Chemical Engineering
Vopak and Chandra Asri form infrastructure JV
PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk (Chandra Asri; Jakarta, Indonesia) and Royal Vopak (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to set up a joint venture company for collaboration in the industrial infrastructure business in Cilegon, Banten Province,…
Sika commissions mortar plant in Chengdu
With the commissioning of a new production facility in Chengdu, China, Sika AG (Baar, Switzerland) has further expanded its capacity in the rapidly growing mortar market in China. In addition to profiting from the strong demand, Sika can also benefit…
Mitsui Chemicals acquires Cotec GmbH
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) announced that group company SDC Technologies, Inc. has acquired Cotec GmbH. Engaged in the manufacture, sale and research of hydrophobic and anti-reflective coatings, Cotec officially became a wholly owned subsidiary of SDC on October 1,…
Lummus wins ethylene furnace contract in Uzbekistan
Lummus Technology, LLC (Houston) announced that it has been awarded a contract by Enter Engineering Pte. Ltd. for the Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex in Uzbekistan. Lummus' scope includes the design and supply of four proprietary Short Residence Time (SRT) VI…
AkzoNobel to build new powder-coatings plant in Taiwan
AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) announced that it is building a new powder coatings plant in Chungli, Taiwan. The fully automated plant, which represents a €20-million investment, will have the increased production capacity to fulfill growing demand in the architecture, auto…
Material Transfer & Storage expands services offering for bulk-materials handling
Material Transfer & Storage (MTS; Allegan, Mich.), an industry leader in the custom design and manufacture of bulk material filling, conditioning and discharging systems for dry powders and bulk solids, has unveiled a new service line to further enhance the customer…
LyondellBasell purchases $2-billion stake in Sasol’s Lake Charles project; forms integrated polyethylene JV
LyondellBasell (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) and Sasol Ltd. (Johannesburg, South Africa) announced they have entered into a definitive agreement to form a 50/50 joint venture (JV) through which LyondellBasell will acquire 50% of Sasol’s 1.5-million-ton ethane cracker, 900,000-ton low and linear-low…
Eastman makes progress with recycled-materials portfolio
Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.), the producer of sustainably sourced Naia cellulosic fiber, introduced its new Naiaä Renew portfolio, sourced from 60% wood pulp and 40% recycled waste plastics. Naia Renew cellulosic fiber is traceable with certified biodegradability that captures…
OQ Chemicals completes capacity expansion for isononanoic acid
OQ Chemicals (formerly Oxea) has completed a recent expansion project at its Oberhausen, Germany site resulting in a 30% increase in its global production capacity for isononanoic acid. The project completed at the site is part of the previously announced…
Firmenich opens biotechnology pilot plant in Geneva
Firmenich (Geneva, Switzerland) announced the opening of its new biotechnology and naturals pilot plant and laboratory in Geneva. Benefiting from the latest digital technology, the facility opens a new era for the development of ingredients and clean label solutions by…