Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) plans to undergo several measures to optimize the efficiency of its soda ash and sodium bicarbonate production sites. The company recently outlined plants for increasing the production capacity of soda ash by 500,000 metric tons…
On February 18, The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR; www.socar.az) officially opened the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plant within SOCAR Polymer’s project in the Sumgayit Chemical Industry Park. The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic…
Total S.A. (Paris, France; www.total.com) announced that it has acquired Synova, a French leader in manufacturing high-performance recycled polypropylene for the automotive sector. Synova produces 20,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of polypropylene that meets the highest quality standards of…
Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) was awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the Halliburton Specialty Chemicals Manufacturing Reaction Plant located in the PlasChem Park, Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Fluor booked the undisclosed contract value in the fourth quarter…
Evonik Industries (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) intends to start up an additional production line for hydrogen peroxide at its site in Antwerp by 2020 and has therefore decided to launch the necessary basic planning. The new production line would increase Evonik’s…
W.R. Grace & Co. (Columbia, Md.; www.grace.com) has begun construction of a new colloidal silica plant at its European flagship manufacturing and R&D center in Worms, Germany. This investment will support growing demand and increasing technical requirements of customers. It…
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC; www.adnoc.ae) awarded a Pre-Front End Engineering and Designing (Pre-FEED) contract to the Wood Group (Aberdeen, Scotland; www.woodplc.com), a global leader in engineering, project and technical services, for the new refinery in Ruwais, which is…
Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals; Amsterdam; www.nouryon.com) has licensed its carbon disulfide (CS2) manufacturing technology to a leading viscose fibers manufacturer in Indonesia, enabling the manufacturer to raise output of its plant on the island of Sumatra. As part of…
DowDuPont’s (Wilmington, Del.; www.dow-dupont.com) Specialty Products division announced it will divest its DuPont Sustainable Solutions (DSS; www.sustainablesolutions.dupont.com) business to create a new, independent global operations management consulting firm. The new firm will be led and operated by existing DSS management…
Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals; Amsterdam; www.nouryon.com) has more than doubled capacity for emulsion-based organic peroxides at its site in Los Reyes, Mexico to meet increased customer demand in the North American polyvinyl chloride (PVC) market. The company introduced emulsion-based…