Mobile Navigation

Business & Economics

Recently published books: January 2013

Sustainable Energy Management. By Mirjana Golusin, Stevan Popov and Sinasa Dodic. Elsevier Inc., 225 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA. 02451. Web: elsevier.com. 2013. 436 pages. $79.95. Chemical Process Equipment: Selection and Design, 3rd ed. By James Couper, W. Roy Penney and…

Member Exclusive

Toyo wins world’s largest single-train urea plant in Nigeria and more business news

Plant Watch Stamicarbon wins contract for urea plant in China December 6, 2012 — Stamicarbon B.V. (Sittard, the Netherlands; www.stamicarbon.com), the Licensing and IP Center of Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. (Milan, Italy; www.mairetecnimont.it), has been awarded a contract for a new…

Current Economic Trends

Preliminary data from the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; top) for October 2012 (the most recent available) indicate that capital equipment prices dropped 0.35% from September to October. The current-year plant cost index is 3.2% lower than it was in…

January Who’s Who

Philippault Weser McCarthy Raty Azibert Peter Bigelow joins the board at engineering firm Integrated Project Services (Lafayette Hill, Pa.). Ton Büchner returns to AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) as CEO, after a medical-related absence. Matthieu Philippault joins the international sales team…

Member Exclusive

KBR’s first VCC-technology processing unit in Russia enters construction phase  

In February 2012, KBR (Houston; www.kbr.com) signed an agreement with TAIF-NK (www.en.taif.ru) to establish a Veba Combi Cracker (VCC) technology processing unit to be implemented at the Nizhnekamsk petroleum refinery in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia (www.chemengonline.com/only_on_che/latest_news/9005.html). The unit, whose…

Renewable farnesene facility starts production in Brazil

The renewable chemicals and fuels company Amyris, Inc. (Emeryville, Calif.; www.amyris.com) today announced it has started production of renewable farnesene at its purpose-built industrial fermentation facility in Brazil. The Amyris brand of farnesene is known as BioFene.   The company also…

Member Exclusive

BASF to sell Meyco Equipment business to Atlas Copco  

BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has signed a contract with Atlas Copco to sell its Meyco Equipment business providing concrete spraying machines to the tunneling and mining industries. The machinery manufacturer, which is based in Stockholm, Sweden, will continue operations…

Chemical production slips globally; U.S. flat, says ACC

Overall production of chemicals, as measured by the Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI), slipped 0.3% in November, while chemical production in the U.S. was flat, according to data from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com).   …

Member Exclusive

Evonik expands U.S. production of precipitated silica  

Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) plans to increase its annual production capacities for precipitated silica at its site in Chester, Pa. by around 20,000 metric tons. The new facility, which received an investment in lower double-digit euros range, is…

Member Exclusive

Technip awarded EPC contract by BASF  

Technip (Paris, France; www.technip), in a consortium with Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corp. Japan; www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/chemicals, was awarded by BASF SE a lump sum turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, for the expansion project of a chlorine plant (chlor-alkali). The plant…