Plant Watch
MOL Group opens first biomethane plant in Szarvas, Hungary
October 14, 2026 — MOL Group Plc. (Budapest, Hungary; molgroup.info) inaugurated its first biomethane plant in Szarvas, Hungary. As a result of the investment of more than HUF 2.7 billion (around $8.3 million), the facility can now produce biomethane from biogas of a purity suitable for injection into the national natural gas network. The facility processes more than 40,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of waste from the region’s meat industry, and an additional 53,000 m.t./yr of residual waste sourced from neighboring livestock and meat-processing facilities. In addition, approximately 18,000 m.t. of agricultural substrate is used as feedstock for the production of biogas.
Fujifilm to expand CMP slurry production in Arizona with $18-million investment
October 14, 2026 — Fujifilm Corp. (Tokyo; www.fujifilm.com) is enhancing production facilities for copper-interconnect chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) slurries at the company’s production site in Mesa, Ariz. Fujifilm will also establish new production facilities capable of multiproduct manufacturing of CMP slurries for diversified semiconductor manufacturing processes, including advanced packaging applications. The investment totals $18 million (approximately¥3 billion).
Arkema inaugurates new acrylic acid purification unit in Carling, France
October 8, 2026 — Arkema S.A. (La Défense, Paris, France; www.arkema.com) inaugurated a new acrylic acid purification unit at its Carling site in France. The new unit improves the energy efficiency of the purification process by 25% and reduces the carbon intensity of the site’s operations by 20%. The site’s production technology also helps optimize resource and waste management, while significantly reducing solvent consumption, says Arkema.
ENEOS constructs methylcyclohexane demonstration plant in Australia
October 7, 2026 — ENEOS Corp. (Tokyo; www.eneos.co.jp) has constructed a large-scale demonstration plant in Queensland, Australia, to produce methylcyclohexane (MCH), a hydrogen carrier, using its proprietary electrochemical synthesis method. Following trial runs, demonstration operations are scheduled to commence in January 2027.
Borouge International expands mechanical recycling capacity at two sites
October 7, 2026 — Borouge Group International AG (Vienna, Austria; www.borougeinternational.com) announced investments to expand its European mechanical recycling capacity at sites in Niedergebra, Germany and Wildon, Austria. In Niedergebra, output of recycled mixed polyolefin materials will increase by nearly 9,000 m.t./yr. The additional capacity is expected to become operational in the first quarter of 2027. In Wildon, recycled polyethylene output will increase by up to 5,000 m.t./yr. The additional capacity is expected to come onstream in the fourth quarter of 2027.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Saint-Gobain to acquire North American infrastructure solutions firm D.S. Brown
October 15, 2026 — Saint-Gobain S.A. (Courbevoie, France; www.saint-gobain.com) entered into a definitive agreement to acquire D.S. Brown Co. (North Baltimore, Ohio), a designer and manufacturer of engineered solutions for infrastructure applications. D.S. Brown operates manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Texas. The acquisition will significantly expand Saint-Gobain’s construction chemicals platform in North America.
Tosoh to acquire Asahi Kasei’s stake in HDI monomer JV, taking full ownership
October 14, 2026 — Tosoh Corp. (Tokyo; www.tosoh.com) has decided to acquire all shares of Nanyo Kasei Co., a 50-50 joint venture (JV) with Asahi Kasei Corp. (Tokyo; www.asahi-kasei.com). The deal will make Nanyo Kasei a wholly owned subsidiary of Tosoh. Currently, Tosoh and Asahi Kasei supply raw materials and other inputs to Nanyo Kasei, which manufactures hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) monomer.
Avantium spins off plant-based polyesters business Parana Materials
October 2, 2026 — Avantium N.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.avantium.com) completed the spin-out of its Parana Technology into Parana Materials B.V. (Geleen, the Netherlands). Parana Materials is an independent company focused on the development and commercialization of plant-based, high-performance polyesters. Parana enables the production, application and recycling of renewable polyesters through synthesis routes using monomers, such as isosorbide, succinic acid and oxalic acid.
Henkel completes acquisition of Stahl Holdings
October 2, 2026 — Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Düsseldorf, Germany; www.henkel.com) completed the acquisition of Stahl Holdings B.V. (Waalwijk, the Netherlands), a global player in high-performance specialty coatings for flexible materials. Stahl’s portfolio comprises leather finishing solutions, performance coatings and packaging coatings. ■
–Mary Page Bailey