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DOMO Chemicals to close manufacturing line for nylon films

DOMO Chemicals (Leuna, Germany; www.domochemicals.com), a leading producer of high-quality engineering materials for a diverse range of markets, has announced plans to stop and close its third line of biaxally oriented polyamide (BOPA) films from DOMO in Leuna (Germany), effective…

Altivia acquires KMCO chemical ethoxylation assets

Altivia Oxide Chemicals, LLC, an affiliate of ALTIVIA Petrochemicals (Houston; www.altivia.com), today announced that it has acquired KMCO (Crosby, Tex.; www.kmcollc.com) and its associated chemical ethoxylation manufacturing assets in Crosby, Texas. The facilities, located on 160 acres near Houston, include…

CAB fell in May, ACC says

The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB) a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.), fell 5.4 percent in May on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a 5.4 percent decline in April. On a year-over-year…

2020 CEPCI Updates: March (prelim.) and February (final)

The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for March 2020 (the most recent available) increased compared to the previous month’s value, with the values of the four major subindices (Equipment; Construction Labor; Buildings; and Engineering & Supervision)…

U.S. chemical production edged lower in April, ACC says

According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.), the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) tumbled 3.1 percent in April following a 1.0 percent decline in March and a 0.4 percent decline in February. During April, chemical output…

U.S. specialty chemicals markets show record decline in April, ACC says

The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes fell 11.3 percent in April, accelerating from a 4.0 percent decline in March and a 0.5 percent decline in February. Of the 28 specialty chemicals segments…

Recently Published Books for the CPI: May 2020

The following is a list of recently published books that may be relevant for chemical process industries (CPI) professionals Process Equipment and Plant Design. By Subhabrata Ray and Gargi Das, Elsevier Press, 2020, 462 pages. $200.00. Current Developments in Biotechnology…

Clariant donating disinfectant to Swiss authorities for COVID-19

Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com), a focused and innovative specialty chemical company, today announced it is donating approximately 80 tons of disinfectant per month to the Swiss Federal Authorities to support the protective measures during the COVID-19 outbreak. By establishing a…

Chemical Activity Barometer Sinks in April, ACC says

The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), fell 5.5 percent in April on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a downwardly revised 2.9 percent decline in March.…

The Trouble with Turndown: Avoiding Problems from Excessive Design Margins

When plants are built with excessive design margins, problems can arise when operating under turndown conditions. This article helps explain how overdesign tends to occur and how to avoid problems when operating at turndown Operating under turndown can be problematic,…