Latest News: Business
U.S. economy recovery likely to continue restrained pace through 2014, CAB indicates
The first Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB) reading of 2014 strengthened slightly, pointing to continued growth and an improving U.S. economy throughout 2014, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). The barometer in January ticked up to 94.0,…
Kraton to merge with LCY Chemicals’ styrenic block copolymer business
Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. (Houston; www.kraton.com), a global producer of highly engineered polymers, has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to combine with the styrenic block copolymer ("SBC") operations of Taiwan-based LCY Chemical Corp. The combination…
BASF to manufacture chelating agent at new plant in Alabama
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) will build a new plant for its chelating agent Trilon M (methylglycinediacetic acid) at Evonik’s Theodore, Ala. site. The investment will be about $90 million and create around 20 additional jobs. The new production facility…
CCPS Executive Director Scott Berger announces retirement
Scott Berger has announced plans to retire as executive director of the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), effective December 31, 2014. AIChE’s leadership has begun a search for Berger’s successor, in…
Balchem and Taminco announce production JV for choline chloride
Taminco Corp. (Allentown, Pa.; www.taminco.com) and Balchem Corp. (New Hampton, N.Y.; www.balchem.com) today announced an agreement to build and operate a choline chloride facility in St. Gabriel, La., where both companies operate existing production facilities. Balchem will contribute its current…
BASF and Sinopec break ground on world-scale INA plant in Maoming
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec; Shanghai, China; www.sinopec.com) broke ground today on the construction of its world-scale isononanol (INA) plant in Maoming Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone, Maoming, China. At start-up in 2015, the…
U.S. chemical production up for December, ACC says
The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) rose by 0.8% in December, following a 0.3% gain in November, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). “For the second consecutive month, production increased in all seven…
Evonik to increase capacity for methacrylate monomers in Alabama
Evonik Industries (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) has announced that it will expand its specialty methacrylate monomer facility in Mobile, Ala. The methyl methacrylate transesterification (MMAT) plant, within Evonik’s Performance Polymers Business Unit and Acrylic Monomers Business Line, will begin a multi-million…
Asahi Glass to build new refrigerants plant in Japan
Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. (Tokyo; www.agc.com) plans to build a new high-efficiency manufacturing plant using proprietary fluorochemical technology at its Chiba Plant in Japan, and start supplying the new refrigerant HFO-1234yf beginning in mid-2015. The refrigerant will be supplied to…
Praxair signs long-term contract and expands enclave supply in South Korea
Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com) has signed a long-term contract with Taewoong Steel Co. Ltd. to supply high-purity oxygen to the company’s steel mill facility in Busan, Korea. Praxair will construct a new 180-ton/d air separation plant and pipeline in…