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…
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 (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…
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.…
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,…
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for February 2020 (the most recent available) decreased slightly from the previous month’s value, with the values of the four major subindices comprising the CEPCI being mixed. While the Equipment…
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers and the general public are facing shortages of hand sanitizers, and many manufacturers are augmenting their facilities produce the necessary ingredients. DEKRA North America (Atlanta, Ga.; www.dekra.us) is warning of the…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that with the effects of COVID-19 fully affecting in the U.S. economy, U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes fell 5.0 percent in March, accelerating from a 0.5 percent decline in February. Of…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) today released an abbreviated, interim update to its Chemical Industry Situation and Outlook. The update offers two scenarios intended to capture a range of potential trajectories for the global and U.S. economies…
BASF Corporation (Florham Park, N.J.; www.basf.com), the North American affiliate of BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com), is providing the state of New Jersey and New York with hand sanitizer manufactured at the company’s facility in Washington, New Jersey free of…