INEOS Phenol has started production at Europe’s largest Cumene facility in Marl, Germany. The world-scale 750,000 ton facility produces up to 50% lower CO2 emissions per ton of product. The significant reduction in emissions is enabled by pioneering cumene technology in combination with unique heat integration at the Marl Chemical Park.  MORE

OCI Global N.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) announced that it has reached an agreement for the sale of 100% of its indirect interest in its large-scale U.S. greenfield nitrogen fertilizer facility Iowa Fertilizer Company LLC, located in Wever, Iowa, USA to Koch Ag & Energy Solutions for a total consideration of $3.6 billion on a tax-free basis. MORE

Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany) has begun work to expand its POLYVEST HT plant in Marl, Germany. The Coating & Adhesive Resins business line expects the additional production capacity for its hydroxyl-terminated polybutadienes (HTPB) – marketed under the brand name POLYVEST – to be ready as early as the second quarter of 2024 following the double-digit million-euro investment.  MORE
 

Lanxess AG (Cologne, Germany) has completed the expansion of its production capacity for sustainable light-color sulfur carriers by several kilotons. The project, with an investment volume in the double-digit millions, was completed at the Mannheim site in around two years as planned. The additional volumes will be available from 2024.  MORE

Kemira Oyj (Helsinki, Finland) and Royal HaskoningDHV have agreed to further develop Kemira’s ViviMag phosphorus recovery technology by conducting further research including a pilot and demonstration projects in the Netherlands. ViviMag is a patented technology to recover phosphorus and other valuable resources, such as iron, from wastewater treatment sewage sludge. MORE
 

Sulzer Ltd. (Winterthur, Switzerland) enhances its leadership in biopolymers and circularity with its new process solution – SULAC. The licensed technology completes Sulzer’s portfolio of licensed technologies for the manufacture of polylactic acid (PLA), an eco-friendly bioplastic. SULAC supports the conversion of lactic acid into lactide, which is both needed to produce PLA and limited by current availability.  MORE