Mobile Navigation

Business & Economics

U.S. specialty chemical markets ease to close 3rd quarter, ACC says

The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes ended the third quarter on soft note, falling 0.1 percent in September after rising 0.2 percent in August. Of the 28 specialty chemical segments that…

LanzaTech wins the 2019 Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award

The 45th Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award was presented on Wednesday, October 23 to LanzaTech for its Gas Fermentation Technology, which converts carbon-rich gas streams to products using proprietary microbes that feed on gases rather than sugars, as in traditional…

2019 CEPCI Updates: August (prelim.) and July (final)

The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) for August 2019 decreased from the previous month’s value. The decline is the sixth within the last seven months. While the Construction Labor subindex rose in…

Member Exclusive

October 2019 Plant Watch

Plant Watch Total-Corbion JV inaugurates PLA bioplastics plant in Thailand September 13, 2019 — Total Corbion PLA, a 50/50 joint venture (JV) between Total S.A. (Paris, France; www.total.com) and Corbion N.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.corbion.com), has inaugurated its polylactic acid…

Member Exclusive

Technology Profile: Production of 2-propylheptanol

This column is based on “2-Propylheptanol Production Process - Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/2-propylheptanol-production-cost. Also known as 2-PH and 2-propylheptyl alcohol, 2-propylheptanol is a branched fatty alcohol, primarily used in the production…

Data Analytics: Creating An Analytics-Enabled Workforce

New self-service data analytics tools allow plants to create an analytics-enabled workforce that can readily address production issues and continuously improve processes The specialty chemicals sector of the chemical process industries (CPI) is highly complex, from both a production and…

U.S. chemical production fell in August, ACC says

According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) fell 0.3 percent in August following revised declines of 0.7 percent in July and 0.6 percent in June. During August, chemical output…

Emerson adds Digital Transformation Business

Global engineering and technology company Emerson (St. Louis, Mo.; www.emerson.com) announced yesterday that it has established a dedicated organization focused on digital transformation technologies and programs. The new Digital Transformation business – announced at the annual Emerson Global Users Exchange…

Chemical Activity Barometer rises in Sept., ACC says

The Chemical Activity Barometer, a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), was up 0.1 percent in September on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a 0.1 percent decline in August and gains…

U.S. specialty chemicals markets rebounded in August, ACC says

Reflecting a rebound of manufacturing production, U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes rose 0.2 percent in August after falling 0.1 percent in July, rising 0.2 percent in June and a generally weak early 2019, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC;…