ExxonMobil invests in new delayed coker unit at Belgium refinery, and more business news

Plant Watch ExxonMobil invests in new delayed coker unit at Belgium refinery July 7, 2014 — An affiliate of ExxonMobil (Irving, Tex., www.exxonmobil.com), Esso Belgium, a division of ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical B.V.B.A., plans to install a new delayed coker unit at its Antwerp, Belgium petroleum refinery. The investment for this refinery upgrade totals more than $2 billion.   Five-member consortium plans new MDI plant in Shanghai July 1, 2014 — BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com), Huntsman Corp., Shanghai Hua Yi (Group) Co., Shanghai Chlor-Alkali Chemical Co. and Sinopec Group Assets Management Corp. formed a consotrium to construct a new plant at Shanghai Lianheng Isocyanate Co. in Caojing, China. The facility will have production capacity of 240,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of crude MDI (diphenylmethane diisocyanate). With the new plant, the total MDI capacity at this site will double to 480,000 m.t./yr. The facility is expected to start up in 2017.   Kuraray to expand U.S. facilities for polyvinyl alcohol production June 27, 2014 — Kuraray Co. (Tokyo, Japan; www.kuraray.co.jp) will expand its production facilities for polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in the U.S. at its wholly owned subsidiary…