Latest News: Business
Shenhua Baotou Coal Chemical Co. accepts the world’s largest methanol plant
Shenhua Baotou Coal Chemical Co. and Davy Process Technology (Davy; London, U.K.; www.davyprotech.com), a Johnson Matthey Company (www.matthey.com), announced that a plant using Davy/JM’s methanol technology has successfully passed its performance test and achieved plant acceptance at Baotou in Inner…
Celanese accelerates plan to begin ethanol production in China
Celanese Corp. (Dallas, Tex.; www.celanese.com) says it will accelerate its original schedule and now expects to begin industrial ethanol production in China earlier than previously announced. In addition to the company’s previously announced plans for one, and possibly two, greenfield…
Linde builds Indonesia’s largest ASU
The technology group The Linde Group (Munich, Germany; www.linde.com) has closed a long-term deal to supply the Indonesian steel corporation PT. Krakatau POSCO (PTKP) with industrial gases. PT. Linde Indonesia, member of The Linde Group in Indonesia, and PTKP recently signed an agreement to…
Genomatica Achieves Demo-Scale Bio-BDO Production
Genomatica (San Diego, Calif.; www.genomatica.com) announced today that it has produced biologically derived 1,4-butane diol (bio-BDO) at demonstration scale at the Decatur, Ill. facility of its partner, Tate & Lyle (London, U.K.; www.tateandlyle.com). The demonstration-scale stage of production will validate…
Ton Büchner to take the reigns at AkzoNobel
The Supervisory Board of Akzo Nobel N.V. (AkzoNobel; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.akzonobel.com) has announced that Hans Wijers, CEO, has decided to step down, effective at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2012. Ton Büchner will be the new CEO, pending…
Tecnimont wins EPC contract for polyolefin plants in India
Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. (Rome, Italy; www.mairetecnimont.it) announces that its main operating company Tecnimont S.p.A. (Milan, Italy) and its fully owned subsidiary Tecnimont ICB Pvt Ltd (TICB) of India have been awarded two EPC Contracts on lumpsum turnkey basis for the…
JGC awarded electrolysis facility expansion project in Indonesia
JGC Plant Solutions and JGC Indonesia, both wholly-owned subsidiaries of JGC Group (Yokohama, Japan; www.jgc.co.jp), have been awarded a lump-sum turnkey contract for expansion of the electrolysis facilities at a plant owned by P.T. Asahimas Chemical (Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.…
Global Economic Data Suggest Continued Industrial Slowdown, ACC says
The bulk of the week’s economic data from around the world confirm a slowdown in industrial activity that has been a trend for the past several months, the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) states in its latest Weekly…
DOE: More funding to support the development of drop-in biofuels and bioproducts
As part of the Obama Administration's efforts to cut foreign oil imports, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced up to $36 million to fund six small-scale projects in California, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin, that will advance…
Bechtel awarded master planning project in Mongolia
Bechtel Corp. (San Francisco, Calif.; www.bechtel.com) has been selected by the National Development and Innovation Committee (NDIC) of the Government of Mongolia to provide master planning services for the development of the Sainshand Industrial Complex. The planned industrial hub is…