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U.S. chemical industry set to outpace overall U.S. economic growth, ACC year-end outlook says

Despite facing global headwinds, the American chemical industry expanded at a healthy 2.0% growth rate in 2014, and is expected to reach a 3.7% gain in output in 2015, before hitting 3.9% in 2016, according to the Year End 2014…

Evonik starts up production facilities for crosslinking activators

Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) has started up two new plant units for the production of crosslinking activators at its multi-user site in Wesseling. With triallyl cyanurate (TAC) and triallyl isocyanurate (TAICROS), the company now offers two high-quality crosslinking activators…

Teijin begins OEM production of new phosphorus flame retardant  

Teijin Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; www.teijin.com) says that mass production of its new phosphorus flame retardant FCX-210 began at a 1,000-tons-per-annum plant operated by chemical manufacturer Chitec Technology (Taipei, Taiwan) on November 25. Teijin is developing FCX-210 applications for enhanced safety…

Bayer MaterialScience inaugurates TDI plant in Dormagen

Bayer MaterialScience AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.materialscience.bayer.de) has successfully concluded a major capital expenditure project in Germany. The company brought an ultra-efficient and resource-conserving world-scale plant for the production of the chemical toluene diisocyanate (TDI), a main component in high-quality foams,…

Solvay to acquire Brazilian specialty-esters manufacturer Dhaymers

Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) announced that it is acquiring Dhaymers, a Brazilian manufacturer of specialty esters, entering the skincare market and expanding its presence in industrial lubricants and mining industries in Latin America.            …

Air Liquide breaks ground on new ASU in Texas

Air Liquide’s (Paris, France; www.airliquide.com) Large Industries U.S. LP group hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new air-separation unit (ASU) that will produce oxygen, nitrogen and argon at its production facility in Port Neches, Tex. The new ASU will produce…

Total Energy Ventures invests in Solidia’s sustainable cement technology

Total Energy Ventures (TEV), the venture capital arm of Total S.A. (Paris, France; www.total.com), is investing in Solidia Technologies (Piscataway, N.J.; www.solidiatech.com), which has developed a process that uses carbon dioxide to manufacture sustainable cement and concrete.   Solidia has…

Rivertop Renewables to build first commercial plant

Rivertop Renewables (Missoula, Mont.; www.rivertop.com) has begun construction of its first commercial plant, located at DanChem Technologies, Inc.’s (DTI, www.danchemtechnology.com) facility in Danville, Virginia. DTI, a custom manufacturer of fine and specialty chemical products, is expected to begin production of…

Outotec to revamp, upgrade copper smelter and sulfuric acid plant in Chile  

Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.outotec.com) has been awarded a contract to revamp and upgrade the Potrerillos copper smelter and sulfuric acid plant of Codelco Salvador Division in northern Chile, in order to comply with the new Chilean environmental regulations that…

Indorama to acquire manufacturing operations from Performance Fibers Asia

Indorama Ventures Public Co. Ltd. (IVL; Bangkok, Thailand; www.indorama.net) has announced the acquisition of all Asian manufacturing operations of Performance Fibers Asia (PF Asia) and the right to continue using the name Performance Fibers. IVL will acquire PF Asia from…