TPC Group Inc. (Houston; www.tpcgrp.com) has announced a significant milestone in its comprehensive expansion program to increase polyisobutylene capacity. In early 2013, TPC embarked on an expansion effort to both debottleneck existing capacity and build additional capacity. TPC's Board…
LyondellBasell (Rotterdam, The Netherlands; www.lyondellbasell.com) has received a key permit required in the company's multi-plant ethylene expansion program which, when fully operational, is expected to increase annual ethylene capacity by an estimated 840,000 metric tons per yer (m.t./yr) for a…
The Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) rose 0.4% in March, on a three-month-moving-average basis, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). Production gains in the Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Africa and Middle East regions…
The CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) preliminary value for February 2014 (the most recent available) is 0.4% higher than the final values from January. The Equipment, Labor, Buildings and Engineering sub-indexes all saw small increases, although some of the individual…
Industrial Process Scale-up: A Practical Innovation Guide from Idea to Commercial Implementation. By Jan Harmsen. Elsevier Inc., 225 Wyman St., Waltham, MA 02144. Web: elsevier.com. 2013. 112 pages. $64.95. Reviewed by Jim Gregory, Senior Process Engineer, Fluor, Greenville, S.C. …
Batra McMillian McCairns Martin Boyle Udit Batra becomes president and CEO of EMD Millipore (Boston, Mass.), the Life Science Div. of Merck KGaA and a supplier of solutions for biopharmaceutical research, development and manufacturing. Antwan McMillian is named manager…
FRI is lucky to have survived a simple valve-tray project. A few years ago, the low-pressure (LP) test column stood empty, because there were no trays ready to be installed. The intention was to install a set of new valve…
Plant Watch Lanxess inaugurates new high-tech plastics plant in Brazil April 10, 2014 — Lanxess AG (Cologne, Germany; www.lanxess.com) inaugurated its new high-tech plastics plant in Porto Feliz, Brazil. The company has invested around €20 million in the facility, which…
Arkema (Colombes, France; www.arkema.com) has inaugurated a new electrolysis unit at its Jarrie plant near Grenoble, France. This €100 million investment has enabled the facility to adapt to the latest regulations on industrial risks and to convert its mercury electrolysis…
Bayer MaterialScience AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.materialscience.bayer.de) has been issued the permit for the expansion and operation of its hydrochloric acid facility in Dormagen. The Cologne district authority issued the corresponding ruling on Tuesday following a detailed appraisal. The company can…