene Terephthalate
BASF has declared a force majeure on the production of polybutylene terephthalate at its plant in Schwarzheide, Germany, due to the limited availability of butanediol, the chemical used...
China Exim Bank to Finance Bleached Sulphate Plant
China Exim Bank has agreed to provide Belarus with a loan of $654m to build a bleached sulphate production facility at the Svetlogorsk cellulose and cardboard plant. The project will begin...
Celanese Brings Chinese Ethanol Production Date Forward
Celanese has announced that it will begin industrial ethanol production in China by the middle of 2013, a year earlier than initially planned. The project will add approximately 200,000t...
SABIC and Montefibre to Initiate Carbon Fibre Project
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has signed a technology agreement with Montefibre to construct an integrated world-scale carbon fibre plant in Saudi Arabia. The project is expected...
BASF to Expand South Korean Plant
BASF is to invest KRW80bn ($72m) in the expansion of its diphenylmethane diisocyanate plant in Yeosu, South Korea. The project will increase the plant's annual capacity from the 190,000t...
FMC Wyoming Plans Granger Soda Ash Facility Expansion
FMC Wyoming has announced plans to double the capacity of its Granger soda ash production facility, which is scheduled to restart next month. The expansion will increase the plant's...
Petrobas to Construct PTA, PET and Fibres Complex
Petrobras has announced that it will build a terephthalic acid (PTA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and fibres complex at the Port of Suape in Ipojuca, Brazil. According to the...
Maire Tecnimont Receives Contract for Indian Polyolefin Projects
Maire Tecnimont has been awarded two engineering, procurement and construction contracts from ONGC Petro-Additions for three polyolefin plants in Dahej, India. The two contracts have a...
Ineos to Acquire Tessenderlo's PVC and Chlor-Alkali Business
Ineos has agreed to acquire Tessenderlo Group's polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and chlor-alkali operations, and part of its organic chlorine derivatives business, for €110m ($159.7m) on...
Aneka Receives Loan for Alumina Plant
Japanese banks have provided a loan of $292.5m to Aneka Tambang to help finance the construction of a chemical-grade alumina plant. Aneka and Showa Denko formed a joint venture company...
Petronas Plans Integrated Refinery and Petrochemical Complex
Malaysia-based Petronas is planning to build a $20bn integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex to meet demand for differentiated and speciality chemicals in Asia. The project will...
Novamont and Polimeri Join Forces to Build Bio-Based Chemical Plant
Polimeri Europa and Novamont have partnered to construct a €500m ($700m) bio-based chemical plant in Porto Torres, Sardinia. The plant will produce of bioplastics, biolubricants,...
Saudi to Increase Petrochemical Output by 2015
Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi has said that large-scale petrochemical projects are set to raise the country's overall production capacity to 100...
Japanese Ethylene Output Falls by 1.4%
The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has announced that ethylene production in the country dropped by 1.4% between May 2010 and May 2011. According to Plastemart, the...
Formosa Ordered to Halt Naphtha Cracking Operations
The Taiwanese Government has ordered Formosa Plastics Group to halt its sixth naphtha cracking complex in Yunlin County following two fires last month. A fine of NT$2m (about US$60,000)...
Samsung BP Chemicals to Increase Acetic Acid Capacity
South Korea's Samsung BP Chemicals is planning to expand the capacity of its acetic acid plant in Ulsan by 100,000t by the end of October. The new capacity will require about 30,000t...
US Adds Styrene to Carcinogen Warning List
The US Department of Health and Human Services has declared styrene to be a human carcinogen in its 12th Report on Carcinogens. According to the document, styrene showed increased mortality...
Repsol to Increase Production Capacity of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate
Repsol is planning to increase the production capacity of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers at its Puertollano site in Spain. The new production unit will produce 15,000t of ethylene...
Citgo Announces Force Majeure at Aromatics Plant
Citgo has declared a force majeure on toluene, xylene, heptane, special lactolite and blends containing these products at its facility in Lemont, Illinois, US. The move follows the closure...
Byco Oil Pakistan to Build First Aromatics Facility
Byco Oil Pakistan is set to build the country's first aromatics facility. The facility will produce about 100,000t of benzene, 92,000t of paraxylene, 80,000t of isomer-grade mixed xylene...
GEO to Acquire BASF Bisomer Monomer Business
GEO Specialty Chemicals has entered into an agreement with to acquire BASF's bisomer monomer business. The acquisition includes a manufacturing facility in Hythe, UK, which is used...
Russia Plans to Increase Ethylene Production
Russia is planning to build up to ten complexes to increase ethylene production by 2030, each with one million tons of capacity. The project is expected to increase ethylene capacity to...
Tosoh to Restart Nanyo Caustic Soda Plant
Japan-based Tosoh is planning to restart its 1.125 million tons / year caustic soda plant in Nanyo in mid June. Tosoh runs another 182,000 million tons /year caustic soda plant in Yokkaichi. ...
Solvay and Tianjin to Build Soda Ash Plant in China
Solvay has signed an agreement with Tianjin Soda Ash Plant to set up a joint soda ash plant in Bin Hai, China. Solvay said it will invest €16m ($23.47 m) in two stages to acquire a...
Toray Plans to Raise Polyphenylene Sulphide Compounding Capacity
Toray Industries is planning to increase its compounding capacity for polyphenylene sulphide in Japan and China. The new project plans the construction of another 1,500t / year facility...
Solutia Plans to Increase Diphenyl Oxide Production
Solutia is planning to expand its diphenyl oxide production capacity at its operation in Chocolate Bayou, Texas, US, to meet the increased demand from industrial manufacturing and solar markets. ...
SKC and Uhde Inventa-Fischer to Build PET Plant in South Korea
Sharpe, Kawam, Carmosino and Company (SKC) and Uhde Inventa-Fischer have signed a contract to build a polyethylene terepthalate (PET) plant in Jincheon, South Korea. The plant will have...
IFC Finances JIFCO Phosphoric Acid Plant in Jordan
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has granted a $215m loan to the Jordan-India Fertilizer Company (JIFCO) to construct a phosphoric acid plant in the city of Eshidiya, Jordan. ...
AkzoNobel and Quangxi Join Forces for Titanium Dioxide Plant
AkzoNobel and Quangxi CAVA Titanium Industry have partnered to produce titanium dioxide in Qinzhou, China. The move will help to meet AkzoNobel's growing titanium dioxide raw material needs...
Shell Plans Ethylene Plant in US Appalachian Region
Shell Oil has said that it is planning to build an ethylene cracker plant in the Appalachian region of the US. The cracker will process ethane from the local Marcellus field to produce...
Sibur to Open Siberian Petrochemical Plant by 2013
Russian conglomerate Sibur Holding is set to complete its $2bn petrochemical plant in Siberia by early 2013. The company anticipates that the new plant will triple its polypropylene...
Rhodia and Sibur Join Forces in Speciality Surfactants
Rhodia and Sibur have signed a letter of intent to create a joint venture in speciality surfactants in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The companies...
China and Kuwait in Final Talks Over Refinery Project
China is in final talks with Kuwait about the details of a planned $9bn refinery and petrochemical project to be built in southern China. The Chinese National Development and Reform...
Chandra Asri to Build Indonesia's First Butadiene Plant
PT Petrokimia Butadiene Indonesia, a subsidiary of PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical, has announced plans to build a butadiene plant with an estimated investment of $110m. The 40,000m²...
Lanxess to Build an Neodymium Polybutadiene Plant in Singapore
Germany-based chemical company Lanxess is planning to invest €200m in Singapore to build the world's largest manufacturing plant for neodymium polybutadiene, a specialised rubber. ...
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical to Boost Polyacetal Plant Capacity
Japan's Mitsubishi Gas Chemical is planning to increase its production capacity of polyacetal in Thailand from 55,000t to 100,000t a year by the end of March 2013. The company is also...
LG Chem to Build Polysilicon Plant in South Korea
South Korean chemical company LG Chem is planning to invest KRW491bn ($455m) to build a polysilicon plant in Yeosu, South Korea. The plant will be able to produce 5,000t of polysilicon,...
Shell and Cosan Launch Ethanol Joint Venture in Brazil
Shell and Cosan have launched a $12bn joint venture in Brazil to produce ethanol from sugar cane. The new company, named Raízen, will produce and sell over two billion litres a year...
Yantai Wanhua Polyurethane to Boost Methyl Diphenylene Isocyanate Capacity
Yantai Wanhua Polyurethanes is planning to invest 2.38bn yuan ($367m) to carry out technology upgrades at its Ningbo Wanhua Polyurethanes methyl diphenylene isocyanate plant to boost...
Orlen Opens Two Plants in Poland
Orlen has completed two petrochemical plants in Poland, a 400,000t / year paraxylene plant in Plock and a 600,000t / year terephthalic acid plant in Wloclawek. The plants will allow the...
SIIG and Petrochem Delay Merger Plans
The proposed merger between Saudi Investment Group (SIIG) and National Petrochemical (Petrochem) has been delayed to Q1 2012. The merger, which was expected to be announced in mid 2011, will...
Petrobras Seeks Partner for Brazilian Petrochemical Plant
Petrobras is seeking partners for its R$4.94bn (US$3bn) Suape petrochemical project in northeastern Brazil, which is now 71% complete. The facility will have three plants, producing...
Sabic and Mitsubishi Rayon Joint Venture to Build Two Plants in Jubail
Sabic and Mitsubishi Rayon have formed a $1bn joint venture to build a methyl methacrylate plant and a polymethylmethacrylate plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The methyl methacrylate plant...
Asahi Glass to Boost Chlor-Alkali Output in Indonesia
Asahi Glass is planning to invest 5bn yen ($61.5m) to expand its chlor-alkali production by 30% through its Indonesian subsidiary, PT Asahimas Chemical. The company is increasing...
Chang Chun Petrochemical Confirms Acetic Acid Plant Start-Up Plans
Taiwan-based Chang Chun Petrochemical has announced that it plans to start up its 450,000t / year acetic acid plant in Mailiao in the next two months. The company had initially planned to...
EU Authorities Approve BASF and Ineos Joint Venture
The EU's antitrust authorities has approved the creation of a joint venture between Ineos and BASF, which will produce styrenics and is expected to have annual sales of about €6.4bn. ...
Ashland to Acquire International Specialty Products
Ashland has revealed a plan to acquire privately owned chemical maker International Specialty Products for $3.2bn in cash to tap into demand for higher-margin ingredients used in personal...
Chinese Petrochemical Industry to Rise
The Chinese petrochemical sector is expected to grow 10% a year over until 2015, according to a report. The sector is expected to reach 16tn yuan ($2.46tn) by 2015, rising from a value...
Solvay to Set Up Research Centre at South Korean University
Solvay has signed an agreement with Ewha Womans University in South Korea to set up a joint research, development and technology centre on the university's campus. Solvay will...
Taiwan Orders Closure of Petrochemical Plants After Fire
The local government of Yunlin county in Taiwan has ordered the closure of six petrochemical plants in the area after a series of fires. The shutdown included Formosa Plastics Group's...
S-Oil to Buy Stake in Hankook Silicon
South Korean firm S-Oil has agreed to buy a 33.4% stake in Hankook Silicon for KRW265bn ($245m) as part of its drive to expand into the renewable energy business. The purchase will be...
Haldia Petrochemicals to Invest in Indian Projects
Haldia Petrochemicals is planning to invest INR40bn ($885m) in eight petrochemical projects in the Indian state of West Bengal within the next four years. Vice-chairman Purnendu Chatterjee...
Biorenewable Chemicals Market to Rise
The value of the biorenewable chemicals market is expected to rise from $2.4bn to $6.8bn by 2015, a compound annual growth rate of 22.8%, according to SBI Energy. The growth will be driven...
BASF and INEOS to Establish Joint Venture Styrene Business
BASF and INEOS Industries Holdings have signed an agreement to establish a joint venture company to produce styrene. The new entity, to be known as Styrolution, will combine the two...
May 2011
Top
Brazilian Chemical Output Falls
Chemical production in Brazil dropped 5.72% between March and April 2011, according to Brazilian chemical industry association Abiquim. The domestic sales of chemicals also dropped 8.1%...
Petronas Reports Q4 Profit Rise
Malaysia-based Petronas Chemicals has reported a 33% increase in profit to RM3.5bn ($1.15 bn) during the year ended March 2011 compared to the profit it reported a year earlier. The company...
BASF to Build TDI Plant in Europe
BASF is planning to build the world' largest single-train toluene diisocyanate (TDI) in Europe. The plant is expected to have a capacity of 300,000t a year. The TDI plant will be located...
JBF RAK and BP Aromatics Agree to Build PET Plant in Belgium
JBF RAK has signed a memorandum of understanding with BP Aromatics to build a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) facility in Geel, Belgium. The plant will be located adjacent to BP's...
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Seeks Partner for Indian Petrochemical Project
India's Hindustan Petroleum Corporation has said that it is seeking partners for its INR450bn ($9.9bn) petrochemical project in Visakhapatnam, in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The company...
China's Methanol Imports Drops in April
China's methanol imports dropped to 498,255t during April 2011, a 6.6% fall compared to imports in the previous month. In March, China imported 533,203t of methanol, almost double the amount...
Global Ethylene Capacity to Rise
Global ethylene capacity is expected to reach 162 million tons by 2012 through the addition of new capacities, a report by Merchant Research & Consulting has predicted. During the next...
Iran Looks for Partner for Hormuz Fertiliser Plant
Iran has announced that it is seeking a new partner to replace Oman in its $800m Hormuz urea fertiliser plant. The project was being carried out in a 50:50 joint venture between Iran's...
Dutch Chemical Output Rises
Sales in the Dutch chemical industry increased by 22% in the first quarter of 2011, compared to the corresponding quarter in 2010, chemical industry association VNCI has confirmed. The...
SQM Reports First Quarter Profit
Chile-based Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM) has reported a 46% increase in profit to $111.4m during the first quarter of 2011, compared to the corresponding quarter in 2010. ...
Sinopec and Kuwait Petroleum to Start Construction of Chinese Petrochemical Plant in 2012
Sinopec and Kuwait Petroleum have announced that construction of a proposed joint-venture petrochemical plant and a refinery in China's Guangdong province will begin in 2012. The construction...
China Witnesses Petrochemical Output Increase
Sales in the Chinese petrochemical industry have risen 34% during the first four months of 2011 to 2.95tn yuan ($453bn) compared to the same period in 2010, according to a report from...
BNDES Petrochemical Funding Rises in Q1
Brazilian national development bank BNDES increased its funding to the country's chemical and petrochemical sector by 39% year-on-year to R$1.17bn (US$728m) in the first quarter of 2011. ...
Daelim Wins Saudi Petrochemical Plant Contract
South Korea's Daelim has won a contract to build a $750m petrochemical plant for Saudi Arabia's Sahara Petrochemicals. The project is a joint venture between Sahara Petrochemicals and...
Iran to Double Petrochemical Capacity
Iran is planning to nearly double its petrochemical capacity by 2015, from 51 million tons per year to 100 million tons per year. The plan will see increases in the production of...
Dow Chemical to Open Thailand Polyolefin Elastomers Plant
Dow Chemical has revealed that it plans to open its polyolefin elastomers plant in Thailand's Rayong province on 1 June 2011. The new facility is expected to increase Dow's global capacity...
United Chemicals to Borrow Money to Boost Chemical Output
Kazakhstan-based United Chemical is planning to borrow $3bn from banks next year to boost its chemical production, as the country seeks to boost exports of refined oil and gas products. ...
Global Chemical Deal Volume Rises 78% in Q1
M&A volume in the chemical industry has risen 78% during the first quarter of 2011 compared to volume in 2010, according to an analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The firm's...
Mitsubishi Chemical Restarts Quake-Affected Cracker Plant
Mitsubishi Chemical has resumed operation at its No 2 naphtha cracker plant in Kashima, Japan, two months after its operations were disrupted by an earthquake. The cracker has a capacity...
India Imposes Anti-Dumping Duty on Acetone Imports from Thailand and Japan
India has imposed anti-dumping duty of up to $94.96 per ton on imports of acetone from Japan and Thailand to protect domestic players. The anti-dumping duty will be levied for a period of...
Indorama to Build Fertiliser and Methanol Plants in Nigeria
Indonesia-based Indorama is planning to invest $1.8bn to build fertiliser and methanol plants in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The plants are expected to be operational in 2014 and produce a...
Sunoco to Sell Phenol and Acetone Plant in US to Honeywell
Sunoco has signed an agreement with Honeywell to sell its phenol and acetone manufacturing plant in Philadelphia, US, for an estimated $85m. The company is expected to incur pre-tax...
SABIC and Sinopec Partner for Polycarbonate Production in China
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and China Petroleum & Chemical (Sinopec) have signed a memorandum of understanding to produce polycarbonate in China. The agreement will see a...
KarpatNaftoKhim Prepares to Start Ukraine Polyvinyl Chloride Plant
Lukoil-owned Ukrainian petrochemical company KarpatNaftoKhim has announced that it is preparing to start its new polyvinyl chloride production plant in Kalush, western Ukraine. The...
German Chemical Output to Grow
German chemical trade group VCI has raised its chemical sales forecasts for 2011 after seeing a strong demand result in additional plant capacity utilisation. VCI has projected a 9%...
DuPont Secures 92.2% Stake of Danisco
DuPont Denmark Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of DuPont, has secured 92.2% of outstanding shares in Danisco, valued at $6.4bn. DuPont Chair and CEO Ellen Kullman said that the company...
Deloitte Expert Tips China to Become World's Largest Chemical Market
China may become the world's largest chemical market, overtaking the US by the end of this year, according to Deloitte global chemical sector leader Tim Hanley. Hanley was quoted by...
SABIC and ExxonMobil Chemical Sign Technology Agreement
Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) and ExxonMobil Chemical have signed an engineering and licensing contract for a joint elastomers project in Saudi Aradia. US-based Jacobs Engineering and...
Sasol to Build Ethylene Tetramerisation Plant in US
Sasol has selected S&B Engineers and Constructors to build its ethylene tetramerisation plant at Lake Charles in Louisiana, US. The plant will use Sasol's proprietary technology to...
OCI and Janus Joint Venture Acquires Ammonia-Methanol Plant in Texas
Orascom Construction Industries (OCI), a subsidiary of Netherlands-based OCI Nitrogen, has acquired an integrated ammonia-methanol plant located in Texas, US, through a joint venture with...
Makhteshim Agan Reports First-Quarter Profit Rise
The Makhteshim Agan Group has reported a profit of $91.7m during the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 29.4% from the $70.9m profit reported during the corresponding quarter in 2010. ...
BASF to Build Dispersions Plant in South Africa
BASF is planning to build a plant in Durban, South Africa, to produce acrylic dispersions for the coatings and construction industry. Production is scheduled to begin in the second half of...
QAPCO to Boost Petrochemical Production
Industries Qatar, the parent company of Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO), has unveiled a five-year plan through 2015 to boost its petrochemical production. QAPCO is planning to start...
Momentive and UPC Joint Venture to Produce Phenolic Resins in China
Momentive Specialty Chemicals and UPC Technology have signed a memorandum of understanding to create a joint venture company to produce speciality phenolic resins in China. The joint venture...
Iran to Build 24 Petrochemical Plants
Iran is planning to invest $14bn to construct 24 petrochemical plants in Asalouyeh, Bushehr. The investment is part of Iran's plan to increase its petrochemical production to 64 million...
Tokuyama to Build Silicon Plant in Malaysia
Japan-based Tokuyama is planning to invest 100bn yen ($1.2bn) to build its second polycrystalline silicon plant at Samalaju Industrial Park in Sarawak, Malaysia. The second-phase plant...
OCI to Raise Funds for Polysilicon Capacity Increase
OCI is planning to raise $700m through global depositary receipts to fund an increase of its polysilicon capacity. The South Korea-based company will offer receipts for 360,719 existing...
Petronas to Build Petrochemical Complex in Malaysia
Petronas is planning to build an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex in the state of Johor, Malaysia. The state owned Malaysian company is planning to invest around $20bn in...
Japanese VAM Output Drops in February
Japanese vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) production in February 2011 dropped 28.7% from January and 20% from the same month a year earlier to 38,025t, statistics from the Japan VAM and PVOH...
DuPont to Expand Titanium Dioxide Capacity
DuPont has revealed a plan to expand its titanium dioxide capacity by about 350,000t. The increase will see new production units built at the company's Altamira plant in Mexico, as well...
Mossi & Ghisolfi to Build New PET and PTA Plants in the US
Mossi & Ghisolfi has announced that it is planning to build a one million tons / year polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant in the US Gulf Coast region. The company also intends to build...
Styron Breaks Ground at New German Plant
Styron has broken ground on its new solution styrene butadiene rubber plant in Schkopau, Germany. The plant will have an initial capacity to produce 50,000t of solution styrene butadiene...
Lanxess First Quarter Profit Rises 60%
Lanxess has reported a 60% increase in profit during the first quarter of 2011 to €166m ($241m), backed by a 29% jump in sales to €2.1bn. The German chemical company reported...
China to Extend Anti-Dumping Duty on Imported Chloroprene Rubber
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has announced that it will continue to impose anti-dumping duty on imports of chloroprene rubber from Japan, the US and the EU for another five...
Merck Resumes Xirallic Paint Pigment Production in Japan
German chemical company Merck has resumed operations at its paint pigment plant in Japan. The Onahama plant, which closed in the wake of March's earthquake and tsunami, is the sole source...
Royal DSM, Roquette to Open Bio-Based Succinic Acid Plant in Italy
Royal DSM and French starch-maker Roquette Frères are to build a commercial scale plant for the production of bio-based succinic acid in Cassano Spinola, Italy. The plant will use...
Dow to Restart Ethylene Unit Following Maintenance
Dow Chemical is preparing to restart an ethylene unit at its Terneuzen chemicals site in the Netherlands, which was shut in March for maintenance. The cracker plant has a capacity to...
Enterprise to Increase Polymer-Grade Propylene Fractionation in Texas
Enterprise Products Partners is to expand its polymer-grade propylene fractionation plant at Mont Belvieu in Texas, US. The expansion will increase the plant's capacity by 10%...
Environment Groups Sue ECHA
Environmental groups ClientEarth and ChemSec have sued Europe's chemical watchdog for not disclosing the names of companies producing toxic chemicals in EU countries. The groups allege that...
Saudi Arabia Petrochemical Export Rises
Saudi Arabia's petrochemical exports increased 31% in March 2011 compared to the corresponding month in 2010. Saudi Arabia exported SAR4.7bn ($1.3bn) of petrochemicals during the month, up...
Clariant Net Income Jumps in Q1
Clariant has posted a net profit of CHF120m during the first quarter of 2011, up from the CHF10m reported during the corresponding period in 2010. The company's earnings before interest and...
Sahara and Maaden Sign Caustic Soda Production Agreement
Sahara Petrochemicals has signed a shareholder agreement with Maaden, a Saudi Arabian Mining company, to build a CA-EDC complex in Jubail Industrial city, in which it will invest $750m. ...
Dow to Increase Resin Capacity in Germany
Dow Epoxy, a unit of Dow Chemical, has revealed a plan to increase its liquid epoxy resin capacity at its plant in Stade, Germany, by 30,000t a year. The expansion represents a 10% increase...
Arkema's Q1 Profit Triples
Arkema's profit during the first quarter of 2011 has more than tripled to €151m ($225m), led by strong demand and higher prices. The French company reported a profit of €40m...
PPG to Acquire Dyrup
PPG Industries has signed an agreement with Monberg & Thorsen to acquire Denmark-based coatings company Dyrup for €135m ($200m) including debt. Dyrup is a European producer...
Reliance to Invest in Chemical Business
Reliance Industries is considering a plan to invest $12bn in its chemical business, in an attempt to become a leader in the rubber sector. The company is looking to tap into hygiene...
Dorf Ketal Achieves Full Production at Indian Facility
Dorf Ketal Specialty Catalysts has achieved full production at its organic titanate plant in Mundra, India. The facility will produce a wide portfolio of titanates, making it the...
BioAmber Raises Funds for Succinic Acid Commercialisation
BioAmber has raised $45m in a Series B financing round to fund the commercialisation of modified polybutylene succinate polymers and biobased succinic acid. The new round of funding was...
BASF's Q1 Profit More Than Doubles
BASF has reported a 134% increase in profit during the first quarter of 2011 to €2.41bn ($3.51bn), up from the €1.03bn ($1.48bn) reported during the corresponding quarter in...
Keyuan Expands Capacity in China
China-based Keyuan Petrochemicals has completed its capacity expansion project at its plant in Ningbo, China, boosting capacity from 550,000t a year to 720,000t a year. Equipment...
Bayer to Invest in US Chemical Plant
Bayer MaterialScience has announced plans to invest $120m in its site in Baytown, Texas, US, to upgrade a chemical plant. The investment will be used for environmental upgrades,...
PPG Acquires Equa-Chlor
PPG Industries has completed the $27m asset acquisition of Equa-Chlor, a manufacturer of chlorine, caustic soda and muriatic acid based in Longview, Washington, US. The company has...
FMC Reports Q1 Profit
FMC Corporation has achieved a net profit of $94m in the first quarter of 2011, up from the $77.4m it reported in the corresponding period of the previous year. First quarter revenue...
Samsung Wins HDPE Plant Contract in India
India-based ONGC Petro Additions has awarded a contract to Samsung Engineering to develop a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plant in Dahej, Gujarat, India. Under the $229m contract,...
Lanxess Completes DSM Elastomers Acquisition
Germany-based Lanxess has completed the acquisition of DSM Elastomers from Dutch company Royal DSM for €310m. The transaction was announced in 14 December 2010 as part of...
Bayer MaterialScience to Boost Polycarbonate Capacity in Europe
Bayer MaterialScience is planning to invest €90m to increase polycarbonate capacity at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site in Germany. The plant is currently producing 330,000t of polycarbonate...
LyondellBasell to Boost Ethylene Output
LyondellBasell Industries is planning to boost its ethylene capacity in the US and build another plant to take advantage of an increased supply of shale gas. The firm could debottleneck...
Westlake Chemical's Q1 Profit More Than Quadruples
Westlake Chemical's first quarter profit in 2011 more than quadrupled to $83.5m, compared to $17.6m it reported during the corresponding period in 2010. However, its first quarter profit...
Petrochemical Capacity to Increase in Taiwan
Despite the termination of the Kuokuang petrochemical project, several downstream petrochemical projects in southern Taiwan are planning to expand capacities. The petrochemical projects have...
Dow Chemical Fails to Restart Netherland Cracker Plant
Dow Chemical has failed to restart its No 1 cracker in Terneuzen, the Netherlands, following maintenance work that began in March. The cracker, one of three plants that Dow Chemical operates...
LyondellBasell Q1 Profit Soars
LyondellBasell has reported a profit of $663m during the first quarter of 2011, up from a profit of $8m during the same quarter a year ago. The Dutch chemical company reported a 119%...
Gecko Plans to Build Three Chemical Plants in Namibia
South African-based Gecko company is planning to invest $1.8bn to build three chemical acid plants and a harbour in Namibia to cater to the mining industry. The proposed chemical acid...
Solutia Opens EVA Plant in China
Solutia has opened its Vistasolar ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) manufacturing plant in Suzhou, China. The new plant will strengthen Solutia's position as high-quality solar encapsulant...
Amyris Builds Farnesene Plant in Brazil
US-based Amyris has built a plant at Piracicaba in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, to produce farnesene from sugar-cane syrup. Farnesene is a chemical compound that can be...
Akzonobel to Restructure Pakistan Subsidiary
Dutch chemical company AkzoNobel has revealed a plan to restructure its ICI Pakistan subsidiary into two companies — AkzoNobel Pakistan and ICI Pakistan. AkzoNobel Pakistan will...
Albemarle Develops Technology to Produce Lithium from Brine
Albemarle has developed a technology to extract lithium from brine, allowing it to produce lithium carbonate from its bromine facility in Magnolia, Arkansas, US. The chemical company...
Qatar Petrochemical to Launch Polyethylene Plant Next Year
Qatar Petrochemical Company will launch its new low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plant, known as LDPE-3, in the first quarter of 2012. The plant is to be located in Mesaieed, Qatar, and...
Dow Chemical's Q1 Profit Up
Dow Chemical has reported a 34% increase in profit during the first quarter of 2011 to $625m, compared with $466m it reported during the same quarter in 2010. The US-chemical major...
BTB Bank to Fund AzMeCo Methanol Plant
Azerbaijan's BTB Bank has agreed to provide a $30m loan to AzMeCo to fund the construction of a methanol plant in Baku. The plant will produce 720,000t of methanol a year with the...
Clariant Completes Acquisition of Süd-Chemie
Clariant has completed the acquisition of Germany-based speciality and catalysts firm Süd-Chemie for €1.9bn ($2.7bn). Following the transaction, the Switzerland-based firm will own...
April 2011
Top
Momentive and Zhejiang Xinan Joint Venture to Increase Siloxane Output
Momentive Performance Materials and Zhejiang Xinan Chemical Industrial are planning to expand the capacity of their joint venture, Zhejiang Xinan Momentive Performance Materials. The...
Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Suspends Taiwan Petrochemical Plan
Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology has suspended its plan to build a petrochemical complex Changhua, Taiwan. The decision came following opposition to the TWD600bn ($20.7bn) project...
Malaysia to Continue Anti-Dumping Duties Thailand Resins
Malaysia will continue to impose anti-dumping duty on imports of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or plastic resin originating or exported from Thailand. Based on an administrative review...
BioAmber and Mitsubishi Chemical Sign Succinic Acid Partnership
BioAmber and Mitsubishi Chemical have signed a strategic agreement with Mitsubishi Chemical, making BioAmber and its Asian distribution partner Mitsui the exclusive suppliers of bio-based...
Akzo Nobel's Q1 Profit Increases
Akzo Nobel has reported a 58% increase in profit to €128m during the first quarter of 2011, compared to a profit of €81m reported during Q1 2010. The Dutch company's revenue...
PTT Chemical and PTT Aromatics Merger Moves Ahead
Shareholders of PTT Chemical and PTT Aromatics and Refining have approved the merger of the two companies. The merger is expected to be finalised in August 2011, making the combined entity...
Momentive Plans to Sell Stock in Initial Public Offering
Chemical maker Momentive Performance Materials Holdings is planning to sell up to an estimated $862.5m of common stock in an initial public offering. The firm will use the proceeds from...
German Court Halts Ethylene Pipeline Project
A German court has halted the construction of an ethylene pipeline project amid concerns that it runs too close to housing. The order is to halt the section between Aalen and Rudersberg, in...
Dow Chemical Plans to Boost Ethylene and Propylene Output
Dow Chemical is planning to build an ethylene plant on the US Gulf coast, which is expected to start in 2017. The chemical major is also planning to restart a cracker plant near...
LG Chem Reports Q1 Profit Rise
LG Chem has reported a 27% increase in first-quarter profit to $601m during the three months ended 31 March, compared with KRW517.7bn ($474.8m) it reported during the corresponding quarter a...
Genomatica and M&G to Commercialise Bio-BDO
Italy's M&G (Gruppo Mossi & Ghisolfi) has entered into a deal with Genomatica for the development of sustainable chemicals from biomass through its Chemtex subsidiary. Under the...
EPA Strengthens Air Toxic Emissions Standards for PVC Facilities
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed stronger standards for facilities that produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The standards update the emission limits of air toxics,...
IPIC Seeks to Consolidate Nova and Borealis
The Abu Dhabi Government-owned International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) is looking to consolidate Nova and Borealis as it focuses on building up the petrochemical industry in the country....
DuPont Secures China's Approval for Danisco Acquisition
US chemicals group DuPont has received approval from China's Ministry of Commerce for its planned acquisition of Danish ingredients and enzyme maker Danisco. The approval clears the way...
Sabic's Reports Q1 Profit Rise
Saudi Basic Industries (Sabic) has reported a 42% increase in profit driven by increased sales and production. Sabic said its profit climbed to SAR7.69bn ($2.04bn) for the first quarter of...
Tikkurila to Acquire Zorka Color
Tikkurila is planning to acquire the operations of Serbian paint company Zorka Color and its subsidiaries. The Finnish company expects the acquisition to strengthen its position in...
Arkema Starts Fluorinated Polymer Production at Chinese Plant
France-based Arkema has started production from its new Kynar PVDF fluorinated polymer production plant at its Changshu site in China. Earlier in January, Arkema revealed a plan to...
Petrochemical Exports from Saudi Arabia Rise
Saudi Arabia's petrochemical exports increased 31% in February compared to a year earlier, according to government data. The country shipped 2.49 million tons of petrochemicals from its...
Ferrostaal to Invest in Indonesia Plant
Germany-based Ferrostaal is planning to invest $800m to build a methanol and dimethyl ether plant in West Papua, Indonesia. The company is expects to complete all planning and preparation...
Aditya Birla Chemical Buys Chloro Chemicals Unit From Kanoria
Aditya Birla Chemical has bought the chloro-chemical division of Kanoria Chemicals and Industries, for INR8.5bn ($130m). Kanoria operates a plant in Renukoot, Uttar Pradesh, India, under...
Rhone to buy Evonik's Carbon Black Unit
New York-based Rhone Capital is considering buying Evonik Industries' carbon black operation for about $1.3bn. Rhone Capital competed against Triton Advisers in the final stages of the...
CB&I to Provide Technology to Kazakhstan Petchem Project
Lummus Technology, a unit of CB&I company, has won a contract from Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries to provide licensing and basic engineering of a propane dehydrogenation plant and...
Brazil's Q1 Chemical Trade Deficit Increases
Brazil's chemical trade deficit reached $5bn during the first quarter this year, increasing 16.9% over the same period of 2010, according to Abiquim, the national association of...
Chemtura to Expand Chemical Business in India
Chemtura is planning to invest between $100m and $150m over the next five years to expand its chemical business in India. The US-based chemical company is planning to expand its business...
Technip Secures Methionine Plant Contract in China
Technip has won a contract from Bluestar Adisseo Nanjing Company of China for engineering, procurement and project management services for a methionine plant in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China. ...
ICL to Expand Potash Plant in Spain
ICL is planning to streamline its Spanish subsidiary Iberpotash and has approved plans to combine two of Iberpotash's operational sites into one. Under the plan, Iberpotash's capacity at...
Jurong Aromatics Secures Funds for Singapore Petrochemical Plant
Jurong Aromatics Corporation has secured $1.56bn of debt financing from ten banks to build a petrochemical plant in Singapore. Around 80% ($1.24bn) of the debt will be financed or...
Honeywell to Provide Process Control for UAE Fertliser Plant
Honeywell has been selected by Samsung Engineering to deliver an integrated process control system for Fertil-2, a new fertiliser plant being built near Abu Dhabi, United Arab...
Researchers Develop Material That Catalyses Two Chemical Reactions
Researchers at University of California Berkeley in the US have designed a novel material that can catalyse two separate, sequential reactions to produce industrially relevant intermediates in...
Shell to Delay Restart of Singapore Ethylene Plant
Royal Dutch Shell may delay the restart of its Pulau Bukom ethylene plant in Singapore to May because of ongoing technical issues. The cracker, which shut on 18 March and caused Shell...
Japan's Naphtha Imports Drop
Japanese naphtha imports for the petrochemical sector decreased by 10% in March 2011, compared with the same month in 2010, according to Japanese government data, reflecting the impact of...
M&G Starts Work on Cellulosic Ethanol Plant in Italy
Novozymes partner Mossi & Ghisolfi Group (M&G) has started construction work on its cellulosic ethanol plant in Crescentino, north-west Italy. The plant, which will be ten times larger than...
Asia Polymer to Build New EVA Plant in Taiwan
Asia Polymer, part of USI Far East Group, is planning to invest between NT$4bn (US$138.2m) and NT$5bn (US$172.8m) to build a new plant in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan to increase output...
Samsung to Build Aluminum Alkyls Plant for SOCC
Saudi Organometallic Chemicals Company (SOCC) has selected Samsung Engineering to provide engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services for its aluminum alkyls manufacturing facility...
Daelim Completes Construction of Chevron's Polymer Plant
Daelim Industrial has completed construction of Chevron Phillips' polymer plant in Saudi Arabia. The polymer plant will have a capacity of 1.7 million tons including 550,000t of...
Sinopec Begins Work on Aromatics Plant in Kazakhstan
China's Sinopec Tenth Construction Company has started work on a 500,000t a year aromatics plant at Kazakhstan's Atyrau oil refinery. Kazakhstan's state-owned KazMunaiGaz had awarded a...
Hanwha to Build Polysilicon Plant in South Korea
Hanwha Chemical is planning to invest KRW1.04tn ($955m) to build a polysilicon plant in the city of Yeosu, South Korea. The plant will have a capacity to produce 10,000t of the material,...
Wacker Begins Construction of US Polysilicon Plant
Wacker Chemie has started construction work on its €1.1bn ($1.6bn) polysilicon plant in the US state of Tennessee. The plant will have a capacity to produce 15,000t of polysilicon a...
Tata Chemicals to Acquire Stake in Gabon Urea Project
Tata Chemicals will invest $290m to acquire a 25.1% equity stake in a urea manufacturing project in Gabon. The port-based, ammonia-urea fertiliser complex is being set up through a...
Dow and OPX to Collaborate on Bio-Based Acrylic Acid Development
Dow Chemical Company and OPX Biotechnologies have entered into a collaboration to develop an industrial-scale process to produce bio-based acrylic acid from renewable feedstocks, such as corn...
Braskem Starts Construction on Brazilian PVC Plant
Braskem has started construction work on its new PVC plant at Marechal Deodoro in the state Alagoas, Brazil. The plant is being constructed with an investment of BRL1bn ($621.9m) and...
Daelim Wins Petrochemical Plant Contract from Petron
Daelim Industrial said it has signed a KRW345.3bn ($317m) deal with Petron to build a petrochemical plant in Limay, Bataan, the Philippines. The South Korean company said that it would...
China Green's Fertiliser Plant to Begin Production
China Green Agriculture has announced that the new fertiliser plant of its Beijing Gufeng Chemical Products subsidiary has started operations. The new plant has a capacity of 200,000t...
Mitsubishi to Restart Ethylene Plant in Japan
Mitsubishi Chemical has said it is planning to restart its No 2 naphtha cracker at its manufacturing complex in Kashima, Japan, on 20 May. The complex was shut following the massive...
China to Curb Petrochemical Projects
China will encourage foreign investments in ethylene projects with a capacity of no less than one million tons, as well as oil and gas exploration, according to National Development and...
LG Chem to Invest in Kazakhstan Polypropylene Plant
South Korean chemical manufacturer LG Chem is planning to invest $1.3bn in a polypropylene plant in Atyrau Oblast, Kazakhstan. Kazakh vice-minister of oil and gas Aset Magauov said that...
Indorama to Increase PET Polymers Production in Europe
Indorama Ventures has approved an expansion of PET polymer production in Europe by 220,000t a year. The expansion will boost Indorama's total PET polymer capacity in Europe to 1.3 million...
Egypt and EU Sign Chemical Industry Memorandum of Understanding
The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), the Chamber of Chemical Industries of Egypt and the Environmental Compliance Office of Egypt have signed a memorandum of understanding to...
Japanese Ethylene Output Up
Japanese ethylene production increased 2.1% in February to 605,300t compared to the same month a year earlier, boosted by additional plant capacity, according to government data. The...
Gulf Petrochemical Production to Rise
Annual petrochemical production in Gulf countries is expected to rise by 46% to 155 million tons a year by 2015, up from 105 million tons at present, according a report by the Gulf...
European Commission Approves Dupont's Danisco Acquisition
The European Commission has approved DuPont's acquisition offer for Danisco, the Danish food ingredients and enzymes maker. The US chemical company announced its intentions to acquire...
EU Chemical Production Increases
EU chemical production in January increased 7% compared with the corresponding month in 2010, according to the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic). Chemical production now stands at...
Lanxess Starts Production at Indian Resins Plant
Lanxess India has started production at its ion exchange resins plant at Jhagadia, Gujarat. The high-tech resins are used for water treatment in the power generation, microelectronics,...
Marubeni to Buy Butadiene from Braskem
Japan's Marubeni is planning to sign a five-year agreement to buy butadiene from Brazilian firm Braskem. Marubeni will spend JPY45bn ($534m) over five years to buy butadiene from...
Solvay to Acquire Rhodia
Belgium-based Solvay has revealed plans to acquire French chemical company Rhodia for €3.4bn. Both the companies have signed an agreement, according to which Solvay will offer...
Westlake to Increase Ethylene Capacity in US
Westlake Chemical has announced an expansion programme that includes increasing its ethane-based ethylene capacity in Lake Charles, Louisiana, US. The company is also planning to expand...
Uralkali and Silvinit Merger Approved
Russia's Federal Anti-Monopoly Service has approved the merger between major fertiliser producers Uralkali and Silvinit. The $7.8bn merger will create the world's largest potash...
Lucite to Build Methacrylic Acid Plant in US
Lucite International, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Rayon, is planning to build a new methacrylic acid plant at its facility in Beaumont, Texas, US. Lucite is planning to invest $36.2m in...
Huntsman Acquires Laffans Petrochemicals
US-based chemical company Huntsman has completed the acquisition of Indian chemical producer Laffans Petrochemicals. Following the acquisition, Huntsman has taken the ownership of the 60,000t...
Maruzen Petrochemical Restarts Naphtha Cracker
Japan's Maruzen Petrochemical has restarted its 480,000t / year naphtha cracker in Chiba, Japan, nearly a month after it was shut down following the earthquake on 11March. With the restart...
EU Approves National Bluestar's Acquisition of Elkem
The European Commission has approved China National Bluestar's acquisition of Norwegian silicon producer Elkem. The Commission carefully examined the $2bn merger, holding an enquiry...
TA Holdings Deliberates Fertiliser Plant Conversion
Zimbabwe-based TA Holdings has announced that it requires at least $200m to convert its Sable Chemicals hydro-electrolysis fertiliser plant to a gasification plant, which would allow it to...
Western Australia State Government to Support Perdaman Urea Plant
The state of Western Australia will provide A$83.5m ($86.6m) over the next four years to support Perdaman Chemical's A$3.5bn ($3.6bn) urea plant. Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett...
Evonik Starts Isobutene Plant in Belgium
Evonik Industries has opened a new plant to produce high-purity isobutene at its site in Antwerp, Belgium. The plant has capacity to produce 110,000t of isobutene a year. It forms part of...
Indian Firm to Build Technical Ammonium Nitrate Plant in Australia
India-based Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation is planning to invest $350m to set up a technical ammonium nitrate plant in the state of South Australia, Australia. The plant...
Toyo to Build Fertiliser Plant in Indonesia
Indonesia's PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur (Kaltim) has awarded a $577m contract to Japan's Toyo Engineering to build a fertiliser plant in Bontang, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The natural...
Technip Awarded Braskem-Idesa's Ethylene Project in Mexico
Braskem-Idesa, the joint venture between the Brazilian Braskem and Mexican Group Idesa, has chosen Technip as a technology provider for the development of its Ethylene XXI project in...
M Setek to Restart Polysilicon Plant in June
M Setek has announced that it plans to resume polysilicon production at its plant in Soma City, Japan, in June. Operations were suspended after the 11 March earthquake led to power...
BASF, Petronas to Build Superabsorbent Polymers Plant in Malaysia
BASF and Petronas are planning to build a new plant for superabsorbent polymers in Malaysia. The companies have also decided to expand the existing production capacities of their joint...
ExxonMobil Chemical Opens Technology Centre in China
ExxonMobil Chemical has opened a new technology centre at Zizhu Science-Based Industrial Park in Shanghai, China. The $90m technology centre will offer a critical link for the development...
Teijin DuPont Restarts Operations in PET Film Plant
The Teijin DuPont Films joint venture has restarted operations at its PET film plant in Ibaraki, Japan. The plant was shut down following the earthquake and tsunami that struck the country...
Bayer to Build Isophorone Diisocyanate Plant in China
Bayer MaterialScience is planning to build a plant to produce isophorone diisocyanate, a coating raw material, at its integrated site in Shanghai, China. Bayer is planning to invest...
March 2011
Top
3i Group Plans to Sell Azelis
UK-based private equity firm 3i Group has initiated the sale of Azelis, a Belgium-based chemicals distributor with €1bn ($1.4bn) in sales. 3i has hired Bank of America Merrill Lynch...
GPIC Reports Profit
Gulf Petrochemicals Industries Company (GPIC) has reported a profit of $138m in 2010, an increase of $33m from 2009. The company said that it produced 1,475,892t of ammonia, urea and...
Ineos to Expand Ethylene Oxide Business
Ineos Oxide has announced a plan to expand its ethylene oxide and ethylene oxide derivatives capacity over the next few years as part of its strategy to grow its business globally. As part...
Chevron Phillips Could Build Ethane Cracker in US
Chevron Phillips is considering plans to build an ethane cracker and ethylene derivatives plant at one of its existing facilities in the US Gulf Coast region. The plant would use the...
Israel Chemical's Q4 Profit Rises
Israel Chemical has reported a 21% increase in profit to $245.4m during the fourth quarter of 2010, compared with $202.7m it reported during the corresponding quarter in 2009. Israel...
Perstorp to Increase 2-Ethylhexyl Acrylate Capacity in Europe and Asia
Perstorp is planning to expand the production capacity of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate in Europe and Asia by establishing production plants its manufacturing unit in Singapore. The company is...
Samsung and Sumitomo to Form LED Component Joint Venture
South Korea's Samsung LED and Japan's Sumitomo Chemical have agreed to form a KRW80bn ($72m) joint venture in South Korea to produce sapphire substrates, which are used to make LEDs. The...
SQM to Boost its Fertiliser and Chemical Capacity
Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM), a Chilean fertiliser and speciality chemical producer, is planning to invest between $1bn and $1.5bn over the next four years to boost its...
Nigeria to Build Petrochemical Plants
Nigeria has signed a memorandum of understanding with Xenel of Saudi Arabia and Nagarjuna Fertilizers & Chemicals of India to build petrochemical and fertiliser plants in the country. ...
BASF Receives Approval to Build MDI Plant in China
BASF has received approval from China to build a diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) plant in Chongqing, China. The company will invest 8bn yuan ($1.21bn) in the project, which will consist...
Altana Reports Sales Rise
German speciality chemical company Altana has reported a 51% increase in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation during 2010, rising from €208.4m in 2009 to...
K+S Completes Acquisition of Potash One
Germany's K+S has announced that its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, K+S Canada Holdings, has completed the acquisition of all outstanding common shares of Potash One. Following...
Dhunseri Delays PET Plant Project in Egypt
Dhunseri Petrochem & Tea has delayed the construction of its proposed PET plant in Egypt for two months following turmoil in the country. Construction work of the plant is now scheduled...
Nippon Steel Chemical and Showa Denko to Establish Aromatic Joint Venture
Nippon Steel Chemical and Showa Denko will form a joint venture company to produce aromatic chemicals, including styrene monomer, benzene, toluene and xylene. The joint venture, named...
India to Revive Closed Urea Plant
Engineers India and National Fertiliser of India are planning to revive the closed urea plant project at Ramagundam, Andhra Pradesh, with an investment of INR40bn ($874.9m). The two...
Mitsubishi Chemical Crackers to Stay Closed for Two Months
Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical has said that it will take at least two months to restart operations at two naphtha crackers at its Kashima plant, which was affected by the earthquake and tsunami...
Dynea Chemicals Acquires SC Rom Re Ro Munteanu
Dynea Chemicals has acquired SC Rom Re Ro Munteanu SRL, a privately owned Romanian adhesive manufacturing company. The acquisition is part of Dynea's strategy to strengthen its presence in...
Podar Group to Expand Its Fertiliser Business In India
Podar Group is planning to spend $2bn over the next four years to expand its fertiliser business in India. The India-based group will utilise the majority of funds to set up a new...
AkzoNobel to Increase Bermocoll Cellulose Derivatives Production
AkzoNobel will invest more than €60m to increase the capacity of its Bermocoll cellulose derivatives (paint and building material thickeners). Under the expansion plan, the Dutch...
Yara to Build Ammonium Nitrate Plant in Australia
Norway-based Yara International has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with Técnicas Reunidas to build a 330,000tpa ammonium nitrate (TAN) plant on the Burrup Peninsula in Western...
Japan's Petrochemical Output Hit Following Quake
Several petrochemical plants in Japan remain shut while others are running at a low rate following the earthquake and devastating tsunami that occurred on 11 March. About 25% of...
Asahi to Increase Hipore LIB Separator Capacity
Asahi Kasei E-materials will increase the production of its Hipore Li-ion battery (LIB) separator at its plant in Hyuga, Miyazaki, Japan, with start-up scheduled for 2013. The start-up,...
UOP to Provide Technology to Petrochemical Complex
UOP, a Honeywell company, has announced that its technology has been selected by Great Orient Chemical for a new petrochemical complex in China that will produce the primary ingredient...
Chemical Production in France to Rise
Chemical production in France, ranging from industrial gases to fertilisers and glues, is expected to rise by 3%, according Union des Industries Chimiques, France's chemical industry federation. ...
Shell Shuts Ethylene Cracker in Singapore
Royal Dutch Shell has shut its 800,000t/year ethylene cracker in Singapore following operational issues. The company has also declared force majeure on monoethylene glycol and...
Sibur to Expand Thermoplastic Elastomer Production
Sibur is planning to expand its production of styrene-butadiene thermoplastic elastomers at its plant in Vorenezh, Russia. The Russian company plans to more than double capacity of...
PPG to Acquire Equa-Chlor
PPG Industries has reached an agreement to acquire certain assets of Equa-Chlor, a producer of chlorine, caustic soda and muriatic acid. PPG plans to acquire Equa-Chlor's...
Nigeria to Invest in Petrochemical and Fertiliser Plants
Nigeria is planning to spend $10bn of foreign investment to build ten new petrochemical and fertiliser plants, according to the Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke. The projects...
Uhde Begins Work on Skid-Mounted Chlor-Alkali Plant
Uhde has started the construction of the world's first skid-mounted chlor-alkali electrolysis plant in Germany for Leuna-Harze. The plant will be based on Uhde's membrane technology and...
Petrobras to Build Fertiliser Plant in Brazil
Petrobras has announced that it plans to build a fertiliser plant in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The state-owned oil company is planning to start construction of the plant in...
Braskem Swings to Q4 Profit
Braskem has reported a profit of BRL356m ($218m) in the fourth quarter of 2010, compared with a loss of BRL$1.374bn ($820m) during the same quarter in 2009. The Brazilian company's...
China Agri-Business to Build Fertiliser Plant
China Agri-Business has announced that it plans to build an organic fertiliser manufacturing and logistics facility in Xi'an. The manufacturing facility will have the capacity to...
Makhteshim Reports Q4 Loss
Makhteshim Agan Industries has reported a loss of $132.2m during the fourth quarter of 2010, compared with the $32m loss it reported in 2009. The company has reported a profit of $20.8m...
Honeywell Declares Force Majeure on US Caprolactam Plant
Honeywell has declared a force majeure on caprolactam production at its 375,000t/year plant in Hopewell, Virginia, US. The company said that low availability of phenol feedstock prompted...
Saudi Kayan Starts Trial Production of Polycarbonate in Jubail
Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Company has started trial production of polycarbonate its petrochemicals complex in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. Once fully operational in 2013, the...
Kazakhstan Plans Polyethylene Plant
Kazakhstan is negotiating with South Korea's Hanwha Chemical, Japan's Marubeni and the investment arm of the Abu Dhabi government to finance a KZT645bn ($4.4bn) polyethylene plant. ...
Genomatica and Tate & Lyle to Commercialise Bio-BDO
Genomatica and Tate & Lyle have entered into a joint development agreement for the demonstration-scale production of Genomatica's Bio-BDO (1,4-butanediol). Under the agreement, Tate...
Sibur-Neftekhim to Expand Ethylene Plant Capacity in Russia
Sibur-Neftekhim, a subsidiary of Sibur Holding, is planning to invest RUB8.8bn ($306m) to expand the capacity of its ethylene plant in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. The expansion will increase...
Koch Fertilizer Acquires J&H Bunn
Koch Fertilizer has completed the acquisition of UK-based fertiliser blender and distributor J&H Bunn and its subsidiaries for an undisclosed amount. The company has turnover in excess...
CABB Acquired by Bridgepoint
CABB, a German-based manufacturer of fine and speciality chemicals, has been acquired by Bridgepoint from AXA Private Equity for $472m. CABB produces chemical building blocks based on...
Jacobs Engineering Secures Epichlorohydrin Plant Contract
Jacobs Engineering Group has been awarded a contract to provide technical and project management services for Jubail Chemical Industrial Company's epichlorohydrin plants in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. ...
GAIL (India) Plans to Build a Petrochemical Plant in Kerala
GAIL (India) has announced that it is planning to build a INR7000m ($152m) petrochemical plant in the Indian state of Kerala. The plant would be ethane-propane (C2-C3) based and would...
Saudi Arabia's Petrochemicals Export Rise
Saudi Arabia has reported a 2% increase in petrochemical exports in January 2011, compared with the same period in 2010. The country shipped 2.17 million tons of petrochemicals from its...
Cabot and Risun to Build Carbon Black Plant in China
Cabot has entered and Risun Chemicals Company have agreed to invest $100m to build a carbon black plant in Xingtai City, China. Under the agreement, Cabot will own a 60% stake in the...
Wacker Chemie to Expand Polysilicon Capacity in Germany
Wacker Chemie is planning to invest €130m to expand its production of hyperpure polysilicon at two plants in Germany. The company is planning to debottleneck its plant in Burghausen...
Berkshire Hathaway to Acquire Lubrizol for $9.7bn
Berkshire Hathaway has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of outstanding shares of US-based speciality chemical company Lubrizol for $135 per share. The transaction is valued at...
Japan Petrochemical Production Disrupted by Tsunami
Several petrochemical plants in Japan have been shut or are operating at a reduced rate following the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck the nation last week. Closed...
Bayer to Increase Capacity at German Diphenylmethane Diisocyanate Plant
Bayer MaterialScience is planning to invest €100m to expand its diphenylmethane diisocyanate plant at the Bayer Brunsbüttel Industrial Park in Germany. The project is part of...
BP Acquires Majority Stake of CNAA
BP has agreed to pay $680m to acquire an 83% stake in Brazilian ethanol and sugar producer Companhia Nacional de Açúcar e Álcool (CNAA). In addition, BP has agreed to...
Iran's Petrochemical Output Rises
Iran's petrochemical output rose to 30 million tons in the first nine months of the 2010/11 financial year, a 24% increase on 2009/10, according to a report from Research and Markets. ...
BASF Sells its Stake in K+S
BASF has obtained a €900m ($1.2bn) pre-tax gain from the sale of its stake in German potash miner K+S in a bid to exit from the nitrogen fertiliser business. BASF sold its 10% stake in...
Dow Chemical Facility in Japan Flooded Following Tsunami
A Dow Chemical facility in Japan has been flooded following the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit the country's north-eastern coast. The company has not reported any injuries at...
Lanxess Breaks Ground at Compounding Plant in US
Lanxess has broken ground at a new compounding plant in Gastonia, North Carolina, US. The plant will produce high-tech plastics — Durethan and Pocan — and have an initial capacity...
Borealis Breaks Ground on Austrian Catalyst Plant
Borealis has broken ground on a €75m semi-commercial catalyst plant in Linz, Austria. The plant will be used to develop new types of catalysts, improve processes for catalyst...
BASF Explores Investment Opportunities in Brazil
BASF is exploring opportunities for a new investment in Brazil, and is considering projects that include the production of acrylic acid, butyl acrylate and superabsorbent polymers. The...
Total, IFPEN and Axens to Develop Bioethylene Production Technology
Total Petrochemicals, IFP Energies nouvelles (IPFEN) and its subsidiary Axens have entered into a partnership to develop new technology that can produce bioethylene by dehydrating ethanol. ...
Saudi Kayan to Start Polycarbonate Plant in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Kayan has announced that it plans to start operations at its 260,000t/year polycarbonate plant at Jubail, Saudi Arabia, by the end of the month. The move will also see the...
Emery Oleochemical to Raise Money for Expansion
Malaysia-based Emery Olechemicals is planning to raise MYR480m ($158m) in Islamic bonds within the next four months to finance its expansion projects for the next three years. ...
Standard Chartered to Invest in Indian Chemical Company
Standard Chartered Private Equity, a unit of Standard Chartered, has invested INR$850m ($18.9m) in Indian chemical company Privi Organics. The funds will partly finance the expansion of...
Oxea to Further Expand Carboxylic Acids Capacity in Germany
Oxea is planning to build a new carboxylic acids plant in Oberhausen, Germany, which is scheduled to become operational by late 2012. The unit will increase Oxea's carboxylic acids...
Bridgestone to Build an Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Plant in Poland
Bridgestone Corporation has announced a plan to invest 5.25bn yen ($63.8m) to build an ethylene vinyl acetate film plant in Poland for its subsidiary, Bridgestone Diversified Products...
Royal Dutch Shell to Restart Petrochemical Plant in Singapore
Royal Dutch Shell is planning to restart its petrochemical plant in Singapore following maintenance and upgrades. Shell operates an ethylene cracker plant in Pulau Bukom, which will...
Chandra Asri to Expand Its Polyolefin Capacity in Indonesia
Chandra Asri Petrochemical is planning to invest $500m between 2011 and 2014 to expand its polyolefin business. Of this, $100m will be allocated to build a butadiene plant in Banten,...
Global Speciality Chemicals Market to Rise
The global speciality chemicals market is projected to grow from $476.13bn in 2010 to $610.14bn in 2016, at an estimated combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.11% during the period, according...
Honam Petrochemical to Invest in Indonesia
South Korea's Honam Petrochemical is planning to invest KRW5tn ($4.49bn) to build a naphtha cracker and downstream plants in Indonesia. The cracker is expected to have a capacity of one...
Solvay to Increase Polyvinylidene Fluoride Capacity in France
Solvay has announced that it plans to increase its polyvinylidene fluoride production at its Tavaux plant in France by 50%. The expanded plant, which will require an investment of €26m,...
AZMECO to Complete Methanol Plant in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan Methanol Company (AZMECO) has said that it expects to complete the construction of its methanol plant in Karadagh, Azerbaijan, in 2011, and begin production in 2012. The plant...
United Phosphorus to Acquire 50% Stake in Sipcam Isagro Brazil
Agrochemicals and speciality chemicals producer United Phosphorus has entered into an agreement to acquire a 50% stake in the Sipcam Isagro Brazil joint venture from Isagro. Following...
IFFCO to Increase Fertiliser Production in India
Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) is planning to invest INR550-600bn ($1.2-1.3bn) over the next three years to increase fertiliser production in India. The state-owned company...
Lotte Group to Invest in Pakistan Petrochemical Plant
KP Chemical, a unit of South Korea's Lotte Group, is planning to invest $400m to expand its petrochemical plant at Bin Qasim Industrial Estate in Karachi, Pakistan. KP Chemical is planning...
BASF to Build Sodium Methylate Plant in Argentina
BASF is planning to build a sodium methylate plant at its General Lagos site in Rosario, Argentina. The plant will be BASF's second sodium methylate plant in South America and will have...
Indorama Ventures Acquires Plants from Invista and SK Chemicals
Indorama Ventures has completed the acquisition of plants from Invista and SK Chemicals. The Thailand-based company has completed the acquisition of Invista' PET resin and fibres...
Nigeria to Invest in Petrochemical and Fertiliser Plants
The Nigerian Government is planning to invest $20bn to build petrochemical plants, according to the country's petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke. The investment will be used to...
Firtash Acquires Ukrainian Chemical Plant
Group DF owner Dmitry Firtash has acquired Cherkassy Azot, which manufactures mineral fertiliser, from Ukrainian businessman Oleksandr Yaroslavsky for $800m. The deal marks Firtash's...
Fina Antwerp Olefins to Halt Naphtha Cracker
Fina Antwerp Olefins, the petrochemical arm of Total and Exxon Mobil Corp, is planning to suspend operations at one of its naphtha crackers in Belgium at the end of March to carry out maintenance....
IPIC Eyes Complete Takeover of Cespa
The International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), which acts as Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund, has announced plans to takeover Spain-based Compania Espanola de Petrolios (Cepsa). As...
PTC Awards Polysilicon Plant Contract
Saudi-based Polysilicon Technology Company has awarded a $380m contract to Hyundai Engineering Company and KCC Engineering and Construction to build Phase 1 of a polysilicon plant in Saudi Arabia....
Baxter Announces Sale of Ashta to Bigshire
Baxter Associates has announced the sale of Ashta Chemicals to Bigshire Mexico. Ashta is a manufacturer of liquid potassium hydroxide, liquid potassium carbonate, anhydrous potassium...
Genomatica Raises Investment for Green Chemical Plant
Genomatica has raised an additional $45m to complete a demonstration project to prove its green chemistry technology can work on a commercial-scale. The new investment will be used to scale...
ICL Completes Acquisition of Scotts' Global Professional Business
ICL has completed the acquisition of the Global Professional business of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company for $270m. This purchase includes transfer of Global Professional's products, sales...
Invista to Build New Plant In China
Invista has announced that it will build a nylon 6,6 intermediates and polymer plant in Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in Shanghai, China. The company is currently conducting...
DSM and Kemrock to Produce Specialty Resins in India
Royal DSM plans to form a partnership with India-based Kemrock to set up a speciality composite resins plant in Pune, India. The two companies will use and leverage each other's strengths;...
BASF Plans to Sell Fertiliser Business
BASF is planning to sell the bulk of its fertiliser business, which includes production plants in Antwerp, Belgium, and its 50% share of PEC-Rhin in Ottmarsheim, France. The...
Olin Acquires PolyOne's Interest in Chlor Alkali Plant
Olin has acquired PolyOne's 50% stake in US-based SunBelt Chlor Alkali Partnership for $132.3m, becoming the 100% owner of the company. The transaction includes cash plus the assumption...
Mitsubishi Rayon to Increase Acrylic Resin Capacity in South Korea
Mitsubishi Rayon plans to double the capacity of its methyl methacrylate plant in South Korea to 188,000t/year by January 2013. The Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings unit will invest 18-20bn...
BASF to Increase Asian Investment
BASF is planning to expand its presence in Asia by investing €2.3bn ($3.1bn) over the next five years. The chemical major is planning to expand chemical production in Malaysia and China. ...
Momentive Swings to Q4 Profit
Momentive Specialty Chemicals has reported a profit of $53m during the fourth quarter of 2010, up from the loss of $6m it reported during the corresponding quarter in 2009. The US-based...
SRF Unveils Expansion Plan
SRF has unveiled a plan to invest INR2.5bn ($54m) to set up a biaxially oriented polypropylene film plant in South Africa. The plant will have a capacity to produce 5,400t/year of the...
Oxea to Expand Ester Capacity in Germany
Oxea is planning to expand the speciality esters capacity of its plant in Oberhausen, Germany, by 40% by the second half of 2011. The German company also intends to build a new plant in...
DSM Joint Venture to Expand Resin Capacity in China
Royal DSM's joint venture with Sinopec is planning to build a 100,000t/year composite resins plant in Nanjing, China. The joint venture, Jinling DSM Resins, is expected to invest...
PTT Chemical and PTT Aromatics and Refining to Merge
PTT Chemical and PTT Aromatics and Refining have announced a plan to merge and create a stronger entity. The new company will have a capacity to produce 8.2 million tons of petrochemicals...
Purac and Indorama to Build Polylactic Acid Plant in Thailand
CSM subsidiary Purac and Indorama Ventures are planning to set up a polylatic acid plant in Thailand. The plant will have an initial capacity of 10,000t/year, which will be raised...
February 2011
Top
Rhodia to Boost Silica Capacity
Rhodia is planning to increase the capacity of its highly dispersible silica plants in Chicago Heights, US, and Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, France. The expansion will increase its silica output...
Bayer Opens Polyisocyanates Plant in India
Bayer MaterialScience has opened its €20m ($27.4m) polyisocyanates production plant in Ankleshwar, India. The plant will have an initial capacity of 15,000t/year, which is expected to...
Lotte to Invest in Indonesian Petrochemical Project
Lotte Group is planning to invest $5bn to develop a petrochemical project in West Java, Indonesia. The South Korean company expects to start the construction of the plant in 2012 and...
Mexichem Reports Q4 Profit Increase
Mexichem has reported a profit of MXN724m ($59.5m) during the fourth quarter of 2010, up from the MXN622m ($54.4m) reported during the corresponding quarter of 2009. The chemical...
NOEC Delays Methanol Plant Completion
China-based New Oriental Energy & Chemical (NOEC) has delayed the completion of its new coal-based methanol plant in Henan province to April 2011. The delay has been attributed to...
BIPC's Petrochemical Output Rises
Iran's Bandar Imam Petrochemical Company (BIPC) has said that it exported more than $1bn of petrochemical products between March 2010 and January 2011, a 67% increase from the previous...
Braskem-Idesa to Build Ethylene Plant in Mexico
Braskem-Idesa, a joint venture between Brazilian company Braskem and Mexican group Idesa, is planning to build an ethylene plant in Veracruz, Mexico. The joint venturee has selected...
Petrobras to Build Fertiliser Plant in Brazil
Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras is planning to build a fertiliser plant in Tres Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul state. The plant will have capacity to produce 1.21 million tons of urea...
Westlake Reports Q4 Profit Rise
Westlake Chemical has reported a profit of $84m during the fourth quarter of 2010, up from the $12.5m it reported during the corresponding quarter of 2009. The US-based company reported...
Hanwha Chemical Plans Polysilicon Plant in South Korea
South Korea's Hanwha Chemical is planning to invest KRW1tn ($900.9m) to build a polysilicon plant in Yeosu, South Korea. The plant will have be able to produce 10,000t/year of polysilicon...
QQCCIC Plans to Build a Monoethylene Glycol Plant in China
Qianxixian Qianxi Coal Chemical Investment Company (QQCCIC) is planning to build a monoethylene glycol plant in Guizhou province, China. The plant will have a capacity to produce...
Solvay Acquires Fluorspar Mine in Bulgaria
Solvay has acquired a fluorspar mine at Chiprovsti, Bulgaria, from Italy's N&N Group. Under the transaction, N&N Group will transfer all fluorspar concession and exploration rights...
BP Zhuhai to Expand Petrochemical Capacity in China
BP Zhuhai Chemical Company is planning to increase its production of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) at its facility in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. The planned debottleneck will increase...
Kemira to Build Two Coagulant Plants
Kemira is planning to invest €40m ($54.7m) to build two coagulant plants in Europe. The plants will be built next to Bayer MaterialScience's isocyanate plants in Dormagen, Germany...
Work Begins on Iran's Marjan Petrochemical Plant
Construction of the €342m ($467.8m) Marjan Petrochemical project has begun in Assolouyeh, Iran. The plant will have a capacity to produce 1,650,000t/year of methanol and is expected...
LyondellBasell Swings to Q4 Profit
LyondellBassell has reported a profit of $874m during the fourth quarter of 2010, a turnaround from the $850m loss reported during the corresponding quarter of 2009. The Dutch chemical...
Chandra Asri Plans Polypropylene and Polyethylene Expansion
Indonesia's Chandra Asri Petrochemical expects to complete the expansion of its polypropylene and polyethylene capacity in Banten, Indonesia, by the end of this year. The Indonesian company...
Clariant Swings to Q4 Profit
Clariant has reported a profit of CHF46m ($47.78 m) during the fourth quarter of 2010, a turnaround from a loss of CHF68m ($71.9m) reported during the corresponding quarter in 2009. The...
EBRD to Support Polish Chemical Plant Expansion
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is planning to extend PLN300m ($104.8m) to Polish chemical company Ciech to support its capital investment. Ciech is a leading...
Myriant and Davy Sign Memorandum of Understanding
Myriant Technologies and Davy Process Technology, a subsidiary of Johnson Mattey, have signed a memorandum of understanding to use succinct acid as a bio-derived feedstock for the production...
Shell and Cosan Form Ethanol Joint Venture
Royal Dutch Shell and Cosan have formed a $12bn joint venture named Raizen to produce ethanol. The previously announced 50:50 joint venture will begin operations by mid 2011 and produce...
Yara's Q4 Profit Up
Yara's fourth-quarter profit increased 9.9% to Nkr1.56bn ($267m) compared with the Nkr1.4bn ($248.5m) it reported during the corresponding quarter in 2009. The Norway-based company...
Clariant Planning to Buy Sud-Chemie
Clariant plans to buy Germany-based private-equity-owned Sud-Chemie for $1.9bn in cash and stock to expand in chemical catalysts used in the oil and automotive industries. Under the...
Samsung Fine and Memc Form Polysillicon Joint Venture
Samsung Fine Chemical has formed a 50:50 joint venture with US-based MEMC Electronic Material to build a polysillicon plant in South Korea. The South Korean company is planning to invest...
Valspar Q1 Profit Drops
Valspar has reported a profit of $33.4m during the first quarter of 2011, a 2% decrease from the $33.9m recorded in corresponding quarter of 2010. The US-based company's revenue increased...
Tronox Exits Bankruptcy
Tronox has emerged from US Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings as a smaller and stronger company, the company has claimed. The US chemical company had filed for bankruptcy protection in...
Iran Plans to Expand Polystyrene Production
Iran has unveiled a plan to increase the production capacity of the Tabriz Petrochemical plant to boost the production of polystyrene. Tabriz Petrochemical Company currently produces 15,000t...
India Commissions Cracker Plant
Indian Oil has commissioned an INR144.3bn ($3.1bn) naptha cracker plant at Panipat in Indian state of Haryana. The plant has a capacity to produce 800,000t/ year of ethylene and 600,000t/year...
QAPCO Awards Ethylene Plant Contract to Shaw
Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) has awarded Shaw a basic engineering services contract to expand an ethylene plant in Mesaieed, Qatar. The expansion of the 720,000t/year plant will...
Total's Q4 Chemical Profit Doubles
Total's chemical segment more than doubled its profit to €170m ($229m) during the fourth quarter of 2010, rising from the €72m ($97m) reported during the corresponding quarter in 2009. ...
Iran's Petrochemical Exports Rise
Iran's petrochemical export during the ten months ending in 20 January 2011 have increased by 61% to $8.7bn. The country exported 13.2 million tonnes of petrochemical products during...
Ma'aden Starts Production at Ras Azzour Ammonia Plant
The Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) has started production at its ammonia plant in Ras Azzour, Saudi Arabia. The plant has capacity to produce 1.1 million tons of ammonia a year,...
Petrochemical Capacity in Gulf Region to Rise
The Gulf Region is expected to see a 46% rise in petrochemical capacity through a capital investment of $50bn, the Gulf Petrochemical and Chemical Association (GPCA) has said. The...
Petrobras to Double Biofuel Output
Petrobras is planning to invest $3.5bn over the next four years to double its biofuels capacity. The Brazilian state-owned company is planning invest the money to expand the capacity of...
WR Grace's Q4 Profit Drops
WR Grace has reported a profit of $44.9m during the fourth quarter of 2010, a slight decrease from the $46.4m profit it reported during the same quarter of 2009. The US-based chemical...
Mogilevkhimvolokno to Invest in Belarus PET Plant
Mogilevkhimvolokno is planning to invest $163.7m in a new plant to expand its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) capacity in Belarus. Mogilevkhimvolokno, a subsidiary of Belneftekhim,...
Agrium Reports Q4 Profit Increase
Agrium has reported a profit of $158m during the fourth quarter of 2010, an increase from the $30m profit reported during the corresponding quarter of 2009. The Canada-based...
Cabot Starts Construction of Masterbatch Plant in China
Cabot has started construction at a $20m black masterbatch plant in the Tianjin Economic Development Area in China. The plant will have the capacity to produce 45,000t of masterbatches a...
China's Petrochemical Output Increases
China's petrochemical output increased 33.8% in 2010 to $60.5bn, according to statistics from China's National Development and Reform Commission. China's imports of petrochemical...
Global Chemical Sector M&A Volume Increases
Global M&A volume increased by 100% in 2010 compared to the volume recorded in 2009, according to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers. The report revealed that announced deal...
Indorama Plans Polyethylene Plant in Uzbekistan
Indorama has signed a joint venture agreement with Uzbekneftegaz, Uzbekistan's national gas company, to invest $1.2bn to build a 400,000t/year polyethylene plant in the country. The project...
Global Methanol Market to Rise
The global methanol market is expected to reach 55.3 million tons by 2015, according to a report by Global Industry Analysts. The Asia-Pacific region is projected to emerge as a leading...
Styron to Boost Solution Styrene Butadiene Rubber Capacity
Styron is planning to invest $125m to build a solution styrene butadiene rubber plant at its Schkopau facility in Germany. The plant will increase its solution styrene butadiene rubber...
Kumho Petrochemical Completes High-Butadiene Rubber Plant Expansion
Kumho Petrochemical, a unit of Kumho Asiana Group, has completed expansion of its high-butadiene rubber plant in South Korea. The expansion required an investment of KRW171.7bn ($155.2m)...
Dow Chemical to Close Two Vinyl Chloride Monomer Plants in the US
Dow Chemical is planning to close two vinyl chloride monomer plants in the US to shift basic feedstock towards performance-derivative businesses. The affected plants are in Oyster Creek,...
IRPC to Double Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Capacity
IRPC, the petrochemical unit of Thailand-based PTT, is planning to invest $100m to double its acrylonitrile butadiene styrene production. The investment is part of the chemical company's...
FMC Reports Q4 Loss
FMC has reported loss of $53.5m during the fourth quarter of 2010, a sharp decline from the $62.1m profit reported during the corresponding quarter of 2009. The US-based chemical...
Mitsui and Mitsubishi Rayon to Expand Methyl Methacrylate Monomer Capacity
Mitsui and Mitsubishi Rayon have formed a joint venture to produce methyl methacrylate monomer, an acrylic resin compound used in LCD panel components and car parts. As part of the...
Shareholders Approve Merger Between Uralkali and Silvinit
The shareholders of Russian fertiliser producer Uralkali and Silvinit have approved a $1.4bn merger to create a larger potash producer. Under the transaction, Uralkali will buy a 20% stake...
Equate Reports Profit Rise
Equate Petrochemical has reported a profit of $880m for the year ending 31 December 2010, a 73% increase from the figure reported in 2009. The Kuwait-based company reported sales of more...
Saudi Arabia Sees Petrochemical Exports Rise
Saudi Arabia's petrochemical exports increased in December 2010, boosted by demand from China, India, Europe and the Middle East. According to data from the country's Department of...
K+S Increases Ownership in Potash One
German fertiliser company K+S Aktiengesellschaft has acquired a 90.9% stake in Potash One, and has announced plans to acquire the remaining stake. In November 2010, Canada-based Potash...
BASF to Increase R&D Spending
BASF is planning increase its R&D spending in 2011 to secure its future. The chemical company, which is working on some 3,000 projects, spent €1.5bn ($2bn) in 2010 and...
AkzoNobel Opens Coating Plant in India
AkzoNobel has opened a plant in India to manufacture marine and protective coatings, automotive coatings and powder coatings. The plant in Hoskote, near Bangalore, will produce 18...
Global Defoamers Market to Rise
The global defoamers market is expected to reach $2.77bn by 2015, propelled by demand from end-use industries including petroleum, paints and coatings, according to a report by Global...
Shell Chemical Announces Q4 Profit Rise
Shell Chemical's profit during the fourth quarter of 2010 increased by 77% to $493m, rising from the $279m reported during the same quarter of 2009. The chemical company's sales...
Brazil's Chemical Output Increases
Brazil's industrial chemical production increased 6.99% in 2010, according to Abiquim, the country's national association of chemical industries. The improvement in output is attributed...
Renewable Chemical Market to Rise
The renewable chemical market is expected to reach $67.13bn by 2015, a report by Markets and Markets has predicted. The firm predicts that the renewable chemical market will grow at a...
Ukraine Polystyrene Output Drops
Ukraine's polystyrene output decreased by 19.4% in 2010, falling from 20,607t in 2009 to 16,607t, figures published by the Statistics Committee of Ukraine have revealed. The courtry's...
Dow Chemical Q4 Profit Up
Dow Chemical's fourth quarter profit almost tripled to $511m in 2010, up from the $172m it reported during the same quarter in 2009. The US-based chemical major's sales increased 22% to...
Celanese Reports Q4 Profit Rise
Celanese has reported a profit of $56m in the fourth quarter of 2010, up from the $4m reported in the same quarter in 2009. The US-based chemical company reported a 9% increase in revenue...
Idle US Ammonia Plant to Restart
Potash Corp affiliate PSC Nitrogen Fertilizer has announced that it will restart the idled anhydrous ammonia plant at its Geismar complex in Louisiana, US. The plant was shut in 2003 due...
Wanhua Raises Stake in Borsodchem
China's Wanhua Industrial Group has raised its stake in Hungarian chemical company Borsodchem from 38% to 96% in a $1.66bn deal. The acquisition is expected to give Wanhua access to...
Eastman Completes Sale of PET Business
Eastman Chemical has completed the sale of its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) business unit and the related assets of its performance polymers unit to DAK for $600m. The sale includes...
Eastman Reports Q4 Profit Rise
Eastman Chemical has reported a profit of $19m during the fourth quarter of 2010, reversing the $32m loss it posted in the corresponding quarter in 2009. Eastman said its...
Indonesia Plans Coal-Based Methanol and Olefins Plants
Indonesia is planning to build a coal-based methanol plant and an olefins plant in East Kalimantan with a capital investment of $1bn. The plants will produce 300,000t/year of methanol...
Uzbekistan to Upgrade Polyethylene Plant
Uzbekistan is planning to invest $1.2bn to upgrade a polyethylene plant in Mubarek, in the south of the country. The upgrade at the government-owned plant will be jointly financed...
Aditya Birla Group to Acquire Colombian Chemicals
Aditya Birla Group is planning to acquire US carbon black manufacturer Colombian Chemicals from One Equity Partners, the merchant banking arm of JP Morgan Chase, for $875m. The Indian...
Solvert Plans Biomass Chemical Plant in UK
Solvert is planning to invest £100m ($160m) to build a plant to produce industrial chemicals from domestic and commercial waste in Teeside, UK. The company is looking to use organic waste...
Huntsman to Build Fertiliser Plant in France
The pigment division of Huntsman has announced a plan to build a €30m ($41m) magnesium sulphate fertiliser plant in Calais, France. The plant will use spent acid from pigment...
Cytec to Sell Building Block Business
Cytec Industries is planning to sell its building block chemicals business to HIG Capital for $180m. The US-based chemical company said that the deal includes $165m in cash and a note for...
Saudi Kayan to Build N-Butanol Plant in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Kayan Petrochemicals has signed an agreement with Saudi Acrylic Acid and a Dow-Aramco joint venture to build a SAR1.8bn ($480m) n-butanol plant in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. ...
Hyundai Secures Borouge Expansion Project
South Korea's Hyundai Engineering and Construction has secured a $169m contract from Borouge to build a cross-linkable polyethylene plant at its petrochemical complex in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi. ...
Ineos and Sinopec to Build New Phenol Plant in China
Ineos and Sinopec are planning to invest $500m to build a joint venture phenol plant in Nanjing, China. The plant will produce 400,000t/year of phenol and 250,000t/year of acetone,...
Toray to Increase PET Capacity in China
Japan's Toray Industries is planning to invest 5.5bn yen ($67m) to increase production at its optical-use polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film plant in Jiangsu, China. Toray plans to start...
Tata Chemical to Expand Soda Ash Capacity
Tata Chemical is planning to invest $100m to expand the soda ash capacity of its US unit, General Chemicals, by 400,000t. General Chemicals produces 2.5 million tons of soda ash a year,...
West European Olefin Output Up
West European ethylene production increased by 8.1% in 2010, rising to 20.281 million tons, the Association of Petrochemicals Producers in Europe has said. Propylene production increased...
Phosagro Seeks Loan for Sibur Fertiliser Unit Acquisition
Russia's Phosagro is planning to take out a $500m loan to acquire Sibur's fertiliser unit. Sibur and Phosagro have said that they already have an understanding on the sale of assets and, if...
Solutia Reports Q4 Profit Rise
Solutia has reported a $47m profit during the fourth quarter of 2010, up from the $7m reported during the same quarter in 2009. The US-based company's sales increased 7% to $489m, up from...
Nalco Sells Performance Products Business to Lubrizol
Nalco Holding has sold its Nalco Performance Products Group to Lubrizol for $166m as part of plans to focus on its core water and process treatment business. Nalco Performance Products...
January 2011
Top
Du Pont Reports Q4 Profit Drop
Du Pont has reported a 15% drop in profit to $376m during the fourth quarter of 2010, down from the $441m reported during the corresponding quarter of 2009. Sales for the quarter increased...
Japanese Bank to Fund Turkmenistan Chemical Plant
Turkmenistan is planning to build a $1bn chemical fertiliser plant with the help of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). The plant will be built in 2014 in Mary, Turkmenistan,...
Asahi Kasei to Build Acrylonitrile Plant in South Korea
Asahi Kasei Chemicals is planning to invest 20bn yen ($242m) to build a 245,000t/year acrylonitrile plant in Ulsan, South Korea. The Japanese company is planning to start construction in...
Peru Approves Nitratos Petrochemical Project
Peru's energy and mines ministry has approved Nitratos del Peru's $650m petrochemical project, which is likely to be established in Pisco province. The project includes the construction of...
Tianji Awards Aniline Plant Contract to KBR
KBR has secured a contract from Tianji Coal Chemical Industry Group of China to build an aniline plant in Lucheng, China. Under the contract, the US-based engineering group will...
Dhunseri to Build PET Plant in Egypt
India-based Dhunseri is planning to start the construction of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant in Egypt at the end January at a cost of $170m. The plant, located in Port Said, will...
Albermarle Reports Q4 Profit Rise
Albemarle has reported a 34% rise in profit to $84.9m during the fourth quarter of 2010, up from the $62.3m it reported during the same quarter of 2009. The US-based speciality chemical...
Saudi Kayan Starts Trial at Jubail HDPE Plant
Saudi Kayan has begun trial operations at its high-density polyethylene plant (HDPE) in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. The plant is designed to produce 400,000t/year of HDPE for use...
PTT Chemical Partners With Myriant
PTT Chemical has invested $60m to buy a stake in US-based research and development company Myriant Technologies. PTT Chemical and Myriant will form a joint venture to collaborate on...
Iranian Petrochemical Exports to Europe Increases
Iranian petrochemical exports to European countries are expected to reach $2bn by the end of March 2011. Iran currently exports petrochemical products to 65 countries, including 17...
Akzonobel to Build Pulp Chemical Plant in Brazil
Akzonobel is planning to invest €90m ($122.7m) in its pulp and paper chemical business Eka Chemical to build a pulp chemical plant in northern Três Lagoas, Brazil. The investment...
Global Automotive Chemical Market to Rise
The global automotive chemical market is expected to reach $3.9bn by 2015, according to a report by Global Industry Analysts. The research says that growth in the market will be driven...
Gita Holding to Buy Vinyls Italia
Gita Holding has announced that it plans to buy polyvinyl chloride producer Vinyls Italia, and increase the production capacities of its plants following the acquisition. The Swiss-based...
Analysts Expect Rise in Indian Acrylic Emulsion Market
The Indian acrylic emulsions market is expected to reach $491.2m by 2016, a study by Frost and Sullivan has estimated. Increasing income levels and infrastructure development are expected...
Sojitz and Kawasaki Complete Fatima Urea Plant
Sojitz and Kawasaki Heavy Industries have completed a urea plant for Fatima Fertilizer near Sadiqabad in Pakistan. The Fatima Group awarded the 13bn yen ($157m) contract for the plant in...
Mascotte Acquires Stake in Sun Materials
Mascotte Holding is to acquire a controlling 50.1% stake in Taiwan-based polycrystalline silicon manufacturer Sun Materials for $150m. Under the agreement, the Hong Kong-based Mascotte...
US Extends Biofuel Loan
The US Government has extended loan guarantees worth $650m to four biofuel companies to help build plants to produce motor fuel from sources such as animal fat, orange peel and trash. The...
Japan's Naphtha Imports Rise
Japan's naphtha imports for the petrochemical sector rose 2.3% in December 2010, compared to same month in 2009. Imports of naphtha for ethylene production amounted to 1,549,841t...
Methanex to Expand Methanol Capacity
Methanex has announced that the first shipment of methanol from its plant in Damietta, Egypt, is expected in the first quarter of 2011. The 1.3 million tons/year plant, originally scheduled...
PPG Industries' Q4 Profit Rises 44%
PPG Industries has reported a 44% increase in profit during fourth quarter of 2010 to $205m, compared to the $142m it reported in the same quarter of 2009. The US-based company's sales rose...
Celanese to Open Two Ethanol Plants in China
Celanese Far East has signed a letter of intent to build and operate two ethanol plants in China. The Celanese subsidiary plans to build the ethanol plants in Nanjing Chemical Industrial...
Mitsubishi to Boost Pitch Output
Mitsubishi Chemical is planning to increase its production of high-grade pitch used for needle coke and carbon fibres. The Japanese chemical company is aiming to raise revenue from this...
Sabic Reports Q4 Profit Increase
Saudi Basic Industries (Sabic) has reported a 27% increase in profit during the fourth quarter of 2010 to SAR5.81bn ($1.55bn), up from the SAR4.58bn ($1.22bn) it reported during the same quarter...
Cargill to Divest Majority Stake in Mosaic
Cargill is planning to divest its majority stake in Mosaic in a deal worth $24bn. The US-based fertiliser maker will distribute its Mosaic stake to its shareholders and debt holders under...
World Fermentation Chemical Market to Rise
The world fermentation chemical market is expected to exceed $48bn by 2015, driven by the eco-friendly nature of fermentation chemicals and the global market for these chemicals, according to...
Octal to Expand PET Capacity in Oman
Octal Petrochemical has secured a $296m loan from six Middle Eastern banks to carry out the second phase expansion at its PET resin plant in Oman. The project will increase production...
Lanxess to Invest in German Chemical Plants
Lanxess is to invest €40m ($53.8m) in two projects for the Basic Chemicals business unit in Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany. The investment will be used to build a production plant...
Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Company Sees Profit Triple
Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Company said its profit nearly tripled to SAR1.03bn ($270m) in Q4 2010, compared to the SAR335m ($89m) it reported in the corresponding quarter in 2009, driven by...
CNCEC Secures Chemical Plant Contracts
China National Chemical Engineering (CNCEC) has secured three engineering contracts worth RMB1.66bn ($251.7m). A RMB405m ($61m) contract has been signed between CNCEC subsidiary China...
Sipchem Q4 Profit More than Doubles
Saudi International Petrochemical (Sipchem) has reported a 121% increase in profit during Q4 2010 to SAR125m ($33.4m), up from SAR56.5m ($15m) in the corresponding quarter of 2009. The...
Kuraray to Expand Resin Capacity in Germany
Kuraray Europe, Kuraray's wholly owned European subsidiary, is planning to invest €58m ($77.4m) to expand the production capacity of its PVA resin plant in Frankfurt, Germany. ...
Tianjin Soda Delays Dioctyl Phthalate Plant Start to 2012
China's Tianjin Soda has delayed the start up of its 100,000t/year dioctyl phthalate plant in Binhai Industrial Area, Tianjin, to the first quarter of 2012. The company had initially planned...
EKHO to Set Up Fertiliser Plant in Egypt
Egyptian Kuwaiti Holding (EKHO) has signed an EGP1.5bn ($259m) contract with an unnamed French company to set up a phosphate fertiliser plant in Sadat city, Egypt. A unit of the...
Yeochun NCC Restarts Naphtha Plant
Yeochun NCC has restarted operations at a naphtha plant in Yeosu, south of Seoul, following a fire. The South Korean ethylene producer, which has capacity to produce 580,000tof the chemical...
Lanxess Breaks Ground at Indian Compounding Plant
Lanxess has broken ground at its €10m ($13m) compounding plant at Jhagadia, India. The plant will produce Durethan (polyamide) and Pocan (polybutylene terephthalate) compounding, and...
Braskem Plans Tyre Chemical Plant in Brazil
Braskem is planning to invest R$300m ($179m) in a tyre chemical plant in Brazil. The plant is expected to be set up in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and will produce butadiene. The...
Mexichem Reports Q4 Sales Increase
Mexichem's sales increased 16% to Mex$9.4bn ($760m) during the fourth quarter of 2010, compared to the corresponding quarter a year ago, driven by prices and volumes in its principal products...
Vinyls Italia to Restart PVC Production
Vinyls Italia is planning to restart its PVC plants in Italy in March 2011, after a break of almost two years, as a Russian-Swiss fund presents a final offer to buy the Italian producer. ...
Evonik and GACL Sign Agreement to Build Two Plants in Gujurat
Evonik and Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals of India have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly build two plants in Gujarat, India. The memorandum will see a hydrogen peroxide planta...
Japanese Ethylene Output Falls
Japan's ethylene production fell 2.7% in December 2010 compared to output in the corresponding month a year earlier, marking the second straight month of year-on-year decline. According...
Süd-Chemie to Provide Fertiliser Catalyst to Yara
Süd-Chemie has signed a $40m five-year agreement with Norway-based chemical company Yara International to provide catalysts for fertiliser production. Under the agreement,...
DAK Plans to Acquire Eastman's PET and PTA Business
DAK Americas is planning to acquire Eastman Chemical's integrated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and purified terephthalic acid (PTA) businesses for $600m. The proposed acquisition...
Orkla Sells Elkem to China National Bluestar
Norwegian group Orkla has agreed to sell its Elkem unit to China National Bluestar for $2bn. The deal includes Elkem Silicon Materials, Elkem Foundry Products, Elkem Carbon and Elkem Solar,...
Samsung Engineering Wins US Chemical Plant Contract
Samsung Engineering has been awarded a $410m contract to build two chemical plants in US by Dow-Mitsui Chlor-Alkali, a joint venture between Dow and Mitsui. The two plants are a chlorine...
Du Pont to Acquire Danisco
Du Pont has agreed to acquire Danish enzymes and speciality food ingredients manufacturer Danisco for $6.3bn. The transaction includes $5.8bn in cash and the assumption of $500m of Danisco...
Formosa Plastic Reports Profit Rise
Formosa Plastics has reported a profit of NT$12.8bn ($437m) during the quarter ending 31 December 2010, boosted by demand for chemicals and plastics in China. Taiwan's leading...
PTT Likely to Merge Chemical and Aromatics Units
Thailand's state-run PTT is most likely to merge subsidiaries PTT Chemical with PTT Aromatics and Refining as the first-phase of a consolidation plan. The proposed consolidation could...
Sipchem Awards Chemical Contract
Sipchem has awarded a contract to South Korea's eTEC Engineering & Construction Company to build an ethyl acetate plant in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. The plant will produce...
Eastman to Sell Methanol Plant in US
Eastman Chemical is planning to sell a closed methanol and ammonia plant in Texas, US, to a Swiss-based firm led by entrepreneur Deo Van Wijk. The US-based company has not disclosed...
FMC Increases Soda Ash Capacity
FMC Wyoming has restarted its soda ash plant in Wyoming, US, which has been idle since 2009. The US-based company said that it temporarily suspended production at the plant due to...
IRPC to Increase Propylene Capacity
IRPC, the polymer business arm of PTT, is planning to increase its propylene capacity with an $800m investment. The Thailand-based company plans to raise capacity to710,000t per year, a...
Global Acetic Acid Market to Reach 11.3 Million Tons in 2015
The global market for Acetic acid is expected to reach 11.3 million tons by 2015, according to a report by Global Industry Analysts. The growth will be mainly driven by increased demand...
EU Chemical Output Up
The European Chemical Industry Council has reported that EU chemical production increased by 5.5% year-on-year in October 2010, and 11.3% in the first ten months of 2010, compared with the...
RPM Reports Profit Drop
RPM International's profit dropped 13% to $48.7m during the quarter ending 30 November 2010, compared with a profit of $55.9m reported during the same quarter the previous year. The...
Arkema to Increase PVDF Capacity in China
Arkema has said that it will speed up the development of a previously announced Kynar polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) production plant at its site in Changshu, China. The PVDF plant is...
Chemchina to Acquire 60% Stake in MAI
China National Chemical (Chemchina) is planning to acquire a 60% stake in Makhteshim-Agan Industries (MAI) from Israel's Koor Industries, a unit of IDB Holding, for $2.4bn. Under the...
Trelleborg Acquires PPL Polyurethane Products
Trelleborg has acquired UK-based PPL Polyurethane Products for an undisclosed price. PPL Polyurethane Products manufactures polyurethane-based products at its facilities in Retford and...
Saudi Aramco to Award Jubail Petrochemical Project Contracts
Saudi Aramco petrochemicals, in a joint venture with Dow Chemical, is planning to award three engineering, procurement and construction contracts for the Jubail petrochemical project in...
Nalco to Sell Marine Chemical Business to Wilhelmsen
Nalco has signed an agreement with Norway's Wilhelmsen Ships Service to sell its Nalfleet marine chemical unit for $41m. Under the agreement, Nalco will transfer certain assets relating...
Migao to Build Fertiliser Plant in China
Migao is planning to build a 100,000t-per-year speciality compound fertiliser plant in Zunyi, China. The plant will be built in two phases, the first of which will have a capacity of 50,000t...
South Korean Petrochemical Firms Aim to Increase Exports
South Korea's 19 major petrochemical makers plan to invest KRW5.8tn ($5.15bn) this year, up 2% from 2010. The firms plan to increase petrochemical exports by 12%, from $35.7bn last year...
Schulman's Q1 Profit Down
Chemical maker A Schulman's has reported a Q1 profit of $9.2m, down 46% from the $17m profit reported during the same period in the preceding year. The US-based company's revenue increased...
Interagro to Close Four Fertiliser Plants in Romania
Romanian fertiliser company Interagro is planning to close down four of its fertiliser plants by April 2011. The plants facing closure are located in Savinesti, Bacau, Turnu Magurele...
Cepsa Acquires La Seda's PET Plant
Cepsa Química, a subsidiary of Cepsa, has completed the acquisition of La Seda de Barcelona's PET plant in San Roque, Spain, for €32m ($47m). The acquisition includes...
Hercules to Sell Pentaerythritol Business to Perstorp Polyols
Ashland subsidiary Hercules plans to sell its pentaerythritol business to US-based Perstorp Polyols, a subsidiary of Perstorp Holding, for an undisclosed price. The proposed...
Exxonmobil's Singapore Project Faces Delay
Exxonmobil's second petrochemical project at Singapore's Jurong Island could be delayed until 2012 due to difficulties in mechanical and construction works. The company began the project...
EPA Seeks Safety Testing of 19 Widely Used Chemicals
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering new rules that would require manufactures or importers of to test and publish the health and environmental effects of 19...
BASF Acquires CRI / Criterion Styrene Catalyst Business
BASF has completed the acquisition of CRI / Criterion's global styrene catalysts business from Royal Dutch Shell for an undisclosed sum. In addition, BASF has acquired CRI / Criterion's...
Mosaic Reports Profit Rise
Mosaic has reported a profit of $1bn during the quarter ending 30 November 2010, up from the $107.8m it reported in the corresponding quarter of 2009. The earnings included a gain of $570m...
Heilongjiang Heihua to Merge With Xiamen Xianglu
Heilongjiang Heihua is planning to merge with Xiamen Xianglu Petrochemicals through the acquisition of shares held by controlling shareholder Xiamen Xianglu Chemical Fiber Company. Heihua...
EU Approves Ethanol Joint Venture Between Shell and Cosan
The European Union has cleared a joint venture between the UK's Shell Group and Brazil's Cosan for the production of ethanol. The union added that the joint venture would lead to vertical...
PolyOne Acquires Uniplen
PolyOne has acquired Uniplen Industria de Polimeros (Uniplen), the Brazilian producer of speciality engineered materials and distributor of thermoplastics. PolyOne will pay $21m for...
Italy Imposes Ban on Single-Use Polyethylene Bags
Italy has imposed a ban on single-use polyethylene-based retail carryout bags, becoming the first EU country to impose such a measure. The plastic bag ban was adopted on 22 December 2010...
Peru Approves Orica's Petrochemical Plant
Peru has approved the environmental impact study of Orica Nitratos Peru's proposed petrochemical plant, to be set up in San Juan de Marcona, Peru. The plant will be set up at a cost of $500m...
Zhejiang Juhua to Raise Money for Expansion
Zhejiang Juhua is planning to raise 1.65bn yuan ($249.5m) through private placement to expand chemical production in China. The Chinese company, which produces fluoro chemicals and...
CPC to Scale Down Petrochemical Investment
CPC is planning to scale down its proposed investment at Kuokuang Petrochemical Park in Taiwan from NT$900bn ($30.87bn) to NT$600.5bn ($20.5bn) to increase the chances of it passing...
Quaker Chemical Acquires Summit Lubricants
Quaker Chemical has acquired speciality grease manufacturer Summit Lubricants for $30m, which it says will complement its business. The purchase price is based on Summit Lubricants'...
Shell Restarts Ethylene Plant
Royal Dutch Shell has restarted its ethylene plant in the US, following an extended outage caused by a ruptured steam line. The 558,000t-per-year plant was shut down in the last week of...
Qapco LDPE Plant to Start This Year
Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco) is planning to start its new low-density polyethylene (LDPE-3) plant in Qatar by the end of this year. The plant will have a capacity to produce...
December 2010
Top
Shell and Qatar Petroleum to Build Petrochemical Plant
Royal Dutch Shell and state-run Qatar Petroleum have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a $6bn petrochemical project at Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar. The project includes...
Eastman Restarts US Olefin Cracking Plant
Eastman Chemical has restarted its idle olefin cracking plant at Longview in Texas, US. The plant will increase Eastman's olefin capacity by approximately 215,000t and brings the...
Sibur and Reliance to Set up Butyl Rubber Plant in India
Russian petrochemical company Sibur and Reliance Industries of India have formed a joint venture to set up a $450m butyl rubber plant in India. The plant will be set up at Reliance...
Sinopec and Far East New Century Form PTA Joint Venture
Sinopec Yizheng Chemical Fibre, a subsidiary of China's Sinopec Group, has formed a joint venture with Taiwan's Far Eastern New Century to set up a purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant...
Season's Greetings
chemicals-technology.com will be taking a short break over the holiday season. Our full daily news service will return on 4 January. Thank you for your support in 2010, and we wish you a...
Indorama to Increase PET Investment
Indorama Venture is planning to invest $3.8bn over the next five years to expand its PET resin capacity. The Thailand-based company had previously announced an investment of $2bn,...
Clariant to Invest in Research Centre
Clariant is planning to invest €50m ($65m) in an R&D facility in Frankfurt, Germany, to expand research activities. The facility will be located at Frankfurt-Höchst Industrial Park...
US Extends Tax Relief for Ethanol Producers
The US has approved an $858bn tax relief bill that extends subsidies and protective tariffs for domestic US ethanol producers for another year. The bill includes billions of dollars worth of...
BASF to Expand Superabsorbent Capacity
BASF is planning to raise superabsorbent capacity at its plants in Antwerp, Belgium, and Freeport, US. The German chemical major is planning to increase annual capacity by 70,000t, by 2012,...
Borealis to Expand Polyethylene Capacity in Finland
Borealis is planning to invest €17m ($22m) in its polyethylene plant at Porvoo in Finland. The expansion project includes a new ethylene compressor as well as an upgrade of the...
EPA and ECHA Sign Cooperation Agreement
The US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have signed an agreement to promote enhanced technical cooperation on chemical management activities. ...
BASF, Sinopec to Expand China Operation
BASF and Sinopec joint venture BASF-YPC is to further expand the capacity of chemical plants at Nanjing, China, with an additional investment of $1bn. The joint venture will expand the...
Celanese Plans Ethanol Plants in China
Celanese is planning to open two ethanol plants in China in a bid to enter the country's fuel ethanol market. The US-based company had announced to build one or two coal-based ethanol plants...
Mitsui and Dow Complete Chlor-Alkali Joint Venture Formation
Mitsui Chemical and Dow Chemical have formed a joint venture to construct and operate a membrane based chlor-alkali plant at Dow's plant in Texas, US. The new company will be named...
GS Engineering Wins Sipchem Plant Contract
Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) affiliate International Polymers has awarded an $800m contract to South Korea's GS Engineering to build an ethylene vinyl acetate plant in...
German Chemical Output to Slow in 2011
German chemical industry association VCI has forecast that the country's chemical output will slow in 2011, compared with 2010. The prediction is in line with that of Cefic, the European...
Dow to Expand Propylene Output in Thailand
Dow Chemical is planning to invest $67m to expand its propylene glycol production in Thailand. The company will build a new plant in the eastern province of Rayong, which will have an...
Lanxess to Buy DSM's Elastomers Business
Lanxess will acquire an elastomers business from Roay DSM for $415m. DSM Elastomers produces 200,000t of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) a year in Geleen, Netherlands, and...
Solvay to Open Epichlorohydrin Plant in China
Solvay is planning to build an epichlorohydrin plant in Taixing, China, with a capacity of 100,000t a year. The plant will be based on Solvay's Epicerol technology and is expected to...
NPC Secures Fund for Petrochemical Projects
The National Petrochemical Company (NPC) of Iran has signed an agreement with five domestic banks to secure $23.5bn of funding to set up 35 petrochemical plants in the country. State-owned...
Keyuan to Boost Capacity in China
Keyuan Petrochemical is planning to increase its production capacity by 30% from 550,000t to 720,000t a year. The Ningbo, China-based company, which produces aromatics, propylene, styrene,...
Arsenal Capital Buys Para-Chem Southern
Arsenal Capital Partners has acquired the Para-Chem Southern for an undisclosed price. The acquisition followed Arsenal's acquisition of Royal Adhesives & Sealants in November this...
Yule Catto to Acquire PolymerLatex
Yule Catto plans to acquire PolymerLatex from TowerBrook Capital Partners for $585m. The UK-based chemical company says the acquisition will complement its synthomer emulsion polymers...
JG Summit Holdings Increases Cracker Investment
JG Summit Holdings has announced that it will increase investment in its proposed naphtha cracker plant in Batangas City, the Philippines, from $500m to $600m. The plant will have an...
STX to Build Methanol Plant for AZMECO
STX Offshore and Shipbuilding has secured a $200m contract from Azerbaijan Methanol Company (AZMECO) to build a methanol plant in Garadagh region of Azerbaijan. The EPC contract has...
Lucite to Restart Texas MMA Plant
Lucite is to restart production of methyl methacrylate (MMA) at its Texas, US, plant in the first quarter of 2011. The company did not disclose details of the output, although the...
BASF Completes Cognis Acquisition
BASF has completed the acquisition of speciality chemicals producer Cognis from Permira Funds, GS Capital Partners and SV Life Sciences for €3.1bn ($4.1bn). The acquisition includes...
Japan's Ethylene Output Falls
Japan's ethylene output fell by 1.4% in November 2010 compared with the same month in 2009. According to data from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the country's...
Olin to Overhaul US Chlorine Plant
Olin is to invest $160m in its Tennessee, US, chlorine plant to change production techniques to make the plant mercury-free by 2012. The US-based company will convert the facility's...
DuPont Unveils Growth Plan
DuPont expects to register sales of $33-34bn in 2011, with compound annual growth of about 7% between 2010 and 2015. The chemical major expects that full-year 2010 sales growth will be...
Omnova Solutions Completes Acquisition of Eliokem
Omnova Solutions has completed the acquisition of Eliokem International from AXA Private Equity for $302m. The US-based chemical company says the deal includes Eliokem's debt and was subject...
Wacker to Build Polysilicon Plant In US
Wacker Chemie is planning to build a polysilicon plant near the city of Cleveland in Ohio, US. The company is planning to invest €1.1bn ($1.45bn) to produce 15,000t of material for...
IRPC to Expand Capacity
Thailand-based IRPC is planning to invest $2bn from 2011-2015 to expand petrochemical output to meet rising demand. The petrochemical group aims to raise THB35bn ($1.2bn) through loans or...
Bayer to Expand China Capacity
Bayer is planning to invest about €1bn ($1.3bn) to double its polymer-production capacity in China over the next five years. The Germany-based chemical group plans to increase sales...
Sinopec Plans Ethylene Production Increase
Sinopec is planning to increase the production capacity of ethylene to more than nine million tonnes a year by the end of its 11th five-year plan of China, which ends this financial year. ...
SK Chemicals Sells PET Plants in Poland and Indonesia
SK Chemicals has sold its chemical plants in Poland and Indonesia to Indorama for KRW68bn ($59.6m) as part of efforts to focus on its bio and medicine business. The South Korean chemical...
Lanxess to Invest in China Chemical Plant
Lanxess is planning to invest €30m ($39.6m) in a leather chemical plant in Jiangsu province, China. The plant will have an annual capacity of 50,000t and will produce Tanigan,...
Mitsubishi Chemical Unveils Capex Plan
Mitsubishi Chemical Holding has unveiled a capex plan to invest 1tn yen ($11.9bn) over the next five years. The Japanese chemical company is planning to invest 750bn yen ($8.8bn) in...
Rhodia Acquires Feixiang Chemical
Rhodia has completed the acquisition of Chinese chemical company Feixiang Chemical for $489m. Following the acquisition, the company has been renamed Rhodia Feixiang Specialty...
China Announces Increase in Petrochemical Output
China's petrochemical output surged 35.3% between January and September 2010 to 6.33tn yuan ($948.9bn), according to statistics from China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation...
DSM to Buy Majority Stake in AGI
DSM is planning to acquire a 51% stake in Taiwan chemical company AGI for $63.5m. The Dutch chemical company will acquire the stakes through a private placement and a public tender...
Arkema Plans to Acquire Three Total Businesses
Arkema is planning to buy three coatings resins and photocure resins businesses from Total’s Speciality Chemicals for €550m ($733m). The assets to be acquired includes coatings...
Israel Chemicals to Buy Scott's Fertiliser Unit
Israel Chemicals is planning to buy The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company's fertiliser unit for $270m. Scotts' Global Professional business produces speciality fertilisers and plant...
CNCE Subsidiary Awarded Butanediol Plant Contract
China National Chemical Engineering (CNCE) subsidiary China Chengda Engineering has secured a contract from Xinjiang Markor Chemical Industry to build a 1,4-butanediol plant in China. The...
Formosa Plastics Unveils Investment Plan
Formosa Plastics Group is planning to invest $11.3bn in China, the US and Vietnam to expand its chemical and petrochemical capacity. The leading Taiwanese polyvinyl chloride producer...
US Chemical Production Growth to Continue in 2011
US chemical production is expected to grow 5% in 2011, boosted by recovery in the sector, according to a report by the American Chemistry Council (ACC). The ACC expects US chemistry exports...
Harima to Acquire Momentive's Ink and Adhesive Business
Harima Chemicals is planning to acquire the ink and adhesive businesses of Momentive Specialty Chemicals for an undisclosed price. The ink and adhesive resins business registered $278m...
BASF and Petronas Plan Chemical Plant in Malaysia
BASF and Petronas have signed an agreement to jointly set up a speciality chemical plant in Malaysia with an investment of €1bn ($1.3bn). The US-based chemical major, along with...
India's Polyethylene Imports Rise
India's polyethylene imports between April and November 2010 increased 10-12%, but import of polypropylene decreased by 15-17%, compared to the same period in 2009. India imported 600,000t...
Dow Chemical to Increase Ethane Cracking Capacity
Dow Chemical is planning to increase its ethane cracking capacity by between 20% and 30% in the next two or three years. The capacity expansion will increase Dow’s global use of ethane...
EU Approves Sun Capital's Acquisition of DSM Special Products
Sun Capital Partner has received EU approval to buy DSM's specialty products subsidiary. The US-based private equity firm will acquire the €100m ($133.5m) / year unit, and will merge...
EU Chemical Output Rises
Chemical production in the European Union increased by 6.5% in September 2010 year-on-year and 12.2% in first nine months, according to an EU chemical trend report. Ddata for the first...
Sasol to Build Ethylene Tetramerisation Plant
Sasol is planning to build the world's first commercial ethylene tetramerisation plant in the US. The plant is capable of producing more than 100,000t of combined 1-octene and 1-hexene a...
Lanxess Starts Resins Plant in India
Lanxess has started its iron-exchange resins plant at Jhagadia chemical park in the Indian state of Gujarat. The plant will produce 35,000t of iron-exchange resins a year, which will be used...
IRPC to Raise Propylene Output
IRPC is planning to increase its propylene output by 58% by 2014 with the construction of a new plant in Thailand. The company, 37% owned by Thailand energy firm PTT, has sought approval...
More than 4,000 Chemicals Registered for ECHA REACH Deadline
The EU's European Chemical Agency (ECHA) has reached its first deadline and completed registration of 4,300 chemical substances under its REACH chemicals regulation. The agreement...
Hexpol Completes Acquisition of Excel Polymer
Hexpol has completed the acquisition of rubber compounding group Excel Polymer for $220m. Excel Polymer produces performance elastomer solutions, compounded polymer materials and...
FMC to Close Phosphate Plant in Spain
FMC Corporation will stop operations at its Foret phosphates plant in Huelva, Spain, by 31 December 2010. The closure of the plant has been announced following a Spanish court's...
EU Clears Süd-Chemie and Ashland Joint Venture
The European Union has cleared the formation of a foundry chemical joint venture between US chemical company Ashland and German chemical company Süd-Chemie. The two companies...
Maaden Secures Loan for Saudi Arabian Caustic Soda Plant
Saudi Arabian Mining (Maaden) has secured a SAR900m ($240m) loan from the state-run Saudi Industrial Development Fund to finance a caustic soda project in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The project is...
EU Gives BASF Conditional Approval to Acquire Cognis
BASF has secured conditional approval from European Union to acquire Cognis Holding, which has sold its businesses related to the production of a chemical used in coatings and adhesives. ...
Ineos and BASF to Set Up Styrenics Joint Venture
Ineos Industries and BASF are to combine their respective styrenics businesses and form a joint venture, to be called Styrolution. Styrolution will combine the two companies' businesses...
Huntsman Wins Dutch Sustainability Award
Huntsman Polyurethanes has become the first chemical company to win a 'Lean and Green' award in Netherlands. The award has been given by Sustainable Logistics Innovation Connekt, a...
Arkema Plans to Triple Resin Capacity in China
Arkema is planning to increase the production of nylon 12 and bio-sourced nylon 11 resins three-fold at its plant in Changshu, China, by 2013. The chemical company will build a new plant in...
Jurong Aromatics Seeks Loan for Singapore Plant
Jurong Aromatics has announced that it plans to borrow $1.56bn to finance the construction of a petrochemical plant on Jurong Island, Singapore. The loan will be arranged by ING Groep NV...
Süd-Chemie and German University Partner for Catalysis Research
Süd-Chemie and the University of Technology in Munich, Germany, have teamed up for a €20m ($26m) catalysis research project. In addition to basic research in the field of...
BASF to Acquire Shell Subsidiary's Styrene Business
BASF has signed an agreement to acquire the styrene catalyst business of Shell subsidiary CRI / Criterion for an undisclosed fee. CRI / Criterion manufacturers chemical catalysts that are...
Eastman Completes Expansion of Estonia Plasticiser Plant
Eastman Chemical has completed capacity expansion work at its Benzoflex plasticiser plant in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia. The expansion increases the plant's Benzoflex capacity by...
BASF Unveils Chinese Investment Plan
BASF has announced plans to invest €1bn ($1.3bn) in China over the next few years to build new plants. The German chemical-maker will invest more than €2bn ($2.61bn) in 100 plants...
German Ministry Funds Carbon Dioxide Project
Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research has pledged €2.2m ($2.9m) to a project that will explore the economical and ecological use of carbon dioxide on an industrial...
EU Bans Bisphenol A in Baby Bottles
The European Union is to ban polycarbonates containing bisphenol A from use in baby feeding bottles from 1 June 2011. The EU Health and Consumer authority has cited studies that indicate...
Sinopec to Reduce Chemical Output
Sinopec has announced output reductions at petrochemical plants producing polyethylene, polypropylene and monoethylene glycol. Sinopec's Shanghai Petrochemical shut a...
SKC Completes Polyurethane Plant in Poland
SKC has completed the construction of a polyurethane plant in a special economic zone in southwestern Poland. The plant will produce 20,000t of polyurethane per year, which will mainly be...
November 2010
Top
Total Plans Petrochemical Plant in Qatar
Total Petrochemicals is in talks with Qatar over plans to develop a $6bn petrochemical plant in the gas-rich Arab Gulf state, according to Reuters. The proposed complex in Ras Laffan includes...
Sumitomo Chemical to Build Plant in Singapore
Sumitomo Chemical is planning to build a 40,000t-per-year solution styrene-butadiene-rubber plant on Singapore's Jurong Island. The plant is scheduled to start operation in the fourth...
Cognis Reports Profit Rise
Cognis has reported a profit of €184m ($245m) during the first nine months of 2010, up from €1m during the same period in 2009, boosted by an increase in sales volumes. The...
BASF Investment Secures Jobs at German Plant
BASF has agreed to invest between €9bn and €10bn ($12.1bn-$13.5bn) at its Ludwigshafen plant in Germany through to 2015, securing 33,000 jobs at the site. The German chemical...
Egypt Hydrocarbon Corporation Secures Loan for Chemical Complex
Egypt Hydrocarbon Corporation has secured a $298m loan from domestic banks to fund the construction of a chemical complex in Ain Sohkna, Egypt. The complex will produce nitric acid,...
India Levies Anti-Dumping Duty on Polypropylene Imports
India is to impose an anti-dumping duty on imports of polypropylene from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Singapore for five years. It will also be applicable to homo-polymers of propylene and...
Makhteshim Agan's Q3 Loss Widens
Makhteshim Agan's losses have widened to $56.2m during the third quarter of 2010, increasing from a $17.5m loss a year earlier. The Israeli company reported the loss despite recording a...
Arkema Unveils Five-Year Growth Plan
Arkema has announced that it aims to increase its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) by more than €1bn ($1.35bn) by 2015, up from its EBITDA goal...
PetroChina to Complete Daqing Ethylene Expansion in 2012
PetroChina has said that it will complete the expansion of its ethylene plant in Daqing, China, by June 2012, a year later than planned. The expansion will double the plant's...
Arkema to Treble Polyamide Production at China Plant
Arkema is planning to triple production of polyamide its plant in Changshu, China, by 2013. The French chemical-maker plans to construct a new plant with a polymerisation capacity of...
Du Pont Settles West Virginia Pollution Case
Du Pont has agreed to pay $80m for the medical monitoring of a class of residents in West Virginia, US, who claimed that they were exposed to toxic substances from one of its zinc-smelting plants....
Israel Chemicals Posts Q3 Profit Decline
Israel Chemicals has reported a profit of $242.9m during the third quarter of 2010, down from the $256.6m it recorded in the same period of 2009. However, its revenue for the period grew...
South Korean Petrochemical Exports Rise
The value of South Korea's petrochemical exports in October 2010 increased by 22% compared to the same period in 2009, reaching $29.9bn due to higher product prices. According to data...
China Chemical Completes Maleic Anhydride Plant
China Chemical has completed construction of a maleic anhydride production plant in China. The plant will produce 30,000t of the chemical doubling its overall production capacity 60,000t...
BME to Invest in Three South African Nitric Acid Plants
BME, part of the Omnia group, is planning to invest R1.4bn ($198m) in the construction of three nitric acid plants in South Africa. The plants are scheduled to be commissioned by the...
Valspar Reports Profit Rise
Valspar has reported a profit of $51.3m for the fourth quarter of 2010, up from the $49.9m it recorded in the same quarter in 2009. The US-based paint maker's revenue increased to $876.8m,...
Iran Petrochemical Production Rises
Iran has produced more than 23 million tons of petrochemical products in the first eight months of 2010. The country has also recorded a 50% increase in export of petrochemical products...
Enterprise Acquires Isobutylene Plant
Enterprise Products Partners has acquired a chemical plant from Bigler LP in Houston, US, for $38.5m. The 250-acre complex has capacity to produce 300 million pounds of high-purity...
Aurelius Acquires KemFine UK
KemFine Group has completed the sale of KemFine UK to Aurelius for an undisclosed price. The business, which reccorded sales of $41m in 2009, had produces chemicals for the...
GS Engineering to Build Fertiliser Plant in Australia
GS Engineering has secured a $2.88bn contract from Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers to build a urea plant in Perth, Australia. The plant will be built at Shotts Industrial Complex in...
Tronox to Exit Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in January 2011
US-based Tronox is expected to emerge as a reorganised business after nearly two years in bankruptcy, after a court confirmed the chemical firm's Chapter 11 exit plan. The chemical maker is...
Four Dead and 37 Injured in Chinese Chemical Plant Blast
Four people have died and 37 others injured following a blast at a Yushe Chemical Industry plant in China's Shanxi province. The blast occurred on 20 November, killing people and injuring...
Formosa Petrochemical Delays Production at Ethylene Plant
Formosa Petrochemical has delayed the start of production at its 1.035 million ton-per-year No 2 ethylene plant in Taiwan due to minor leakages. The plant was shut down on 5 October 2010...
Dow and Wacker Open Chinese Silicone Plant
Dow Corning and Wacker Chemie have opened their silicone manufacturing plant in China's Jiangsu province. The manufacturing site, based in Zhangjiagang, was built with an investment of...
Arkema to Invest in US Acrylics Business
Arkema is planning to invest $110m in its acrylics business in Texas, US, over the next three years. The investment will focus on acrylic acid and esters, water treatment, super...
Makhteshim Acquires BravoAg and Gains Stake in JK
Makhteshim Agan has acquired Mexico City-based crop protection manufacturer Ingenieria Industrial (BravoAg), and a 51% stake in South Korean glyphosate manufacturer JK. The Israeli...
PTT Chemicals Anticipates 2011 Revenue Increase
PTT Chemicals has said it is expecting its revenue to increase to THB160-170bn ($5.4-5.7bn) in 2011. The Thailand-based olefin maker says the utilisation rates at all plants would rise...
Bayer to Invest in Five Plants in China
Bayer MaterialScience is planning to invest €110m ($148m) in five downstream facilities in China by 2012. The company will invest in three polyurethanes systems houses, a...
DNP Green Technology Acquires Bioamber Joint Venture
DNP Green Technology fully acquired 100% of the shares in Bioamber, a joint venture it formed with France-based Agro-Industrie Recherches et Developpements in 2008. Following the...
Formosa Plastics Unveils Expansion Plans
Formosa Plastics Group is planning to invest $2.3bn in a petrochemical plant in Ningbo, China. Under its second phase expansion plan, the company will invest in subsidiaries Formosa...
BHP Billiton Pulls Out of PotashCorp Bid
BHP Billiton has withdrawn its $38.6bn bid for Canadian fertiliser major PotashCorp after talks with regulators failed. Canada's Ministry of Industry had previously blocked the deal, saying...
EU Imposes Anti-Dumping Duty on Chinese Melamine
The European Union has imposed a provisional anti-dumping duty of between 44.9% and 65.2% on melamine imports from China for the next six months. European producers, who produce more than...
CNOOC Breaks Ground on China Fine Chemical Plant
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has started construction at an 8.3bn yuan ($1.2bn) fine chemical project in China's Hainan province. The plant will be built in two phases,...
Indorama Invests in PET and PTA Resin Plants
Indorama Group plans to invest $1.2bn in two resins plants, one in India and the other in the Middle East. Each plant will have an annual production capacity of 500,000t of...
Evonik Reports Q3 Profit Jump
Evonik's profit soared during the third quarter of 2010, rising from €168m ($229m) in Q3 2009 to €260m ($356m) in the same period this year. The Germany-based speciality...
China Extends Ethanolamine Anti-Dumping Levy Duration
China has extended the levy of anti-dumping duty on ethanolamine imports from Japan, Malaysia, the US and Taiwan for another five years. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce imposed an...
SKC Acquires Stake in Evonik Subsidiary
SKC has acquired a 45% stake in Evonik Degussa Peroxide Korea for KRW23bn ($20m), forming a joint venture to produce hydrogen peroxide in South Korea. Evonik Degussa Peroxide Korea,...
Olam to Establish Fertiliser Plant in Gabon
Olam International has formed a joint venture with the Republic of Gabon to construct an ammonia-urea fertiliser plant. The plant requires an investment of $1.3bn and will have a capacity...
H&R Wasag Reports Q3 Profit Rise
H&R Wasag has reported a profit of €14.5m ($19.9m) during the third quarter of 2010, nearly double the figure it reported in the same period in 2009. The German chemical...
Nova to Divest Stake in Joint Venture to Ineos
Nova Chemicals has announced that it is planning to sell its shares in Ineos Nova to Ineos in the first quarter of 2011, for an undisclosed sum. Ineos signed an agreement with Nova to...
Celanese to Build Two Ethanol Plants in China
Celanese is planning to build two coal-to-ethanol plants in China with an investment of $350m. The US-based chemical company plans to set up the two plants on the Chinese coast, each with...
Chemtura Emerges from US Bankruptcy Protection
Chemtura has completed financial restructuring and emerged from its 20-month long US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The US-based speciality chemical maker said that it had...
DuPont to Acquire MECS
DuPont has agreed to acquire sulphuric acid technology provider MECS from American Securities for an undisclosed amount. MECS designs sulphuric acid plants and related high...
Ammoni Awards Russian Fertiliser Plant Contract
Ammoni has awarded a $1bn contract for the construction of a fertiliser plant in Russia to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Sojitz Corporation of Japan and China National Chemical...
Qatar Chemical Opens Second HDPE Plant in Mesaieed
Qatar Chemical has opened its second petrochemical plant in Mesaieed industrial city, Qatar. The Q-Chem II plant is a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum (51%) and Chevron Phillips...
Sibur Starts Production at Russian Styrenics Plant
Sibur has started production of ethyl-benzene, styrene and expandable polystyrene at its upgraded plant in Perm, Russia. The company has invested more than R8bn ($260m) to upgrade and expand...
Lanxess Reports Q3 Profit Leap
Lanxess reported a profit of €118m ($162m) during the third quarter of 2010, up from the €23m ($31.5m) profit recorded during the same quarter of 2009. Lanxess' sales jumped 35%...
Braskem and Ineos Form Polyethylene Technology Partnership
Braskem has signed an agreement with Ineos Technologies to acquire slurry technologies for two of its three polyethylene plants at the Ethylene XXI petrochemicals project in Mexico. Under...
PTT Q3 Profit Falls by 59%
PTT Aromatics and Refining has reported a 59% drop in its Q3 profit to THB695m ($23.46 m), down from the THB1.71bn ($57m) profit it reported in the same quarter of 2009. however,...
HB Fuller Begins Work on Indian Adhesive Plant
HB Fuller has started construction of a $12m adhesive plant in India as part of efforts to expand into the country's adhesive market. The US-based adhesive and sealants maker has a...
SK Energy to Restart Cracker
SK Energy plans to restart its idle No 1 naphtha-fed steam cracker in Ulsan, South Korea, following an improvement in margins. The cracker is capable of producing 200,000 million tons...
Solvay Announces Investment in French Chemical Plant
Solvay has announced that it will invest $115m to replace a mercury-based electrolysis system at its chlor-alkali plant in Tavaux, France, with a membrane-based system. The...
AkzoNobel Opens Chemical Plant in China
AkzoNobel has opened its €275m ($381.8m) chemical plant in China's Zhejiang province, further expanding its presence in the country. The plant, located in Ningbo, will mainly...
Lumena to Acquire Controlling Stake in Sino Polymers
Lumena Resources is planning to acquire a 95% stake in Cayman Islands-based Sino Polymers New Materials for HK$11.05bn ($1.43bn). Lumena, based in Hong Kong, will pay for 90% of the stake...
Arkema to Invest in New Plant in France
Arkema is planning to invest €30m ($42.7 m) in a dimethyl amino ethyl acrylate plant in Carling, France. The plant will replace an older facility, increasing the site's capacity by...
Samsung Fine Chemical to Build Polysilicon Plant in Korea
Samsung Fine Chemical is planning to form a joint venture with US-based MEMC Electronic Materials to build a polysilicon plant in Korea. The South Korean company is set to invest...
Shenhua and Dow Plan Coal-to-Chemicals Plant in China
China's Shenhua Group and US-based Dow Chemical are planning a large coal-to-chemicals plant in Shaanxi province, China. The firms intend to invest $10bn in the first phase of the...
ZRCC Launches EO / EG Plant in China
Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Petrochemical (ZRCC) has launched an ethylene oxide / ethylene glycol (EO / EG) plant in China's Zhejiang province. The plant has a capacity to produce 650,000t...
South Korean Companies Plan Naphtha Capacity Increases
LG Chem is planning to raise the naphtha cracker capacity at its Daesan plant in South Korea by about 100,000t in March 2011, increasing total capacity to 1.9 million tons a year. South...
Iran Petrochemical Product Exports up by 50%
Iran has exported more than $5.4bn of petrochemical products in first seven months of 2010, up by 50% compared to the same period in 2009. The products include polyethylene, methanol,...
Total and CPI Plan to Establish Olefin Plant in China
Total and China Power Investment Corporation (CPI) are to build a coal-based petrochemical plant in Mongolia, China. The France-based company and Chinese energy group will launch a...
M&A Volume Reaches $66bn
The value of mergers and acquisitions in the global chemical sector reached $66.6bn during the third quarter of 2010, increasing by 20% compared with the volume in 2009, according to a report...
Rhodia Q3 Profit Quadruples
Rhodia's profit in the third quarter of 2010 jumped four times to €56m ($78.5m) from €14m ($19.6m) last year, the company has announced. The French chemical maker's sales increased...
Air Products to Pay Penalties for Waste Violations
Air Products has been fined $1.485m in penalties for violations of Texas and US federal waste disposal laws, officials have said. The US-based chemical company has been fined for its failure...
Westlake Reports Increased Q3 Profit
Westlake Chemical's profit has more than doubled to $62.7m during the third quarter of 2010, up from the $29.8m it reported in the same quarter a year ago. The US-based chemical...
Malaysian Petro Giant Plans New Fertiliser Plant
Petronas Chemicals Group, a subsidiary of Petroliam Nasional, is planning to build a fertiliser plant in Sabah, Malaysia, worth about $1bn. Petronas Chemicals chairman Datuk Wan Zulkiflee...
China's Chemical Imports Down
China's chemical imports declined during September 2010 with moderation of economic activities in the country. According to data from China Customs, the country imported 74,924t of ethylene,...
Amec to Build Ethanol Plant for Ineos
Amec has secured a $100m contract from Ineos New Planet BioEnergy to build an ethanol plant in Florida, US. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract secured by the...
Do-Floride to Invest in Lithium-ion Material Plant
Do-Floride Chemicals is planning to invest RMB344m ($51m) to produce materials for lithium-ion battery production. The Chinese company expects the new plant to produce 20,000t of...
Petronas Chemicals to Raise IPO
Petronas Chemicals plans to raise MYR12.5bn ($4bn) from an initial public offering (IPO) to help fund its future expansion plans, including acquisitions. The company had planned to sell $2bn...
Ineos Restarts Ethylene Cracker in France
Ineos has restarted the 775,000t/year ethylene (C2) cracker at its Lavera refinery in southern France, the company said. The nationwide shutdown in France over pension reform has led to...
Reliance Q2 Profit Up
Reliance Industries' profit increased by 28% to INR49.2bn ($1.1bn) during the second quarter of 2010, compared with the same quarter in 2009. The Indian company's sales increased by 23%...
Braskem and Idesa JV Ethylene Plant to Begin Operations in 2015
Braskem and Grupo Idesa's $2.5bn Ethylene XXI project in Mexico is moving ahead and is expected to go on stream in 2015. The joint venture plans to complete the front-end engineering and...
China Drops Anti-Dumping Duty Investigations on Saudi Methanol
Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) said China will not impose anti-dumping duties on methanol exported from Saudi Arabia. Sipchem claimed the Chinese Ministry of Commerce...
Honam Completes Acquisition of Titan Chemicals
Homan Petrochemical has completed the acquisition of Malaysia's Titan Chemicals for $1.28bn. Under the deal, the South Korean chemical company has acquired a 73% stake in Malaysian olefins...
Kiri Buys DyStar's US Operations
Kiri Dyes and Chemicals has acquired DyStar Group's US operations from Platinum Equity for $10m. The acquisition includes DyStar's textiles dyes and textile auxiliaries, as well as...
LyondellBasell Swings into Profit in Q3
LyondellBasell reported a net profit of $467m during the third quarter of 2010, led by increased demand for polyolefins and higher ethylene sales prices. This is compared to a loss of $651m...
Lanxess to Expand Capacity at Dormagen Plant
Lanxess is planning to expand production of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer at its plant in Dormagen, Germany. The speciality chemical company is expected to increase production by 30%...
Braskem Invests in Green Propylene Plant
Braskem is planning to invest $100m to establish a plant that will use feedstock ethanol from sugar cane to produce propylene. Braskem has said that each ton of polypropylene produced in...
Global Acrylic Resins to Exceed $16bn by 2015
The global acrylic resins market is expected to exceed £16.4bn by 2015, boosted by increased demand for superior performing and cost-effective products, according to a report by Global...
BASF Profit Soars
BASF has announced that its profit increased five-fold to €1.25bn ($1.72bn) during the third quarter of 2010, up from the €237m ($330m) it reported during the same quarter in...
EU Chemical Production Increases
Chemical production in the European Union in August 2010 increased by 9.4% compared to the same period last year, according to the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic). It added...
Borouge Starts Abu Dhabi Polyolefins Plant
Borouge has started commercial operations at its expanded polyolefins plant in Ruwais, United Arab Emirates. The expansion will double Borouge's polyethylene production to 1.2 million...
Mitsui and Sinopec to Form EPT Joint Venture
Japan's Mitsui Chemicals and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation are to form a joint venture to produce ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPT) in China. Around 27bn yen ($335m) will...
CPDC Borrows for Production Expansion
China Petrochemical Development Corporation (CPDC) has signed for a NT$21.8bn ($710.9m) loan to finance increases in caprolactam and acrylonitrile production. The loan will enable CPDC...
Rockwood Reports Q3 Profit Rise
Rockwood Holdings has reported a profit of $40m during the third quarter of 2010, rising from $10m in the same quarter of 2009. The US-based speciality chemical maker reported adjusted...
ADIB Agrees to Fund Borogue Plant Expansion
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) will provide DH3.41bn ($935m) to Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company (HDEC) to help finance its expansion project in Abu Dhabi. The Borouge 3...
Henkel Plans to Invest in Hungarian Adhesive Plant
Henkel is planning to build an adhesive plant in Tatabánya-Környe, Hungary. The German chemical company will invest €14.7m ($20m) in the plant, which is expected to...
October 2010
Top
Solvay and MGC to Develop Bio-Based Polyamides
Solvay Advanced Polymers will work with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical (MGC) to develop high-temperature bio-based polyamides for high-performance durable applications. The new polymer will...
AkzoNobel Opens Powder Coatings Plant in China
AkzoNobel has opened its sixth powder coatings facility in China as part of its strategy to double revenue in the country within the next five years. The new facility will...
Green Plains Completes Global Ethanol Acquisition
Green Plains Renewable Energy has completed its $169m acquisition of Global Ethanol. The acquisition includes two ethanol production plants in US, which will increase its production capacity...
US Foams Market to Expand
The US market for polymeric foams is expected to grow to £8.6bn ($13.6bn) in 2015, rising from £7.6bn ($12bn) in 2010, with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.5%. According to...
Eastman to Sell PET Business to DAK
Eastman Chemical is to sell its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) business unit and related assets of its performance polymers unit to DAK for $600m in cash. DAK will acquire Eastman's...
Lanxess Opens Chinese Pigment Plant
Lanxess has opened a new plant in Shanghai, China, which will produce high-quality black iron oxide pigments. The plant has capacity to produce 10,000t of the pigments, which are used...
China Imposes Anti-Dumping Duty on Methanol Imports
China has imposed an anti-dumping duty of more than 9% on methanol imports from companies in Malaysia, Indonesia and New Zealand. Officials have said that the levy will be applied to...
Celanese Sees Q3 Profit Slide but Revenues Rise
Celanese has reported a profit of $145m during Q3 2010, down from the $398m it reported in the same period in 2009. However, the firm's 2009 profit included $382m related to a deferred...
South Korea Petrochemical Exports Rise in September
South Korea's petrochemical exports rose by 7.42% to $2.75bn in September, following higher product prices and low base-year figures. South Korea's export price of naphtha rose 6% to $674...
Sigma-Aldrich Announces Q3 Income Rise
Sigma-Aldrich Corp has said its net income grew by 8% in Q3 2010, following an increase in sales from chemicals and research products units. The biochemicals firm earned $93m during the...
Court Approves Chemtura Reorganisation Plan
A US court has approved Chemtura Corporation's reorganisation plan, which will allow the company to exit bankruptcy protection. The US Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan approved the plan...
Biocause to Invest in Propylene Production
Hubei Biocause Pharmaceutical plans to invest around 301m yuan ($45m) in propylene production. The firm will has expects to spend around 200m yuan ($30m) on the construction of a facility...
Petrologistics Begins Propylene Production at Texas Plant
Petrologistics has started production at its propylene plant in Texas, which is expected to be running at full capacity within 30 days. The plant will produce 544,000t of 70%...
ExxonMobil Completes Capacity Expansion
ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil Chemical, has said that Japan Butyl has completed an expansion to increase butyl rubber production at its Kawasaki, Japan plant. The...
WR Grace Reports Q3 Income Rise
WR Grace has reported net income to $54.9m in the third quarter of 2010, a a 23.6% rise from the $44.4m in the same period of 2009. The US-based chemical company's gross profit percentage...
Zhejiang to Begin Work on New Polypropylene Plant
Zhejiang Shaoxing Sanyuan Petrochemical has announced that it will begin the construction of a new polypropylene plant at its Shaoxing facility in China by the end of the year. The plant...
Evonik Plans Methionine Expansion in Singapore
Evonik is planning to build a plant to produce DL-methionine and its intermediates in Singapore. The German chemical firm said the new plant will have an annual capacity of 150,000t,...
India Lifts Anti-Dumping Duty on Saudi Polypropylene
India has suspended anti-dumping taxes on polypropylene imports from Saudi Arabia. An anti-dumping duty of more than 22% was imposed in August 2010, ranging between $440 and $820 per...
Honam Considers Indonesian Ethylene Plant Proposal
Honam Petrochemical is studying plans to build a $500m ethylene plant in Indonesia next year. The proposed plant could have an annual capacity of 450,000t. The South Korean...
AkzoNobel Posts Q3 Profit Rise
AkzoNobel's net income increased by 21% to €238m ($330m) during the third quarter of 2010, rising from €197m ($273m) during the same quarter a year ago. The Dutch chemical...
Solvay to Invest in Advanced Material Fund
Solvay, Korea Venture Investment and AJU IB Investment are planning to invest €26m ($36m) in the Korea Advanced Materials Fund, which will support start-ups with promising...
Sinopec Plans Bond Issue
China Petroleum and Chemical (Sinopec) is planning to sell bonds worth 23bn yuan ($3.5bn) to fund the development of new ethylene and processing plants. The chemical maker will spend...
Philphos Receives Bank Credit to Fund Expansion
The Development Bank of the Philippines has given Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corporation (Philphos) a $23m credit line to help it boost fertiliser production. Philphos expects that...
SABIC Reports Q3 Profit Rise
Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) has reported a Q3 2010 profit of SR5.33bn ($1.42bn), a 46% rise from the SR3.65bn ($971m) recorded a year earlier. The chemical company reported gross income of...
Foster Wheeler to Build Polyethylene Plant
Foster Wheeler, a subsidiary of Global Engineering and Construction Group, has secured a contract from Carbon Holding to build a polyethylene plant in Ain Sokhna, Egypt. The plant, which...
LG Chem Reports Q3 Profit Rise
LG Chem has reported a 10.5% profit increase of KRW599.1bn ($531m) in the third quarter of 2010, up from KRW542.2 bn ($479.8m) in the same period a year ago. The South Korean chemical...
SABIC Plans Purified Terephthalic Acid Plant Expansion
Saudi Arabian Basic Industries (SABIC) has announced plans to expand the production capacity of affiliate company Arabian Industrial Fibers (Ibn Rushd) later this year. The would double...
Nanjing Hongbaoli Plans Fund Raising
Nanjing Hangbaoli is planning to raise RMB246m ($36.9m) for the technical upgrading of its polyethylene plant through private placement. The Chinese company plans to issue 17 million...
Ineos Declares Force Majeure at French Plant
Ineos has declared force majeure on ethylene oxide and other ethylene and propylene derivatives produced at its French refinery near the Fos-Lavera oil port due to ongoing strikes in...
Linde and Samsung to Build Saudi Acrylic Acid Plant
A consortium comprised of Samsung Engineering Company and Linde has won a contract to build a SR4bn ($1.1bn) acrylic acid plant for Saudi Acrylic Monomer Company (SAMCO). SAMCO...
Sipchem Reports Profit Rise
The Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) has reported a third-quarter profit of SR84m ($22m), a 54% rise from the corresponding period in 2010. The company said it had earned...
Lubrizol Starts Work at China Additive Plant
US-based Lubrizol has started work on its proposed additive plant in the Zhuhai Gaolan Port Economic Zone in China. The plant will be complementary to Lubrizol's existing joint venture,...
SI Group Considers Second Plant in China
SI Group is planning to boost its chemical compounds and resins capacity by investing $30m to build a second plant in China. The US-based chemical maker is yet to finalise the site for the...
Industries Qatar Posts Q3 Profit Rise
Industries Qatar has reported a 23% increase in its profit to QR1.47bn ($400m) during the third quarter of 2010, up from QR1.2bn ($329m) during the same period in 2009. The...
Sika Acquires May National
Sika has acquired May National Associates, a US-based firm that manufactures silicone and polyurethane products for the construction, industrial, and distribution markets. The...
Saudi Chemical Profit Falls
Saudi Chemical reported a 49% drop in profit during third quarter of 2010 to SAR54m ($14.4m), down from SAR105m ($27.9) during the same period in 2009. The firm's net profit for the first...
Petronas Chemicals Plans Initial Public Offering
Petronas Chemicals, the chemical arm of Malaysian energy firm Petronas, is planning to raise $4bn for an expansion plan. The firm will use some of the proceeds to set up a fertiliser plant...
Qatar Commissions Melamine Plant
Qatar has commissioned a QR1.3bn ($356m) melamine plant in Mesaieed Industrial City. The plant is a joint venture between Qatar Fertiliser Company and Qatar Intermediate Industries...
IVRCL and Kemira Form Water Chemical Joint Venture
IVRCL and Kemira Oyj have agreed to form a joint venture to manufacture water treatment chemicals in Visakhapatnam, India. The $10m plant will produce 50,000t of water-treatment...
Bayer Thai to Increase Bisphenol-A and Polycarbonate Capacity
Bayer Thai is planning to increase production capacity of polycarbonate and bisphenol-A in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, by the end of 2010. Bayer said the capacity expansion will boost...
Taiwanese Petrochemical Firm Plans to Expand Production
China Petrochemical Development Corporation is planning to invest NT$5bn ($159m) to increase its caprodactam and acrylonitrile production. The Taiwanese petrochemical company said it...
Wuhuan Signs Expansion Contract
Wuhuan Technology Holding, a subsidiary of China National Chemical Engineering, has signed a $395m contract with Vietnam Hebei Nitrogenous Fertilizer and Chemical to expand the Hebei...
Omnova Could Acquire Eliokem
Omnova Solutions is planning to sell $250m of notes to help it fund a $310m acquisition of French specialty chemical manufacturer Eliokem International from AXA Private Equity. The...
ChemChina Plans to Buy Stake in Makhteshim Agan
China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina) is planning to buy a 70% stake in Makhteshim Agan Industries from parent group Koor Industries. Under the proposal, ChemChina will purchase...
China Funds Bangladeshi Fertiliser Plant
China has agreed to provide $559m to fund the construction of a fertiliser factory in Sylhet, Bangladesh. The China National Complete Plant Import & Export Corporation (Complant)...
Consortium Plans Philippine Ethanol Plant
A consortium of Filipino, Taiwanese and Japanese companies is to invest $120m in a bioethanol plant in San Mariano, the Philippines. The project will be carried out by Green Future...
Dow Chemical Announces Chinese Investment
Dow Chemical plans to invest $28m to expand its coating materials manufacturing operations in China. The investment will be used to expand Phase III of its existing plant in Foshan,...
Solvay to Expand Compounding Capacity
Solvay has announced that it will invest €21m ($29m) to build a speciality polymer compounding plant in the Jiangsu province, China. The facility will produce compounds...
Chinese Chemical Leak Hospitalises Residents
Ninety people China's Jiangxi province have been hospitalised following an acidic gas leak from a chemical plant at the weekend, local government officials have said. The gas hovered...
Chevron Phillips to Build 1-Hexene Plant in US
Chevron Phillips Chemical Company is planning to build a 1-hexene plant at its Cedar Bayou Chemical Complex in Baytown, US. The plant will be capable of annually producing 200,000t...
BASF Opens Chemical Plants in Poland
BASF has opened two new plants in Srem, Poland, to produce polyurethane systems and other chemicals for the construction industry. The plants will develop and manufacture...
JPMC Forms Joint Venture with Asian Fertiliser Company
Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) has signed a $840m joint venture agreement with Indian Farmers Fertilisers Cooperative and Indonesian fertiliser firms to secure long-term supplies. ...
Al Rajhi Plans Chemical Plants
Al Rajhi Group has signed a $1.1bn contract with South Korea's STX Heavy Industries to set up two chemical plants at the Yanbu industrial complex in Saudi Arabia. The first proposed plant...
Ha Bac to Invest in Fertiliser Production
Ha Bac Nitrogen Fertilizers and Chemical Company is planning to invest $373m in upgrading and expanding urea production at its plant in Hanoi, Vietnam. The company expects that the...
BASF to Separate Styrene Business
BASF is planning to separate its styrene operation to form a new entity. Styrolution will be formed out of BASF's styrene and polystyrene operations, which are located outside of the...
Chinese Firm to Expand Phosphate Production
China Blue Chemical, the chemical fertiliser subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation has started its 1.97bn yuan ($293m) phosphate fertiliser expansion project in Hubei...
MasTec Awarded US Ethanol Plant Contract
MasTec has secured a $296m contract from US-based BlueFire Renewables to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Fulton, US. The plant will be built by Wanzek Construction, a wholly owned...
Scientists Share Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2010 to a Japanese scientist and two US researchers. Akira Suzuki, Ei-ichi Negishi and Richard F Heck developed...
RPM Q1 Profit Slides
RPM International has reported a net income of $69m for the first quarter of 2010, down from a $73m profit in the same period of 2009. The US-based specialty chemical maker said its...
Hungary Declares State of Emergency in Wake of Chemical Spill
Hungary has declared a state of emergency following spillage of toxic sludge from a chemical plant that has killed four and injured more than 120. More than 35 million cubic feet of red...
Rockwood to Expand Lithium Hydroxide Production
Rockwood Holdings is planning to expand its production of lithium hydroxide for transportation batteries at its plant in North Carolina, US. The US Department of Energy has supplied a...
Mitsui and Honam to Build Catalyst Plant
Mitsui Chemical and Honam Petrochemical have agreed to build a catalyst plant in Yeosu, South Korea. Each company would invest $8.9m in the joint venture plant, which is expected to produce...
LG Chem Acquires Dow Joint Venture
South Korean chemical maker LG Chem has bought out Dow Chemical's 50% stake in joint venture LG Dow Polycarbonate. LG Dow Polycarbonate has two plants in Yeosu, south of Seoul with a...
Cabot to Expand Fumed Silica Facility
Cabot Corporation and China National Bluestar Corporation have started a $43m expansion of their silica manufacturing facility in Jiangxi, China. The project, Cabot Bluestar Chemical, is a...
China XLX to Invest in Carbamide Production
China XLX Fertilizer is planning to invest RMB3bn ($447m) to build its fourth carbamide plant in China. The plant will raise China XLX Fertilizer's annual carbamide output from 1.25...
Agrium Receives AWB Acquisition Approval
Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board has approved Agrium's A$1.2bn ($1.2bn) bid to acquire AWB. The North American fertiliser company's acquisition will enable it to increase sales...
India to Start Work on Delayed Urea Plant
Construction work on the delayed INR800bn ($17bn) Talcher urea unit revival project in Orissa, India, will begin in October 2011, according to the Indian Government. Rashtriya Chemicals...
AZ Electronic Plans Initial Public Offering
AZ Electronic Material Group is planning to raise $700m through an initial public offering to pay down its debt and fund expansion in Asia. The chemical company in Luxembourg, owned by...
Apollo Completes Chemical Units Merger
Apollo Global Management has completed the merger of its two chemical companies, Momentive Performance Materials and Hexion, forming a new entity. Momentive Performance Materials Holdings...
Chemtura to Pay $3.9m to Clean Toxic Site
Chemtura Corporation has agreed to pay $3.9m to clean up a toxic waste site in New York, US. The company's plant in Brooklyn's Red Hook neighbourhood, which operated from 1958 to 1999,...
Green Plains to Acquire Global Ethanol
Green Plains Renewable Energy has signed an agreement to acquire Global Ethanol for $169.2m. Green Plains said the transaction will also include $147.6m for ethanol production facilities and...
DuPont Plans R&D Investment in India
DuPont is planning to invest $100m over the next three years to expand its research and development unit in Hyderabad, India. Part of the investment will be used to develop new technology...
Demand for Ethylene Oxide and Ethylene Glycol to Rise
Global demand for ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol will grow at by 4.52% a year up until 2020, a study has suggested. According to Research and Markets, demand for ethylene oxide...
Mitsubishi to Build PET Plant in China
Mitsubishi Plastics is planning to set up a PET film plant with an investment of 24bn yuan ($3.5bn) in Jiangsu, China. The plant will have an annual capacity of 22,500t and is expected to...
Lukoil Subsidiary to Restart Polyethylene and PVC Production
Karpatneftekhim, a subsidiary of Russian oil and gas group Lukoil, is planning to restart production of polyethylene at its plant in Kalush, Ukraine, after a gap of more than two years. ...
SK E&C Wins Jurong Aromatic Plant Contract
SK E&C has received a contract from Jurong Aromatics to construct an aromatic plant in the Jurong Petrochemical Complex in Singapore. Under the contract, SK E&C will provide...
ExxonMobil to Settle Case for Hazardous Waste Impoundments
Energy major ExxonMobil will spend $150m to close a case involving more than one billion gallons of illegally stored hazardous waste at the Agrifos Fertilizer site in Pasadena, Texas. The...
Reliance Industries Plans Cracker Plant
Reliance Industries plans to invest INR160bn ($3.5bn) in setting up a cracker plant in Jamnagar, India, according to sources close to the plant. The plant will produce ethylene,...
Trans Polymers to Build Polyethylene Plant in Pakistan
Trans Polymers Limited has announced that it plans to build a $701m polyethylene plant near Port Qasim in Karachi, Pakistan. The facility will produce 350,000t of polyethylene to meet...
Mitsui Chemicals and Idemitsu Form Joint Venture
Mitsui Chemicals and Japanese oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan have formed a 50:50 joint venture and combined two naphtha crackers. The companies will also combine their plants in Chiba...
GNFC to Invest $888m on Expansion
India's Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers Company (GNFC) is investing INR40bn ($888m) over the next five years to expand its business. The company said that it would implement six...
HC Petrochem to Expand Paraxylene Production
HC Petrochem has awarded a contract to UOP to provide technology for the expansion of its petrochemicals plant in Daesan, South Korea. Under the agreement, HC Petrochem will use UOP's Parex...
China XLX Fertiliser to Build Fourth Urea Plant
China XLX Fertiliser will invest 3bn yuan ($447m) in building a fourth urea plant near its existing plants in Xinxiang City, Henan . The plant will have an annual capacity of 800,000t and...
Honam to Raise Funds for Titan Acquisition
Honam Petrochemical has announced that it plans to raise $350m from a sale of floating-rate notes to help fund the $1.25bn acquisition of Titan Chemicals. The South Korean ethylene producer...
September 2010
Top
Tri Polyta Indonesia to Merge with Chandra Asri
Tri Polyta Indonesia has announced that it will merge with Chandra Asri in a share swap deal worth $1.2bn. Under the agreement, Tri Polyta will issue 2.93 billion new shares to Chandra...
La Seda Cuts Stake in Portuguese Terephthalic Acid Plant
La Seda de Barcelona has reduced its stake in a major terephthalic acid plant construction project in Portugal to 41%. The Spanish group had held a 51% stake of the €400m ($538m)...
Lotte Pakistan to Increase Chemical Production
Lotte Pakistan is planning to increase its production of pure terephthalic acid with a $500m investment. The measure is been taken to meet the demand for chemical, which is used in...
Mangalore Chemicals to Set Up Fertiliser Plant
Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers has revealed that it is planning to invest INR4bn ($86m) to set up a new fertiliser plant in the next two years. The indian company said that the plant...
BASF to Open Production Base in China
BASF has decided to build a production base for water treatment and paper chemicals in Nanjing, China. The plants will have a capacity to produce 40,000t of quaternised cationic monomers...
Biolab UK Fined for Safety Violations
The Environment Agency has fined Biolab UK £66,000 for violating safety measures following an explosion at its factory near Cheltenham in 2006. The explosion caused toxic chemicals to leak...
Lanxess to Invest in Brazil
Lanxess is planning to invest R$70m ($41m) to boost the production capacity at its Brazilian facilities. Production of high performance neodymium-polybutadiene rubber at the firms Cabo de...
India Imposes New Anti-Dumping Duty
India has imposed an anti-dumping duty of up to $0.671 per kilo on Chinese imports of sodium tripolyphosphate, a chemical used in the manufacture of household cleaning products. The duty...
SABIC Opens Spanish Resin Plant
US-based Sabic Innovative Plastics has opened its €300m ($400m) polyetherimide resin plant in Cartagena, Spain. The facility, which will manufacture Ultem base resin, is expected...
Oswal Seeks to Invest in Fertiliser Plants
Oswal Chemicals and Fertilizers is to establish two fertiliser plants in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with an investment of INR70bn ($1.5bn). The proposal includes a INR50bn...
Aubin Expands Laboratory and Testing Facilities
Aubin has completed a major expansion of the laboratory and testing facilities at its UK headquarters. The expanded complex includes 170m² of laboratory facilities, 2,600m²...
Lanxess Announces Expansion Plans
Lanxess has revealed that it is looking for acquisitions in the mid-cap category in Brazil, India and China. The company will set up an ion exchange resins plant in Jhagadia in the...
Omnova to Acquire Eliokem
Omnova Solutions has announced plans to acquire speciality chemicals manufacturer Eliokem International for €227.5m by the end of 2010. US-based Omnova plans to raise $425m to help fund...
GAIL to Expand Chemical Plant
GAIL India is planning to invest INR81.4bn ($1.77bn) to double the capacity of its Pata chemical plant in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The state-owned company said it will increase...
Valspar Completes Wattyl Acquisition
Valspar has completed the acquisition of Australian paint manufacturer Wattyl for $142m, including Wattyl's assumed existing debt. The acquisition is part of Valspar's expansion plan...
Braskem America to Invest in US Polypropylene Business
Braskem America will invest $50m in its US polypropylene business through 2011, the company has said. This will include a $35m investment in manufacturing assets, of which $15m has...
Mitsubishi Chemical to Produce LED Lighting Components
Mitsubishi Chemical is planning to invest 15bn yen ($175m) to set up a production line to produce materials for LED lighting at its factory in Ibaragi prefecture, according to a report in...
EU Proposes Ban on Common Bomb Chemicals
The European Union (EU) has proposed new rules that would ban or limit access to chemicals that can be used to prepare homemade bombs. Officials said that bleaching agent hydrogen peroxide...
Sinochem Hires Banks to Counter BHP Bid
Sinochem Corporation has hired Deutsche Bank and Citigroup as part of its strategy to counterbid BHP Billiton's $39bn offer to buy Potash Corporation. Sinochem is also exploring the option...
Haike Chemical Posts Operating Loss
Haike Chemical has posted a loss of $21m for the first half of 2010, despite a 78.7% rise in revenues to $467m. Haike's petrochemical revenue contributed $407.8m, up 86.9% from $218m in the...
Evonik to Divest Carbon Blacks Business
Evonik Industries will divest its carbon blacks business as part of plans to focus on speciality chemicals. The German chemical company said its carbon blacks unit reported sales of...
Construction of Chinese Nitrile Rubber Plant Begins
Lanxess–TSRC Chemical Industrial Company, a joint venture between Lanxess and TSRC Corporation, has started construction of a nitrile rubber plant in Nantong, China. The 40,000m² plant...
TCP Reports Q4 Profit Rise
TCP Group has reported a profit of $14.4m during the fourth quarter of 2010, up 85% from $7.8m during the same period in 2009. The US chemical maker reported an operating profit of $24m...
GPCA to Protest India's Polypropylene Anti-Dumping Duty
The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) has said that it will approach the World Trade Organization (WTO) to protest India's imposition of anti-dumping duty on...
Taiwan Petrochemical Plants Shut Following Typhoon
Heavy flooding in the wake of Typhoon Fanapi has forced several petrochemical plants in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, to shut down. Taiwan's state-owned CPC Corporation shut its 500,000t / year No...
SRF to Build New Fluorochemicals Unit in Gujarat
SRF has announced that it will invest around INR2bn ($45m) to build two new units in its Dahej chemical complex in the Indian state of Gujarat, over a period of 12-18 months. Under the...
Wastewater Treatment Chemical Market to Grow
The wastewater treatment chemical market is expected to reach $26bn by 2015, according to an online survey conducted by market research company McIlvaine. The market, currently worth $21bn,...
Banks Agree Funding for Jurong Aromatics Plant
Royal Bank of Scotland and ING have agreed a debt package of $1.56bn for Jurong Aromatics' new petrochemicals project in Singapore. The funds will be used to build the $2.4bn project, which...
Asia-Pacific Specialty Chemicals Market Continues to Grow
The Asia-Pacific specialty chemicals market generated revenue of $215.2bn in 2009, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.4% between 2005 and 2009, according to a report...
Polypropylene Demand to Rise Further
Global polypropylene demand is expected to reach 59.6 million tons by 2020, according to a study by GBI Research. The report said demand had grown at 3.6% a year, rising from 26.6 million...
Pemex Invests $110m in Capacity Expansion
Pemex subsidiary PPQ has spent $110m on expanding and modernising its aromatic plants at Cangrejera petrochemical complex in the Veracruz state of Mexico. The investment also expanded...
Qatar Chemicals to Start HDPE Plant
Qatar Chemicals, a joint venture between Chevron Phillips Chemical and Qatar Petroleum, will start its new high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plant at Mesaieed, Qatar, by October. The 350,000t...
Willbros Awarded CB&I EPC Contract
Willbros Group has been awarded a contract to provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) for 45 miles of export pipelines for a new gas processing plant to be owned and operated...
Athabasca to Acquire Excelsior Energy
Athabasca Oil Sands (AOSC) has announced that it will buy oil sands and chemicals processing company Excelsior Energy for $144m. AOSC will acquire concentrated, high-quality oil sands leases...
EPA to Investigate Chemical Release at BP Plant
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched an investigation into the release of benzene and other chemicals from a BP refinery in Texas, US, earlier this year. The agency...
Eastman Chemical to Increase Capacity at Longview Facility
Chemical and plastic-maker Eastman Chemical has announced that it intends to expand 2-ethylhexanol capacity at its Longview site in Texas, US. The expansion will increase the capacity...
China BlueChemical to Start Second Methanol Plant
China BlueChemical has announced that it will start operations at its second methanol plant on Hainan Island, China, later this month. The No 2 plant, built at the same site as the No 1...
Legend Holdings to Invest in Alkene Plant
Legend Holdings will invest CNY18bn ($2.6bn) to build an alkene and fine chemical base in Shanghai province, China, with an annual capacity of one million tons. In the first phase, the...
Aramco and Dow Move Ahead with Saudi Petrochemical Plant
Aramco and Dow Chemical will begin construction of a $15bn petrochemical plant in Saudi Arabia on schedule, in spite of a decision to change its location. The plant was originally planned to...
Sinopec Ethylene Project Reaches Full Capacity
An ethylene plant set up by Sinopec Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Company has reached full capacity. The plant can produce one million tons of ethylene a year, and is expected to generate...
HB Fuller Posts Q3 Profit Drop
HB Fuller's net profit has dropped to $19m in the third quarter of 2010, down from the $35.4m recorded in the corresponding quarter of last year. However, the US-based specialty...
Tianjin Soda to Double Oxo-Alcohols Capacity
Tianjin Soda is planning to double the capacity of its oxo-alcohols plant in Binhai industrial area, Tianjin, by October 2012. The first phase of the plant, which will have capacity to...
Bodal Chemicals to Establish SSP Plant
Bodal Chemicals has announced that wholly-owned subsidiary Bodal Agro Tech will set up a single super phosphate (SSP) plant in Padra, India. The INR310m ($6.6m) plant is expected to have...
Omnia Raises Capital for Nitric Acid Plant
Omnia has completed capital raising worth R2bn ($280m), and now plans to invest R1.4bn ($196m) to build a nitric acid plant in Sasolburg, South Africa. The plant will produce 1,000t of...
Grace to Acquire Synthetech
WR Grace has signed an agreement to acquire US-based fine chemical manufacturer Synthetech for $19m. Grace expects that the acquisition will help it to manufacture the specialty single-site...
Chinese Fertiliser Production Rises
Fertiliser production in China has increased to 39,472kt in the first seven months of 2010, rising 3.4% from the same period in 2009. China also produced 28,084kt of nitrogen fertiliser, a...
Ethylene Output Drops in Japan
Ethylene production in Japan dropped 4.4% in August year-on-year, according to a report by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Japan’s total ethylene output fell from...
Apollo to Merge Chemical Units
Apollo Management is planning to merge its two chemical companies to make a specialty chemicals and materials company. The merger of Momentive Performance Materials and Hexion is expected on...
NatureWorks Plans Polylactic Acid Plant in Thailand
NatureWorks is planning a joint venture with PTT to invest $400m in a new polylactic acid plant in Thailand. The plant would have an annual capacity of 150,000t and could be operational by...
Vietnam to Build Bio-Ethanol Plant
The central province of Ninh Thuan in Vietnam has received foreign direct investment of $50m to install a bio-ethanol plant. The Thai-Viet Bio Ethanol JSC plant will be located in Phuoc...
Top Chemical Company Revenues Fall
The revenues of the world's 100 biggest chemical companies have fallen below the $1,000bn mark for the first time since 2005. The companies reported sales of $997bn in 2009, a drop of...
Uhde Secures PET Plant Deal
Uhde Inventa-Fischer has secured a contract to build a 550,000t-per-year polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin plant for Octal Petrochemicals. Uhde will use melt-to-resin technology to...
Methanex to Restart Methanol Plant in Canada
Methanex Corporation is planning to restart its methanol plant in Alberta, Canada, with a capital infusion of $40m. The 470,000t-a-year plant has been idle since 2001. Methanex said it...
China Approves Refinery Projects
Sinopec and Kuwait's $8.7bn refinery and petrochemical joint venture has been given environmental clearance and technical review approval by Chinese officials. The proposed plant, which will...
Keyuan Begins Construction of SBS Production Facility
Keyuan Petrochemicals has started construction of its $17.5m styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) production facility in Ningbo, China. The company said the facility in Zhejiang province would...
Fulcrum Awards Ethanol Plant Contract
Fulcrum BioEnergy has awarded a contract for the provision of engineering and construction services for its new waste to ethanol production plant to a subsidiary of Fluor Corporation. The...
UK Equity Firm to Divest Chem Plant
UK-based private equity firm 3i Group has signed an agreement to divest Spanish chemical company Panreac to Illinois Tool Works, in a deal worth €72m. Panreac produces 12,000...
Petro Rabigh to Focus on Asian Markets
Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical (Petro Rabigh) is to expand its Rabigh complex in Saudi Arabia as part of plans to focus on the Chinese and Indian markets. The $10bn project includes a...
Kemira Plans Chemical Plant in China
Finnish chemical company Kemira has announced that it plans to set up a €25m chemical plant in Nanjing, China, to produce speciality chemicals. The plant will be established at...
Bolivia to Invest in Lithium and Potassium Production
Bolivia is planning to invest $450m in a project to begin the production of lithium carbonate and potassium chloride. Bolivia said the proposed plant would be able to produce 30,000t of...
Global Fatty Esters Market to Reach $2bn by 2015
The global market for fatty esters is forecast to reach $2bn by 2015, according to a report from Global Industry Analysts. The sale of fatty esters in the US is also expected to reach $835m...
European Chlorine Producers Adopt Membrane Process
More than half of the European chlorine producers are using membrane-based technology, according to a chemicals organisation. Euro Chlor, the European chlor-alkali industry association,...
Solvay and Sinochem to Produce Wet Chemicals
Solvay is planning to build an electronic grade hydrogen fluoride production plant with its Chinese partner Sinochem Lantian, a subsidiary of the Sinochem Group. The work is being undertaken...
Oman to Invest in Indian Fertiliser Sector
Oman will invest nearly $3bn to reopen several Fertilizer Corporation of India and Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation plants in India. The fund will also be used to expand Rashtriya Chemicals...
Australian Government Approves Perdaman Plant
Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers has received approval from the Australian Government to start its coal gasification plant in Collie, Western Australia. The $3.5bn plant will process...
PetroChina to Double Refining Capacity
PetroChina's proposal to double the refining capacity of its Huabei plant has been approved. The company will increase the capacity of the refinery to ten million tonnes a year, and...
Petro Rabigh Restarts Polypropylene Plant
Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Company (Petro Rabigh) has restarted its polypropylene plant in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia. The 700,000t/year plant was stopped in early August due to shortage...
US Researchers Extract Chemicals from Biomass
Researchers at Iowa State University, US, have discovered a way to produce high-value chemicals such as propylene from biomass instead of petroleum. The team found the components during a...
Thai-Viet to Build Ethanol Plant in Vietnam
Thai-Viet is planning to build a 950m-dong ($50m) ethanol manufacturing plant in the Ninh Thuan province of Vietnam. The plant, Bio Ethanol Thai-Viet, is a joint venture between Bio...
Makhteshim Turns Down Albaugh Acquisition
Israel's Makhteshim-Agan Industries (MA) has ended talks to acquire US firm Albaugh for approximately $1bn, blaming findings during due diligence. MA said it halted the negotiation due to...
Novolyte and Foosung to Form Electrolyte JV
Novolyte Technologies, a portfolio company of Arsenal Capital Partners, has signed an agreement with Foosung to form a new joint venture company for the production of lithium battery electrolytes....
Germany's Chemical Output to Rise
The chemical industry in Germany has reported a 5.2% sales rise in the second quarter over the first quarter, an increase of 22.7% to €41.6bn compared with the corresponding quarter last...
BP to Sell Stake in Ethylene and Polyethylene Unit
BP has agreed to sell its 15% interest in Ethylene Malaysia (EMSB) and 60% interest in Polyethylene Malaysia (PEMSB) to Petronas. Under the agreement, Petronas will pay $363m including a...
Chemetall to Expand Lithium Hydroxide Production
Chemetall Foote, a subsidiary of Rockwood Holdings, has awarded a contract to US-based KBR group to help expand the production of lithium hydroxide at its Kings Mountain facility in North...
Polycarbonate Demand to Grow
Global demand for polycarbonate is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6% up to 2015, according to a new study. The demand for polycarbonate is highest in Asia and...
Mascoma Acquires SunOpta Ethanol Plant
SunOpta has sold its cellulosic ethanol producing unit SunOpta BioProcess (SBI) to US-based Mascoma for $51m to focus on its core natural and organic foods business. The deal allowed Mascoma...
SunSi Energies to Acquire Trichlorosilane Unit in China
SunSi Energies has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire Wendeng He Xie Silicon, a trichlorosilane manufacturing facility in Weihai City, China. Under the agreement, SunSi will acquire...
Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical H1 Profit up 51%
Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical has reported a profit of 1.494bn Yuan ($219m) in the first half of 2010, up 51% compared to the corresponding half last year. The Chinese petrochemical...
Showa Denko, Antam to Build Chemical Alumina Plant
Showa Denko KK (SDK) and Antam are planning to build a chemical alumina plant in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, with an investment of $450m. The new plant, Indonesia Chemical Alumina, will have...
SPIC Starts Single Super Phosphate Plant
Southern Petro Chemical Industries Corporation (SPIC) has started a new Single Super Phosphate production plant (SSP) at its Tuticorin complex in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. SPIC said...
Westlake to Start Chlor-Alkali Plant in US
Westlake Chemical is proceeding with the chlor-alkali plant at its vinyls manufacturing complex in Geismar, US. The proposed plant is estimated to annually produce 250,000 electrochemical...
PPL to Set Up New Sulphuric Acid Plant
Paradeep Phosphates Limited (PPL) run by India-based KK Birla group will invest INR5bn ($106m) to set up a sulphuric acid plant and expand its existing phosphoric acid plant in the Indian state...
Covidien Completes Sale of Specialty Chemical Business
Covidien has completed the sale of its specialty chemical business to an affiliate of New York private equity firm New Mountain Capital for $280m. The sale includes a manufacturing plant...
Du Pont, Sinopec Start EVA Production in China
The Beijing Huamei Polymer Company, a joint venture between Du Pont and China Petroleum & Chemical (Sinopec) has started the production of ethylene vinyl acetate at its Beijing plant. The...
LyondellBasell Starts Up German HDPE Plant
LyondellBasell has announced the successful start up of its new high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant at Munchsmunster, Germany. LyondellBasell said the plant will use hostalen advanced...
Vale Plans $12bn Investment to Boost Potash Output
Brazilian mining giant Vale is planning to invest $12bn by 2014 to increase potash production. The company aims to increase its annual potash output from 750,000t a year to 10.6 million...
SABIC to Produce Oleochemicals
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has signed an agreement with Lurgi to produce oleochemicals in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The new production line, being built by SABIC's affiliate...
Vietnam Gets First Polypropylene Plant
Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company has completed the construction of Vietnam's first petrochemical plant for Vietnam Oil and Gas. The $234m polypropylene production plant in...
August 2010
Top
Keyuan Petrochemicals to Expand
Keyuan Petrochemicals will build a new styrene-butadiene-styrene production facility in the third quarter of the year with an annual capacity of 70,000t. The facility is expected to cost...
Nuplex Reports Rise in Annual Profits
Nuplex Industries has reported a full-year net profit of NZ$64.2m ($45m), rising from NZ$16.7m ($11m) a year earlier. Nuplex said earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and...
South Korean Firm to Build Aromatic Plant in Singapore
SK Engineering and Construction has secured a $950m contract from Jurong Aromatics to build an aromatic plant on Jurong Island, Singapore. It will be capable of producing four million...
Shell Completes Ethylene Cracker Debottlenecking
Shell Chemicals has completed the first turnaround at the CSPCL Nanhai petrochemicals joint venture complex in Guangdong, China. Shell said it has also carried out the debottlenecking of...
Petrobras America and KL Energy Plan Cellulosic Ethanol Production
Petrobras America, a subsidiary of Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras, has signed an agreement with KL Energy to produce cellulosic ethanol from sugarcane bagasse. Under the...
NOVA Chemicals Reports Q2 Income Rise
NOVA Chemicals has reported a net income of $51m in the second quarter of 2010, rising from a net loss of $83m during the same period last year. The company's olefins / polyolefins business...
Shell and BASF Fined $626m for Toxic Leaks in Brazil
A Brazilian court has asked Royal Dutch Shell and BASF to pay $626m in compensation following contamination at an agricultural chemical plant in Sao Paulo. According to reports, heavy...
Iran Plans Two Petchem Plants
Iran is planning to construct two petrochemical plants in its southern region in collaboration with an unnamed Turkish company. According to reports, National Iranian Petrochemical Company...
Punjab Chemicals to Produce Herbicides
Punjab Chemicals and Crop Protection (PCCPL) is to invest around INR350m ($7m) to expand its Dera Bassi plant in the Indian state of Punjab to produce herbicides for two companies in...
Petrokimia Plans Phosphoric Acid Plant
Petrokimia Gresik has signed an agreement with Petro Jordan Abadi to build a $200m phosphoric acid plant in East Java, Indonesia. The proposed plant will have a production capacity of...
Brazil PVC Consumption to Grow
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) consumption in Brazil is expected to grow 7% a year over the next five years, driven by growth in civil construction and infrastructure industries, according to...
Chemtura to Pay $26m to Clean Up Toxic Sites
Speciality chemicals manufacturer Chemtura has agreed to pay the US Government $26m to clean up 17 contaminated sites in 14 states. The locations include 12 sites on the Environmental...
Range Fuels Opens US Methanol Plant
Range Fuels has opened a new plant in Georgia, US, to produce cellulosic methanol from non-food feedstocks such as wood chips and switchgrass. The facility is expected to pump out 20...
Sinopec Reports Profits Rise for First Half of 2010
Sinopec has said its profits in the first half of the year have increased by 6.7% to 35.46bn yuan ($5.2bn) since the same period last year. The company's operating revenue in the...
LanzaTech Produces Polymer Chemical from Waste Gas
LanzaTech has announced it is using gas fermentation technology to produce a chemical building block used to make polymers, plastics and hydrocarbon fuels. The chemical, 2,3-Butanediol, can...
IFC Considers Investment in Kudos Chemie
The International Finance Company (IFC) is considering whether to make an investment of about $30m in Kudos Chemie, an India-based speciality and fine chemicals manufacturing company. Kudos...
Indian Polypropylene Imports Slide
Imports of polypropylene (PP) in India declined 37% between April and July year-on-year, even though demand increased by 13%. Only 114,000t of PP were imported during the period, a fall...
Mitsui Subsidiary Buys AgriGuard
Mitsui subsidiary Mitsui AgriScience International has taken over Irish agrochemical company AgriGuard, acquiring a 100% stake from AgriGuard Holdings. Mitsui intends to double its sales...
Gulf Resources Subsidiary Begins Crude Salt Production in China
Gulf Resources subsidiary Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company has begun production of bromine, crude salt and speciality chemicals at its Chinese plant. The firm expects the new facility...
Singapore to Enhance Petchem Production
Singapore is planning to boost infrastructure development, create competitive feedstock for petrochemicals and move up the value chain with advanced materials and speciality...
BHP Billiton Offers $38.5bn for Potash Corp
BHP Billiton has launched a $38.5bn takeover bid for Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, the world's largest fertiliser company. The Anglo-Australian mining giant offered $130 a share for...
BorsodChem to Begin Operations at Isocyanate Plant in 2011
Budapest-based BorsodChem has announced that operations at its new isocyanate plant will begin in 2011. Wanhua Industrial Group acquired a 38% stake in BorsodChem's holding company,...
US Body Seeks Input on Hazardous Chemical Measures
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has sought suggestions from its stakeholders to identify hazardous chemicals and develop exposure reduction strategies. During...
Flint Hills Resources Plans Ethanol Plant Acquisition
Flint Hills Resources has signed an agreement with the Royal Bank of Scotland to acquire two ethanol plants in Iowa, US. Flint Hills said the Hawkeye plants in Menlo and Shell Rock...
Chemtura and UP Chemical Plan New Plant
Chemtura Corporation and UP Chemical have agreed to form a joint venture company that will produce high-purity metal organic precursors for high-brightness LED applications. Chemtura...
Global Renewable Chemicals Market to Reach $56.9bn
The global renewable chemicals market is forecast to reach $56.9bn by 2015, according to a report from Global Industry Analysts. Advances in biotechnology are expected to help...
South Korean Methanol Imports Rise 13.5% in July
South Korea imported 148,370t of methanol in July 2010, an increase of 13.5% from the same month in 2009. The country imported 41,856t of methanol from Iran, a rise of 61.2% compared with...
LyondellBasell Q2 Profits Soar
LyondellBasell Industries has reported a net income of $203m for the second quarter of 2010, excluding $8.64bn after-tax gains related to emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and...
Aarti Upgrades its Hydrogenation Technology
Indian speciality chemicals manufacturer Aarti Industries has upgraded its hydrogenation technology to boost production capacity. The eco-friendly Buss Loop Hydrogenation Technology...
Dorf Ketal Acquires Vertec
Dorf Ketal Chemicals has acquired Johnson Matthey's UK-based Vertec business for INR2bn ($42m). Under the agreement, Dorf Ketal acquires Vertec's trademarks, intellectual property and...
Hexion Returns to Q2 Profit
Hexion Specialty Chemicals made a profit of $52m in the second quarter of 2010, bouncing back from a $56m net loss in the same quarter a year ago. The US-based company's revenue jumped...
BASF to Build Dispersion Plant in China
BASF has announced that it will build a 100,000t dispersion plant in the Daya Bay Petrochemical Industrial Park in Huizhou, China. The facility will produce XSB dispersions for the...
PetroKimia Plans PDH and Polypropylene Plant in Iran
PetroKimia has announced that it plans to build a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) and polypropylene plant in the Pars Special Economic Energy Zone in south Iran. The Indonesia-based company...
Tata Chemicals Plans Potash Production Plant
Tata Chemicals is looking to establish a production facility in India to manufacture potash from seawater. The proposed plant at Mithapur, in the Indian state of Gujarat, would have an...
Chinese Gas Leak Prompts Evacuation
More than 2,000 people had to be evacuated from Zhejiang province, China, on 13 August following a toxic gas leak from the Hangzhou Hexiang Fine Chemical Plant. Five firemen were...
Saudi Kayan Receives $1.2bn Loan from NCB
Saudi Kayan Petrochemical has received a SAR4.5bn ($1.2bn) loan from National Commercial Bank (NCB) to help finance the building of its Jubail petrochemicals plant. The seven-year loan...
Cobalt and Fluor Sign Deal to Produce Biobutanol
Fluor Corporation will provide Cobalt Technologies' biobutanol production units with engineering consulting services as part of a deal between the two companies. Under the agreement, Fluor...
Fortron to Increase PPS Plant Capacity
Fortron Industries will increase polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) production at its Wilmington plant in North Carolina, US. The company has not divulged the capacity expansion or investment,...
Operations Begin at Chinese Gasification Unit
China Shenhua Coal to Liquid and Chemical Company has started the gasification unit at its coal-to-olefin plant in Baotou, Inner Mongolia. The gasification unit is part of the company's...
Sinopec to Establish Olefin Plant in China
China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) has announced that it will set up a coal-based methanol-to-olefin plant in China. The coal-based plant will have an annual capacity of...
Global Aniline Consumption to Rise
Global aniline consumption is expected to reach 6.2 million tons by 2015, according to a report by Global Industry Analysts (GIA). Growth will be driven by the increasing demand in...
EPA Proposes Increase in Toxic Chemicals Reporting
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to increase the frequency of chemicals reporting under the Toxic Substances Control Act. The proposal requires manufacturers...
China to Levy Anti-Dumping Duty on Terephthalic Acid
China has decided to levy an anti-dumping duty on imports of terephthalic acid from South Korea and Thailand for the next five years. The Ministry of Commerce began imposing the custom duty...
Evonik Q2 Profits Soar
Evonik has reported a net profit of €240m ($311m) in the second quarter of 2010, up from €89m ($115m) in the same quarter a year earlier. The German speciality chemical group said...
PhosAgro Considers Merger with Silvinit
Fertiliser company PhosAgro and potash producer Silvinit could merge to create a new chemical company. According to a proposal submitted to the Russian Government, current PhosAgro...
Tianjin Bohua Plans Chinese Propane Dehydrogenation Plant
Tianjin Bohua Petrochemical Company has awarded a contract to build a new propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant in Tianjin, China, to Lummus Technology, a subsidiary of CB&I. The...
Hubei Yihua to Acquire Assets from Parent Company
Hubei Yihua Chemical Industry will invest RMB510m ($75m) to purchase the remaining 50% stake in two chemical companies from its parent company, Hubei Yihua Group. The firms in the Hubei...
Arvand Petrochemical to Start Operations at PVC Plant
Arvand Petrochemical will begin operations of what it believes to be the largest polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant in the Middle East. The facility in Mahshahr, south-west Iran, has been built at...
NatPet Begins Production at Propylene and Polypropylene Plant
National Petrochemical Industrial Company (NatPet) has started production at its propylene and polypropylene plant in Yanbu Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. The plant will produce 400,000t...
Production Begins at Venezuelan Methanol Plant
Metanol de Oriente (Metor) has started methanol production at its second plant in Etado Anzoategui, Venezuela. The plant, built at a cost of $136m, is expected to produce 850,000t of...
Gevo to Acquire Ethanol Plant from Agri-Energy
Gevo has signed an agreement to acquire an ethanol production facility from Agri-Energy in south-west Minnesota, US. The Colorado-based biobutanol technology developer will retrofit...
Sipchem Starts VAM Production
Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) has started commercial operations at the vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The plant, which belongs to the...
Sipchem and Rhodia to Build Ethyl Acetate Plant
Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) has signed an agreement with Rhodia to set up a SAR400m ($107m) ethyl acetate plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The proposed plant, part...
Solutia Develops Encapsulant to Prevent Solar Cell Corrosion
Solutia has developed an advanced encapsulant to prevent corrosion in solar cells. Solutia said its Saflex PS41 PVB, which restricts discolouration, can also be used in...
SK Chemicals to Double Polyester Film Output
SK Chemicals (SKC) is planning to double its polyester film production by 2015. The South Korean chemicals producer intends to build new polyester-producing plants in China and Southeast...
Eastman to Buy Back Shares
Eastman has decided to repurchase up to $300m of its common stock, making use of its current liquidity. The company will use the money to pay dividends, offset dilution and fund...
PIC Unveils $10bn Plan
Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) is to invest $10bn in expanding its operations over the next four years following the cancellation of a joint venture with Dow Chemical. PIC plans...
Saudi Aramco and Dow to Move Proposed Chemical Plant
Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical have decided to shift their proposed chemical and plastics plant on the Persian Gulf coast from Ras Tanura to Jubail. The companies believe the industrial city...
Bioenergy to Build Colombian Ethanol Plant
Bioenergy, a unit of Ecopetrol, has awarded a $140m contract to Spanish engineering and construction firm Isolux Corsan to build an ethanol plant in Meta, Colombia. Isolux Corsan will...
Petro Rabigh to Invest in Polyol Plant
Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Company (Petro Rabigh) is planning a $100m polyol processing plant that will supply proplylene oxide to Saudi Advanced Industries and National Industries. ...
RCF to Invest in Capacity Expansion Plan
Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers is planning to invest INR44bn ($953m) to expand the capacity of its Thal facility in Mumbai, India. The investment will enable the company to install...
Chemtura Divests Petroleum Additive Units
Chemtura has sold the natural sodium sulfonates and oxidized petrolatum product lines of its petroleum additives business to Sonneborn, an affiliate of private investment firm Sun Capital...
Dow Chemical to Increase Polyolefin Capacity
The Dow Chemical Company will increase the production of polyolefin elastomers at its facilities in Freeport, Texas; Tarragona, Spain; and Thailand. The capacity expansion will reach...
Asahi Kasei to Stop Ammonia, Benzene Production
Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation will stop production of ammonia and benzene at its Mizushima facility, Japan. As part of its strategy to reduce high production costs, the units...
BP Declines China Petroleum Offer
China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation said BP has declined its offer to sell some of its assets. The statement follows BP's plan to sell nearly $30bn in assets in the next 18 months to raise...
Hanwha Chemical to Buy Solarfun Stake
Hanwha Chemical in South Korea will acquire a 49.99% stake in Chinese photovoltaic cell maker Solarfun Power Holdings for KRW434bn ($370m). The acquisition will increase Hanwha's annual...
Eastman Eyes US, Netherlands Expansion
Eastman Chemical is planning to increase the production of hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins at its plants in Middelburg, the Netherlands, and Longview, US. The company will increase the...
GAIL to Expand Chemical Unit
Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) will invest $1.7bn to increase the capacity of its chemical unit in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The company will expand the capacity of the...
Eastman Q2 Profits Double
Eastman Chemical's second quarter profit has doubled to $148m, up from $65m in the same quarter of the previous year. The company's revenue rose 38% to $1.72bn in the second quarter from,...
DuPont and JBS Plan Brazilian Sodium Methylate Production
DuPont and JBS have partnered for a joint venture project to produce sodium methylate in Pirapozinho, Brazil. JBS will provide the production facility while DuPont will facilitate the...
Dow Chemical Considers Thailand Investment
Dow Chemical is considering making an additional $150m investment to integrate downstream products into its petrochemical production in Thailand. The company has shortlisted Thailand as...
Huntsman to Buy Laffans' Chemicals Business
Huntsman Corporation has signed an agreement to acquire the chemicals business of Laffans Petrochemicals. Huntsman said it is planning to integrate the business into its performance...
Methanex to Extend Plant Operations
Chemical firm Methanex has said it will extend operations of its methanol plant at Motunui in New Zealand until the end of 2011, having secured supply contracts for gas feedstock. The plant...
Iran Invests $900m in Petchem Projects
Iran has invested about $900m in two petrochemical projects located in South Pars, a southern province of Buschehr. The projects are expected to add 2.25 million tons to the country's...
Quaker Posts Q2 Earnings Rise
Quaker Chemical Corporation has reported a 33% rise in second quarter net sales of $136m compared to $102.3m a year ago. For the first half of 2010, the company reported net sales of...
SPIC Tuticorin Plant to Resume Urea Production
Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation (SPIC) will resume urea production from its Tuticorin facility in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, according to a government official. SPIC...
Hanwha and Sipchem to Invest in Polymer Production
Hanwha Chemical and Saudi International Petrochemical (Sipchem) have agreed to invest $900m to produce ethylene vinyl acetate and polyvinyl acetate in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The project will...
Ube to Increase Synthetic Rubber Production
Ube Industries is planning to invest 1.4bn Yen ($206m) to increase butadiene rubber production at the Chiba Petrochemical Factory in Ichihara City, Japan. The proposals will increase...
Abu Dhabi Plans Petrochemical Plants
Abu Dhabi is planning to build petrochemical plants near an existing oil refinery at the Ruwais industrial area. Abu Dhabi National Chemicals Company will shift its planned sites to Ruwais...
EBRD Approves Investment for PVC Plant
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved a €52m equity investment in SolVin Holding Nederland to support the construction of a polyvinyl chloride plant...
BASF Q2 Sales up 30%
BASF has posted a 30% rise in second quarter sales of €16.2bn ($21.1bn) compared with the same period in 2009. The German chemical major said its quarterly income from operations...
SSMC to Build $250m Chemical Plant
Shanghai Sinopec Mitsui Chemical Company (SSMC), a joint venture of Mitsui Chemicals (MCI) and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, will invest $250m to build a acetone and phenol plant...
Mitsubishi and Asahi Join Forces to Cut Ethylene Production
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation and Asahi KASEI Corporation have signed an agreement to form a joint venture to reduce ethylene production. The venture will integrate and unify both...
Flood Washes Chemical Containers into Chinese River
A flash flood has washed nearly 3,000 containers filled with explosive chemicals into Songhua River from a chemical plant in Jilin province, China. About 7,000 containers, including 4,000...
July 2010
Top
Solutia Plans $40m PVB Plant
Solutia is planning to build a $40m polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayers plant at Gebeng Industrial Park in Kuantan, Malaysia. The new facility, covering 20.2ha, is expected to produce...
INEOS Oxide Announces Plans for Ethylene Terminal
INEOS Oxide has said it is planning to build a new ethylene terminal at its Zwijndrecht facilities in Belgium. The new deep-sea terminal, expected to start operations in 2012, will produce...
Godrej Industries to Invest $49m in Oleochemicals Plant
Godrej Industries will set up a INR2.3bn ($49m) oleochemicals manufacturing facility in the state of Maharashtra, India, according to a company official. The company said the new facility...
EPA to Fine Formosa Plastics Group Unit for Air Pollution
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said it will fine Formosa Plastics Group's petrochemical complex in Mailiao, Taiwan, TWD1m ($31,252) a day for air pollution caused by a fire...
Iran Opens Two Chemical Plants
Two chemical plants have been opened in Iran's South Pars Field, Pardis-2 and Mirvarid. The Pardis-2 plant has capacity to produce 1.75 million tonnes of granulated carbamide and 680,000...
Kureha, Itochu to Build New Lithium Ion Battery Materials Plant
Kureha and Itochu plan to form a joint venture to build a new plant, investing $34.6m-$46.1m for the manufacture and sale of lithium ion battery materials in the US before 2011. The plant...
Czech Chemical Plant Deploys Energy Saving System
Unipetrol has implemented AspenTech's advanced process control (APC) system at its ethylene production plant in Litvinov, Czech Republic, to make energy savings of €2m ($2.59m) a year. ...
Blast at Chinese Factory Kills Six, Injures Hundreds
At least six people have been killed and more than three hundred injured following a blast in a pipeline near an abandoned factory in Nanjing City in eastern China. The pipeline, owned by...
Saudi Kayan Seeks Funds for Plant Completion
Saudi Kayan has sought financial assistance to cover a $2.4bn rise in the building costs for a production complex in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The petrochemical company said by March it had...
Fire Shuts Formosa Taiwan Refinery
Formosa Petrochemical has closed its Mailiao refinery in Taiwan following an oil leak that triggered a fire at a residual processing unit. The fire, which broke out at the No.2...
Evonik Acquires BYK-Chemie Polyurethane Foam Unit
Evonik Industries has acquired the Silbyk polyurethane foam additives business from BYK-Chemie, Germany. The acquisition includes BYK's business contacts and manufacturing expertise for...
Helena Chemical Plans Fertiliser Unit
Helena Chemical Company said it plans to build a $15m fertiliser plant in Huntington, north-east Indiana, US. The 20-acre plant will mix, store and distribute dry and liquid fertilisers,...
Cytec Q2 Net Earnings Rise
Cytec Industries reported second quarter operating earnings of $28m against an operating loss of $19.2m in the same period last year. The US chemical company's coating resins sales...
Samsung Total Closes Daesan Naphtha Unit
Samsung Total in South Korea has shut down its naphtha cracking unit in Daesan due to lightning disruptions. The 850,000t per year unit was involved in converting naphtha, a...
Iranian Chemical Plant Explosion Kills Four
A blast at the Khark petrochemical plant in southern Iran's Bushehr province on 24 July killed four people and injured seven. The complex, which provides part of the province's...
EU Launches Anti-Dumping Investigation
The European Union has started an anti-dumping investigation into imports of a flame-retardant chemical from China. The investigation, set up in light of a complaint by an European...
BASF Declares Force Majeure
BASF has declared a force majeure on several of its plasticisers due to a shortage of raw materials. The company said a technical snag hit its iso-Nonanol (INA) plant in Ludwigshafen,...
Wilmar Subsidiary Acquires Natural Oleochemicals
Investment holding company Wilmar International has said its subsidiary, PGEO Group, has agreed to acquire 91.38% of Malaysia's Natural Oleochemicals (Natoleo) for MYR450m ($140m). ...
Süd-Chemie to Build Germany's Largest Bioethanol Plant
Süd-Chemie is planning to build Germany's largest bioethanol plant with an investment of €28m ($36m). The proposed plant will be constructed near Straubing and will produce up to...
Innospec Reduces Water Use and Carbon Footprint
Innospec has announced that it has reduced its worldwide water consumption by 27% as a result of its sustainable development programme. The company said its sustainable development programme...
Jacobs Secures Dow Contract
Dow Chemical Company has awarded a contract to Jacobs Engineering Group to provide engineering and construction management services for the expansion of its facility in Fombio, Italy. ...
Shandong Luxi Starts Melamine Production
Shandong Luxi Chemical has started a RMB792m ($116m) project to annually produce 80,000t of melamine. The chemical company in China expects the plant to double the annual melamine output...
BASF Catalyst to Boost Fuel Yields
BASF has launched a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst that allows refiners to maximise fuel yields from FCC units utilising heavy residue feedstocks. The company said Aegis...
FDA Joins Tox21 to Improve Chemical Testing
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has joined a collaboration of federal agencies including the EPA, NTP and NCGC to increase chemical testing methods. The Tox21 collaboration merges...
Japan Polypropylene to Close Plants
Japan Polypropylene is planning to close two polypropylene plants in 2011 to reduce costs. The plants include a 90,000t per year facility at Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, and a 79,000t per...
Ashland and Süd-Chemie to Merge Foundry Chemical Units
Ashland and Süd-Chemie have signed an agreement to merge their business activities in foundry chemicals to form a global joint venture. US-based Ashland said that both companies will hold...
Lanxess to Double Production at Liyang Plant
Lanxess said it plans to more than double the production of its Liyang chemical plant in Jiangsu, China, to meet increasing demand in the country. The expansion of the facility, which...
ORPC Plans Major Expansion and Upgrade of Sohar Refinery
Oman Refineries and Petrochemicals Company LLC (ORPC) said it is planning to expand its Sohar refinery complex to maximise the output of refined products, feedstock and other petroleum byproducts....
SPF Plans to Sell its Stake in Severodonetsk Azot Association
The State property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) said it plans to sell a 40% stock in Ukraine's largest chemical company, CJSC Severodonetsk Azot Association. CJSC Severodonetsk Azot...
Stepan Europe Acquires Alfa Systems
US-based Stepan Company said its wholly owned subsidiary, Stepan Europe, has acquired all of the shares of Alfa Systems from its shareholders, Chemitex Holding and Chemovil Holdings. ...
Nova Chemicals Signs Hess and Mistral Ethane Deal
Canada-based Nova Chemicals has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hess Corporation and Mistral Energy to buy and transport ethane production from the Hess Tioga gas plant in North...
Sekisui Specialty to Expand Kentucky Polyvinyl Alcohol Plant
Sekisui Specialty Chemicals America said it plans to invest more than $2.6m in retooling its polyvinyl alcohol plant in Calvert City, Kentucky, by upgrading its infrastructure. The...
LG Chem Breaks Ground for New Electronic Car Battery Factory
LG Chem has broken ground for the new $303m electronic vehicle battery factory of its subsidiary Compact Power, in Holland, Michigan, US, which will produce lithium-ion battery cells for...
Honam to Acquire Titan Chemicals for $1.25bn
Honam Petrochemical said it will acquire Malaysia's Titan Chemicals for $1.25bn. Under the acquisition South Korea-based Honam will buy all of Titan's stock for MYR2.35 (73¢) a...
American Chemistry Council Opposes US Energy Proposals
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has opposed a utility-focused cap-and-trade proposal being discussed by the US senate as part of energy and climate legislation. ACC president and CEO...
AkzoNobel to Acquire Lindgens Assets
Netherlands-based AkzoNobel is to acquire the worldwide assets of Swedish-based Lindgens Metal Decorating Coatings and Inks, including its majority stake in the Server Boya joint venture in...
IFFCO Phosphoric Acid Plant Achieves 100% Use
Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) said its Paradeep phosphoric acid plant has achieved more than 100% capacity use. The world's largest single stream phosphoric acid...
Lanxess Develops Alternative to Halogen Red Dye
Lanxess said it has developed Macrolex Red A, a high-tinting strength alternative to common, halogen-bearing products with a colour index of Solvent Red 135 (SR 135). Responding to...
Brüggemann Chemical Teams up with Hexion
German-based Brüggemann Chemical has joined forces with US-based Hexion Specialty Chemicals to reduce residual monomer and volatile organic compounds in their products. The two...
Nufarm Revises Profit Forecast
Australian farm chemicals group Nufarm has halved its full-year profit forecast and raised its debt projection, blaming a late, cold winter in North America and Europe for hitting demand. ...
Bodal Chemicals to Begin Sulphuric Acid Production
Bodal Chemicals will start commercial production of sulphuric acid at its INR620m ($13m) manufacturing plant in Padra, Vadodara, India on 25 July. The plant will have a capacity of 650t a...
Sinopec Enters Agreement with Marubeni for Petrochem Projects
China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec) has entered into an agreement with Japan-based Marubeni Corp for overseas energy and petrochemical projects in South American and African...
Malaysian Chemical and Petrochemical Industry Set to Recover
Malaysia's chemical and petrochemical industry is set to recover this year and is expected to see steady growth in 2011, according to a government minister. International Trade and...
OCI Acquires MICRO Chemie
Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) said that its fertilizer group subsidiary, OCI Fertilizer International, has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of shares in MICRO Chemie. ...
Mitsui Chemicals Opens Second Singapore Tafmer Plant
Mitsui Chemicals (MCI) has opened a second high-performance elastomer (Tafmer) plant in Singapore. The plant, which commenced full-scale commercial operations in March, produces 100,000t...
Pusri and Jordan Phosphates to Build Fertiliser Plant
Jordan-based Pusri and Jordan Phosphates Mines have entered into a memorandum of understanding to build a fertiliser factory in South Sumatra. Pusri will fund the construction of the plant,...
Tata Chemicals to Raise $85m through Preferential Shares
India-based Tata Chemicals will raise INR4,000m ($85m) by issuing 1.15 crore shares on a preferential basis to promoter Tata Sons. The funds raised will be used to part-finance a...
Evonik Sets up Independent Carbon Black Company
German-based Evonik Industries has established an independent management company, Evonik Carbon Black. The company produces carbon black at 17 sites in 12 countries. The Evonik's...
Süd-Chemie Invests in LFP Production
German-based Süd-Chemie is building an industrial production plant worth approximately €60m ($75.4m) to increase the production of lithium iron phosphate (LFP). The new plant will...
HHC Issued Closure Notice
The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (PCB) in India has issued an order to Hindustan Heavy Chemicals to close its chlor-alkali factory and a sulphuric acid plant on BT Road in Khardah...
Petron Acquires 40% Stake in Petrochemical Asia
US-based Petron has acquired a 40% stake in Petrochemical Asia (PAHL), raising its share to 51%. PAHL's polypropylene plant in the Mariveles, Bataancan, can produce up to 160,000t of...
Maaden Begins Trial Run at Saudi Arabia Phosphate Plant
Maaden Phosphate has started experimental operation of its mine and beneficiation plant in Julamid, Saudi Arabia as a run up to production later this year. The mine will supply 11.6 million...
Formosa Shuts Taiwan Naphtha Cracker Unit
Formosa Petrochemical has shut a 700,000t per year naphtha cracker unit after a fire took place at its petrochemical complex in Mailiao, Taiwan. Reports reveal that the fire may have...
Wuhan Petrochemical to Invest in Ethylene Project
Wuhan Petrochemical Company will invest CNY4bn ($589m) in its new ethylene project. The proposed investment will be spent on the construction of infrastructure and utilities like water...
Petrobras, Mitsui, Camargo to Build $1.1bn Ethanol Pipeline
Petrobras, Mitsui and Camargo will build a 542km ethanol pipeline in Brazil during the second half of 2011 at a cost of $1.1bn. The pipeline will transport 12.9 million cubic metres of...
Rhodia to Boost Polyamide Production in Brazil
Rhodia will invest $10m in its Santo Andre unit in Brazil's Sao Paulo state to increase polyamide production. The French speciality chemical maker has a polyamide production chain in...
SAPL to Build Polyethylene Plant in Egypt
South Asia Petrochem will build a new polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin plant in Egypt with an investment of $170m. The plant, to be set up at Port Said in northeastern Egypt, is...
Neste Oil Sells its Subsidiary to Respol
Neste Oil has divested its Portuguese subsidiary, Neste Oil Portugal, to Repsol Polimeros, which owns an Ethyl Tert-Butyl Ether plant in Sines, Portugal. The Sines plant has an annual...
Tronox Forges Ahead with Bankruptcy Exit Plan
Troubled Tronox has filed a reorganisation plan of the company, which will be taken over by noteholders and other unsecured creditors under its bankruptcy exit proposal. Under the...
Ferus to Construct Liquid Nitrogen Plant in Canada
Ferus will construct a liquid nitrogen plant in British Columbia, Canada, with an investment of more than $20m. The plant will produce liquid nitrogen from the air for the purpose of...
Westlake to Expand its Resin Production in US
Westlake plans to build a new chlor-alkali plant, which will double resin and polyvinyl chloride production at its Geismar facility in the US. The Houston-based Westlake has announced the...
Qatofin to Reach Full Polyethylene Capacity by 2011
Qatofin will attain full production capacity of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) by early 2011, with Ras Laffan Olefins Company supplying the required ethylene feed stock. The...
China Green Agriculture Acquires Beijing Gufeng Chemical Products
China Green Agriculture said it has closed the acquisition of Beijing Gufeng Chemical Products (Gufeng) and its only wholly-owned subsidiary, Beijing Tianjuyuan Fertilizer (Tianjuyuan). ...
Evonik and Elevance Collaborate for Metathesis Application Development
Elevance Renewable Sciences and Evonik have agreed to cooperate in developing the application of metathesis catalysts. Elevance has developed a technology to manufacture specialty...
Cape Wins Borouge Phase 3 Thermal Insulation Contract
Consolidated Contractors International Company and Linde Engineering have awarded an $18m contract to the industrial services provider Cape to provide thermal insulation works on the Borouge...
Wacker Plant Begins VAE Supply
Wacker Chemie has started supplying venyl acetate ethylene (VAE) copolymer dispersions from its Nanjing plant in China. The fully integrated chemical plant produces 50,000t of VAE...
Sasol Drops Five Fertiliser Facilities
Sasol Chemical Industries (SCI) is to divest five of its fertiliser blending facilities in South Africa, with the exception of its Secunda plant, as part of a settlement agreement with...
Stepan Acquires Peter Cremer Singapore Assets
The US-based Stepan Company has bought the manufacturing assets of Germany-based Peter Cremer's 100,000t per year methyl ester plant, located on Singapore's Jurong Island. Stepan plans...
Tata Chemicals to Set Up 1MTPA Urea Plant
Tata Chemicals in India is planning to set up a 1 million ton per annum (mtpa) urea plant and invest INR40,000m ($845m) over the next five years. The investment will be a mixture of equity...
Minjingu Fertiliser to Establish Two Plants
Minjingu Mines and Fertiliser plans to open two new fertiliser plants to boost sales in Tanzania and neighbouring countries. One of the proposed plants will have a capacity to produce...
BASF Terminates Astra Polymer Venture
BASF has decided to discontinue its joint venture plans with Astra Polymer Compounding, Saudi Arabia, to produce customer-specific antioxidant blends in the Middle East. The joint venture...
Sable Chemicals Expands Fertiliser Production
Zimbabwe-based Sable Chemicals plans to expand its production capacity of ammonium nitrate to reach 240,000t per year within three years. Sable produced 40,000t last year and has...
Chemtura to Sell Stake in Dutch Joint Venture
Chemtura said it will sell its stake to Sonneborn in a Dutch joint venture for $19.25m. The transaction includes allowing Sonneborn to unload $14.25m in environmental and pension liabilities. ...
Total Starts Methanol-to-Olefins Demonstration Project
Total Petrochemicals said it has started its Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) demonstration project in the company's research centre in Feluy, Belgium. The project produces polyolefins based...
LANXESS to Invest in Expanding Mesamoll Production
LANXESS is installing new, state-of-the-art heat exchangers and reactors in facilities as part of a debottlenecking process to expand its capacity for its Mesamoll range of products. ...
Changjiang Fertilizer to Acquire Handan Chemical
China-based Changjiang Fertilizer Holdings said it will acquire the production facilities of Handan Chemical in Hanshou county for RMB75m ($11.07m). Upon the signing of a memorandum...
Dow, Mitsui Form Chlor-Alkali Joint Venture
Dow Chemicals and Mitsui have formed a joint venture to construct a new membrane chlor-alkali factory at Dow's manufacturing complex in Texas, US. The 50-50 joint venture will build, own...
BASF Merges Swiss Group Companies
BASF has announced that it is merging its Swiss group companies, BASF Orgamol Pharma Solutions SA and BASF Fine Chemicals Switzerland SA, into a single organisation. Martin Widmann, BASF...
Chemanol Starts Commercial Operations at Jubail Plants
Saudi Arabia's Methanol Chemicals (Chemanol) has started commercial operations at its expansion projects in Jubail on the kingdom's Persian Gulf coast. The projects include a methanol...
Total Cleared for Polimeri Europa Polystyrene Unit Acquisition
The European Commission has approved Total Petrochemicals' acquisition of a polystyrene production unit in Feluy, Belgium, from Italian petrochemical company Polimeri Europa. Total...
Sinopec Restarts Chinese Ethylene Plant Construction
China Petroleum and Chemical (Sinopec) has restarted construction of an 800,000t a year ethylene plant. The new plant will help meet rising demand in China as the company expects...
BK Birla to Sell Kesoram Chemical Business
Indian BK Birla Group plans to sell the chemical business of Kesoram, known as Hindustan Heavy Chemicals, an associate company of Kesoram Industries, according to BK. "We will sell a...
Migao to Build Fertiliser Facility in China
Canada-based Migao Corporation is to construct a new 40,000t per year potassium sulphate fertiliser production facility at its existing Changchun Migao location in Jilin Province, China. ...
JAFCCO, Chongqing Minmetal in Joint Production Deal
Jordan Abyad Fertilisers and Chemical Company (JAFCCO) and China's Chongqing Minmetal and Machinery Import and Export Company have launched a $260m joint venture to manufacture fertilisers...
INEOS Bio to Build Waste-to-Bioethanol Plant
INEOS Bio said it is setting up a new £52m ($78m) waste-to-bioethanol plant in the North East of England, the first of its kind in Europe. The plant will convert 100,000t of...
Indian National Policy to Boost R&D in Petrochemicals
India’s Government has prepared a national policy for improving research and development (R&D) to boost production and output in the petrochemical sector. The policy, called Centres...
Elevance and Wilmar to Build Biochemical Refinery
Bolingbrook-based Elevance Renewable Sciences has entered into a joint venture with Singapore-based Wilmar International (Wilmar) to construct a world-scale biorefinery within Wilmar's...
Borouge Signs Expansion Deals
Abu Dhabi-based Borouge has signed three major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts worth $2.6bn for its Borouge 3 strategic expansion in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, United...
June 2010
Top
Lanxess to Expand Belgium Butyl Rubber Plant
Lanxess said it will invest €20m ($24.38m) to expand the production capacity of its butyl rubber plant in Zwijndrecht, Belgium, by 10% to meet growing demand for regular butyl and...
DSM and Roquette Collaborate to Develop Bio-Based Succinic Acid
Netherlands-based Royal DSM has entered into a joint venture agreement with France-based Roquette Frères for the production, commercialisation and market development of bio-based succinic...
EPA Unveils Guidance to Provide Transparency in Chemical Safety Inspections
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled guidance to provide greater transparency in the agency's chemical safety inspections process. Under the guidance, EPA inspectors...
RCF Plans to Set Up Fertilizer Plant in Ghana
Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF), India, will set up a $1.5bn, 2.3 million tons a year gas-based urea and ammonium nitrate unit in Ghana, according to an official. The RCF chairman...
Vinati Organics Isobutylene Plant Goes Online
Vinati Organics has started operations at its 12,000MT Isobutylene (IB) manufacturing unit in Maharastra, India. The supplier of IBB (Isobutyl Benzene) and producer of organic...
Eastman Fined for Air Pollution Violations
Eastman Chemical Co. has been fined $32,000 for air pollution violations by Tennessee's Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), US. The fine includes using a vent that emitted...
UAE Refinery Oil Processing Capacity to Double by 2014
The expansion of naphtha in the UAE will more than double the refinery’s oil processing capacity to 817,000bpd from 400,000bpd by 2014, a new report has found. According to United Arab...
Emery Plans Investment in Capacity Expansion
Emery Oleochemicals plans to invest RM644m ($200m) as part of its capital expenditure in next five years to boost its oleochemicals capacity. A joint venture between Thailand-based PTT...
Ning Bo Heyuan Awards Contract to CBI
China's Ning Bo Heyuan Chemical Company has awarded a licensing and engineering contract to Lummus Technology, a business unit of Chicago Bridge and Iron Company. Lummus will provide its...
China Surpasses US in Bioethanol Production
China has exceeded all other countries in the production of bioethanol patents and is emerging as the global leader in the commercialisation of bioethanol research, according to a...
Ube to Open Polycarbonate Diol Production Line in Spain
Ube Industries said its Spain-based subsidiary, Ube Chemical Europe, will open a second production line for polycarbonate diol (PCD) to meet rising global demand. The second production line...
SolVin and Arkema to Untie Vinyls Production in France and Spain
SolVin and Arkema are to buy off the minority cross holdings in the vinyls production joint ventures operated by them, effective from July. The joint venture companies are VinylFos with...
NSL Plans to Build $1.1bn Urea Plant
India-based Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd (NSL) plans to build a Rs55,000m ($1.1bn) fertiliser plant in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, to meet the country's growing demand for urea. The...
Gulf Resources Begins Trial Production on Additives Production Line
China-based Gulf Resources has completed the construction of a new chemical additives production line for wastewater treatment. The new production line will produce 3,000t of chemical...
Petrobras and Sao Martinho to Boost Ethanol Output
Brazilian-based Petrobras has entered into a $238.5m strategic alliance with the Sao Martinho group to increase ethanol production. Under the deal, the newly created company, Nova...
RIL Plans Foray into Fertiliser Business
Reliance Industries plans to invest $3bn over the next four to five years as it further develops its offering in the fertiliser sector. The Indian firm plans to set up a fertiliser plant...
BASF Acquires Cognis
BASF has struck a deal with Cognis Holding Luxembourg controlled by Permira Funds, GS Capital Partners and SV Life Sciences to acquire the specialty chemicals company Cognis for an equity...
BMI and NPC and Petrochemical Commercial Sign a Deal to Issue Bonds
Bank Melli Iran (BMI), the National Petrochemical Company (NPC) and Petrochemical Commercial Company have teamed up to fund petrochemical units and development plans. Under the agreement, BMI...
KBR Wins Argentina Ammonia Deal
Tierra Del Fuego Power & Chemical has awarded a contract to KBR to provide licensing and process design for a grassroots ammonia plant in Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina. The plant is expected...
Far Eastern New Century Plans Green Energy Investment
Far Eastern New Century Corp. said it will develop more recyclable and biodegradable materials to expand its green energy business, as part of a five-year development project. The...
SK Chemicals Develops Carbon Dioxide-Based Plastics
Seoul-based SK Chemicals said that it is working on developing non-fossil fuel alternatives like plastic from carbon dioxide and technology making polymers from carbon dioxide to survive as...
Gazprom and Siemens to Cooperate on LNG Technology
Gazprom and technology provider Siemens have signed a deal to cooperate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology development. The two firms plan to carry out a number of joint...
India to Clean Up Toxic Waste in Bhopal
The Indian Government plans to spend approximately Rs2,500m ($54m) to clean up toxic waste at the Bhopal gas leak site. The entire process of cleaning the one million tons of toxic waste at...
EU ETS to Raise European Chemicals Production Costs
The EU's emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) is considering increasing costs at European petrochemical plants by up to 10% when it begins its third phase in 2013. The EU ETS is a carbon cap...
Li Heng to Build New PA Chip Plant in China
Singapore-based Li Heng Chemical Fibre Technologies plans to build a 715m yuan ($105m) plant in Fujian, China. The new plant will produce polyamide, or PA chip, to serve the Chinese market. ...
Bangladesh and China to Build $771m Fertiliser Factory
Bangladesh and China are to sign a new agreement for a $537m loan to build the $771m Shahjalal fertiliser factory, Bangladeshi Industry Minister Dilip Barua said. Bangladesh and China have...
BASF Sets Sights on Cognis
BASF is poised to buy German-based Cognis for €3.3bn ($4.1bn) to expand its chemical holdings. The deal is likely to be announced this week according to the Wall Street Journal. ...
Lanxess to Build New Facility in India
German-based Lanxess plans to invest around Rs570m ($12.4m) to expand its production site in Gujarat, India. The production site will include compounding facilities with an initial capacity...
Hexion OTG Opens Resin Coating Plant and Transload Facilities
The Oilfield Technology Group (OTG) of Hexion Specialty Chemicals announced the start-up of a new manufacturing plant to provide resin-coated proppants. The new manufacturing plant is...
Rhodia to Acquire Feixiang Chemicals
French company Rhodia plans to acquire China-based Feixiang Chemicals to combine technology and strengthen its surfactant business. The transaction value is based on an enterprise value...
Dow Wins $61.7m in Nova Patent Trial
US-based Dow Chemical has won $61.7m in damages after a jury found that rival Nova Chemicals Corp infringed two patents for super-strong plastics. Nova was found to be infringing Dow...
Eastman Plans to Slash Harmful Emissions by 20%
Eastman Chemical said it plans to increase revenues from 'sustainably advantaged' goods, improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The company, which has just published...
Borouge Cracker Unit to Start this Month
Abu Dhabi-based Borouge will start the first cracker of its second unit by the end of the month. The unit will convert ethylene to polyethylene and polyethylene to polypropylene as part of...
RIL to Invest $3bn in Indian Chemical Plant
Indian-based Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is investing around INR140,000m ($3bn) in the construction of a two-million-ton chemical plant under its Jamnagar petrochemicals unit expansion plans. ...
Lanxess Plans Production Facilities for Engineering Plastics in India
German's Lanxess plans to invest €10m ($12.3m) in compounding facilities for the production of engineering plastics in the Indian state of Gujarat. The new facilities will produce...
INEOS to Build Europe's First Advanced Bioethanol from Waste Plant
INEOS has been awarded £7.3m ($10.78m) to build a 30-million-litre commercial-scale bioethanol plant at its Seal Sands site in Tees Valley, UK. Europe's first advanced bioethanol from a...
Perstorp Launches Renewable Pentaerythritol Platform
Perstorp has launched Voxtar, the world's first and only renewable pentaerythritol platform, used to cut carbon footprint. The specialty chemicals company said Voxtar, which has a lower...
Techno Semichem Moves Lithium Battery Plant
TSC Michigan, a subsidiary of South Korea's Techno Semichem, has opened new US headquarters near Detroit. The company said it plans to invest $31.1m at the site. The production of...
SABIC to Receive $1bn from Saudi Bank
Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) said it will receive a credit facility of $1bn from Saudi-based Alinma Bank to fund petrochemical projects. The credit facility is intended to fund...
US NPRA Calls for Cooperation on Safety at Chemicals Plants
Petrochemical plant operators and petroleum refinery operators in the US are planning to work closely with federal agencies, labour unions and others to prevent injuries and fatalities at...
Sasol Builds TEAL Production Unit
Sasol Olefins & Surfactants (O&S) has started the construction of a purified tri-ethyl aluminium (TEAL) production unit at its plant in Brunsbüttel, Germany. The new facility is expected...
Thai PTT Steam Cracker to Produce Less Ethane
Thailand's PTT Polyethylene (PTTPE) expects to run its steam cracker in Map Ta Phut at an average rate of 60% for June, a decrease of 5% from May, a PTT Chemical source said. The cracker,...
Evonik Opens New Catalyst Production Facility in Shanghai
Germany's Evonik Industries has officially inaugurated a new manufacturing plant for precious-metal-powder catalysts in Shanghai, China. The new plant allows Evonik to supply catalysts to...
US Tesoro Plant Remains Closed
Tesoro Corp (TSO) will close its 120,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Anacortes, Washington, at least until September, following an explosion in April. The explosion, which is considered to be...
Sumitomo Acquires Nufarm Shares
Sumitomo Chemical has acquired 20% of the issued ordinary shares of Australian-based Nufarm in a tender offer. Following the offer, Nufarm increased its capital by A$250m ($211m) as planned...
BASF Starts New Low-Molecular-Weight HR PIB Plant
BASF has set up a new plant for the production of low-molecular-weight, highly reactive polyisobutene (HR PIB) at its site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, to strengthen its polyisobutene...
Stolthaven Starts Work on Chemical Terminal in Singapore
Netherlands-based Stolthaven Terminals has started work on a SG$350m ($247m) chemical storage terminal in Jurong Island's Tembusu cluster, Singapore. The first phase of the project will...
PetroChina Liaoyang to Start Naphtha Reformer Operation
China's PetroChina Liaoyang Petrochemical Company said it will start its 1.4 million tpa naphtha reformer in September. The reformer, which is scheduled to be complete by July 30, can...
Aisin Chemical to Build US Plant
Aisin Chemical Indiana (ACIN) is expanding its first US facility in Crothersville Industrial Park. When complete, the $9m plant will produce ACIN's liquid applied sound dampening (LASD)...
OUCC to Expand Specialty Chemicals Business
Oriental Union Chemical (OUCC) will put aside $124.22m to expand its specialty chemical markets in China and Taiwan. OUCC is planning to build a $100m specialty-chemical EA plant in...
Air Products to Build PetroChina Hydrogen Plant
Air Products said its joint venture company based in Sichuan, China, has signed a long-term agreement to build a hydrogen production facility for energy giant PetroChina. On completion, the...
Indian Chemical Industry Projected to Grow by 2013
The Indian chemical industry is expected to reach $150bn by 2013, following economic growth and increased domestic demand, according to a report. A Deloitte report says the industry is...
BASF Sells Hydrophilic Melt Additives Business to Techmer PM
BASF has entered into a definitive agreement with Techmer PM to sell its hydrophilic melt additives business. The transaction includes intellectual property and technical information. ...
ONGC Looks for Strategic Partner for Dahej Unit
Indian Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is on the look out for a strategic partner for its Rs124.4bn ($2.6bn) petrochemical plant in Dahej, Gujarat, before issuing an initial public...
Gulf Resources Acquires Bromine and Crude Salt Assets
Gulf Resources has agreed to acquire bromine and crude salt manufacturing assets from two individual producers in China for $13m. The acquisition includes an asset purchase of $13.2m in cash...
Total and Saudi Aramco to Add Cracker Unit to Jubail Refinery
Total and Saudi Aramco are in talks to add a cracker unit at their proposed $12bn refinery at Jubail on the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia. The French oil major and state-owned Saudi...
Lanxess Builds New Butyl Rubber Plant
German-based Lanxess is building a new $572m butyl rubber plant on Jurong Island, Singapore, to meet growing demand of the product in Asia. The 100,000tpa plant in Singapore will allow...
Altana Purchases ABB Micafil Product Line
German-based Altana has acquired ABB Micafil's polyurethane casting resins business. The acquired polyurethane casting resins business will be integrated into the Elantas electrical...
Borouge to Start World's Largest Ethane Cracker
Abu Dhabi's Borouge is planning to start its second petrochemicals complex in the United Arab Emirates. Operations at the 1.5 million tpa complex, considered to be the world's largest...
Sipchem Begins Two Acetyls Complex Plants
The Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) has started its two acetyls complex plants in Jubail Industrial City as part of the company's second phase of development. The...
Evonik Acquires Ravindra Heraeus Product Line
Evonik Industries has acquired Ravindra Heraeus' precious metal powder catalysts business to expand its presence in India. The acquisition includes all know-how, technology and...
Indian Court Convicts Eight Over Bhopal Gas Disaster
An Indian court has sentenced eight people to two years each in jail for causing death by negligence after a gas leak at the Union Carbide plant, Bhopal, India, in 1984. Around 40t of a...
Wacker Buys Fesil Production Site
Germany-based Wacker Chemie has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire Norwegian Fesil Group's silicon-metal production site in Holla, near Trondheim, for around €65m ($77m). ...
Exxon Singapore Plant to Start on Schedule
Exxon Mobil's new multibillion-dollar petrochemical plant in Singapore will be started on the scheduled date despite a global excess of ethylene supplies. The ethylene cracker on...
Holland City Backs LG Chem's Lithium Plant
Holland city in Michigan, US, is backing LG Chemical's $304m lithium-ion battery plant. The plant will be set up in a 650,000ft² facility and will produce 15 million batteries in its...
QPIC and UIC to Set Up Petrochemical Plant
Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company (QPIC) has formed a joint venture (JV) with United Industries Company (UIC) to set up a petrochemical plant in Kuwait at a cost of $700m. UIC said...
IOC Starts $3bn Ethylene Plant
The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has started operations at a Rs144bn ($3.05bn) ethylene plant in Panipat, Punjab, India. The plant has the capacity to produce 850,000tpa but is...
Honeywell to Improve Safety at Noretyl Ethylene Plant
Noretyl AS has selected Honeywell to alter operational safety at its major ethylene plant, located in Rafnes, Norway. Honeywell will install four safety manager systems and three redundant...
Aker Solutions Secures Contract for Chlorine Dioxide Plant
Aker Solutions has signed an $18m contract with Russian pulp and paper group Ilim to set up an integrated chlorine dioxide plant in Russia. The Vancouver-based engineering group will...
United Phosphorus Acquires DuPont's Fungicide Business
United Phosphorus has purchased the global non-mixture mancozeb fungicide business and related assets of US-based DuPont. After the purchase, the Mumbai-headquartered agrochemical company...
SDK Completes Ethylene Plant Modernisation
Japan-based Showa Denko has completed modernisation work on its Oita ethylene plant by installing cracking furnaces. The company said energy efficiency has improved 5.3% and CO2 emissions...
Reliance Industries Plans Chemical Plant
Reliance Industries may build a chemical plant next year to meet India's surging demand for raw materials to manufacture plastics, drugs and textiles, a source familiar with the project...
Dorf Ketal May Acquire UK Titanates Producer
Dorf Ketal Chemicals in India is in advanced talks with UK-based Johnson Matthey to acquire its Vertec business, according to two people who are familiar with the development. The deal...
BASF to Acquire Cognis
German-based BASF has entered into a preliminary agreement with Cognis AG to acquire the specialty chemical manufacturer for a reported cost of between €3bn ($3.6bn) and €3.5bn ($4.2bn)....
Nigeria to Set Up Chemical Emergency Response Centres
The Nigerian Government will set up chemical emergency response centres in four cities, including Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna and Port Harcourt. The centres, expected to be operational by...
Mitsubishi to Cut Mizushima Ethylene Capacity
Japan-based Mitsubishi Chemical will reduce ethylene production at its Mizushima plant by 20% to 380,000 million tpa. The company's decision followed an agreement with Asahi Kasei to...
Solutia Acquires Etimex Solar
Solutia has acquired German chemical manufacturer Etimex Solar for €240m ($294m). The $325m sale price announced in March dropped due to a change in the exchange rate, according to...
Lanxess Invests in Isobutene Production
Lanxess has invested $10m in US biochemical company Gevo as part of an agreement to produce isobutene from renewable resources. The German specialty chemical maker said that with Gevo, it...
Sinopec Consortium to Build Chinese Biofuel Facility
Sinopec and COFCO have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Novozymes to construct a cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant in China. Novozymes said it will supply enzymes for the...
Covidien to Sell its Specialty Chemical Business
Covidien has signed an agreement with an affiliate of New York-based equity firm New Mountain Capital to sell its specialty chemical business for $280m. The Irish healthcare products...
China to Fund Bangladesh Urea Plant
The Chinese Government has offered $560m to Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) for the construction of a new fertiliser plant in Sylhet, north-east of Dhaka. The new urea...
Methanex to Restart Canadian Methanol Plant in 2011
Canada-based Methanex is considering restarting its methanol plant at Medicine Hat in Canada's Alberta province in early 2011 as a result of favourable natural gas feedstock prices. ...
Asahi and Mitsubishi to Merge Naptha Cracker Operation
Asahi Kasei Corporations has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mitsubishi Chemical to establish a joint venture company and integrate their naphtha cracker operations. ...
EC Reduces Labelling Fees for Chemical SMEs
The European Commission (EC) has reduced labelling fees for small and medium-sized companies that are applying to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) under the classification, labelling...
Dow to Close TDI Plant
Dow Chemical has announced it will close its TDI plant in Louisiana, US, because manufacturing toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is no longer economically viable. Although the company plans to...
Samsung and Maire Tecnimont to Build Chemical Plants in UAE
South Korea's Samsung Engineering and Italian Maire Tecnimont SpA have won a $1.66bn contract from Borouge to build chemical plants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Under the contract,...
NOVA Chemicals Develops Bulk Container Resin
US-based NOVA Chemicals has developed a gas-phase hexene copolymer resin called NOVAPOL HB-W646-U for intermediate bulk container (IBC) applications. NOVAPOL HB-W646-U resin is mainly used...
Borouge to Build Second Polypropylene Plant in China
Abu Dhabi-based Borouge has signed an agreement to build a second production plant in China's Guangzhou province. The plant, which is expected to be completed by mid-2012, will produce...
May 2010
Top
Arakawa to Acquire Dow's German Resin Operations
Arakawa Chemical Industries is in talks with Dow Chemicals to purchase the US chemical firm's hydrogenerated hydrocarbon resin operation in Germany. The transaction will include Dow's...
Dow and Saudi Aramco Relocate JV to Al Jubail
Dow Chemical and Saudi Aramco intend to relocate their planned joint venture (JV) petrochemical project from Ras Tanura to Al-Jubail due to rising costs. The JV Satorp project, known as...
Lanxess Expands its Aromatics Network
Lanxess has completed a €35m ($42m) expansion of its unit for monochlorobenzene, cresols and derivatives in Leverkusen, Germany. With the last expansion stage completed, overall...
Indian Chemical Firm Plans to Build $1bn Urea Plant in Ghana
Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers in India is planning to build a new $1bn fertiliser plant in Ghana, Africa, which has been approved by the Indian Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. ...
Tata Chemicals to Raise Funds for Capacity Expansion
Tata Chemicals is planning to raise Rs4bn ($83m) in the next financial year to partly fund its capacity expansion programme. The India-based company plans to allot 11.5 million shares to...
Linde to Build New Ethane Cracker in UAE
Borouge has signed a contract with Linde to build a new $1bn ethane cracker at Borouge's production site in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, UAE. The new cracker is expected to produce 1.5 million tons...
New Methanol Plant Opens in Brunei
Brunei Methanol Company (BMC) has launched its new methanol plant at the Sungai Liang Industrial Park in the Belait district. The plant's construction was completed in 2009 with its...
Petrobras to Double Capacity at Comperj Refinery
Brazilian oil and gas company Petrobras is reworking plans for its Comperj petrochemical refinery, as a part of its 2010-2014 strategic plan, which is expected to be released in the first half...
Sherwin-Williams Buys Becker Acroma
US firm Sherwin-Williams Company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Sweden-based Becker Acroma Industrial Wood Coatings. The acquisition includes Becker Acroma's nine...
BASF and Meiji Seika Kaisha to Co-Develop Insecticide
German-based BASF has entered into an agreement with Japan-based Meiji Seika Kaisha (MSK) to co-development a new insecticide for the control of piercing and sucking insects, code named ME5343. ...
Global Agrochemicals Market to Double by 2014
The global agrochemicals market is expected to double by 2014, according to a report by MarketsandMarkets. An increasing population and reducing availability of arable land are driving...
Lubrizol to Expand its US Plant
US-based Lubrizol Advanced Materials will invest $40m in increasing production capacity and updating infrastructure at its Calvert City manufacturing facility in Kentucky, US. The...
Omnia to Build Chemical Plant in South Africa
South Africa's Omnia is investing R1.4bn ($176m) in a nitric acid (HNO3) and ammonium nitrate (AN) plant and related facilities in South Africa to meet growing demand in the fertiliser...
SK Energy to Build New Plant in South Korea
South Korea-based SK Energy is expecting to complete its new petrochemical plant in Ulsan by the end of the year. The new facility claims to be the world's first plant to...
Firefighters Control Blaze at UK Chemicals Plant
A fire that broke out after 1am on 24 May at UK-based Grosvenor Chemicals' Lees Mill Lane, Yorkshire, site was brought under control by fire crews before reaching the company's bulk...
IG Petrochemicals to Increase PA Capacity
India-based IG Petrochemicals (IGPL) said it plans to increase phthalic anhydride (PA) production capacity at its existing plant in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. The company currently...
Dow Builds New Emulsion Plant in China
Dow Coating Materials is building a $17m emulsion plant at the company's Zhangjiagang site in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu. The new plant will cater for the growth of the...
Huntsman to Increase Capacity in Singapore
Huntsman plans to increase the manufacturing capacity of its Jeffamine polyetheramine facility on Huron Island, Singapore. The planned expansion will increase capacity by 50% and is expected...
SNC-Lavalin Wins Contract from JIFCO
SNC-Lavalin has been granted a contract to build a grassroots sulphuric and phosphoric acid complex together with utilities and a power plant in Eshidya, Jordan, by JIFCO. The project value...
Sinopec Tarim Fertiliser Project Starts Test Run
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) said it has started its Tarim fertiliser project's test run in China's north-western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The project will...
Sinopec and Kuwait JV Gets Government Approval
A CNY60bn ($8.8bn) joint venture between Sinopec and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has received approval from China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to build a refinery...
Taiwan's EPA Fines Formosa for Carcinogenic Pollution
The Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has upheld fines of between TWD38m to TWD150m ($1.2m to $4.7m) imposed on a Formosa petrochemical plant in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan. The...
Libya to Float Petrochemical Complex
The Libyan Government is planning to sell shares in its Abu-Kammash petrochemical complex and float the project on the stock market. The plant in Western Libya produces chlorine, salt,...
Omnova Acquires Dow Product Line
US-based Omnova Solutions has acquired Dow Chemical Company's hollow sphere plastic pigment (HPP) product line, following approval from the US Federal Trade Commission. Once the deal...
Israel Chemicals to Acquire Supresta
Israel Chemicals will acquire US-based Supresta for $352m. Supresta will become part of the ICL Industrial Products segment after the acquisition, according to haaretz.com. Supresta is...
Sinopec to Fund Expansion Through $6.3bn Bond Issue
Sinopec is expected to sell CNY43bn ($6.3bn) of convertible bonds to fund expansion upgrades at its refineries and petrochemical plants. The company has received shareholder and...
Keyuan Petrochemicals Acquires Funds to Expand Facility
China-based Keyuan Petrochemicals has completed an additional private equity financing agreement of $3.05m with two investors, for a total raise of $26.2m. The funds will finance the...
Peru Petrochemical Project Opposed by Regional Council
Peru's Nitratos del Perú petrochemical project in the buffering zone of the Paracas National Reserve has been opposed by the Ica Regional Council. According to seven regional councillors,...
Ellsworth Adhesives and Dow Corning Solar Solutions Enter into Agreement
Ellsworth Adhesives has signed a distribution agreement with Dow Corning Solar Solutions. Under the agreement, Dow Corning Solar Solutions provides technologically advanced business...
Pavlohrad Forced to Suspend SS-24 Recycling Programme
The Pavlohrad chemical plant has been forced to suspend the recycling of the SS-24 missile stages due to a lack of funds. The plant has recycled seven out of ten stages from its own...
Eastman Opens New Plant for Tritan Copolyester
Eastman Chemical Company has opened a new state-of-the-art plant for the production of Eastman Tritan copolyester at its headquarters in Kingsport, Tennessee, US, to meet the increasing...
Voltaix to Build New Complex
Voltaix LLC plans to build a $22m three-building complex at the Portland Industrial Park, Pennsylvania, US, this summer. The US-based specialty chemical company said the construction of...
Shell Operates Singapore Ethylene Unit at 70% Capacity
Royal Dutch Shell said it is running its new Singapore ethylene cracker at around 70% capacity and is using at least 30,000t of naphtha a month as feedstock. The unit, designed to mainly...
Reliance and SIBUR Form Joint Venture
India's largest private sector company, Reliance Industries, and Russia's leading petrochemical company, SIBUR, have formed a joint venture to produce butyl rubber at Reliance's...
Du Pont to Acquire Minority Stake in Zhonghao
Du Pont has announced its intention to buy a minority stake in Chinese chemical maker, Changshu 3F Zhonghao New Chemical Materials. The US-based chemical company said the stake acquisition...
Lanxess Breaks Ground for New Rubber Plant in Singapore
Specialty chemicals manufacturer Lanxess has broken ground for the construction of a new butyl rubber plant on Jurong Island in Singapore. The €400m ($575m) facility will use 10-15%...
Solvay Net Q1 Profits Grow Almost 20 Times
Solvay said its profits have increased by almost 20 times for the first quarter of 2010 compared with the same period last year, following gains in its drug unit sales. The...
SABIC and SINOPEC Complex Begins Operations
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation's (SINOPEC) petrochemical complex in Tianjin, China, has started commercial production. SABIC...
Reliance to Start Cracker Project
Reliance Industries will begin the construction of a previously announced 1.4 million tpa ethylene plant at Jamnagar, India. The planned Jamnagar cracker is expected to feed a...
Ferro Corporation to Close Plant in the Netherlands
US-based Ferro Corporation said it will close its specialty chemicals plant in Uden, the Netherlands. Dielectric products being produced at the plant will be transferred to other...
Middle East Ethylene Expansion to Hit World Market
Ethylene capacity in the Middle East will affect all regions of the world, including the US, according to the petrochemical consultancy firm CMAI. Ethylene capacity in the Middle East...
Lanxess Builds First Plant in Russia
German-based Lanxess is officially starting work on its first production facility in the Dzerzhinsk Industrial Park in Russia. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, Lanxess subsidiary Rhein Chemie...
BASF Expands German MSA Plant
BASF is investing in methanesulfonic acid (MSA) production by expanding its German MSA plant in Ludwigshafen. After the expansion is complete, BASF expects to raise its global annual capacity...
Huntsman to Expand its UK Chemical Plant
US-based Huntsman Corporation will expand its performance products manufacturing plant in Llanelli, UK. The chemical plant will produce amines, derivatives of ammonia used in photography and...
Chemical Dispersants Cause More Harm than Good, Experts Say
The chemical dispersants being used to break up the oil leaking from BP's Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico have the potential to cause just as much, if not more, harm to the environment...
RLOC Starts New Ethylene Cracker Unit
Ras Laffan Olefins Company (RLOC) has opened an $800m ethylene cracker facility at the Ras Laffan Industrial City in Doha, Qatar. The 1.3 million tonnes per year (tpa) project is a 54:46...
Celanese Announces EHS Sustainability Goals for 2015
Celanese Corporation has set five-year environmental health and safety sustainability goals for occupational safety performance, energy intensity, greenhouse gases (GHGs) and waste...
SOCAR Develops Single Concept of Oil Refining and Chemical Complex in Azerbaijan
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) said it is preparing to jointly develop the Sumgait-based complex Azerikimya, a new processing and petrochemical complex to be constructed in...
SABIC and Sinopec Start Production in China
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) said it has started commercial production at its new petrochemical complex in Tianjin, China. The new facility, a joint venture between SABIC...
Dow to Restart Bahia Blanca Units This Month
Michigan-based Dow Chemical Company is planning to restart its largest Ethylene 2 unit in the Bahia Blanca complex in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The unit, which produces 450,000t of ethylene...
Chemical Leak in Chinese Plant Hospitalises Villagers
The Luliang County Government in China has closed the Yunnan Hongtaibo company's chemical plant following a gas leak that has hospitalised about 90 people. The victims experienced symptoms...
Croda Sells German Oleochemicals Business to KLK
France-based Croda International said it will sell its Emmerich site and associated business in Germany to KLK Emmerich GmbH, a subsidiary of the KLK Group (Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad),...
Evonik to Expand Asian Capacities
Germany's Evonik Industries plans to expand its specialty polymer production in Shanghai and Taichung, and develop its new MATCH supercomplex in China, which began operating five months ago. ...
BASF to Acquire Cognis
BASF is in talks to acquire German firm Cognis after its owners started a campaign to sell the company. A bid for Cognis is expected to come out by next week, with BASF's supervisory board...
Arkema and Daikin Start HFC-125 Production
France-based Arkema and Japan-based Daikin have started production at the HFC-125 world-scale production plant in Changshu, China. The plant is expected to meet increasing demand in China...
RasGas Contracts Air Liquide for New Project in Qatar
Air Liquide has been awarded a contract by RasGas Company on behalf of Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company and Qatargas Liquefied Gas Company for a large turn-key helium...
AkzoNobel to Double its Indian Capacity
AkzoNobel is planning to double its Indian plant capacity to 140 million litres per annum from the current 70 million litres in the next five years. As part of its capacity expansion,...
Dana Develops Eco-Friendly High-Performance Coating
Dana Holding has developed a high-performance exhaust gasket coating, Victor Reinz ThermoGlide 1000, which can withstand 1,000oC. US-based Dana said the Victor Reinz ThermoGlide 1000...
US Chemical Demand to Reach $7bn in 2014
Demand for chemicals used in US refineries will reach $7.1bn in 2014 at an increase of 5% a year, a new study has found. Although refined-product output will decrease through the period,...
Celanese Acquires Two Product Lines from Du Pont
Celanese has acquired two product lines from DuPont for an undisclosed amount. The US-based chemical company has added DuPont Zenite liquid crystal polymer and...
KPC to Acquire Minority Stake in Paradip Project
Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) has entered into an in-principle agreement to buy a minority stake in the Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC) planned Paradip petrochemical complex. KPC expects the...
Hexion Builds Dispersion Manufacturing Unit
Hexion Specialty Chemicals said it has completed the construction of a new state-of-the-art dispersion manufacturing unit at its production facility in Baxley, Georgia. The new unit...
Sasol Delays Nigeria GTL Plant Until 2013
South African firm Sasol said its Nigerian gas-to-liquids plant will be delayed by a year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2012 or early 2013. The construction of the plant is...
Egypt and China to Build $2bn Refinery
China has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Egypt to build a $2bn refinery in the Arab nation to make sure enough oil is available for its expanding economy. Two...
Firefighters Control Factory Blaze in Australia
Fire crews have controlled a fire that broke out at a chemical factory in Dandenong South, Melbourne, on Tuesday, according to media reports. Workers were forced out of the K&H...
World's Largest Ethane Cracker Begins Production at Ras Laffan
The world's largest ethane-based cracker, the Ras Laffan Olefin Cracker (RLOC), has begun operations in Ras Laffan, Qatar. The cracker will produce 1.3 million tons of ethylene per year and...
Eastman Acquires Genovique Specialties
US-based Eastman Chemical Company said it has completed the acquisition of Genovique Specialties Corporation. The acquisition includes Genovique's manufacturing operations in...
Sasol Purchases Stake in Norwegian TCM
Sasol has signed an agreement with Gassnova SF to buy a 2.44% share of the CO2 Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM) in Norway. Under the agreement, Sasol can carry the technology to other...
CPC to Expand Qatar Output
Taiwan-based CPC Corporation has expedited oil-exploration projects in Chad, Kenya and Libya and will invest $500m to expand its methanol and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) capacity at...
EPA Launches Chemical Toxicity Database
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a chemical hazard, exposure and toxicity database for scientists and the general public. ToxRefDB, which will include 30 years and...
Boliden Acquires Kemira Sulphuric Acid Plant
Sweden-based Boliden said it has acquired Kemira's sulphuric acid plant and business in Kokkola, Finland, to perform its sulphuric acid manufacturing operations in-house at Kokkola. ...
Iran Invests $5.2bn in Nine Petrochemical Projects
Iran said it is investing more than $5bn in nine major petrochemical projects with a production capacity of 10.5 million tonnes per year. The investments include chlorine and PVC units in...
Brandix First to Trial Chemical Leasing Concept
Sri Lanka-based Brandix Group said it is the first apparel manufacturer in the country to trial a new methodology to promote the more efficient and sustainable management of chemicals...
Honam Cancels Qatar Petrochemicals Joint Venture
South Korean Honam Petrochem said it has cancelled plans to build a $2.6bn joint venture petrochemicals complex in Qatar with Qatar Petroleum (QP), due to the global financial crisis. ...
Sinopec Q1 Profits Soar
Chinese firm Sinopec said its profits have increased by 40% in the first quarter of 2010. The company's net income in the first quarter of 2010 rose to CNY15.79bn ($2.3bn) from...
Celanese Posts Profits for First Quarter of 2010
Celanese Corporation said it has recorded profits in the first quarter of 2010, despite its shares falling by 3.9%. The US-based firm has reported a revenue of $1.39bn, an increase of 21%...
April 2010
Top
AkzoNobel to Build New Organic Peroxides Plant in China
Dutch firm AkzoNobel will build a new plant at its Ningbo facility for its functional chemicals business with a total investment of €275m ($364m), including €17m ($22.5m) for...
Hempel Opens New Coatings Factory in Poland
Denmark-based Hempel said it has opened a new €25m ($33m) manufacturing facility in Niepruszewo, near Buk in the Poznan area of Poland, to meet increasing demand for coatings across Europe. ...
Turkmenistan to Construct BOPP Film Plant
Turkmenistan said it will build a €40m ($53m) biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film plant at the country's Turkmenbashi oil refinery. The BOPP facility, which has a capacity...
Sinopec Plans to Raise $2.9bn Through Bond Issue
Sinopec plans to sell a large number of bonds, valued up to CNY20bn ($2.93bn), on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in May. The proceeds from the sale will be used to repay bank loans and...
Exxon’s Singapore Expansion on Track
Construction of ExxonMobil Chemical's largest integrated chemical and refining complex in Singapore has moved ahead with the arrival of seven world-scale furnace modules. The modules are...
Saudi Aramco and Korean Firms To Build New Plants
Saudi Aramco has entered into agreements totalling $2.8bn with South Korean Daelim Industrial, SK Engineering and Construction and Samsung Engineering to build part of a refinery and...
Celanese Plans Acetate Manufacturing Consolidation
Celanese Corporation said it is considering consolidating its global acetate manufacturing operations with a proposed closure of its acetate manufacturing facility in Derby, UK. The...
PT Wijaya Karya May Build CGA Plant
PT Indonesia Chemical Alumina is expected to award a $350m contract to Indonesian PT Wijaya Karya to build a chemical grade alumina (CGA) plant in Tayan, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. PT...
Dammam 7, Huayi Partner for Jubail Acrylic Factory
Saudi Arabia-based Dammam 7 Petrochemical has signed an agreement with Shanghai Hua Yi to establish an acrylic acid factory in Jubail. The factory will be part of a huge petrochemical...
Eastman Considers Options for PET Business
US-based Eastman Chemical said it will assess strategic options for its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) business in the performance polymers segment. The review of strategic options will...
Bankruptcy Court Confirms LyondellBasell Reorganisation Plan
Debt-ridden LyondellBasell said it has received confirmation from the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York for its reorganisation plan to come out of Chapter 11. ...
Sensient Considers $16m Natural Colours Plant Investment
US-based Sensient Technologies Corporation said it plans to invest $16m in a new plant at its Color Group headquarters site in St Louis, Missouri, USA, to increase its natural colour capabilities....
Changing Financial Markets Delay Russian Ethylene Plant
Russian-based Nizhnekamskneftekhim (NKNH) will delay its plan to build a one-million-tons-per-year ethylene production complex in Russia for one year following the changing situation in...
ConocoPhillips Pulls Out of Yanbu Project
US-based ConocoPhillips said it has cancelled its participation in a new refinery project being built in Yanbu Industrial City in a joint venture with Saudi Aramco to reduce its...
DuPont to Resume Shenzhen Expansion
US-based DuPont said it will resume its plans to add new production lines and double the company's compounding capacity in its plant in Shenzhen, China. The lines will include Zytel nylon 6...
Chemetall to Open New Surface Treatment Plant in Turkey
Chemetall Surface Treatment Turkey will formally open its production facility in Cayirova, Turkey, on 30 April 2010. The new facility will provide enhanced capabilities to sectors,...
New Polysilicon Facilities Open at Wacker's Burghausen Site
Wacker Chemie AG has opened new polycrystalline-silicon production facilities at its Burghausen site in Germany under the expansion stage 8 plan, to manufacture material for the solar...
Sinopec Launches Petrochemical Complex in China
China's biggest refinery, with a capacity of one million tons per year, has been launched by Sinopec in Zhenhai, Ningbo City, China. The petrochemical plant, which involved a total...
Borouge Opens Shanghai Compounding Manufacturing Plant
Borouge has inaugurated its first compounding manufacturing plant in China to provide solutions to the rapidly growing local automotive and household appliance industries. The new plant...
Idemitsu Kosan Plans to Build Polypropylene Unit at Chiba Factory
Japan-based Idemitsu Kosan said it plans to construct a polypropylene production unit at its Chiba petrochemical factory, east of Tokyo, Japan. After completion, the unit is expected to...
EU Clears AkzoNobel to Acquire Dow Coating Unit
Dutch-based AkzoNobel has won EU regulatory approval for the acquisition of US-based Dow Chemical's powder coatings unit. Through the transaction, AkzoNobel expects to strengthen...
Songwon and Tangshan Baifu Chemical to Form JV
South Korea-based Songwon said it will enter into a joint venture (JV) with China's Tangshan Baifu Chemical to manufacture and sell Thioester antioxidants, and extend its manufacturing and...
Report Forecasts Massive Global Ethylene Surplus for 2010
Global ethylene production is set to be nearly three times greater than demand this year, according to a new report. Ethylene capacity will reach 8.6 million tons a year by mid-2010,...
Sasol to Construct New Ethylene Purification Unit
South Africa-based Sasol Limited will construct a R1.9bn ($256m) ethylene purification unit at its Sasol Polymers plant in Sasolburg, South Africa, following board approval. After...
Woodland Biofuels to Construct Cellulosic Ethanol Demo Plant in Ontario
Canada-based Woodland Biofuels said it will start the construction of a cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant in the next two months using its patented gasification technology. The plant...
Sharq Ethylene Plant Goes on Stream
US-based Shaw Group said an ethylene plant for Eastern Petrochemical Company (SHARQ), with a capacity of 1.3 million tons per year, has begun full operations in Saudi Arabia. Shaw provided...
Sinopec Plans Petrochemical Investment in Singapore
China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec) is in discussions with Singapore's Economic Development Board for petrochemical investment in Singapore. Sinopec is planning to build a large...
Sinopec Wuhan Ethylene Project Resumes Work
China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) said it has resumed its 800,000t per year ethylene project in central China's Wuhan city, owned by China's Sinopec and South Korea's SK Energy. ...
Daya Materials Acquires OCI Energy
Daya Materials has entered into an agreement to acquire OCI Energy for MYR28m ($8.7m), which allows it to expand its business activities within the oil and gas and petrochemical industries. ...
Hexion Specialty Chemicals Opens Resins Manufacturing Complex in Brazil
US-based Hexion Specialty Chemicals has opened a major resins manufacturing complex in Montenegro to serve the engineered wood products market in southern Brazil. The plant complex, situated...
Safe Chemicals Bill Leads Debate, Says the ACC
The Safe Chemicals Act (SCA), designed to improve the federal regulation of chemicals, has been introduced by the US Senator for New Jersey, Frank Lautenberg. American Chemistry Council...
ASBC: Toxic Chemical Reform Good for Economy
The American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) has called on US businesses to inspire the consumer confidence required to transform the understanding of toxic chemical regulations. ...
CPC to Set Up New Petrochemical Complex in Indonesia
Taiwan's CPC Corp has unveiled plans to set up a large-scale petrochemical complex in Indonesia. The company will relocate equipment from its oil refinery and third naphtha cracker...
PhosAgro Mulls over IPO
Russian-based PhosAgro has said it is thinking of making an initial public offering (IPO) of $1bn shares as early as July. PhosAgro has also started talks with banks including Credit...
BASF to Shut Production Plants
In an effort to reposition its global pigment business, BASF is planning to eliminate specific products and adapt production capacities to market developments. As a result of the...
Petrobras Signs Development Deal with Sinopec and CDB
A cooperation agreement has been signed between Brazil's Petrobras, China's Sinopec and the China Development Bank (CDB) to further new development opportunities. Under the agreement, the...
China America Holdings Begins Test Production at New Chemical Facility
Shanghai Aohong Chemical Co, a 56% subsidiary of China America Holdings, has begun test run production at its newly constructed chemical production facility in Tianjin. The new facility...
CPC to Invest in Petrochemical Project
Taiwan-based China Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is considering investing $2.8bn in a petrochemical project in Indonesia. CPC is currently looking for the perfect location to develop...
Jubail Petrochemicals' First Unit to Begin in Second Half of 2010
Saudi Kayan Petrochemicals Company is planning to begin its first unit's operations at the Jubail petrochemicals complex in the second half of 2010. The main facility in the complex is...
Ineos Fined Over Emissions Violation
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in the US has fined Ineos $10,000 for emissions violations at its Brazoria County facility. The Swiss chemicals maker has been involved in...
Hubei Yihua Chemical to Begin Project in Xinjiang
China-based Hubei Yihua Chemical Industry has signed a cooperative agreement to begin the construction of a chemical project in Luntai County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. ...
Taiwan's Petrochemical Industry in Jeopardy if Trade Pact Not Signed
Taiwan's petrochemical industry will be affected if they do not sign the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), which is termed as trade pact, with China, the economic ministry...
Sinopec Acquires Stake in Syncrude
China Petroleum and Chemical Corp (Sinopec) has decided to acquire Houston-based ConocoPhillips's 9% stake in Syncrude Canada for US$4.65bn. Sinopec has agreed to buy the stake to help feed...
CB&I Constructs Shell Ethylene Cracker Complex in Singapore
CB&I has completed the construction of Shell Eastern Petroleum's cracker complex in Singapore, which produces on-specification ethylene and propylene. The cracker complex is an...
Ineos Considers Grangemouth Plant Stake Sale
Ineos said it may sell its stake in the Grangemouth petrochemical facility in Scotland in a bid to alleviate its debts. The facility, which was purchased from BP in 2005, processes...
BASF Constructs Two New Systems Houses
BASF said it is constructing two new polyurethane (PU) plants in Chongqing, China and Cartagena, Colombia, to meet the growing demand. The Chongqing unit will be in the same location where...
Siemens to Provide Equipment for Iranian Petrochemical Complex
Manufacturing equipment for the €360m ($489m) petrochemical complex for Iranian firm Lordegan will be supplied by German giant Siemens. The complex, which is now 15% complete, will...
Kazakhstan to Start New Petrochemical Complex
The construction of a new petrochemical complex in Atyrau is planned to be started in February 2011, according to Oil and Gas Vice Minister Asset Magauov. "All issues with financing are...
Hexion Opens New Manufacturing Facility in Germany
Hexion Specialty Chemicals has opened its new 10,000m² specialty epoxy resin production facility in Esslingen, Germany. The facility includes blending operations and...
Arizona Chemical Mulls IPO
Arizona Chemical said it will go for an initial public offering (IPO) of up to $125m, of its common stock, to repay debt. The company will use the proceeds to repay loans under the First...
Solvay Chemicals Acquires Waste Reclaiming Plant
Solvay Chemicals has bought a plant in Wyoming that reclaims and transforms sodium carbonate waste streams into a marketable grade of sodium bicarbonate. The patent-pending...
Lubrizol in Talks to Acquire Cognis
Lubrizol Corporation (LZ) has entered into early negotiations to acquire Germany's Cognis. Permira and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, co-owners of Cognis, aim to fetch a sale price of at...
PetroRabigh Looks for Bidders to Increase Capacity
Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical (PetroRabigh) is seeking bidders to help increase capacity at its petrochemicals complex in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia, as it begins the second phase of work at...
Europe Arab Bank to Fund JPMC Phosphate Terminal Project
An agreement has been signed between Jordan Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC) and the Europe Arab Bank to receive $110m in financing for its proposed phosphate terminal project in the port of Aqaba....
Ineos to Move its Headquarters to Switzerland
Ineos will move its headquarters from the UK to Switzerland in a bid to save £100m ($153m) a year in tax. The company finalised its decision after receiving approval from its lenders...
Iran's Petrochemical Industry to Get Financial Boost
The Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI) has entered into a deal with the National Petrochemical Company to invest €300m ($401m) in the petrochemicals industry. The EDBI is...
US Firm to Develop Biobutanol from Beetle-Killed Pine
Cobalt Technologies has achieved a major breakthrough to develop biobutanol as a renewable chemical and fuel from beetle-killed lodgepole pine feedstock. Cobalt uses innovative technology...
Uralchem Plans IPO to Pay Debt
Uralchem plans to float 40% of new shares on the UK's London IPO to rise up to $600m. The Russian fertiliser producer will use the net proceeds of the IPO to pay off its debt, built up during...
Petrobras Signs Agreement for Comperj Complex
Brazilian firms Petrobras, Techint Engenharia and Andrade Gutierrez have entered into R$1.89bn ($1.07bn) agreement for the Rio de Janeiro Comperj petrochemical complex. The agreement...
AkzoNobel Starts New MCA Manufacturing Plant in China
Netherlands-based AkzoNobel has started a new plant for the manufacturing of monochloroacetic acid (MCA) at its Taixing site in China to meet the increasing demand for MCA in China. The...
Qatar's Ethane Cracker to Reach Maximum Capacity by August
Qatar's Ras Laffan Olefins Company's ethane cracker, which is producing ethylene for Qatofin's new petrochemical plant, is expected to reach its full capacity by August, Qatar's Oil...
ChemChina Builds Petrochemical Berth in Tianjin
ChemChina said it is investing ¥349m ($51m) on building a petrochemical berth in China's north industrial hub Tianjin. The annual handling capacity of the new petrochemical berth...
Azerbaijan to Revive Chemicals Concern
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) is planning to restart the Azerikimya state chemicals concern by reopening its idle or partially functioning capacity in the country. A commission...
Indian Chemical Company to Invest in Niche Chemicals Business
Vinati Organics Ltd (VOL) plans to invest around Rs120 crore (US$27m) to extend capacity and expand its business. VOL has already established a Rs40 crore ($9m) plant as backward integration...
Braskem Acquires Sunoco Chemicals
Brazilian company Braskem has acquired Sunoco Chemicals' polypropylene (PP) division for $350m in an effort to establish an industrial base in the US. With the acquisition of a...
US Plans to Add More Chemicals to TRI
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to add 16 more chemicals to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) list of reportable chemicals. The EPA's review of available studies has...
Aramco and Dow to Relocate Petrochemical Plant to Jubail
Saudi Aramco and US-based Dow Chemical have decided to move their planned $20bn-plus petrochemical complex to Jubail. The plant was initially planned to be located in Ras Tanura, but the cost...
Cognis Sells UV Acrylates Business
Cognis has signed an agreement with IGM Resins to sell its UV acrylates business, which includes the Photomer trademarks, intellectual property, an inventory and the Charlotte manufacturing site. ...
PT Pertamina to Build Three Oil Refineries
PT Pertamina in Indonesia will join hands with several local and foreign petrochemical firms to build the first of three oil refineries, each costing up to $5bn. The first refinery, expected...
Celanese and Sabic Partner to Build Chemical Facility
Dallas-based Celanese Chemical Corporation has entered into a joint venture agreement with Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) to build a $400m polyacetal production facility in the...
Air Products to Build Hydrogen Plant in Malaysia
A new hydrogen production facility will be built by Air Products in Selangor, Malaysia, to meet increasing demand in the region's oleochemical industry. The steam methane reformer is expected...
Qatar to Increase its Petrochemical Output by 2014
Qatar will raise its petrochemical production to 30 million tons per annum from its current 18 million tons by 2014. Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco) director general Mohamed al-Mullah...
Bisphenol A Listed as 'Chemical of Concern'
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified Bisphenol A (BPA) as a 'chemical of concern' and ordered manufacturers to test the chemical's impact on animals and the environment. ...
Blast at Chinese Chemical Plant Kills Two
A blast at the Shengsen Silicon Technology Development company in north China's Chifeng City has killed two people and left one injured. The blast occurred at 10am on 4 April when...
Shin-Etsu to Build Vinyl Chloride Plant in US
Japan-based Shin-Etsu Chemical will invest ¥100bn ($1.06bn) to build a plant in Louisiana, USA, to increase production of input material for vinyl chloride resin. After completion, the...
Bayer to Build Eco-Friendly Chlorine Plant
A new chlorine production plant, based on common salt, will be built at Chempark Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany, for Bayer MaterialScience. For the first time the plant will produce chlorine...
KMG Completes Electronic Chemicals Business Acquisition
US firm KMG Chemicals has finished acquiring General Chemical's electronic chemicals business for $25.7m in cash, including $7.2m for inventory at book value, along with approximately $850,000...
Greenbelt Fertilisers to Invest in Mkushi Blending Plant
Zambia's Greenbelt Fertilizers Limited (GBF) said it will invest ZMK3.5bn ($743,000) in a fertiliser blending plant in Mkushi. Together with the existing plant in Mazabuka, the blending plant...
Hexion and Shanxi Sanwei Join Forces for Monomer Plant
A joint venture has been formed between Hexion Specialty Chemicals and Shanxi Sanwei Group to build a new monomer plant in Shanxi Province, China. The new company, Sanwei Hexion...
March 2010
Top
INEOS Plans Catalyst Plant in India
UK company INEOS said it is planning to set up an Rs1,000 crore ($222m) catalyst unit at the Dahej Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Gujarat, India. Dahej SEZ is a joint venture between the...
European Commission Clears Artenius and KP Chemical Deal
The planned acquisition of UK chemicals company Artenius by KP Chemical, controlled by the global Korean conglomerate Lotte Group, has been cleared by the European Commission under EU...
Formosa Plastics Fined Over Chemicals Spill
Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Group has been fined $330,825 for polluting the groundwater at its Jenwu plant in Kaohsiung County. The US Environmental Protection Agency said the facility will...
DSM Sells DSM Agro and DSM Melamine to OCI
Dutch firm Royal DSM BV has entered into an agreement with Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) to sell DSM Agro and DSM Melamine for €310m ($417m) on a cash and debt-free basis. ...
Sinopec Acquires Overseas Upstream Assets
An agreement has been reached to allow China's Sinopec to buy 55% of Sonangol Sinopec International (SSI) from Sinopec Overseas Oil and Gas (SOOGL) to further strengthen the company's...
BP to Set Up Petrochemical Plant in India
British Petroleum (BP) said it plans to set up a $778.5m petrochemical plant in India to expand its Indian operations. After completion the plant is expected to produce 1 million tonnes...
Rompetrol Petrochemicals to Expand HDPE Facility
Capacity at Rompetrol Petrochemicals' high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plant is to be expanded by more than 70% by March 2011 at a cost of $18m, according to Rompetrol Petrochemcials. ...
Dow Develops New Catalyst System
The Dow Chemical Company has developed a catalyst system, CONSISTA D7000 Donor, for high melt flow applications. CONSISTA D7000 enables polypropylene manufacturers to achieve the...
Global Specialty Chemicals Market to Grow by $131.6bn by 2014
The global speciality chemicals market is expected to grow from $324.9bn in 2009 to $456.52bn by 2014, according to a recent report by MarketsandMarkets. It will record an estimated CAGR of...
EC Breaks SVHC Deadlock
The European Commission said it has found a common approach to identify and manage substances of very high concern (SVHCs). SVHCs include chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects and...
Sinopec to Build Plastics Plant in Kazakhstan
China's Sinopec will build a $1.26bn polypropylene production plant in Kazakhstan, according to Kazakh Deputy Oil and Gas Minister Aset Magauov. The new plant will form part of...
Lyondell to License Olefins Recovery and Conversion Technologies
LyondellBasell Industries will create a comprehensive offering of processes with the expansion of its licensing portfolio of olefin recovery and conversion technologies. Trans4m...
ICL Q4 Profit Rises
Israel Chemicals (ICL) posted a 15% rise in Q4 net profit, and has witnessed signs of recovery in potash demand. ICL recorded a net profit of $202.7m, compared to $175.8m a year earlier. ...
SDK to Set Up Functional Polymers Division in Chemicals Sector
Showa Denko KK (SDK) will establish a Functional Polymers Division within its chemicals sector and merge its consolidated subsidiary Showa Highpolymer (SHP) on 1 July 2010. The two...
Rogers Acquires SK Utis
Rogers has signed an agreement with SK Chemicals to acquire SK Utis, a high-performance polyurethane foam manufacturing unit located at Ansan, South Korea, for $29.1m. Under the...
Eastman's Texas Cracking Units Resume Operations
Eastman Chemical said its two cracking units at its Longview, Texas plant have restarted their operations. On 20 February the company experienced a power outage, which resulted in a...
SPIC Sells Stake in Jordan JV
Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation (SPIC) has sold its entire 52.17% stake in its Jordan unit Indo-Jordan Chemicals Company to Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) for $50.6m. ...
Chemaweyaat to Begin Chemical City in 2010
Abu Dhabi National Chemicals Company (Chemaweyaat) will award the engineering and design contract for the first phase of its industrial chemicals city in the second quarter of 2010. The...
ExxonMobil Signs Refinery Process Model Agreement
An agreement has been signed between ExxonMobil and Invensys Operations Management to optimise its refinery process models. The agreement will allow Invensys to sub-license a suite of...
Eastman Establishes New Acetate Tow Manufacturing Plant in Korea
A new acetate tow manufacturing facility has been established in Ulsan, Korea by Eastman Chemical. The new plant will add 27,000t of capacity, increasing Eastman's overall capacity...
GAIL and Reliance to Set Up $1.3bn Petrochemical Plant
A mega petrochemicals complex costing $1.3bn will be built in Qatar by GAIL India and Reliance Industries. The companies signed an MoU to jointly set the plant on 4 December 2007. Qatar,...
Sinopec's Maoming Plant Improves Ethylene Production
A rise in ethylene production to 50,000t has been recorded at Sinopec's Maoming plant in Guangdong province, China, after production halted earlier this year for repairs. The company is...
PT Pupuk Sriwijaya to Build Two Fertiliser Plants
PT Pupuk Sriwijaya said it will invest about $1bn to finance the construction of two new fertiliser plants in Sulawesi, near the Donggi-Senoro gas field and Papua, near the Tangguh gas field. ...
Poland Extends Deadline to Negotiate the Deal of Chemical Firms
Poland has given German chemical group PCC three more weeks to negotiate the purchase of state-run companies Tarnow and ZAC. PCC and a state body in charge of state assets in the chemical and...
Liuzhou Chemical to Build Coal Chemical Project
A letter of intent has been signed by Chinese firm Liuzhou Chemical Industry to build a CNY3bn ($440m) coal chemical project in Xingyi, Guizhou Province, China. The project is expected...
JEMAI and CICM to Support Chemical Management
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between The Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry (JEMAI) and the Chemical Industries Council of Malaysia (CICM). The...
Indian Oil to Foray into Petrochemical Business
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) plans to enter the petrochemicals business by June through its polymer products, polypropylene and polyethylene, the company said. IOCL expects to gain...
DPPE to Start Fertiliser Plant in the Philippines
South Korea's DP Pure Environment (DPPE) said it will set up a $12m nature-friendly fertiliser plant within the Lima Technology Center, an industrial estate in Malvar-Lipa, Batangas. ...
IFFCO Builds Fertiliser Plant in Ghana
A fertiliser plant will be built in Ghana to meet the needs of the West African nation, according to the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO). IFFCO said it believes the new plant...
Israel Chemicals Inks India Potash Contract
Israel Chemicals has signed a $370m contract with India to supply one million tonnes of potassium carbonate (potash) at $370 per tonne. The contract is CIF, meaning Israel Chemicals will bear...
Shell to Begin Operations at Singapore Petrochemical Complex
Production at the $3bn Pulau Bukom petrochemical complex is expected to start on 4 May, according to owner Royal Dutch Shell. Royal Dutch Shell said it will begin production at its $3bn...
Azerikimya State Company to Construct New Petrochemical Complex
The first phase of construction on a $6bn petrochemical complex in Sumgayit, Azerbaijan, will start after an environmental report is completed, according to Azerikimya State Company. ...
Work Starts on Russia's Biggest Polymer Plant
Construction has started on a PET polymer production plant in Kaliningrad, Russia for JSC Alco-Naphtha. After completion the plant will produce 240,000tpa and will be Russia's biggest PET...
Petrochemicals Holding Wins $2bn Contract
Egypt's Petrochemicals Holding has won a contract to build a $2bn petrochemicals complex at Alexandria, on Egypt's northern Mediterranean coast. The plant will convert ethane to ethylene,...
Eastman Chemicals to Buy Genovique Specialties
US firms Eastman Chemical and Arsenal Capital Partners have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Arsenal's portfolio company Genovique Specialties Corporation. Under the...
Chemetall Acquires Tergo Industries
Chemetall New Zealand has acquired Auckland-based Tergo Industries to expand its presence in the country. Tergo, which started in 1946 as part of the Auckland Gas Company, uses by-products of...
Nova Chemicals Q4 Net Income Rises
Nova Chemicals has reported a net income of $17m in Q4 2009, compared to a net loss of $212m for the same period in the previous year. In Q4 2009 Nova's operating income was $102m compared to...
Indian Aromatics Plant Contract Winner Announced
An aromatics complex in the Mangalore Special Economic Zone, India, costing Rs 2,035 crore ($448m) will be built by Larsen & Toubro for ONGC Mangalore Petrochemicals. After completion,...
EPA Launches TSCA Chemical Inventory Online
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) chemical substance inventory online, free of charge for the public. The inventory will contain...
UK Chemical Company Fined for Polluting River
Sub Micron Industries has been fined £4,500 ($6,904) by Huddersfield Magistrates Court for polluting the River Colne and killing hundreds of fish. During the Environment...
CAWC Closes Chemical Plant in Pasig
A fire that injured two workers has forced CAWC to close its manufacturing plant in Pasig City, in the Philippines. The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of Pasig City...
LG Chem Plant Cuts Carbon Emission by 34%
Advanced technology has helped LG Chem to reduce carbon emissions by 34% from its petrochemical complex in Yeosu. LG Chem's Yeosu plant has received 11 carbon credits from the Korean...
Raigam to Build Chemical Plant in Kuchchiveli
Sri Lankan Raigam Group plans to build a Kuchchiveli chemical plant to manufacture products such as caustic soda, soda ash and chlorine. Raigam Group is also setting up a vacuum salt plant...
OpaL Plans IPO in 2012
An initial public offering (IPO) from ONGC Petro-additions Ltd (OpaL) is planned for 2012 for the proposed Rs12,440 core (US$2,733m) petrochemical complex in Dahej, Gujarat. OPaL is expected...
US Railway Company to Pay $4m for 2005 Chlorine Spill
A fine of $4m has been imposed on Norfolk Southern Railway Company for a chlorine spill in 2005, which caused the deaths of nine people and resulted in massive environmental damage in...
Lyondell Chemical to Raise $3.25bn to Repay Debt
Netherlands-based Lyondell Chemical Company has announced plans to raise $3.25bn of first priority debt by offering senior secured notes in a private placement and borrowings under a senior...
AERT Starts New Recycling Plant in Watts
A new plastic recycling centre in Watts, Oklahoma, US will more than double Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies' (AERT) capacity. The $13m, 70,000ft² plant will produce...
LG Chem to Build $300m Plant in Michigan
Troy-based LG Chem/Compact Power plans to build a new 650,000ft² plant near Holland in western Michigan. Groundbreaking at the new facility, which will cost $300m and create 400 jobs...
Jayshree Chemicals Invests $18m in Orissa Plant
India's Jayshree Chemicals plans to expand its capital investment by Rs1.5bn ($18m) at its Orissa plant. A share issue is expected to raise a further Rs359.9m ($4.5m) while loans from three...
Skanska to Build Petrobras Refinery Unit in Brazil
Skanska will build the first processing unit of an oil refinery in Brazil for Petrobras under an SEK1.8bn ($250m) contract. The crude and distillation unit located in Petrobras...
Gulf's Petrochemical Capacity to Increase
Most of the world's petrochemicals capacity growth will be concentrated in the Gulf over the next six years due to cheaper feedstock and its proximity to the growing Asian market, a new report...
State Board Grants $64.2m for Wacker Chemical Plant
The Tennessee State Building Commission has granted $64.2m for the planned $1bn Wacker Chemical plant in Bradley County, US, to help with the infrastructure. The $56.9m from bond proceeds will...
Eastman's Texas Polymer Plant Stays Offline
The Eastman Chemical plant in Texas is unlikely to come back online until the end of March after an equipment failure forced it to close in late February. The equipment broke during...
Petrobras Awards Oil Refinery Unit Construction Contract to Skanska
Brazilian firm Petrobras has awarded a contract to Skanska to construct the first processing unit of a new refinery for crude oil at Petrobras Petrochemical Complex in Rio de Janeiro state,...
Sinopec Builds Petrochemical Project in Guangxi
China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation has started constructing a ¥20bn ($2.9bn) petrochemical plant and a commercial oil storage base in Tieshan, Guangxi to relocate its refinery. ...
Mitsui Chemicals to Resume Naphtha Cracker
Japan's Mitsui Chemicals will restart its 553,000tpa naphtha cracker in Chiba, near Tokyo in late March after repair work. The cracker was originally shut on 28 February due to a problem...
Petron to Buy 40% of Petrochemical Asia
Filipino oil company Petron has entered into an agreement with Vantage Stride (Mauritius) to buy a stake in Petrochemical Asia as part of its expansion plans. As part of the deal for a 40%...
Sinopec Puts Expansion Plans on Hold
Expansion of ethylene production has been put on hold by China's Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical, which instead plans to focus on the oil industry. The plan had involved boosting capacity by...
Azerikimya to Build New Petrochemical Complex and Fertiliser Enterprise
Azerbaijan's state-owned chemicals operator Azerikimya plans to build a petrochemical complex and a fertiliser factory in Azerbaijan. The new complex, including 19 factories, will be designed...
China to Build New Petrochemical Bases
New petrochemical production bases and oil depots in the Yangpu Economic Development Zone in China are likely to cost Hainan Province CNY5bn ($732m), according to Chinese officials. Following...
Xianglu Petrochem to Build ¥743m IPA Plant in China
Xianglu Petrochemical will invest ¥743m ($108.75m) to build a new isophthalic acid (IPA) plant. Construction is due to finish in 2012 with the plant expected to produce 250,000mt of...
Sasol's Profits Drop by 51%
South Africa's Sasol said its profits for the six months ended 31 December 2009 declined by 51% due to lower average crude oil prices and chemical product prices. During this period last...
India Plans Anti-Dumping Duty on Chinese Chemical Imports
An anti-dumping duty of $213.34 per tonne may be imposed by India on barium carbonate imports from China to protect the domestic industry. The Indian Commerce Ministry's Directorate General...
Sinopec Considers JV with ExxonMobil and Aramco
China's Sinopec is likely to enter into a joint venture with ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco to expand its petrochemical complex in Fujian. Once the expansion has been completed the...
SNC-Lavalin Awarded Third Sasol Nitro Contract
Sasol Nitro has awarded the engineering, procurement and construction management contract for its calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) complex to SNC-Lavalin. The 400,000tpa plant in Secunda,...
BASF-YPC Expands with $1.4bn
Sinopec and BASF's joint project, BASF-YPC (BYC), on the outskirts of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, China, is expanding its production capacity with a budget of $1.4bn. With...
Gulf Petrochemicals Industry Set for Expansion
The petrochemicals industry in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is set to undergo a massive expansion in capacity, a new report has found. It is estimated that ethylene...
Domo Invests €30m in Ammonium Sulphate Storage Facility
Domo Caproleuna has started a new €30m ($41m) ammonium sulphate storage facility in Leuna, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The facility has the capacity to store 80,000t of the artificial...
SDK to Build High-Purity Cyclohexanone Plant
Japan's Showa Denko (SDK) will build a 5,000tpa high-purity cyclohexanone plant in Zhejiang, China to strengthen its electronic cleaning agent business. The joint venture Zhejiang Quzhou...
INEOS Contemplates Swiss Move
An internal review is underway at INEOS to decide if the company should move its tax residence from the UK to Switzerland. The company predicts tax savings of around €450m ($610.5m)...
RPM Acquires Chemtec Chemicals
US firm RPM International has said its subsidiary Rust-Oleum Corporation has acquired the Netherlands-based Chemtec Chemicals. Through the transaction, RPM expects to improve Chemtec's...
Dow Forms Alliance with EA Juffali & Brothers
A state-of-the-art polyurethane plant will be built in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, thanks to a new alliance between Dow Formulated Systems and EA Juffali & Brothers. Along with the plant, which...
Aramco Awards Contract to Jacobs
Saudi Aramco has awarded a contract to Jacobs Engineering Group to develop a basic engineering package for four sulphur recovery units. The new four-train sulphur plant will be part of the...
Lanxess Starts New Rubber Chemicals Plant in India
German firm Lanxess has completed the first phase of construction for its €50m ($68.28m) rubber chemicals plant in Gujarat, India. The plant will help supply the global rubber and...
Dow Sells its Styron Division to Bain Capital
An agreement has been reached between Dow Chemicals and Bain Capital over the purchase of its Styron division for $1.63bn. Under the agreement, Dow has an option to receive up to 15% of...
Bayer MaterialScience Plans New TDI Plant at Chempark
A new high-tech production plant for toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is to be built at Chempark Dormagen in Germany following a €150m ($206m) investment from Bayer MaterialScience. The new...
Superior Plus Shuts Facility After Earthquake in Chile
Damage caused by the earthquake in Chile last weekend has forced Superior Plus to close its 55,000t sodium chlorate facility in Mininco. The facility, which represents 11% of the...
Lyondell Rejects $14.5bn Reliance Bid
LyondellBasell Industries' board has rejected a $14.5bn bid from Reliance Industries. Apollo Management, a New York-based private equity firm that had backed an earlier reorganisation...
Huntsman and Zamil Build New Ethyleneamines Plant
US firm Huntsman and Saudi Arabian Zamil Group Holding have constructed a new 27,000tpa ethyleneamines plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The plant will produce ethylenediamine,...
Solutia to Acquire Etimex Solar
An agreement has been reached allowing US company Solutia to buy Etimex Solar for €240m ($325m) to grow its speciality chemicals business. Solutia will use the existing cash on the...
R3 Sciences Begins Work on Gas-to-Methanol Micro Plant
US-based R3 Sciences said it has started building a commercial scale, skid-mounted gas process system at a construction site in South Louisiana. This system employs several key advancements...
KMG Purchases General Chemical's Electronic Chemicals Business
US-based KMG Chemicals has entered into an agreement to acquire certain assets of the electronic chemicals branch of General Chemical Performance Products for $25.5m. The deal includes...
DSM and MCC to Trade Businesses
Netherlands-based DSM Engineering Plastics has signed a deal with Mitsubishi Chemical Corp (MCC), which will pave the way for them to exchange their Xantar polycarbonate business for MCC's...
Artek and Aterian to Acquire Chemtura's PVC Additives Unit
Indian Artek Surfin Chemicals and US-based Aterian Investment Partners said they have agreed to acquire the PVC additives business of US-based Chemtura Corporation. The deal includes...
Japan Bank to Fund Lingyou's Polycarbonate Facility
Lingyou Engineering-Plastics (Shanghai) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation have signed a $30m loan agreement to strengthen Mitsubishi Gas Chemical's (MGC) competitiveness in...
Better Sustainability May Increase Cash Flow
Global chemical companies could increase their cash flow by at least €1bn ($1.4bn) if they increase their sustainability performance, a study has found. According to a European...
Shell Starts New Ethylene Cracker in Singapore
Shell has started up its 800,000tpa ethylene cracker in Singapore, the Netherlands-based company said. The new ethylene cracker complex (ECC) is part of Shell Eastern Petrochemicals...
LyondellBasell to Shut Down Italian Polypropylene Plant
LyondellBasell Industries said it will stop the production of polypropylene at Terni, Italy. The Terni plant has a nameplate capacity of 255kt per year and has approximately 120...
Kuwait Launches Olefins II Project
The Olefins II project in the southern Al-Shuaiba Industrial Zone, Kuwait has been inaugurated. The project is a part of the petrochemical complex comprising three main factories, the...
STX to Build $3.2bn Petrochemical Project in Iraq
South Korea's STX Heavy Industries has signed a preliminary deal for a $3.2bn petrochemical project in Basrah, Iraq. The project includes the petrochemical complex and its related facilities. ...
Red Tape Blights Agrochem R&D, Study Says
The costs associated with the discovery, development and registration of new crop pest and disease agents have increased by 68.4% to €189m ($257m) for the last ten years, a new study...
IFDC Initiates Virtual Fertilizer Research Center
IFDC said it is launching a global research initiative Virtual Fertilizer Research Center (VFRC) to create the next generation of fertilisers and production technologies. The world's struggle...
February 2010
Top
Reliance Increases Lyondell Bid to $14.5bn
India's Reliance Industries said it has increased its offer to about $14.5bn from $12–$13.5bn for the debt-ridden chemicals group LyondellBasell. If accepted, the offer will...
Shell Awards Instrument and Electrical Support Services Contract to KBR
The UK's Shell Chemicals has awarded a contract to US firm KBR to provide instrument and electrical support services to its chemical plant in Deer Park, Texas and its refining joint...
Woongjin Chemical Plans Foray into Carbon Fibre Business
Korean's Woongjin Chemical said it will begin production of carbon fibres in 2011 to beat the global market and secure a new growth engine in the higher value-added business. A...
INEOS to Close Barry PVC Facility
UK firm INEOS ChlorVinyls said it will close its PVC production facility in Barry, Wales and combine production at its Runcorn, Cheshire and Newton Aycliffe, County Durham facilities. The...
Braskem and Idesa Set for Mexican Petrochemical Project
Brazil's Braskem and Mexico's Idesa have signed an investment agreement and raw material (ethane) supply agreement with Mexican firm Pemex for setting up a $2.5bn integrated petrochemical...
Chemtura Expands Antioxidants and UV Stabiliser Business
Switzerland's Chemtura Corporation said it has entered into a number of new agreements through its worldwide subsidiaries to increase its capacity of antioxidants and UV stabilisers. The...
Brunei's First Methanol Plant to Open in April
Brunei Methanol Company (BMC) said it will begin production at the first methanol plant in Brunei in the Middle East in April. BMC's Brunei plant is expected to produce 2,500t of...
CNPC and Jiangsu to Build Refinery in Xinjiang
China's CNPC Urumqi Petrochemical and Jinpu Group have entered into a cooperative agreement to establish a CNY830m ($121m) petrochemical material refining project in Urumqi, Xinjiang...
Flint Hills Resources to Demolish Texas Plant
Flint Hills Resources has said it will demolish its closed petrochemical plant in Odessa, Texas, despite local efforts to buy and reopen it. The Koch Industries subsidiary said it will not...
Chemicals Market in PV Cells on the Rise, Finds Report
The market for advanced chemicals and materials used in photovoltaic solar cells and modules will rise 27% to $3.1bn in 2010 and approximately $15bn by 2015, a new report has found. ...
Equate Petrochemicals Profits Drop by 25.3%
Kuwait-based Equate Petrochemicals said its profits for the year 2009 declined by 25.3% due to low demand. The company's profits have fallen for the second year, reports...
PIC Plans to Build Petrochemical Plant
Kuwait's Petrochemical Industries Co (PIC) has announced plans to build a $5bn petrochemical plant. The project is still at a preliminary studies phase and shareholders have not yet...
Aurelius Partners with SNPE to Acquire Isochem
Munich-based Aurelius AG said it has partnered with French state-owned SNPE Group to acquire Isochem. Isochem produces fine chemicals as well as phosgene and phosgene derivatives for clients...
Clariant Chemicals Q4 Profits Soar
Indian firm Clarient Chemicals' profits rose by over 26 times in the final quarter of 2009 to Rs174.40m ($3.8m) from Rs6.60m ($142,884) during the same period in 2008. Net sales for the...
Lotte Chemical Completes Acquisition of Arterius Plant
Korean firm KP Chemical said its British unit, Lotte Chemical UK, has finished acquiring the Arterius plant in Wilton, about 350km north of London, for KRW26bn ($22.4m). The acquisition...
Huntsman's Q4 Volume Rises by 13%
US firm Huntsman said its 2009 fourth-quarter volumes increased 13% compared to the same period in 2008. The fourth-quarter volumes decreased 7% compared to the third quarter of 2009...
India Announces New Fertiliser Subsidy
The Indian Cabinet has accepted a proposal to alter the nature of fertiliser subsidies and offer partial relief for fertiliser prices. Rather than basing it on the nature of the product,...
Taoka Chemical to Double its Indian Plant Capacity
Taoka Chemical India plans to double the capacity of its cyanoacrylate instant adhesive manufacturing plant in Chennai to 1,200t per annum. Under the expansion plan, the company will...
Ethylene Production in Japan Skyrockets
Ethylene production in Japan has increased by 33.7% in January compared to last year's figures, following healthy plastic demand from China, government data shows. Output increased to...
DSM Chemicals Fined for Under-Reporting Toxic Emissions
Augusta-based DSM Chemicals has been fined $171,685 as a permit penalty by the state of Georgia, which is in addition to an $800,000 fine for under-reporting its toxic emissions, according to...
Matix Awards Licensing and Engineering Services Contract to KBR
Indian Matix Fertilisers and Chemicals (MFCL) has awarded a contract to US firm KBR to provide licensing and engineering services for its grassroots 2,200tpd ammonia plant in West Bengal, India. ...
Arch Chemicals Sells Industrial Coatings Business to Sherwin-Williams
Arch Chemicals has signed a definitive agreement to sell its industrial coatings business to US firm The Sherwin-Williams Company for approximately €40m ($54m). The agreement approved...
LyondellBasell Settles Intercreditor Dispute
LyondellBasell said it has reached a settlement with creditors over a lawsuit stemming from its 2007 leveraged buyout to get out of bankruptcy, which creditors said was set up to fail. The...
Mitsubishi Chemical to buy Mitsubishi Rayon
Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings said it will buy all outstanding shares in Mitsubishi Rayon for ¥380 per share until 19 March. The tender offer price of the deal is...
JSC Starts HDPE Plant
Russian JSC Salavatnefteorgsintez has started production at its RUB6.3bn (€1.5bn) HDPE plant in Salavat. The 5.4ha facility is expected to produce 120,000tpa and over 30 different grades...
ZeaChem Develops Bio-Based Acetic Acid
US firm ZeaChem has produced bio-based acetic acid glacial acetic acid, pure enough for sale. Using the broth produced in fermentation runs, the company said it has used an existing...
Calgon Carbon to Buy Out Japanese JV
US firm Calgon Carbon Corporation (CCC) has signed a deal to acquire the shares of Japanese Calgon Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (CMCC) for ¥951m ($10.6m). CMCC is a joint venture between...
Yansab to Start Full Operation in March
Saudi Yanbu National Petrochemical Co (Yansab), in which Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) holds a 51% stake, said it will start full commercial production in March. Yansab has invested...
Oz Authorities Warn on Supplying Unregistered Chemicals
The Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has warned Serve-Ag for supplying and selling two unregistered chemicals. The agricultural advisory company marketed...
SABIC Plans Rushd Affiliate Expansion
Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) is planning to expand its affiliate Arabian Industrial Fibers (Ibn Rushd). Following the expansion, capacity of purified terephthalic acid at...
Buckeye and NOVA Chemicals to Build Mixed NGL Pipeline
US firm Buckeye Partners has signed a deal with Canada's NOVA Chemicals to build a mixed natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline. The pipeline will be built from the Marcellus Basin in...
BA and Solena to Build UK Jet Biofuel Plant
British Airways (BA) and US firm Solena Group have joined forces to set up the first plant in Europe to produce jet fuel from waste matter. Subject to usage certification in the UK, the...
India to Launch Fertiliser Subsidy Scheme
The Indian Government is expected to implement a new fertiliser subsidy policy that could hurt Indian farmers, the director of fertiliser maker IFFCO has announced. Dr US Awasthi said...
Yara to Acquire Terra
Norway's Yara International has signed a cash merger agreement with Terra Industries to expand its reach in the US market. Yara has offered $4.1bn at a price of $41.10 per Terra share as per...
Verenium Launches Xylathin Enzyme
UK firm Verenium has launched a highly active enzyme designed to boost efficient production of fuel ethanol from cereal grains. The enzyme Xylathin is used to reduce mash viscosity by...
HPL Completes Supermax Expansion Project
India's Haldia Petrochemical (HPL) said it has successfully completed its Rs1,230 crore ($265.3m) Supermax expansion project. The expansion project is expected to increase the plant's...
KBR Wins Eleme Technical Deal
Nigeria's Eleme Petrochemicals has awarded a contract to US firm KBR for technology licensing and engineering services to revamp its Port Harcourt, Nigeria ethylene plant. Under the...
Dow Saves on Water Bill with New Cooling Technology
Dow Chemical has saved more than 1 billion gallons of water at its Freeport Texas plant after using new technology for water cooling from Nalco – 3D TRASAR – allowing it to save...
Record Snow Disrupts US Chemical Business
Chemical shipments were disrupted on the US east coast on Friday 13 February, as record heavy snow clogged the roads and rail tracks in the area. Railcar and truck distribution of...
Braskem May Win Approval to Acquire Quattor
Brazil's Braskem could win approval from Brazilian antitrust regulators to buy Quattor Petroquimica. Banco Geracao Futuro investment analyst Lucas Brendler said agency approval will help...
Jayshree Chemicals to Float Rights Issue
S K Bangur group company Jayshree Chemicals will float a rights issue in a ratio of 9:2 to raise funds to part finance an expansion project. A company spokesperson said the issue would be...
BASF Starts Work on Brazil Sodium Methylate Plant
BASF said it has broken ground on its new sodium methylate production plant in Guaratinguetá, Brazil. The plant is expected to produce 60,000tpy with a low double-digit million Euro range...
Destroying Ozone-Depleting Chemicals Benefits Climate
New rules on ozone-depleting substance destruction adopted by the Climate Action Reserve could mean new projects to destroy these chemicals and protect the environment, it has been...
Thai PTT Chemical Shuts Facility After Power Problems
Thailand's PTT Chemical said it has made an unplanned shutdown at its olefins plant due to power problems. It is expected to resume operations at the plant within a week if no major damage...
Five Petrochemical Companies to Invest in Indonesia
The Indonesian Olefin and Plastic Industry Association has said five petrochemical companies plan to invest a sum of $1.12bn this year in Indonesia. With this investment plan, companies...
Infrastructure Development Drives South African Chemicals Market, Says Report
South Africa's chemicals markets remained strong last year following investments in infrastructure towards stadium construction leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, according to a report by...
Hexion to Set Up Plant in Korea
US firm Hexion Specialty Chemicals said it will build a Cardura monomer (a versatic acid derivative) manufacturing plant in Onsan, Korea. The new plant construction was approved by the board...
Iran Starts Six Petrochemical Projects
Six petrochemical projects worth $2bn have been opened at Assaluyeh in the Bushehr province, Iran. The production capacity of the projects will be 3.14 million tonnes a year. The projects...
Kuraray Builds European PVB Resin Production Line
Japan's Kuraray said it has built a new €26m ($35.75m) PVB resin production line at its European subsidiary, Kuraray Europe, Germany. The new production line is expected to add 10,000t...
Karnataka Chemsyn Fined for Dumping Chemical Waste
India's Karnataka Chemsyn has been fined Rs500,000 ($10,717) by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for dumping chemical waste at Srirampura in December 2009. On 29 December,...
Air Quality Could Be Exposed in Major Incidents
Britain's major incident investigation board (MIIB) has recommended the co-ordination of air quality modelling and monitoring data in major air pollution incidents. Following the explosions...
Chemphil and 3G Holdings to Sell Stake in LMG Chemicals
Chemical Industries of the Philippines (Chemphil) and 3G Holdings have entered into an agreement with Sonato for the sale of their respective shareholdings in the Philippine firm LMG Chemicals...
GPIC Plans New Ammonia and Urea Unit
Gulf Petrochemicals Industries (GPIC) said it plans to build a new ammonia and urea production unit in mid-2011. The project has already received board approval and will proceed further if...
Sinopec Expands Qingdao Petrochemical Plant
Sinopec has completed the expansion of its 100,000bpd refinery in eastern Qingdao city, China. The expanded Qingdao petrochemical plant has added 50,000bpd to the existing refining capacity...
Mitsubishi and Asahi Kasei Delay Plant Merger
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings and Asahi Kasei said stalled negotiations will delay the merger of their respective ethylene plants in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The delay is expected to last...
Eastman Chemical to Revive its PET Business
Eastman Chemical said it is planning to revive its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) business. Eastman has had to shut its PET plants because of loss of business in Spain, Rotterdam,...
Dow Chemicals to Close Freeport TDI plant
US firm Dow Chemical said it will permanently shut down its 100-kilotonne-per-year capacity toluene diisocyanate (TDI) production plant in Freeport, Texas. Dow Polyurethanes will work with...
IRPC to Focus on Specialty Chemicals
Integrated Refinery and Petrochemical Complex (IRPC) in Thailand will focus on speciality chemicals as part of a five-year investment plan, the company has announced. IRPC has launched...
Sun Chemical to Move US Operations
US-based Sun Chemical has said it will close the production lines at its Charlotte facility in North Carolina to move its operations to Illinois, US. The production of tobacco inks and...
Lanxess to Build New Formalin Facility
Lanxess is to build a new formalin production facility at its site in Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany. The company said it would invest €18m ($24.6m) for the new building and the...
Kiri Dyes Buys Dystar
India's Kiri Dyes and Chemicals (KDCL) has acquired German-based Dystar for Rs1,300 crore ($278m). The company has secured debt financing from a consortium of banks led by SBI, Exim...
H2O Innovation and Chembond to Target Indian Market
Canada's H2O Innovation has entered into a joint venture with Chembond Chemicals to create a new entity dedicated to providing water treatment systems and maintenance services to the...
LyondellBasell Awards Engineering Services Contract to Jacobs
LyondellBasell has awarded an engineering services contract to Jacobs Engineering Group in support of plant changes and small project work at two of its manufacturing sites in the...
Honam to Expand Naphtha Cracker
Honam Petrochemical has announced its plans to expand its naphtha cracker by 250,000tpa by 31 October 2010. The South Korean company will invest ROK520bn ($453.1m) for the naptha...
Mexichem to Buy INEOS Fluorochemicals Business
INEOS Group said it will sell its fluorochemicals business to Mexichem Fluor. The deal includes fluorochemical production assets and the international business located in North America, Europe...
Bakrie Energy to Invest Billions in Petrochemical Plant
Bakrie Energy International said it will invest $13bn in an Indonesian petrochemical plant over the next six years. The location for the petrochemical plant will be finalised in the third...
Saudi Aramco to Invest More in Petrochemical Projects
Oil major Saudi Aramco has announced big investment plans across oil, gas and petrochemical projects over the next five to six years. Saudi Aramco's chief executive Khalid Al-Fali said that...
Phosphate Australia to Build Transporting Pipeline
Phosphate Australia said a 220km pipeline will be built to transport phosphate as slurry to the Gulf of Carpentaria, for export to Asia. The pipeline is expected to cost about $200m and...
Oz Fire Crews Contain Chemical Spill
Fire crews in Brisbane, Australia, have contained a chemical spill at a commercial processing factory, according to local media reports. Two people were taken to hospital suffering from...
Braskem to Acquire Sunoco Unit
Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem said it will acquire the polypropylene (PP) business from US petrochemicals manufacturer Sunoco Chemicals for $350m in cash. The deal includes Sunoco's...
Hengyang Plans Petrochem Joint Development
Hengyang Petrochemical Logistics has signed an investment agreement with the Chongqing Chemical Park Development in China to develop a petrochemical park. The park will be located in...
PotashCorp Criticises Low BPC Potash Price Settlement
Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PotashCorp) has criticised the potash price finalised by Belarusian Potash (BPC) with Chinese importers for being too low, saying that fertiliser prices...
China Imposes Anti-Dumping Measures on Phenol
China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has extended anti-dumping measures on phenol imported from Japan, South Korea, the US and Taiwan. The decision was taken following a request from the...
EPA Plans Action on Risky Chemicals
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a series of actions, under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), on four different chemicals that raise serious health or...
Chinese Petrochemical Industry on the Rise, Figures Show
The petrochemical industry in China is expected to achieve double-digit growth in output value, revenue and profits this year, according to a spokesperson from the China Petroleum and...
Cosan to Merge Ethanol Business with Shell
Cosan and Royal Dutch Shell have entered into a $12bn agreement to merge ethanol and fuels distribution units across Brazil. Under the agreement, Brazil's ethanol and sugar processor Cosan...
Nalco and Protea Join to Target Africa's Water Treatment Market
Nalco has entered into a joint venture (JV) with Africa's Protea Chemicals, a division of the Omnia Group, to re-enter the water and process treatment markets of southern Africa. The new...
K-Plant Signs KBR Subsidiary for Turkmenistan's Mary Project
KBR's MW Kellogg (MWKL) and Kawasaki Plant Systems (K-Plant) have signed a licence agreement and basic engineering design agreement for the Mary Project in Turkmenistan. Under the...
Dow Chemical to Expand Plastic Films Capacity
US diversified chemical company Dow Chemical is planning to invest $8m to increase the production of speciality plastic films used in solar energy modules. Polyolefin-based films produced at...
MHTL New Ammonia Plant Starts Production
Methanol Holdings Trinidad (MHTL) said its Trinidad and Tobago petrochemical plant has begun producing liquid fertiliser UAN. The plant, which is in the second stage of a $1.7bn ammonia,...
PTT Chemicals to Expand
Thai petrochemical company PTT Chemicals plans to expand in neighbouring countries, focusing on the gas and plastics fields. PTT Chemical has also expanded its petrochemical business...
DSM and Novomer to Develop CO2-based Aliphatic Polycarbonates
Dutch company Royal DSM has entered into an agreement with US firm Novomer to jointly develop a coating resin using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a raw material. The joint development project will...
January 2010
Top
Lotte Acquires Artenius Assets
KP Chemical subsidiary Lotte Chemical UK said it has entered into a deal to buy assets from Artenius UK. The deal, subject to European Commission competition clearance, will include...
Gavilon Fertilizer Opens French Business
US firm Gavilon Fertilizer said it has started operations at its new premises in France. Gavilon France SAS said it has started selling and distributing granular urea and UAN solution, as...
PTT Chemical and GE Sign Service Deal
Thailand's PTT Chemical has signed a THB1,521m ($46.1m), 13-year contractual service agreement (CSA) with GE to ensure the long-term reliability of gas turbines. Under the agreement,...
Bunge Sells Brazil Fertiliser Business to Vale
US company Bunge said it has entered into a definitive agreement with Brazilian mining company Vale to sell its fertiliser nutrient assets in Brazil for $3.8bn in cash. Under the agreement,...
Toxic Chemical Deca Production to End by 2013
A toxic flame-retardant chemical, decabromodiphenyl ether (Deca), will no longer be produced for use in consumer products in the next several years, the US Environmental Protection Agency...
Chemical Emissions Fall in China
Emissions of major pollutant sulphur dioxide fell in China in 2009 by 10.4% compared to 2008 and by 24.6% compared to 2005, Environmental Protection Minister Zhou Shengxian has said. ...
Qatar Petrochemical Production to Surge by 2012
Petrochemical production in Qatar is expected to increase to 19 million tonnes a year by 2012, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah has...
Mitsui and Nabaa to Build $20bn Petrochemical Complex
Japan's Mitsui & Co and Saudi Arabia's Nabaa Industrial Development and Investment Co plan to set up a $20bn petrochemical complex in Yanbu, Al Batinah, Oman. A final investment decision on...
DINA-Petrokemija Croatia Production Begins
Croatian petrochemicals company DINA-Petrokemija has started work on a polyethylene plant after an €18m ($35m) expansion, in Omisalj on northern Krk Island. The upgraded plant is...
Lanxess Builds German Chemicals Plant
Speciality chemicals company Lanxess AG said it is building a new €30m ($42m) chemical plant at its site in Bitterfeld, Germany. The plant is expected to develop and produce...
Arkema Acquires Dow Assets
Diversified chemicals manufacturer Arkema has acquired some of The Dow Chemical Company's acrylic acid, esters and speciality latex assets for $50m. The acrylic acid and esters business in...
Braskem Aquires Quattor
Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem has entered into an investment agreement with Brazilian companies Odebrecht, Petrobrás and Unipar to acquire Quattor for R$700m ($385m). Under...
Air Products Q1 Profit Rises
US firm Air Products and Chemicals said its fiscal 2010 first-quarter net income has increased to $252m or $1.16 a share, from $69m or 32 cents a share a year ago. Air products reported...
US Toxins Law Reform Necessary, says Report
Strong scientific evidence that chemicals are contributing to serious health problems and congressional reform of toxins law could save billions in healthcare costs, a report has found. ...
DuPont Belle Plant Shuts for Safety
Officials at the DuPont plant in Belle, West Virginia, US are planning to shut down parts of the plant temporarily to check for "safety issues" following a series of incidents at the...
China Agrees to Joint Venture Refinery
China's National Development & Reform Commission has given approval for a joint venture refinery between CNPC and Venezuela's PDVSA. The approval allows the firms to undertake...
Eastman Buys Chinese Speciality Polymers Facility
US chemical company Eastman has acquired Chinese speciality polymers manufacturing facility Tongxiang Xinglong Fine Chemical. The acquisition is expected to support Eastman's...
Nigerian State Sets Up Modern Fertiliser Industry
The Nigerian state of Anambra and the National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT) have joined forces to set up a fertiliser industry in Awka South. Anambra state governor...