Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com), a world leader in specialty chemicals, today announced the official opening of two new, fully-owned additives facilities at its site in Zhenjiang, China. This completes a multi-million CHF investment originally announced last year and puts Clariant’s…
Following a mixed year in 2017, the foundation is set for better performance by the U.S. chemical industry in 2018, according to the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) Mid-Year 2018 Chemical Industry Situation and Outlook. Strong global growth prospects, rising exports,…
Data collected and tabulated by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) show that the global chemical industry started the second quarter on a good note. ACC’s Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) shows that global chemicals production…
This column is based on the report “Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate Production – Cost Analysis,” published by Intratec. It can be found at the following URL: www.intratec.us/analysis/sles-e11a. Sodium lauryl ether sulfate (also known as SLES and sodium laureth sulfate) is…
Plant Watch Total and Sonatrach begin engineering studies for joint petrochemicals project May 11, 2018 — Total S.A. (Paris, France; www.total.com) and Sonatrach (Algiers, Algeria; www.sonatrach.com) will launch engineering studies for a petrochemical project in Arzew, Algeria. The project includes…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemical market volumes started the 2nd quarter of 2018 on a strong note, increasing 0.9 percent in April after an upwardly revised 0.5 percent gain in March and…
The preliminary value for the March 2018 CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; most recent available) increased compared to the previous month’s value, continuing a string of monthly increases since the beginning of the year. And for the second consecutive month,…
Data collected and tabulated by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) show that the global chemical industry ended the first quarter on a soft note. The ACC’s Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) shows that global chemicals…
The following recently published titles may be relevant for chemical process industries (CPI) professionals: Biomass as Renewable Raw Material to Obtain Bioproducts of High-Tech Value. Edited by Valentin Popa and Irina Volf, Elsevier Press, 2018, e-book, $31.50 per chapter. Dealing…
Much is being said and written about the changes taking place in today's workforce. The conversation is often about the difficulty in finding and retaining talent, concerns about losing legacy knowledge as people retire, and the differences in work culture…