SABIC (Jubail, Saudi Arabia) has signed an agreement to purchase Clariant’s 50% stake in specialties company Scientific Design, currently a 50/50 joint-venture (JV) with SABIC. Subject to regulatory approval, expected in mid-2022, the transaction will give SABIC full ownership of…
Alpek S.A.B. de C.V. (San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico) has signed an agreement to acquire Oman-based OCTAL Holding SAOC. This acquisition forward-integrates Alpek into the high-value polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheet business segment, closes the gap towards achieving its ESG goals,…
Hexion Holdings Corp. (Columbus, Ohio) announced that it has completed the sale of its epoxy-based Coatings and Composite businesses, which includes the epoxy specialty resins and base epoxy resins and intermediates product lines for approximately $1.2 billion to Westlake Chemical…
ExxonMobil Corp. (Houston) announced that it is streamlining its business structure by combining chemical and downstream companies and centralizing technology and engineering, and other support services, to better support customers, enhance performance and grow value. “Our transformed business structure enables…
Nouryon (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) announced the completion of its latest production facility to meet increasing global demand for innovative and sustainable chelates for the rapidly growing consumer cleaning industry. The startup of the new site in Herkenbosch, Netherlands is expected…
Elkem (Oslo, Norway) announced that it has secured 100% ownership of the Elkem Salten energy recovery plant, after acquiring the remaining 50% stake from Kvitebjørn Energi. The transaction is attractive to Elkem and provides increased strategic flexibility. On 15 November,…
Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium) announced that it is expanding its production capacity of high-performance polymer Solef polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) at its site in Tavaux, France. Building on its previously announced PVDF capacity increase at its site in Changshu, China, this new project…
The Ensinger Group and INEOS Styrolution (Frankfurt, Germany) announced the joint agreement that Ensinger has acquired the StyLight thermoplastic composite materials business of INEOS Styrolution. The acquisition adds an exclusive SAN based product range to Ensinger’s comprehensive thermoplastic composite portfolio.…
Engineering design is underway for a new plant for making renewable dimethyl ether (rDME) from biogas produced by agricultural digesters or derived from landfills. Project developer Oberon Fuels (San Diego, Calif.; www.oberonfuels.com) is basing the new plant on its existing…
In order to maximize longevity and minimize process downtime, it is imperative to understand the factors that determine the proper selection of expansion joints. The following guidelines can help with selection decisions for expansion joints Although sometimes overlooked or treated…