Plant Watch Chevron and Honeywell start up alkylation unit using new ionic-liquids technology April 13, 2021 — Chevron Corp. (San Ramon, Calif.; www.chevron.com) and Honeywell International, Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.; www.honeywell.com) announced the commissioning and startup of the world’s first commercial-scale…
After a rough past year, petroleum refineries are seeking profit opportunities through the use of renewable feedstocks, such as vegetable oils and waste fats, as well as with new alkylation technologies and by increasing “crude-to-chemicals” (C2C) approaches The past 18…
The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), rose 0.7% in April on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a 1.1% increase in March and a 0.9% gain…
The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) fell 2.8% in March following a 3.9% decline in February and a 0.6% increase in January, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). Chemical output fell in all regions…
U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes are experiencing a rebound following the winter storms, rising 3.1% in March, after a 4.5% decline in February, according to data from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). Of the 28 specialty chemical…
The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) today issued a set of policy recommendations to enable dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The plan is built around three imperatives – developing and deploying clean manufacturing technologies, pricing carbon,…
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for February 2021 (the most recent available) indicates another large monthly rise, the fifth consecutive monthly increase. The large uptick in February seems to be tied largely to significant increases…
Plant Watch Thermo Fisher Scientific plans $600-million bioprocessing expansion March 12, 2021 — Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Waltham, Mass.; www.thermofisher.com) plans to invest more than $600 million in capital investments to expand its bioprocessing production capabilities through 2022. These investments…
This column is based on “Polyvinyl Chloride Production from VCM (Suspension Polymerization) – Cost Analysis,” a report published by Intratec. It can be found at: www.intratec.us/analysis/polyvinyl-chloride-production-cost. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is the third most commonly produced synthetic polymer, after polyethylene and…
The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), rose 1.2% in March on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis, following a 1.0% increase in February. On a year-over-year (Y/Y)…