Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. (MCC; Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan; www.m-chemical.co.jp) announced yesterday that it has decided to end methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer and methacrylic acid (MAA) production at the Beaumont, Tex. site of Lucite International, Inc., a subsidiary of MCC and close…
In this CE Voices video interview, Chemical Engineering senior editor Scott Jenkins talks with Wood Mackenzie VP for Chemicals and Polymers (Asia-Pacific region) Steven Jenkins about a recent opinion piece written by the Wood Mackenzie VP on industry collaboration and…
Last year, this column addressed hydrogen’s potential for playing a significant role in the global search for clean, secure energy sources. This year, the interest in hydrogen has ramped up with a striking number of plans for and developments in…
Plant Watch Solvay inaugurates second bio-based solvent plant in Brazil October 15, 2020 — Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) inaugurated its second manufacturing plant in Brazil for its bio-based solvent marketed under the name Augeo. Installed in the company’s industrial…
The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), rose 0.9 percent in October on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis, a marked deceleration from the 1.5 percent gain in…
According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) rose 0.8 percent in September, following a 0.8 percent gain in August and a 1.0 percent increase in July. During September, chemical…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) today reported that with the recovery in the U.S. economy slowing, U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes were stable in September, off from a revised (and stronger) 0.9 percent gain in August and…
The following titles are recently published books of potential interest to various parts of the chemical process industries (CPI) Human Factor and Reliability Analysis to Prevent Losses in Industrial Processes: An Operational Culture Perspective. By Salvador Avila Filho, Ivone Conceicao…
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for August 2020 (the most recent data available) increased by a small margin compared to the previous month’s value. It was the second straight increase after a three-month period of…
Monolith Materials (Lincoln, Neb.; www.monolithmaterials.com), a leader in clean energy and chemical production, today announced it plans to use its proprietary process to produce approximately 275,000 metric tons per year of carbon-free anhydrous ammonia in the United States. Current ammonia…