Early in 2016, OSHA (the Occupational Health and Safety Administration) announced its “final rule” regarding respirable crystalline silica. This rule has been under consideration since 2013. The final ruling reduces the permissible exposure limit (or PEL) for workers in businesses…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; www.epa.gov) has finalized a rule adding a hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) category to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) list of reportable chemicals. This action will expand the scope of chemicals subject to TRI reporting and provide…
Mexichem S.A.B. de C.V. (Tlalnepantla, Mexico; www.mexichem.com) announced that it has acquired Vinyl Compounds Holdings Ltd. (VCHL), a leading U.K.-based technical PVC compounds manufacturer serving a broad range of industries including: building and construction, pipe and profile manufacturers, footwear and…
Many important research and industrial processes require vacuum in what is referred to as the "fine vacuum" range, which is between 0.1 and 0.001 Torr. In a prior post, we talked about the fact that the Pirani style gauge is…
Sasol Ltd. (Johannesburg, South Africa; www.sasol.co.za) has completed yet another major capital investment in South Africa as part of its dual-regional, multi-asset hub growth strategy in Southern Africa and North America. The company unveiled the C3 Expansion Project, which enables…
Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; Tokyo, Japan; www.sdk.co.jp) has decided to acquire all shares of the GMM Group, a specialty non-stick coating chemicals manufacturing company headquartered in Hong Kong, China, and concluded a stock purchase and sale agreement with GMM. GMM…
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has entered into an agreement to sell its Inorganic Specialties business to Edgewater Capital Partners LP, of Cleveland, Ohio. Inorganic Specialties includes the Evans City, Pennsylvania, USA, production site and the Specialty Alcoholates, Boranes and…
Honeywell (Morris Plains, N.J.; www.honeywell.com) announced the launch of a new business, Honeywell Research Chemicals, that will now include several brands and solvent and inorganic chemical products that were acquired from Sigma-Aldrich in December 2015. Honeywell Research Chemicals combines more…
The Specialty Chemicals Market Volume Index, a tool created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), showed that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes were essentially flat in October. This follows a revised 0.2 percent gain in September and…
WorleyParsons Ltd. (North Sydney, Australia; www.worleyparsons.com) has been awarded a five year engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services contract for the Pearl Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) and associated facilities in Qatar. Under the contract, WorleyParsons will provide EPCm services primarily for…