Huntsman Corporation (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.huntsman.com) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Tecnoelastomeri, a manufacturer and marketer of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) based hot-cast elastomer systems and processing machines, based in Modena, Italy. 2014 sales revenue for…
Specialty chemical market volumes in the U.S. fell by 0.8% in May, continuing a series of declines since December of last year, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com).…
The preliminary value for the April 2015 CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) continued the trend of small monthly declines since the beginning of the year. The April CEPCI is 1.8% lower than the corresponding value from…
These tips, based on experience, can help engineers keep on top of their many tasks It is not uncommon for engineers to be working on multiple projects at the same time. Have you been in a situation where project priorities…
The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) was flat in April, following upwardly revised flat growth in March and a 0.2% gain in February, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC;…
The preliminary value for the March 2015 CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) once again declined from the previous month's value, and remains 0.5% lower than the corresponding value from a year ago at the same time.…
Citing data from the U.S. Federal Reserve (Washington, D.C.; www.federalreserve.gov), the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) says chemical production (excluding pharmaceuticals) rose in April in the U.S by 0.3%. The gain for April follows a 0.4% rise in…
U.S. production of major plastic resins totaled 6.7 billion pounds during March 2015, a 5.1% increase over the same month last year, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com).…
Hydrogen (H2) is an important chemical feedstock, mainly applied in the manufacture of ammonia and methanol, and for hydroprocessing operations in petroleum refineries. Also, since H2 is an energy carrier, it has been considered for stationary power and transportation applications.…
Prudent planning and scheduling during a project’s front end can lead to more expedient commissioning and startup activities The cost of starting up large new facilities in the chemical process industries (CPI; Figure 1) is a significant element in a…