Silica in boiler feedwater can lead to unplanned shutdowns and extra maintenance. A major Spanish fertilizer producer has switched to a METTLER TOLEDO silica analyzer. Its accuracy, low maintenance, and easy operation are saving them many hours. Highly damaging…
Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com) announced the successful startup of its new high-yield OxyMax PA 690 catalyst at Petrowidada’s world-scale phthalic anhydride plant in Gresik, East Java, Indonesia. After an industry-standard ramp-up time to a high ortho-xylene load of 100 grams…
Tronox Holdings plc (Stamford, Conn.; www.tronox.com) announced it has completed its acquisition of the titanium dioxide (TiO2) business of The National Titanium Dioxide Co. (Cristal; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; www.cristal.com). The FTC issued an Order and Decision today, allowing the transaction…
Dow (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) signed an agreement with Petronas Chemicals Glycols, a subsidiary of the petrochemical arm of Petronas and Malaysia’s leading chemicals producer, Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad (www.petronaschemicals.com.my), to collaborate on a carbon project at Petronas world-scale ethylene oxide…
Arkema (Colombes, France; www.arkema.com) has successfully started up the 30% capacity extension of its photocure advanced liquid resin production plant in Nansha, located south of Canton, China. This new production line will help to meet the strong demand in Asia…
Braskem (São Paulo, Brazil; www.braskem.com.br) recently entered into an agreement with Siemens to modernize a cogeneration power and steam plant at its Petrochemical Complex in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Completion of the project is expected in early 2021. The two SGT-600…
INEOS Styrolution (Frankfurt, Germany; www.ineos-styrolution.com) completed its first successful test runs producing virgin polystyrene from previously depolymerized material. These experiments, completed at the company’s Antwerp site in Belgium, can be seen as the practical proof of the recyclability of polystyrene.…
Metso Corp. (Helsinki, Finland; www.metso.com) has been awarded a major contract to supply pyro-processing and comminution equipment for a new lithium-hydroxide processing plant at Albemarle Corp.'s Kemerton site near Bunbury in South Western Australia. The construction of this greenfield project…
Toray Industries, Inc., (Tokyo, Japan; www.toray.com) has decided to establish a new company in Foshan, China that will engage in production and sales of water-treatment membrane products, including reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), ultrafiltration (UF), microfiltration (MF) and membrane bioreactor…
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) will increase the production capacity of alkylethanolamines (AEOA) by 20% at the BASF Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. After the start-up in 2020, BASF’s global annual nameplate capacity of AEOA will be more than 110,000…