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. held a ceremony today kicking off the construction of a new plant with a production capacity of 240,000…
New bio-based polyimides (PIs) that withstand temperatures up to 390°C — the highest ever reported for a bioplastic — have been developed by Tatsuo Kaneko at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST, Nomi City; www.jaist.ac.jp), in collaboration…
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) is making an investment in the double-digit-million euro range in a new research center at the Rheinfelden, Germany site. Starting at the beginning of 2016, research into silanes will be carried out in modern…
A new thermoset polymer has been discovered by researchers at IBM Research Almaden (San Jose, Calif.; www.research.ibm.com). The new material, polyhexahydrotriazine (PHT), has a very high Young’s Modulus (up to 14 GPa, compared with a Young’s Modulus of 4 GPa…
NEC Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.nec.com) has developed a two-stage, heterogeneous synthesis for making a high-functionality bioplastic (70 wt.% plant content) from non-edible plant cellulose. The new bioplastic is said to have excellent thermo-plasticity (275 MFR), heat resistance (140°C glass transition…
Ineos (www.ineos.com) will acquire BASF SE’s (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) 50% share in Styrolution, a joint venture between the companies. The purchase price to be paid by Ineos amounts to €1.1 billion. A call option in favor of Ineos to buy…
Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) has signed a definitive agreement with Ineos to create a strong player in chlorovinyls, to be named Inovyn. The joint venture (JV) is expected to be effective by year-end following the divestments required by the…
Foster Wheeler AG (Zug, Switzerland; www.fwc.com) says today that a subsidiary of its Global Engineering and Construction Group has been awarded a contract by Glencore Oil Projects AG for the engineering and material supply of a steam reformer heater for…
Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.outotec.com) has agreed with Nyrstar, a global integrated mining and metals company, to provide Outotec Ausmelt technology to the Port Pirie redevelopment in South Australia. Outotec will provide a technology licence, engineering, proprietary equipment and advisory…
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.; www.jacobs.com) says that it was awarded a contract to support Ashta Chemicals Inc. in making significant upgrades to its chlorine and potassium-based chemicals plant located in Ashtabula, Ohio. Company officials did not disclose the…