Chemical Engineering
BASF inaugurates $1-billion MDI plant in Geismar, Louisiana
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) announced the inauguration of its new methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) production facility at the company's Verbund site in Geismar, Louisiana. The ceremony marks the on-time completion of BASF's largest wholly owned investment project to date in…
BATF, Synthomer form JV for coalescing agents and powder coating resins
BATF Group Co., Ltd. (Foshan, China) and Synthomer plc (London) announced that they have signed an agreement to establish a strategic partnership for the specialty coatings market. The two companies will cooperate through a joint venture company (JV Company) based…
Umicore to invest €450 million in precious metals refining expansion
Umicore N.V. (Brussels, Belgium) is taking further steps to strengthen its long-term competitiveness, combining investment in its Precious Metals Refining flowsheet in Hoboken, Belgium, with proposed changes to strengthen its operating model. Together, these initiatives support performance and strengthen the…
Denka to spin off styrene businesses into new company, Node Chemical
Denka Co., Ltd. (Tokyo) said its board of directors approved plans on Nov. 9 to establish Node Chemical Co., Ltd. (Tokyo), a wholly owned subsidiary that will take over the styrene-related businesses of Denka’s Polymer Solutions Division. The new firm…
BASF to sell mining solutions business to SNF
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) has signed an agreement to sell its mining solutions business to SNF Group S.A. (Andrézieux-Bouthéon, France). SNF is a privately held specialty chemical company. The divestment of BASF's mining business follows a comprehensive strategic review within…
Mitsui Chemicals to acquire JSR Corp. for $11.6 billion
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo) has signed an agreement to acquire JSR Corp. (Tokyo), a developer and manufacturer of semiconductor materials including photoresists, from investment funds managed by JIC Capital, Ltd. (Tokyo). The transaction, valued at ¥1.84 trillion ($11.6 billion) including…
Dsm-firmenich ramps up production at new hydrogenated rosin resin unit
dsm-firmenich AG (Kaiseraugst, Switzerland) announced the ramp-up of production of a brand-new unit at its site in Vielle-Saint-Girons, southwestern France. Commissioned during the first half of 2026, this new facility manufactures DRT Industry Ingredients hydrogenated bio-based resins and derivatives for…
Evonik Oxeno deploys AI-based process models in live plant operations
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany) announced that Evonik Oxeno GmbH & Co. KG (Marl, Germany) has introduced AI-based process models into live plant operations for the first time, achieving higher energy efficiency and lower CO₂ emissions. In addition, decisions can…
Sonatrach and World Bank Group sign MOU to advance climate initiatives in Africa
Sonatrach S.p.A. (Algiers, Algeria), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD; Washington, D.C.) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC; Washington, D.C.), both members of the World Bank Group (Washington, D.C.), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The MOU…
Ferrovial wins $537.9-million contract for water reclamation facility in Fort Worth
Ferrovial SE (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), a leading global infrastructure company, has been awarded a $537.9 million contract to deliver the Mary’s Creek Water Reclamation Facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The contract marks the company’s largest U.S. water infrastructure project to…