According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), the Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) trended higher by 0.1% in December, following a revised 0.5% gain in November. In the U.S., the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index…
Plant Watch Solenis to build new polyvinylamine production facility in Virginia January 12, 2024 — Solenis, LLC (Wilmington, Del.; www.solenis.com) will invest $193 million to expand production capacity of polyvinylamine (PVAm) in Suffolk, Va. The company will build a new…
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for November 2023 (most recent available) is down by a small margin from the previous month, continuing a string of monthly declines since June 2023. In November, small decreases were…
Following a strong year for the chemical process industries (CPI) in 2022, 2023 saw modest growth, with global industrial output rising only 0.6% and chemical production growth at about 0.3% [ 1]. Numerous factors contributed to the lower demand for…
Plant Watch Trinseo inaugurates new PMMA depolymerization plant in Italy December 7, 2023 — Trinseo (Berwyn, Pa.; www.trinseo.com) inaugurated a new polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) depolymerization plant in Rho, Italy. This depolymerization operation will be designed to enable the efficient recycling…
The following is a selection of recently published books with potential relevance to various parts of the chemical process industries (CPI). Process Design for Cryogenics. By Alexander Alekseev, Wiley-VCH Publishing, 2024, 384 pages, $160.00. Handbook of Construction Management for Instrumentation…
Editor's note: The following responses were provided by Matthew Rogers, the Industrial Control System Cybersecurity Lead at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA; www.cisa.gov), part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (www.dhs.gov). The statements were provided in response…
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for October 2023 (most recent available) is lower than the previous month’s value, continuing a trend of lower monthly values that has been observed since May 2023. To arrive at…
Clariant AG (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com), a sustainability-focused specialty chemical company, today announced its decision to shut down its sunliquid® bioethanol production in Podari, Romania, and to downsize related activities of the business line Biofuels & Derivatives in Germany (Straubing, Planegg…
Plant Watch Petrobras announces biorefining breakthrough at Riograndense refinery November 9, 2023 — Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; www.petrobras.com.br) has successfully processed 100% soybean oil in a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit at its Riograndense petroleum refinery…