The business of American chemistry expanded 3.6 percent in 2015 despite global headwinds that included a strong appreciation of the U.S. dollar and a weakness in several key global markets, according to the Year-End 2015 Chemical Industry Situation and Outlook,…
The preliminary value for the October 2015 CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) continued a string of monthly declines that has been observed in recent months. For October, the drop is driven by a decline in the…
The American Chemistry Council’s (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) rose for October by 0.4% on a three-month-moving-average basis, according to the ACC’s latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report. The data show the 4th quarter…
Chemical engineers can put their skills to use in a very broad range of areas — from chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing to petroleum refining and to areas of biomedical work, such as development of artificial dialysis equipment and more. This…
Plant Watch Ineos to import ethane to ExxonMobil ethylene plant in Scotland November 10, 2015 — Ineos (Rolle, Switzerland; www.ineos.com) will supply ethane from its new import terminal in Grangemouth, Scotland from U.S. shale gas for the ExxonMobil-owned Fife Ethylene…
By intensifying cooperation between process designers and cost engineers in the conceptual stage of plant projects, better-informed decisions can be made on the economic viability of plant projects The global economic environment is competitive, demanding and fast-paced, and becoming more…
Accurate pricing of CPI plants involves integrating technical design with economic evaluation and accounting for many types of risk. Knowledge of costing methods from the perspective of EPCs and owner-operators is critical Engineering is, by its nature, a commercial activity.…
Genomatica (San Diego, Calif.; www.genomatica.com) and Braskem (São Paulo, Brazil; www.braskem.com) announced they have been successfully producing butadiene at laboratory scale since June 2015, using their direct, bio-based process. The companies are jointly developing a commercial process for the on-purpose…
The 43rd Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award was presented on Wednesday, November 18 to Dow Performance Plastics for its Intune Olefin Block Copolymers. Chemical Engineering magazine has presented this biennial award continuously since 1933. The award honors the most-noteworthy chemical…
The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) rose by 0.2% in October, following flat growth in September and a 0.1% gain in August, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington,…