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Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB) rises in November, ACC says

The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), rose 0.8 percent in November on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis, following a 1.0 percent gain in October. On a…

U.S. chemical production grows for 4th consecutive month, ACC says

The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) rose 0.9 percent in October, following a 0.8 percent gain in September and a 1.0 percent increase in August, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). During October, chemical…

Eastman to increase tertiary amines capacity at Belgium facility

To help its customers meet the need for hand sanitizers, wipes, sprays, liquid dish soap and other household cleaning products, Eastman Chemical Corp. (Kingsport, Tenn.; www.eastman.com) will significantly increase its capacity to produce tertiary amines (dimethyldodecylamine; DIMLA) at its Ghent,…

Solid rise in U.S. specialty chemical markets to start Q4, ACC says

The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes increased 1.2 percent in October, up from a revised 0.1 percent gain in September and 1.1 percent gain in August. Of the 28 specialty chemical…

2020 CEPCI Updates: September (prelim.) and August (final)

The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for September 2020 (the most recent data available) decreased by a small margin compared to the previous month’s value. It continues a period of up-and-down fluctuations in the CEPCI values.…

Shell and Nexus announce supply agreement for production of chemicals from plastic waste

Nexus Fuels LLC (Atlanta, Ga.; www.nexusfuels.com) and Shell (Houston, Tex.; www.shell.com/chemicals) today announced a supply agreement, for 60,000 tonnes over four years, of pyrolysis liquid made from plastic waste, which is then converted into chemical products.  Nexus, a leader in…

AIChE announces new officers and board members for 2021

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE; New York; www.aiche.org) announced today that Deborah L. Grubbe, Owner and President of Operations and Safety Solutions, LLC, will become President of AIChE in 2021. Grubbe succeeds 2020 President Monty M. Alger, Professor…

Commissioning on Evonik polyamide-12 plant starts; another anticipated for 2021

Construction work on the largest investment to date by specialty chemicals company Evonik (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) in Germany, at more than €400 million, is progressing well. The first plant was completed on schedule in mid-October and is currently being commissioned.…

The American Chemistry Council Comments on the U.S. Election

The American Chemistry Council (ACC; www.americanchemistry.com) has issued the following statements in response to the 2020 U.S. Presidential election results:  “ACC and our member companies congratulate President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris on a fair and transparent historic and hard…

Henkel acquires skin model technology from SkinInVitro

Henkel AG (Düsseldorf, Germany; www.henkel.com) closed the acquisition of the skin model technology from the SkinInVitro GmbH (Troisdorf, Germany; www.phenion.com), effective November 2, 2020. The closing was preceded by an extended and successful technology transfer phase, which guarantees the epiCS…