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BASF and Toda Kogyo enter negotiations to form a JV for CAMs  

BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) and Toda Kogyo Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.todakogyo.co.jp), one of the industry leaders in the development and manufacture of cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, have announced that they will enter exclusive negotiations to form a joint…

Chevron Phillips breaks ground for large U.S. Gulf Coast petrochemical project

Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.cpchem.com) held a groundbreaking ceremony for its U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC) Petrochemicals Project at the Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, Tex.  The groundbreaking ceremony signifies the start of construction for the USGC…

Solvay completes acquisition of ERCA, doubles surfactant capacity in Brazil

Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) has completed the acquisition of the specialty chemical assets of ERCA Química, Ltda. in Brazil, enabling the group to more than double its surfactant production capacity in the country and to expand its access to…

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Outotec to deliver technology for high-purity alumina plant in Canada  

Outotec Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.outotec.com) has agreed with Orbite Aluminae Inc. on the delivery of a new calcination system for Orbite's high-purity alumina production facility located in Cap-Chat, Québec. The contract value is below €10 million and it has been…

Synthos to build a neodymium polybutadiene rubber plant in Brazil

Synthos Group S.A. (Oswiecim, Poland; www.synthosgroup.com) is planning to build a neodymium polybutadiene rubber plant in Triunfo Petrochemical Complex in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The investment will be carried out provided that the 2013 contracts on raw material supplies…

Brenntag acquires specialty solvents distributor Gafor

Brenntag AG (Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany; www.brenntag.com) has acquired Gafor Distribuidora Ltd, a distributor of specialty solvents in Latin America, which is part of Grupo Gafor headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The largest industries being served by Gafor are…

PPG sells interest in Transitions Optical JV

PPG Industries, Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.ppg.com) has announced the successful completion of the previously announced sale to Essilor International of its 51% ownership interest in its Transitions Optical joint venture (JV) and PPG’s wholly-owned sun-lens business. Essilor International had held…

Linde and Shell enter agreement for new ethane-cracking units

The Linde Group (Munich, Germany; www.linde.com) has announced that it has entered into an Enterprise Framework Agreement (EFA) with Shell Global Solutions International B. V. to build ethane-cracking units on a global basis. The EFA is for ten years, with…

Alcoa invests $40 million to increase specialty foil capacity in Brazil

Alcoa Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.alcoa.com) has announced a $40 million investment in its Itapissuma, Brazil, rolling mill to increase production of specialty foils for aseptic and flexible packages. The expansion was announced at the ExpoAlumínio trade show in São Paulo.…

Praxair will build a steam-methane reformer to boost hydrogen output in Niagara Falls

Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com) is planning on expanding its business and building a steam-methane reformer to increase the supply of hydrogen for its liquid hydrogen plant in Niagara Falls, N.Y. This investment will serve growing needs for hydrogen in…