Borealis AG (Vienna, Aurstia; www.borealisgroup.com) has announced a major upgrading project at its production site in Porvoo, Finland. An investment of €65 million will serve to upgrade the Borstar PE2 plant technology to the third generation (3G), thereby extending the…
Lanxess AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.lanxess.com) and Genomatica (San Diego, Calif.; www.genomatica.com) announce that Lanxess has run a production campaign of bio-based polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) in Lanxess’ world-scale production plant using 20 metric tons (m.t.) of bio-based BDO made with Genomatica’s…
The composite leading indicators (CLIs) for April that were recently released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) generally point to moderate improvement in growth for the world’s major economies, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic…
The U.S. economy continues its slow growth, according to the American Chemistry Council's (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) monthly Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB) released today. The economic indicator, shown to lead U.S. business cycles by an average of eight months at…
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI; www.mhi.co.jp) and Sojitz Corp. (both Tokyo, Japan; www.sojitz.com) have received an order from PhosAgro-Cherepovets, a subsidiary of the Russian fertilizer producer PhosAgro, for a project to construct the largest ammonia plant in the Russian Federation.…
The Board of Directors of CP Kelco (Atlanta, Ga.; www.cpkelco.com) approved the first phase in a series of projects to expand its Brazilian pectin operation by 30%. The expansion project will significantly increase the facility’s capacity to produce grades of…
Established in December 2012, The Saudi Butanol Co. (SaBuCo) was registered by the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Industry, receiving approval for its previously announced butanol plant, which will be the world’s largest. SaBuCo’s board recently held its first meeting…
Haldor Topsøe A/S (Lyngby, Denmark; www.topsoe.com) and its project partners (Andritz Carbona, Gas Technology Institute, Phillips 66 Company and UPM-Kymmene) have successfully completed the first production of gasoline from woody biomass in an integrated 20-bbl/d demonstration plant located near Chicago.…
Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com) says it will build its second air separation plant and extend its pipeline system in the Port of Antwerp, the second largest petrochemical enclave in the world after Houston. The new 1,300-ton/d plant will increase…
CB&I (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.cbi.com) has been awarded two contracts with a combined value in excess of $40 million for an air-quality-control program for five existing coal-fired units. The units represent more than 4,000 MW of electric generating capacity. CB&I…