Celanese Initiates Strategic Expansion of Global VAE Capacity

Celanese Corporation announced preliminary plans to expand its emulsion polymers derivatives business to extend the value of its global acetyl chain. “Building on a commitment to our global customer base to be the partner of choice by solving their most critical needs, Celanese will begin key investments in facility expansions as well as expand on … Read more

Air Liquide in Exclusive Talks with Messer to Sell its Entities in Czech Republic and Slovakia

Air Liquide announced on Tuesday that it has entered into exclusive negotiations, with Messer, regarding the divestment of its entities in Czech Republic and Slovakia. Air Liquide started operating in Slovakia in 2000 and Czech Republic in 2001. Today, both locations total 53 employees, with office locations in Prague and Trnava. This decision illustrates Air … Read more

Turkey’s Rönesans, Algeria’s Sonatrach Sign Petchem JV

Turkey and Algeria will jointly establish a petrochemicals plant in Adana on the Mediterranean coast, Algerian Energy Minister Mohammed Arkab told state-run Anadolu Agency. Turkey’s Rönesans Holding and Algeria’s state-owned energy company Sonatrach will take part in the project, Arkab said on the margins of the Turkey-Algeria Business Forum. The petrochemical facility is estimated to … Read more

Foremark Performance Chemicals Expands Triazine Production

Foremark Performance Chemicals, a Texas based intermediate chemicals and derivatives manufacturer, announced it has completed an expansion of its triazine manufacturing operations at its La Porte, Texas plant. The capacity increase reflects strong customer demand growth from both higher shale oil and gas production in North America as well as Foremark’s strong value proposition. The … Read more

BASF Invests in Capacity Expansion for Methane Sulfonic Acid

BASF will expand its global capacities for methane sulfonic acid (MSA) to 50,000 metric tons per year. This involves a higher double-digit million euro investment in constructing a new methane sulfonic acid plant at the Ludwigshafen site. The company had announced the expansion plan of MSA at the end of 2018. The construction works started … Read more

Johns Manville to Build Polyisocyanurate Unit in Texas

Johns Manville (JM), a global building and specialty products manufacturer and a Berkshire Hathaway Company, announced its plans to build a polyisocyanurate production plant in Hillsboro, Texas. “This expansion south of Dallas/Fort Worth, in an area where construction is surging, will increase availability of our premium products to customers throughout the region,” said Mary Rhinehart, … Read more

BASF Expands Low 1,4-Dioxane Line Following Ban in NY

BASF has expanded its low 1,4-dioxane line as regulators, including those in New York, have continued to target 1,4-dioxane in personal care and household cleaning products due to purported health concerns. BASF Flex solutions’ portfolio includes surfactants such as Texapon N 70 NA FlexGold N/A 5 and Texapon N 70 NA FlexSilve. “Formulating with Flex … Read more

Formosa Plastics Starts Up New Texas Cracker

Formosa Plastics Corporation, U.S.A. continues its progress on the construction and startup of expansion units at Point Comfort, Texas site. The 1.5 million-MT per year cracker has come online and was seen ramping up through January. The 400,000-MT per year LDPE unit is in the commissioning stages, with initial start-up expected in April 2020. The … Read more

BASF to Expand Polyurethane Dispersions Capacity in Spain

BASF SE announced a single-digit million-euro investment to increase capacity of water-based polyurethane dispersions at its Castellbisbal site in Spain. The expansion will allow BASF to increase its production capacity by 30%. “We want to continue to provide our customers with high-quality polyurethane dispersions and help them grow by ensuring supply reliability. Considering the rising … Read more

Asahi Kasei Mitsubishi to Restart Naphtha Cracker in Mizushima

Asahi Kasei Mitsubishi Chemical Ethylene, a joint venture of Asahi Kasei Corp and Mitsubishi Chemical Corp, said it will restart operation at its naphtha cracker in Mizushima, Okayama prefecture on 24 January, after completing planned repair of the unit’s troubled refrigeration system. The naphtha cracker automatically shut down on 14 January after it detected a … Read more

Showa Denko Restructures Domestic Production of UP and VE Resin

Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) has decided to terminate operation of its production lines to synthesize unsaturated polyester resin (UP) and vinyl ester resin (VE) at Isesaki Plant by the end of June 2021. The company will concentrate domestic production of UP and VE at Tatsuno Plant in order to improve profitability of its UP and … Read more

Avangard to Supply PCR Plastic Film Pellets to Dow

Avangard Innovative LP, a specialist in waste optimization technology reached an agreement to supply Dow with post-consumer resin (PCR) plastic film pellets. The deal will be a significant addition to Dow’s plastic circularity portfolio that is aligned with the company’s goal to advance the circular economy for plastics and minimize waste in the environment. The … Read more

Solvay Boosts Light Stabilizers Capacity at West Virginia Site

Solvay’s new high molecular weight (HMW) hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS) capacity is now online, complementing existing HALS production at the Willow Island, West Virginia, USA, site. The facility was designed with the latest improvements in technology to ensure operator safety, reduce impact on the environment, and improve the quality and consistency of Solvay’s HALS … Read more

Enterprise Starts Up Isobutane Dehydrogenation Plant in Texas

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. announced on Monday that its isobutane dehydrogenation (iBDH) plant in the Mont Belvieu, Texas area recently began service, with volumes expected to continue ramping up during the next two weeks. The facility, which is supported by long-term, fee-based contracts with investment grade customers, will ultimately have the capability to process approximately … Read more

Formosa’s $9.4B Petchem Project in Louisiana Clears Key Hurdle

Formosa Petrochemical has received air pollution permits for a $9.4 billion petrochemical and plastics complex the company has proposed building in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The company has received the final Title V operating permits needed from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The complex would be built in two phases and produce ethylene, propylene, … Read more

Shell Chemicals to Explore Polycarbonate Production in Singapore

Shell announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CNOOC Oil & Petrochemicals Co Ltd (CNOOC) to explore its first commercial-scale polycarbonate (PC) production unit, which would be located at the CNOOC and Shell Petrochemical Company (CSPC) joint-venture chemicals complex in Huizhou, China. As an interim step, Shell has started constructing a PC development … Read more

Borealis AG to Acquire NOVA Chemicals Share in Novealis Joint Venture

Borealis AG and NOVA Chemicals Corporation announced last Thursday that they have reached an agreement for Borealis to buy NOVA Chemicals’ 50% ownership interest in Novealis Holdings LLC. Formed in 2018, Novealis is the joint venture between affiliates of Borealis and NOVA Chemicals, which subsequently formed a 50/50 joint venture with an affiliate of Total … Read more

INEOS Styrolution to Build World-Scale ABS Plant in China

INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, has announced plans to build a world-scale acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) plant in Ningbo, China. The new production site will be adjacent to the recently acquired polystyrene plant in Ningbo. After the acquisition of two polystyrene production sites in China from Total in February 2019, INEOS Styrolution embarks on plans … Read more