Wacker Biosolutions, the life sciences division of the Wacker Chemie AG (Munich, Germany; www.wacker.com), has begun producing fermentation-generated cystine at its new site in León, Spain. Over the past eighteen months, the division has extensively modernized part of the 800-m³…
Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com) officially started construction of the first large-scale commercial sunliquid plant for the production of cellulosic ethanol made from agricultural residues. At the flagship facility, the sunliquid technology developed by the company is being used on an…
INEOS (London, U.K.; www.ineos.com) has announced plans to invest £60 million to expand its Grangemouth site. It has awarded a contract to build an additional furnace on its KG ethylene plant to Selas-Linde GmbH, Germany. The addition of a tenth…
Versalis (San Donato Milanese, Italy; www.versalis.eni.com) has opened a new ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber production plant in Ferrara, Italy, which will mainly supply the automotive industry. The new facility is an excellent example of reindustrialization of an Italian…
The Dow Chemical Company (Dow; Midland, Mich.; www.dow-dupont.com) announced new investments in its upstream and downstream silicones franchise to accelerate innovation and support global customers’ demand in high growth markets, such as high performance building, home and personal care, electrical…
Invista (Wichita, Kan.; www.invista.com) plans to add 40,000 metric tons (m.t.) of nylon 6,6 polymer capacity at its current 150,000-m.t. polymer plant at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP). Construction is targeted for mid-2019 and production would begin in 2020. “We…
KBR, Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com) announced that it has been awarded a license, engineering and proprietary equipment contract for KBR Weatherly's Nitric Acid technology by Kemerovo Azot JSC. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide technology licensing and basic…
United Chemical Company Shchekinoazot (UCC) inaugurated a methanol and ammonia co-production plant with technology licensed by Haldor Topsoe A/S (Lyngby, Denmark; www.topsoe.com) on September 7, 2018. The new plant can produce 450,000 tons of methanol and 135,000 tons of ammonia…
Chiyoda Corp. (Yokohama, Japan; www.chiyodacorp.com) announced that the joint venture between Chiyoda International Corp., a U.S.-based wholly owned subsidiary of Chiyoda, and Kiewit Energy Group Inc. has been awarded a lump-sum EPC contract to construct the olefins portion of a…
Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.; www.eastman.com) announced completion of the expansion of production capabilities at its Saflex polyvinyl butyral (PVB) facility in Suzhou, China. This investment demonstrates Eastman’s continued commitment to the glass glazing industry and is a proactive response…