Business & Economics
ACC Chemical Industry Outlook predicts slower growth amid headwinds
U.S. chemical production expanded at a slower pace in 2019 due to trade challenges and slower growth in several key end-use markets for chemistry, according to the American Chemistry Council's (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) Year-End 2019 Chemical Industry Situation and…
Standard Lithium to commission Li-extraction demonstration plant
Standard Lithium Ltd. (Vancouver, B.C.; www.standardlithium.com), a technology and lithium development company, today announced the successful installation of the company’s industrial-scale Direct Lithium Extraction Demonstration Plant at Lanxess’ South Plant facility in southern Arkansas. Standard Lithium’s project team has also…
Pursuing the potential of hydrogen
Hydrogen’s potential for playing a significant role in the global search for clean, secure energy sources is garnering much attention from a growing number of industries and governments. Driven by concerns about climate change, investors as well as policy makers…
Plant Watch: December 2019
Plant Watch Wacker starts up new silicon-metal production plant in Norway November 15, 2019 — Wacker Chemie AG’s (Munich, Germany; www.wacker.com) new silicon-metal production plant officially went on stream at the Holla site in Norway, following over two years of…
Workforce 4.0: The Human Side of Digital Transformation
As chemical process industries (CPI) companies continue to experiment with, invest in, and implement a host of digitalization tools, workforce engagement and involvement is the key determinant of success Chemical process industries (CPI) companies are entering a critical stage in…
Technology Profile: Ethylene oxide production from ethylene
This column is based on “Ethylene Oxide Production from Ethylene – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/ethylene-oxide-production-cost. Ethylene oxide (also known as EO, oxirane and epoxyethane) is the simplest cyclic ether. Because it…
Interpreting Normalized Profitability Metrics
Normalized profitability metrics provide a basis for comparing the efficiency of capital investments, but they are often misunderstood. New interpretations of these metrics can help engineers to make more informed decisions In a financial sense, a large capital project can…
Chemical Activity Barometer is stable in November, ACC says
The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB) a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), was stable (0.0 percent change) in November on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a 0.3 percent decline in October.…
U.S. specialty chemical markets soft at Q4 start, ACC says
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes started the fourth quarter on a mixed note, with no change in October. Of the 28 specialty chemical segments ACC monitors, 14 expanded in October,…
ACC announces initial TSCA risk-evaluation consortia
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) today announced the formation of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Risk Evaluation Consortia to inform the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) risk evaluation of five chemicals: 1,3-butadiene, 1,4-dichlorobenzene (p-DCB), formaldehyde, phthalic anhydride, and…