The preliminary value for the November 2015 CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) declined again from the previous month, driven by a relatively large decrease in the Equipment subindex and small decreases in the Buildings and Construction…
Industrial production of chemicals in the U.S. fell by 0.5% in December, reversing a string of gains, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). Production of pharmaceuticals was off…
The S&P Chemicals Index, a measure of equity prices for chemical companies, fell 4.0% in December and ended 2015 down 6.3% compared to the beginning of the year, according to the first Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report of 2016, from…
Chemical Engineering Bookshelf for January 2016 Book Review: Ludwig’s Applied Process Design for Chemical and Petrochemical Plants, Vol 3., 4th Edition. By A. Kayode Coker. Reviewed by: Dr. Gavin P. Towler, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Honeywell Performance…
Plant Watch Dow to increase capacity for glycidyl methacrylate at Freeport site December 10, 2015 — The Dow Chemical Co. (Dow; Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) plans to complete a debottlenecking project at its Freeport, Tex. facility to increase capacity for…
The Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) rose by 0.4% in November on a three-month-moving-average (3MMA) basis, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). Meanwhile, the ACC’s final…
Clean Harbors (Norwell, Mass.; www.cleanharbors.com) and CDM Smith (Boston, Mass.; www.cdmsmith.com) are constructing a new thermal treatment plant at Clean Harbors’ existing facility in El Dorado, Arkansas—the first new commercial incinerator of its kind built in the United States in…
The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com) today announced its new world-scale propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit located at the company’s Oyster Creek site in Freeport, Texas, has begun commercial operations. The start-up of this unit is the most recent milestone…
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…