A variety of technologies, methods and best practices are available to obtain the lowest total cost of ownership for compressors used in plants throughout the chemical process industries (CPI). This article discusses several critical areas in which concerted effort can…
Plant Watch Neste Jacobs to expand enzyme production plant in Finland April 5, 2013 — Neste Jacobs Oy (Porvoo, Finland; www.nestejacobs.com) has signed a contract to expand an enzyme plant operated by Roal Oy (Rajamäki, Finland; www.roal.fi). Enzymes produced at…
Domtar (Montreal, Québec, Canada; www.domtar.com) has successfully started up a commercial-scale LignoBoost lignin separation plant at its Plymouth, North Carolina mill. This is the first commercial installation of a LignoBoost plant in the world and the technology is supplied by…
CB&I (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.cbi.com) has been awarded a contract by Shandong Wonfull Petrochemical Group Co. to provide the license and processing engineering design for a first-of-a-kind solid-acid alkylation unit to be located in China. The unit will be capable…
Illa International LLC (ILLA; Long Grove, Ill.; www.illallc.com) and Neste Jacobs Oy (Porvoo, Finland; www.nestejacobs.com) have agreed to develop a combined offering in phenol and acetone production technologies, engineering and project services. Together, the companies intend to offer petrochemical companies…
Stamicarbon B.V. (Stittard, the Netherlands; www.stamicarbon.com), the Licensing and IP Center of Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. (www.mairetecnimont.com), has signed a contract with First Global Company for revamping the urea plant of State Company for Fertilizer North Area (NFC) in Iraq. The…
The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (US CPRI) slipped by 0.1% in March, following a revised 0.4% gain in February, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). In its latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report, ACC…
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) and Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; www.petronaschemicals.com) intend to invest $500 million (MYR 1.5 billion) in an integrated aroma-ingredients project at their existing joint venture site BASF Petronas Chemicals in Gebeng, Kuantan.…
Despite headlines to the contrary, the U.S. economy remains in a state of slow growth, according to the American Chemistry Council's (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) monthly Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), released this week. The economic indicator, shown to lead U.S.…
U.S. transactions led merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the chemicals industry in the first quarter of 2013, driving almost 45% of the total deal value as companies focused on domestic growth, according to PwC US (PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLC; New York;…