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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,…

U.S. chemical production ends 2020 on a high note, ACC says

The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI), rose 1.2% in December, following a 0.6% gain in November and a 1.2% increase in October, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). During December, chemical output grew in…

Diamond Green Diesel to proceed with construction of renewable diesel plant

Darling Ingredients Inc. (Irving, Tex.; www.darlingii.com) and Valero Energy Corp. (San Antonio, Tex.; www.valero.com) jointly announced today that their 50/50 joint venture, Diamond Green Diesel (DGD), has received approval from both companies' boards of directors to proceed with the construction…

Chemical Activity Barometer rises in January, 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 1.5% in January on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a 1.3% increase in December. On a year-over-year (Y/Y)…

SABIC and Plastic Energy to begin construction on plastic recycling facility in the Netherlands

In a development toward a circular economy for plastics, SABIC (Jubail, Saudi Arabia; www.sabic.com) and Plastic Energy Ltd. (London, U.K.; www.plasticenergy.com) are set to commence construction on the first commercial unit to produce its flagship certified circular polymers, part of…

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

The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; top) for November 2020 (the most recent available) increased compared to the previous month’s value. The increase for November is the second consecutive monthly increase, and this month’s rise is…

Recently Published Books for the CPI: January 2021

The following is a list of recently published books of potential interest for CPI professionals   Digital Transformation for the Process Industries: A Roadmap. By Osvaldo Bascur and PJ O’Rourke, CRC Press, 2021, 320 pages, $130.00. Data Science in Chemistry:…

The 2021 Kirkpatrick Award: Call for nominations

Since 1933, Chemical Engineering has honored noteworthy chemical engineering technologies that have advanced to the commercialization phase. These technologies generally seek to develop new processes or improve current ones, often with targets of better efficiency, new or improved products and…