Mobile Navigation

Latest News

U.S. specialty chemical markets start Q2 on strong note, ACC says

The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemical market volumes started the 2nd quarter of 2018 on a strong note, increasing 0.9 percent in April after an upwardly revised 0.5 percent gain in March and…

CSB Makes Recommendations Regarding Extreme Weather Preparedness

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB; www.csb.gov) has released its final investigation report into the fire that occurred at the Arkema site in Crosby, Tex. last year. The severe weather from Hurricane Harvey caused unprecedented flooding that…

Thailand’s IRPC licenses Honeywell process technology for large aromatics complex

Honeywell announced today that IRPC PLC will use a range of advanced process technologies from Honeywell UOP for a new aromatics complex in Thailand’s Rayong Province. As part of the project, Honeywell UOP (Des Plaines, Ill.; www.uop.com) will provide licensing,…

TechnipFMC and L&T Hydrocarbon win EPC contracts for two fertilizer plants in India

TechnipFMC (Houston; www.technipfmc.com), in consortium with L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering (LTHE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Ltd., has been awarded by Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Limited (HURL) - a Joint Venture company of three Indian Public Sector Companies,…

AkzoNobel to expand production of organic peroxides in India

AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) has broken ground on a project to expand production capacity and upgrade its organic peroxides facility in Mahad, India. Organic peroxides are essential for the manufacture of a wide range of polymer-based products…

Cabot to significantly expand global carbon-black production capacity

Cabot Corp. (Boston, Mass.; www.cabotcorp.com) announced the addition of significant capacity to its worldwide network of carbon black plants. Through the combination of a plant expansion, operational improvements, and debottlenecking projects, Cabot is expanding its global capacity by over 300,000…

Asahi Kasei begins trial operation at green hydrogen plant

Asahi Kasei Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.asahi-kasei.co.jp) has begun trial operation of an alkaline water electrolysis plant for the production of green hydrogen using renewable energy jointly with IHI Corp. in Soma, Fukushima, Japan. With large electrodes, maximum electrolytic capacity of 120…

Mitsui Chemicals to establish new production facility for glass-fiber reinforced polypropylene

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (MCI; Tokyo; www.mitsuichem.com) announced that joint venture Prime Polymer Co., owned 65% by Mitsui Chemicals and 35% by Idemitsu Kosan Co., intends to establish new production facilities for its Mostron-L glass-fiber reinforced polypropylene (GFPP). The new facility…

Metso appoints new CEO

The Board of Directors of Metso Corp. (Helsinki, Finland; www.metso.com) has appointed Pekka Vauramo President and CEO of Metso, effective as of November 2018 at the latest. Pekka Vauramo has served as President and CEO of Finnair since 2013, and…

Messer purchases Romanian gas company

Messer (Bad Soden/Frankfurt, Germany; www.messergroup.com) has acquired Romanian company BUSE Gaz S.R.L. As part of this investment, Messer will take on all employees as well as taking over all fixed assets. In about two years’ time, after expansion and modernization,…