Bondalti in €329M takeover bid for Ercros

Portuguese industrial conglomerate Bondalti has initiated a bold move in the chemical industry, announcing a takeover bid valued at 329 million euros ($357 million) for the entire shareholding of Ercros, a Barcelona-based chemical company. The offer, exclusively in cash, stands at 3.6 euros per share of Ercros, marking a substantial premium of 40.6% over the … Read more

INEOS Inovyn launches Ultra Low Carbon Chlor-Alkali range

INEOS Inovyn announces a new Ultra Low Carbon range (ULC) of Chlor-Alkali products that reduce the carbon footprint of caustic soda, caustic potash and chlorine by up to 70% compared to industry averages.  The new range uses renewable energy sources to power INEOS Inovyn manufacturing sites. The first production sites include Rafnes in Norway, which … Read more

Air Liquide is boosting efficiency and slashing CO₂ emissions at its Stade, Germany site

Air Liquide and Dow renewed their industrial gas supply agreement in Stade, one of the largest chemical production sites in Lower Saxony, Germany. In this context, Air Liquide will supply industrial gases under a long-term agreement and invest close to 40 million euros in the modernisation of its assets, enabling operational efficiency and reducing CO₂ emissions.  … Read more

Tecnimont awarded a FEED for an integrated green hydrogen and ammonia plant in Portugal 

MAIRE announces that Tecnimont (Integrated E&C Solutions) has been awarded a FEED contract by MadoquaPower2X to develop an integrated green hydrogen and green ammonia plant located in the industrial zone of Sines, Portugal. MadoquaPower2x is a consortium comprised of Madoqua Renewables, Power2X and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), through its Energy Transition Fund.  The project involves the production of green … Read more

Shell invests to repurpose German Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland

Shell Deutschland GmbH has taken a final investment decision (FID) to convert the hydrocracker of the Wesseling site at the Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland into a production unit for Group III base oils, used in making high-quality lubricants such as engine and transmission oils. Crude oil processing will end at the Wesseling site by … Read more

Cepsa, C2X set up joint project to develop green methanol plant in Europe

Cepsa, which is owned by Mubadala and Carlyle, and C2X, an independent company majority owned by A.P. Moller Holding with A.P. Moller – Maersk as minority owner, announce a joint ambition to develop a green methanol plant in the port of Huelva, southern Spain. Green methanol is made by using green hydrogen and non-fossil sources of … Read more

Brenntag to acquire Solventis, a solvents and glycols distributor

Brenntag, the global market leader in chemicals and ingredients distribution, announced the agreement to acquire Solventis Group, a glycols and solvents distribution company operating from Antwerp, Belgium, and from the UK.  Ewout van Jarwaarde, Chief Executive Officer Brenntag Essentials, commented: “Brenntag Essentials combines a cost-efficient network of last mile service operations with regional sourcing and … Read more

Evonik expands capacity for hydroxyl-terminated polybutadienes in Germany

Specialty chemicals company Evonik has begun work to expand its POLYVEST® HT plant in Marl, Germany. The Coating & Adhesive Resins business line expects the additional production capacity for its hydroxyl-terminated polybutadienes (HTPB) – marketed under the brand name POLYVEST® – to be ready as early as the second quarter of 2024 following the double-digit … Read more

LANXESS starts up expanded plant for sustainable sulfur carriers 

Specialty chemicals company LANXESS has completed the expansion of its production capacity for sustainable light-color sulfur carriers by several kilotons. The project, with an investment volume in the double-digit millions, was completed at the Mannheim site in around two years as planned. The additional volumes will be available from 2024.  “Sustainability is becoming an increasingly … Read more

LyondellBasell’s advanced recycling demo project gets €40M EU grant

LyondellBasell (LYB) has been selected to receive a €40 million grant from the European Union (EU) Innovation Fund. The grant will support the fully-electrified, industrial-scale advanced recycling demonstration plant the company plans to build  at its Wesseling, Germany site.   The company’s MoReTec plant is one of the 41 projects selected in the EU Innovation Fund ‘Third … Read more

Dow introduces a range of reduced carbon caustic soda products

Dow launched two caustic soda products –  Caustic DEC and TRACELIGHT™ DEC, part of Dow’s Decarbia™ portfolio of reduced-carbon solutions, with up to 90% lower carbon dioxide*.  Powered by renewable energy, this electrolysis production process helps lower our customers` Scope 3 emissions, thereby supporting their sustainability goals while maintaining the same product quality. The electrolysis … Read more

LyondellBasell sets up polyolefins distribution hub in UK

LyondellBasell, a global leader in the chemical industry, announced the establishment of a new distribution hub in the United Kingdom for its Polyolefins grades. This strategic move is part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing the customer experience by placing inventories closer to our customers’ facilities reducing lead times on orders.  This distribution hub in … Read more

Adnoc considering €10B acquisition of BASF affiliate Wintershall DEA

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is reportedly contemplating the acquisition of European energy firm Wintershall Dea, signaling a strategic move to bolster its international presence, as reported by Bloomberg, citing informed sources.  Wintershall Dea, valued at potentially over €10 billion ($11 billion), has garnered interest from various entities, including UK-listed Harbour Energy. German chemical … Read more

BASF gets government funding approval for green hydrogen project at Ludwigshafen 

With the approval of funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the State of Rhineland-Palatinate, BASF has come a major step closer in building a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. In cooperation with Siemens Energy, work on the water electrolysis at the Ludwigshafen site – the so-called Hy4Chem-EI project – … Read more

INVL Baltic Sea Growth Fund, Eco Baltia Acquire Poland’s Top PVC Recycler Metal-Plast 

INVL Baltic Sea Growth Fund, the leading private equity fund in the Baltic States, together with its portfolio company Eco Baltia, the largest environmental resource management and recycling group in the Baltics, has closed an agreement for the acquisition of 70% of the shares in Metal-Plast. Metal-Plast is the largest recycler of PVC window and door … Read more

AkzoNobel launches low-energy powder coating ‘Interpon D1036’ 

An industry-first architectural powder coating which can be cured at temperatures as low as 150◦C – while still being Qualicoat class one certified – has been launched by AkzoNobel.   Curing at temperatures 30°C lower than traditional powder coatings means that Interpon D1036 Low-E can help customers cut energy consumption by as much as 20%. It can … Read more

Air Products to Build Europe’s Largest Blue Hydrogen Plant

Air Products announced it will build, own and operate a state-of-the-art carbon capture and carbon dioxide (CO2) treatment facility at its existing hydrogen production plant in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.   The facility is expected to be on-stream in 2026, and the resulting “blue” hydrogen product to serve ExxonMobil’s (Esso) Rotterdam refinery and additional customers via … Read more

Borealis Boosts Recycled Plastic Compounding Capacity with Rialti S.p.A. Acquisition

On June 30, 2023 Borealis announced that it had signed an agreement to acquire Rialti S.p.A., a polypropylene (PP) compounder of recyclates based in the Varese area of Italy, subject to regulatory approvals. Today, the parties announce the successful closing of the transaction.  Rialti is one of the European market leaders specialized in production of … Read more

Lummus Acquires Acrylic Acid and Acrylates Technology

Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced that it has reached an agreement with Air Liquide Engineering & Construction to acquire rights to license and market ester grade acrylic acid technology, and light and heavy acrylates process technology. The addition expands Lummus’ portfolio for propylene production and derivative products, … Read more

Azelis acquires flavors and fragrances distributor in France

Azelis, a leading innovation service provider in the specialty chemicals and food ingredients industry, announces that it has acquired 100% of the shares of BLH SAS (“BLH”), a well-known distributor of flavors & fragrances focused on the fine perfumery market in France. The acquisition strengthens Azelis’ global footprint in flavors & fragrances, which was created … Read more