Covestro (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) accelerates the expansion of its thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) business by raising its stake in the joint venture DIC Covestro Polymer Ltd. (DCP) from 50 to 80%. DCP, established as a 50/50 joint venture in the year…
MFG Chemical (Dalton, Ga.; www.mfgchemical.com), a global leader in specialty and custom chemical manufacturing, is upgrading its Pasadena, Texas plant, which the company acquired in March 2018, and sits on 24.5 acres. The acquisition of the Pasadena plant, together with…
The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) today announced the opening of a new world-class polyol plant for rigid polyurethane foam in Rayong, Thailand. The facility increases the company’s capacity to offer high-quality insulation materials and solutions with reliable, energy-efficient…
The preliminary value for the September 2018 CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; most recent available) increased compared to the previous month’s value, continuing an upward trend that has been in place throughout 2018. The final August numbers were revised upwardly…
Oxiteno (São Paulo, Brazil; www.oxiteno.com), a leader in the manufacture of surfactants and specialty chemicals, celebrated the official opening of its first alkoxylation plant in Pasadena, Texas, on November 14th. This unit, planned to support mainly U.S. customers, has annual…
The Fluid Sealing Association (FSA; Wayne, Pa.; www.fluidsealing.com) is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert (Rob) S. Coffee as President of the Association. He is currently the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Proco Products, Inc., in Stockton,…
Honeywell (Morris Plains, N.J.; www.honeywell.com) today announced that Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd. will use the Honeywell Connected Plant Process Reliability Advisor to provide prescriptive monitoring of its UOP C3 Oleflex unit at its plant in Shandong Province in Eastern…
The following recently published books are relevant to the chemical process industries (CPI): Membrane-Based Salinity Gradient Processes for Water Treatment and Power Generation. Edited by Sarper Sarp and Nidal Hilal, Elsevier Press, 2018, 366 pages, $187.00. Bow Ties in Risk…
The industrial uses of onsite-generated ozone are continuously growing. This article outlines applications for ozone in the CPI and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using this gaseous chemical Ozone is most commonly thought of as the stratospheric barrier to…
The preliminary value for the August 2018 CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; top; most recent available) increased compared to the previous month’s value, continuing an upward trend that has been in place throughout 2018. The increase, however was driven by…