Understanding project risks is critical to arriving at useful cost estimates. Since each capital project in the chemical process industries (CPI) is somewhat unique, it can be difficult for engineers and project leaders to price risks in their estimates and…
This column is based on “Polypropylene Carbonate Production – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/polypropylene-carbonate-production-cost. Polypropylene carbonate (PPC) is a thermoplastic polymer produced from the catalyzed copolymerization of carbon dioxide (CO2) and propylene…
The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), rose by 2.5 percent in August on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a 3.0 percent gain in July. On…
According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) rose by 0.8 percent in July following a 1.6 percent decline in June and a 2.0 percent decline in May. During July,…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that with continued recovery in the U.S. economy, U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes rebounded by 1.9 percent in July, off from a strong revised 4.6 percent gain in June, a revised…
The following is a list of recently published books with relevance to the chemical process industries (CPI): Trevor Kletz Compendium: How his Best Process Stories are Still Relevant Today. Andy Brazier, Fiona MacLeod, David Edwards and others, Elsevier Press, 2020,…
On this edition of the CE Podcast, senior editor Scott Jenkins talks to Hannah Davis, the blockchain project lead at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). She provides an explanation of what blockchain is, and describes use cases that are…
On this edition of the Chemical Engineering Podcast, senior editor Scott Jenkins talks to Jan Haemer and Bhavin Manjee, two partners at the industry consulting firm Simon-Kucher & Partners. We discuss commercial challenges facing the chemical industry and how some…
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for June 2020 (the most recent available) decreased compared to the previous month’s value, following a similar decline in April and May. The lower value for the Equipment subindex in…
Nouryon to build TBHP/TBA plant in Ningbo July 8, 2020 — Nouryon (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.nouryon.com) will start development of a new manufacturing facility at its site in Ningbo, China to produce two key intermediates for its organic peroxides business…