Mobile Navigation

Business & Economics

U.S. specialty chemicals market ends Q1 on a soft note, ACC says

The Specialty Chemicals Market Volume Index, a tool created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) ended the first quarter of 2016 on a soft note, slipping 0.1 percent on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis in March…

Solenis to acquire Lostris International and Wester Blend

Specialty chemicals maker Solenis LLC (Wilmington, Del.; www.solenis.com) today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire the shares in Lostris International B.V. and Wester Blend B.V., privately-held companies primarily focused on supplying specialty chemicals to the pulp and…

Industrial production falls in March, but chemical production rises, ACC says

Overall industrial production declined 0.6% in March, but the chemical industry was one of few industry sectors experiencing production growth, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). While the…

Calgon Carbon to acquire activated carbon and filter aid business of CECA

Calgon Carbon Corporation (Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.calgoncarbon.com) announced today that it has made a binding offer to acquire the wood-based activated carbon, reactivation and mineral-based filtration media business of CECA. The transaction is valued at €145.5 million ($160.1 million) which includes…

Vertellus completes expansion for DEET capacity

Vertellus Specialties (Indianapolis, Ind.; www.vertellus.com), a global manufacturer of fine and specialty chemicals, has expanded DEET (diethyl toluamide) production capacity at its Greensboro, N.C. site. Initiated in January 2016, the completed expansion boosts DEET production capacity by 80%.  DEET is…

BOC gases and ITM Power sign hydrogen refueling and siting agreement

BOC (London, U.K.; www.boconline.com), the UK’s largest supplier of industrial gases, has announced that it has signed an agreement with ITM Power, the energy storage and clean fuel company, to provide infrastructure for ITM Power’s new electrolyzer-based hydrogen refueling stations…

Startup of new purified terephthalic acid line in China

INVISTA Performance Technologies (IPT; Shanghai, China; www.ipt.invista.com) and China Prosperity (Jiangyin) Petrochemical Company Limited (also referred to as Hanbang Petrochemical) announced successful start-up of China Prosperity’s second PTA (purified terephthalic acid) line. On-spec product was achieved within 24 hours of…

Additive manufacturing industry surpasses $5.1 billion, Wohlers report says

Wohlers Associates, Inc. (Fort Collins, Colo.; www.wohlersassociates.com), recognized widely as the leading consulting firm and preeminent authority on additive manufacturing and 3-D printing worldwide, today announced the publication of the Wohlers Report 2016. The 2016 edition marks the 21st consecutive…

ADM to sell sugarcane ethanol operations in Brazil

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM; Chicago, Ill.; www.adm.com) announced today that it has reached an agreement to sell its sugarcane ethanol operations in Limeira do Oeste, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, to JFLim Participações S.A. “We regularly review…

Endress + Hauser completes takeover of Analytik Jena

Swiss measurement and automation engineering specialist Endress+Hauser (Reinach, Switzerland; www.us.endress.com) has completed the takeover of German analytical instrumentation provider Analytik Jena (Jena, Germany; www.analtik-jena.de). The remaining minority shares of Analytik Jena were legally transferred to Endress+Hauser on 30 March 2016…