The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) today announced the opening of a new world-class polyol plant for rigid polyurethane foam in Rayong, Thailand. The facility increases the company’s capacity to offer high-quality insulation materials and solutions with reliable, energy-efficient…
The preliminary value for the September 2018 CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; most recent available) increased compared to the previous month’s value, continuing an upward trend that has been in place throughout 2018. The final August numbers were revised upwardly…
Oxiteno (São Paulo, Brazil; www.oxiteno.com), a leader in the manufacture of surfactants and specialty chemicals, celebrated the official opening of its first alkoxylation plant in Pasadena, Texas, on November 14th. This unit, planned to support mainly U.S. customers, has annual…
The Fluid Sealing Association (FSA; Wayne, Pa.; www.fluidsealing.com) is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert (Rob) S. Coffee as President of the Association. He is currently the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Proco Products, Inc., in Stockton,…
Honeywell (Morris Plains, N.J.; www.honeywell.com) today announced that Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd. will use the Honeywell Connected Plant Process Reliability Advisor to provide prescriptive monitoring of its UOP C3 Oleflex unit at its plant in Shandong Province in Eastern…
The following recently published books are relevant to the chemical process industries (CPI): Membrane-Based Salinity Gradient Processes for Water Treatment and Power Generation. Edited by Sarper Sarp and Nidal Hilal, Elsevier Press, 2018, 366 pages, $187.00. Bow Ties in Risk…
Research and development in the brewing industry is peaking, driven by efforts to improve quality, efficiency and sustainability Within the chemical process industries (CPI), the brewing industry is among the sectors with the deepest historical roots and the most entrenched…
Plant Watch Covestro to invest €1.5 billion in new, world-scale MDI plant in Baytown October 9, 2018 — Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) approved an investment of around €1.5 billion to build a new methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) plant in…
While it may not be obvious to the average driver, the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads is increasing rapidly, and correspondingly, the number of available charging stations is also growing. Worldwide, about two million electric cars were…
This column is based on “Bio-Butanediol Production from Glucose,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/butanediol-production-cost. Butanediol (BDO) refers to all butylene glycol isomers. The most common isomer — 1,4-butanediol — is a versatile intermediate chemical…