In The News
This on-purpose butadiene process takes a step closer to commercialization
Last month, The Linde Group (Pullach, Germany; www.linde.com) and BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) announced plans to cooperate in developing and licensing processes for the on-purpose production of linear butenes and butadiene. BASF has developed process technology and catalysts as…
Consortium plans new MDI plant in Shanghai
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…
A Primer on Reverse Osmosis Technology
Water scarcity is one of the most serious global challenges of our time. Desalination and water reuse are effective and reliable means to provide new water resources. Among the many methods available to treat water, reverse osmosis (RO) has widely…
Evonik invests in new research center at Rheinfelden site
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…
Ineos to acquire BASF’s share in Styrolution
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 and Ineos to create chlorovinyls producer, Inovyn
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 awarded contract for steam-reformer heater in Russia
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 to provide smelting technology for Nyrstar’s Port Pirie redevelopment in Australia
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 Awarded Contract by Ashta Chemicals
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…
Oxea completes specialty esters plant in Nanjing
Oxea (Oberhausen, Germany; www.oxea-chemicals.com) says that its specialty esters plant in Nanjing, China, is now mechanically complete. After a construction period of slightly more than fifteen months the new state-of-the-art plant is currently in the commissioning and startup phase. The…