Chemical Engineering
Westlake to acquire ACI compounding businesses
Westlake Corp. (Houston) announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the global compounding solutions businesses of the ACI/Perplastic Group (collectively, ACI). ACI is a Portugal-based global manufacturer of specialty materials serving the wire and cable sectors, which…
Covestro completes acquisition of Pontacol
Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany) has successfully completed the acquisition of Pontacol, a Swiss manufacturer of multilayer adhesive films, effective August 28, 2025. The company had already announced the agreement in June 2025. With this acquisition, Covestro is expanding its films…
Arkema starts up new fluorospecialties production site in Kentucky
Arkema S.A. (Colombes, France) announced the successful start-up of its 15,000-ton/year Forane 1233zd production unit in Calvert City, Kentucky, part of the company's continued development of its low Global Warming Potential (GWP) fluorospecialties, to meet the increasing demand for more…
Evonik inaugurates world-scale alkoxides plant in Singapore
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany) has inaugurated its new world-scale alkoxides production facility on Jurong Island, Singapore—marking a major milestone in its global catalyst strategy. First announced in May 2023, the mid-double-digit-million-euro investment strengthens Evonik’s ability to meet rising demand…
DuPont sells Aramids business for $1.8 billion
DuPont (Wilmington, Del.) announced that Arclin, a portfolio company of an affiliate of TJC, L.P. (TJC), has reached a definitive agreement to acquire DuPont’s Aramids business (Kevlar and Nomex) in a transaction valuing the business at approximately $1.8 billion. Arclin…
Process Analytical Technology and the Role of Raman Spectroscopy
Process analytical technology (PAT) approaches allow continuous monitoring and real-time control of processes. Among the key monitoring technologies is Raman spectroscopy, which offers inline measurement that can reduce personnel time and sampling complexity The chemical industry faces new challenges with…
A platform technology for low-carbon cement makes progress
Two recent developments at Queens Carbon Inc. (Pine Brook, N.J.; www.queenscarbon.com), a spinoff company from Rutgers University (New Brunswick, N.J.; www.rutgers.edu), illustrate the potential for reducing the high carbon-dioxide emissions that result from cement and concrete production. Both are results…
World’s first grid-connected iron-air battery now operational in the Netherlands
The Netherlands-based startup company Ore Energy (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.oreenergy.com) recently announced that it has successfully connected its flagship iron-air battery system to the electric grid in the city of Delft, the Netherlands. It is the first iron-air battery system…
This process can fully mineralize PFAS with no toxic byproducts
Breaking the stable carbon-fluorine bonds within per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is one of the most significant challenges in mitigating persistent PFAS pollution. The Hydrothermal Alkaline Technology (HALT; diagram), invented at the Colorado School of Mines (Golden, Colo.; www.mines.edu) and…
New reactor supports organic-assisted electrolysis for green hydrogen
The production of “green” hydrogen via electrolysis is seen as a key decarbonization pathway for certain industry sectors, but its efficiency can be hampered by a number of factors, including the accumulation of gas bubbles on electrode surfaces within electrolyzers…