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BASF inaugurates new production plant for mobile-emissions catalysts in Poland

BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has inaugurated its new production plant for mobile emissions catalysts in Sroda Slaska, a Special Economic Zone near Wroclaw, Poland. The grand-opening event was attended by a number of national and local government officials, including…

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Evonik builds dispersant plant in Essen  

Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) is building a new production plant for polymer dispersants at the Goldschmidtstrasse site in Essen. The specialty chemicals company is thus investing an amount in the double-digit-million-euro range and is tripling its global capacity…

Stepan to acquire Procter & Gamble’s sulfonation production facility in Brazil

Stepan Co. (Northfield, Ill.; www.stepan.com), through its subsidiary in Brazil, has reported that it has reached an agreement with Procter & Gamble do Brasil S.A. to acquire their sulfonation production facility in Bahia, Brazil subject to approval by the Brazilian…

3M to take full ownership of Sumitomo JV

3M (St. Paul, Minn.; www.3m.com) announced that it will acquire, through Sumitomo 3M, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.’s 25% percent interest in Sumitomo 3M Ltd. for approximately $885 million. Upon completion of the cash transaction, 3M will own 100% of Sumitomo…

Evonik invests in California-based startup Biosynthetic Technologies

Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) has closed on an equity investment in Biosynthetic Technologies, LLC (BT; Irvine, Calif.; www.biosynthetic.com), a specialist in biobased lubricants. BT has developed and manufactures a new class of bio-based synthetic oils called estolides that…

Celanese expanding manufacturing capabilities in Brazil

Celanese Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.celanese.com) has announced that it will expand its manufacturing capabilities at the company’s Suzano, Brazil, facility to include Celstran long-fiber reinforced thermoplastics (LFRT) production. The Celstran expansion is expected to be operational by mid-2015. This new…

Albemarle to acquire Rockwood for $6.2 billion

Albemarle Corp. (Baton Rouge, La.; www.albemarle.com) and Rockwood Holdings, Inc. have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Albemarle will acquire all outstanding shares of Rockwood in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $6.2…

Evonik and GCL-Poly to establish silica JV in China

Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) and Jiangsu Zhongneng Polysilicon Technology Development Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Limited (GCL-Poly), have signed a letter of intent to establish a joint venture for the production of fumed…

EuroChem launches production of phosphate ore in Kazakhstan

EuroChem (Moscow, Russia; www.eurochem.ru) has announced the launch of phosphate ore production at the Kok-Jon phosphate rock deposit in the Jambyl region, Kazakhstan. The EuroChem project in Kazakhstan has already produced around 20,000 metric tons (m.t.) of phosphate ore, which…

Elevance and Genting Plantations collaborate on new biorefinery in Malaysia

Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. (Woodridge, Ill.; www.elevance.com) has announced a new collaboration with Genting Plantations Berhad through Genting Integrated Biorefinery Sdn Bhd (GIB), to be located in the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia.   The…