The preliminary value for the May CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) rose 0.1% from the final April value, after a slightly larger rise the previous month. All subcategories of the index saw slight increases, except for…
Plant Watch ExxonMobil invests in new delayed coker unit at Belgium refinery July 7, 2014 — An affiliate of ExxonMobil (Irving, Tex., www.exxonmobil.com), Esso Belgium, a division of ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical B.V.B.A., plans to install a new delayed coker…
Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) has signed a binding agreement to sell its sulfuric acid virgin production and regeneration business Eco Services to affiliates of CCMP Capital Advisors, LLC. “The divestment of Eco Services is another step in Solvay’s…
Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; Tokyo, Japan; www.sdk.co.jp) has decided to acquire a high-purity chlorine business in Taiwan, in order to strengthen its special-material gas business. Taiwan Showa Chemicals Manufacturing Co. (TSCM), a subsidiary of SDK, has come to a general…
Mitsubishi Rayon Co. (MRC; Tokyo, Japan; www.mrc.co.jp) has executed a share sales and purchase agreement by which MRC will acquire 51% of Wethje Holding GmbH, a German company engaged in manufacturing of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) parts for automobile applications,…
Aveva (Cambridge, U.K.; www.aveva.com) has launched AVEVA Information Standards Manager (AVEVA ISM), a software product that enables both EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) contractors and asset owner operators to achieve greater control over critical engineering information across their projects and enterprises. It…
AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) has partnered with the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (Seris) at the National University of Singapore in order to explore less costly ways of producing high-efficiency silicon-wafer solar cells. AkzoNobel's High Purity Metalorganics (HPMO)…
ABB (Zurich, Switzerland; www.abb.com) has announced that it is collaborating with Renewable Algal Energy, LLC (RAE; Johnson City, Tenn.; www.rae-energy.com) on the commercialization of integrated algal production systems that will produce algaeâ€based products for the nutraceutical, animal nutrition, and renewable…
M&G Chemicals (Luxembourg; www.mg-chemicals.com) has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary M&G International S.à.r.l has entered into a joint venture (JV) with Anhui Guozhen Co. The JV company, called Anhui M&G Guozhen Green Refinery Co., will employ PROESA process…
Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.outotec.com) has purchased the assets of Kalogeo Anlagenbau GmbH (Leobersdorf, Austria) after the company became insolvent. Kalogeo has provided solutions for biomass, sludge and wastewater treatment and designed, built and operated several mid-size thermal sludge-treatment plants…