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Calling all experts

Do your colleagues often come to you with questions about a particular topic? Do you find yourself assigned to certain types of projects? Do others seek career advice from you? These are all signals that you are an expert in…

U.S. specialty chemical markets expand in January, ACC says

The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes rose 1.2% in January, accelerating slightly from a 1.0% gain in December. Of the 28 specialty chemical segments that ACC monitors, 19 expanded in January,…

Bookshelf March 2021: Recently Published Books for the CPI

The following is a list of recently published books that may be relevant for professionals in the chemical process industries (CPI) Digital Transformation for the Process Industries: A Roadmap. By Osvaldo Bascur (edited by Jim O’Rourke), CRC Press, 2021, 320…

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Business News: March 2021

Plant Watch Austria’s largest green-hydrogen plant being constructed at OMV refinery February 16, 2021 — OMV AG (Vienna, Austria; www.omv.com) and infrastructure bank Kommunalkredit Austria AG announced a joint €25-million investment in the construction of Austria’s largest electrolysis plant at…

Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB) rises in Feb., ACC says

The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), rose 1.0% in February on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a 1.8% increase in January. On a year-over-year (Y/Y)…

2020 CEPCI Updates: December (prelim.) and November (final)

The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for December 2020 (the most recent available) shows a pronounced increase from the previous month’s value. The current increase is the third consecutive monthly increase, although the November value was…

Eastman starts up new dimethylaminoethanol unit in China

Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.; www.eastman.com) is pleased to announce the recent startup of its new dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) unit at its Nanjing, China site. The addition will significantly increase the company’s DMAE capacity, support additional sales in Asia, and further…

Addressing climate change

In a report 1 issued by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE; www.aceee.org), one of the key summary points is that industrial decarbonization is essential to fighting climate change. The report states that the industrial sector accounts for…

Plant Watch: February 2021

Plant Watch Linde to build world’s largest PEM electrolyzer in Germany January 14, 2021 — Linde plc (Guildford, U.K.; www.linde.com) will build, own and operate the world’s largest proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer plant at the Leuna Chemical Complex in Germany.…

U.S. specialty chemical markets expand in December, ACC says

U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes expanded by 1.2% in December following an upwardly-revised 0.6% gain in November, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). Of the 28 specialty chemical segments monitored by ACC, 23 expanded in December,…