Increasing production of natural gas from hydraulic fracturing of shale deposits has fundamentally altered the landscape of chemical production in North America. The higher margins on steam-cracking ethane to produce ethylene have resulted in significant feedstock shifts in the U.S.…
Air Products (Lehigh Valley, Pa.; www.airproducts.com) says it will build and operate a new air separation unit (ASU) for Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij B.V. (NAM), a joint venture between Shell and Esso. The company has secured the necessary environmental and permit…
AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) is to boost capacity at one of its U.S. sites in order to meet increasing demand from the semi-conductor industry, particularly for the production of light emitting diodes (LEDs). Financial details were not disclosed. The…
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) is starting basic planning for a new methyl methacrylate (MMA) production plant using the Aveneer process at its Mobile, Ala. site. The capital expenditure involved will be in the three-digit million euro range. The…
Today, Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) officially opened two rare earth recycling units in France. In order to diversify its sources of supply and preserve resources, the Group has developed a process for recovering rare earths contained in end-of-life equipment…
Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. (Milan, Italy; www.mairetecnimont.it) says that several contracts have been awarded to some of its subsidiaries for a total amount of approximately €135 million for engineering, procurement and technology services. In Egypt, the Group has been awarded —…
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.; www.jacobs.com) has received a contract from Petronas, the state-owned oil company of Malaysia, to develop a basic engineering package for three sulfur recovery units (SRUs). Officials did not disclose the contract value, however noted…
SNC-Lavalin Inc. (Montreal, Quebec, Canada; www.snclavalin.com) has been awarded a contract by Compañía Minera del Pacífico S.A. (CAP Minería), to provide overall management, detailed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for a thickened mine tailings disposal system at the Cerro…
Ineos Europe AG (www.ineos.com) says it has completed supply and infrastructure agreements that will secure a significant volume of ethane feedstock from the U.S., for use in its European cracker complexes. The company has agreed to a long term deal…
KBR (Houston; www.kbr.com) was awarded a license and engineering contract by Ohio Valley Resources LLC to execute a front-end engineering design (FEED) package to develop an EPC proposal for a fertilizer complex. The complex is proposed for Spencer County, Indiana.…