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COVID-19

Chemical industry rebound expected for 2021 after recession dip, ACC says

U.S. chemical production is regaining momentum after coping with supply disruptions, falling demand and shrinking revenue linked to the global COVID-19 pandemic, according to the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) Year-End 2020 Chemical Industry Situation and Outlook. With…

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,…

Corning and PPG testing antimicrobial paints that kill COVID-19

Corning Inc. (Corning, N.Y.) announced a new breakthrough in glass-ceramic technology, Corning Guardiant. Under test methods approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), paint and coatings containing Corning Guardiant were shown to kill more than 99.9% of SARS-CoV-2, the…

Joint feasibility study for chemical complex in India completed, but project is on hold because of COVID-19 pandemic

  As part of a four-party memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed on October 4, 2019, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; www.adnoc.ae), Adani Group (Ahmedabad, India; www.adani.com), BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) and Borealis AG (Vienna,…

A fast-acting, durable self-disinfecting polymer

A patented polymer material developed by Kraton Corp. (Houston; www.kraton.com) has shown rapid antimicrobial capabilities with expected long-lasting self-disinfecting efficacy. Currently pursuing regulatory review in the U.S. and other select countries for use as an antimicrobial agent, Biaxam is a…

Henkel to expand U.S. production capacities for hand sanitizer and soap

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Düsseldorf, Germany) announced a $23-million investment in its North American manufacturing facilities. This major investment will provide new equipment and a series of improvements that will support additional production of Dial liquid hand soap and…

VDL and DSM form JV to manufacture and commercialize medical facemasks and PPE filter materials

VDL Groep and Royal DSM (Heerlen, the Netherlands) announced the start of a 50/50 joint venture (JV) that will establish production of medical facemasks and the first permanent production of critical facemask components in the Netherlands. The new joint venture,…

Ascend completes acquisition of Italian firms

Ascend Performance Materials (Houston, Tex.; www.ascendmaterials.com) today announced it has completed its acquisition of Italian firms Poliblend and Esseti Plast. With this purchase, Ascend expands its portfolio into other engineered plastics, recycled resins and masterbatches. “Poliblend and Esseti Plast complement…

Weathering the crisis

In March of this year, the World Health Organization declared the Novel Coronavirus Disease, COVID-19, a pandemic. Now, six months later, we are still deep in the grips of this crisis as we experience its far-reaching effects and navigate how…

Process Changes: Understanding and Mitigating Fire-and Life-Safety Risk Factors

When making a change in your process, do not overlook new potential hazards that may arise, as discussed here Large-scale chemical processing can be inherently risky. This is especially important to keep in mind when making changes to a process.…