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Latest News: Business

Specialty chemical volumes fall slightly in August, ACC says

Specialty chemical market volumes in the U.S. fell by 0.1% in August, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). The retreat follows a 1.3% gain in July and a…

MHPS receives gas-turbines order for fertilizer-production plant in Turkmenistan

  Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS; Yokohama, Japan; www.mhps.com) has received an order for two sets of its natural gas-fired H-25 gas turbine and generator to be installed at a fertilizer production plant, which Turkmenhimiya, a state-owned chemical company…

PPG completes expansion of coatings facility in Spain

PPG Industries, Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.ppg.com) announced the completion of a $3.8 million expansion at its coatings manufacturing facility in Laguna de Duero, Valladolid, Spain. The investment provides new mixing and blending equipment at the facility that will support an…

Ube to expand manufacturing capacity for lithium-ion battery separators

Ube Industries, Ltd. (Ube; Tokyo, Japan; www.ube-ind.co.jp) announced that it has decided to expand its production capacity for lithium-ion battery separators by rebuilding existing facilities at its Ube Chemical Factory (Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan) while also establishing new production…

Messer buys gas business of Air Liquide in Hungary

  On 15 September 2015, the Hungarian subsidiary of Messer Group (Bad Soden, Germany; www.messergroup.com) signed a purchase contract with Air Liquide Eastern Europe S.A. to buy 100% of the shares in Air Liquide Hungary Ipari Gáztermelő Kft. Messer Hungarogáz…

Praxair to acquire CO2 business of Yara

  Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com) has signed an agreement to acquire Yara International ASA’s (Yara) European CO2 business. The proposed transaction also includes Praxair’s acquisition of Yara’s remaining 34% stake in the Yara Praxair Holding AS industrial gas joint…

Amec Foster Wheeler awarded contract for Louisiana methanol plant

Amec Foster Wheeler (London, U.K.; www.amecfw.com) announced the award of a contract by Yuhuang Chemical Inc. (YCI), a U.S.-based subsidiary of Shandong Yuhuang Chemical Company Co. (SYCC), for its first major project in the U.S., a world-scale methanol facility on…

Solvay inaugurates sodium bicarbonate plant in Thailand

Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium; www.solvay.com) inaugurated a new sodium bicarbonate plant based in Thailand to meet  growing demand for high-quality products, in healthcare, food  and other consumer goods markets throughout  Asia. Located on Solvay's existing site in Map Ta Phut…

Total to use Eni’s slurry technology for converting heavy feedstocks

Eni S.p.A. (Rome; www.eni.it) and Total S.A. (Paris, France; www.total.com) have entered into a special license and R&D cooperation agreement for Eni Slurry Technology (EST) and started to work together to evaluate and tailor the technology to Total’s requirements. Eni Slurry…

BP to license purified terephthalic acid process technology to Ningxia Baota

BP plc (London; www.bp.com) and Ningxia Baota Chemical Fibre Co. (a majority owned subsidiary of Baota Petrochemical Group) have signed an agreement to license BP’s latest-generation purified terephthalic acid (PTA) technology, the third such deal agreed by BP. Ningxia Baota…