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…
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…
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…
As we continue to bring a variety of articles and news to the pages of Chemical Engineering, we also offer a growing online presence with additional resources for our readers to stay in touch with what is going on in…
Plant Watch Braskem begins commercial production at La Porte PP plant September 11, 2020 — Braskem America (Philadelphia, Pa.; www.braskem.com) launched commercial production at its new polypropylene (PP) production line in La Porte, Tex., which has a production capacity of…