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

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

Elkem to Acquire Chinese Silicone Elastomers Manufacturer

Elkem ASA has entered into an agreement to acquire Polysil, a leading Chinese silicone elastomer & resins material manufacturer with strong positions in baby care and food grade silicones, as well as silicone products for the electronics and medical markets. The companies have agreed an enterprise value for Polysil of up to RMB 941 million … Read more

Companies form Consortium to Tackle PET Plastic Waste

ALPLA, Britvic, Danone, Unilever, REMONDIS and BP – leading companies operating across the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic packaging value chain announced they have formed a new consortium that aims to help to address the problem of plastic waste by accelerating the commercialisation of BP Infinia enhanced recycling technology. BP Infinia is designed to turn opaque … Read more

Trinseo, Fernholz to Jointly Develop High-Quality Recycled Polystyrene

Trinseo announced the initiation of a joint development project with Fernholz – a leading manufacturer of plastics packaging – to develop a high-quality Polystyrene (PS) product composed of 25% recycled material through a chemical recycling dissolution process. The collaboration is expected to have commercial viability by mid-year 2020. Trinseo announced at the industry renown K … Read more

Baltic Chemical Plant Selects Univation’s UNIPOL PE Technology

Baltic Chemical Plant LLC (BCP), a wholly-owned subsidiary of RusGasDobycha, has selected Univation Technologies’ UNIPOL PE Process for six reactor lines to be located at the Ust-Luga marine port located in Leningradsky Region, Russia. With maximum product flexibility in mind, each UNIPOL PE Reactor line is designed for a world-scale capacity of 500,000 TPY, yielding … Read more

Huntsman to Acquire Icynene-Lapolla for $350 Million

Huntsman Corporation announced its agreement to acquire Icynene-Lapolla, a leading North American manufacturer and distributor of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation systems for residential and commercial applications, from an affiliate of FFL Partners, LLC. Icynene-Lapolla has annual revenues of approximately $230 million with two manufacturing facilities located in Houston, Texas and Mississauga, Ontario.  Under terms … Read more

Indorama Acquires PET Recycler Green Fiber International

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global chemical manufacturer, has acquired Green Fiber International Inc. (GFI), a recycling company in Fontana, California, USA. The facility produces Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET) Flakes. The acquisition has a combined capacity of 40,000 tonnes/annum. Green Fiber International Inc. offers high-quality recycled PET bottle flakes for food contact to … Read more

BASF Begins $10 Billion Verbund Project in China

BASF officially launched its smart Verbund project in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, China, and commenced building its first plants. The project is estimated to cost US$10 billion as announced in July 2018. The first plants will produce engineering plastics and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) to serve the increasing needs of various growth industries in the southern China … Read more

MonoSol to Build New Plant in Europe and Expand Operations in US

MonoSol, a divison of Tokyo-based Kuraray Group announced plans to further expand its operations with the construction of a new manufacturing facility in Poland to meet rapidly increasing demand for its water-soluble and biodegradable films. Additionally, the company confirmed plans to increase manufacturing capacity at its recently completed plant near Indianapolis in Lebanon, Indiana. The … Read more

Covestro Sells European Systems Houses Business to HIG Capital

Covestro successfully closed the sale of its European Systems Houses business to H.I.G. Capital effective as of November 1, 2019. The sales proceeds amount to a high-double-digit euro million sum. The business comprises facilities in the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Germany and further businesses in Italy. With approximately 250 employees, the business generates a annual sales … Read more

Gabriel Performance Acquires Alkyd Resins Product Line from Deltech

Gabriel Performance Products, a U.S.-based leading specialty chemicals company serving the coatings, adhesives, and composite end markets, announces the acquisition of a select portfolio of alkyd resins from Deltech Resin Company. Gabriel has purchased a subset of Deltech’s alkyd resin product line. Gabriel will produce these products in its Harrison City, PA facility, home of … Read more

Solvay Opens Thermoplastic Composites Innovation Centers in the U.S. and in Europe

Solvay has opened two innovation centers dedicated to thermoplastic composites in the United States and Belgium, reinforcing its research and innovation (R&I) capabilities and engagement with customers, in high performance materials for the aerospace, automotive and oil & gas markets.  The opening of both centers follows Solvay’s creation in April of its thermoplastic composites platform … Read more

Ulsan PP Breaks Ground on New Polypropylene Plant in South Korea

LyondellBasell announced that Ulsan PP Co., Ltd., a joint venture between PolyMirae Company Ltd, a 50-50 partnership of LyondellBasell and Daelim, and SK Advanced broke ground in the southeastern port city of Ulsan, South Korea. This new plant will utilize LyondellBasell’s world leading fifth generation Spheripol technology and is expected to begin production in May … Read more

Ineos Announces Range of Bio-attributed Olefins and Polyolefins

INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe has announced a range of Bio-Attributed Olefins and Polyolefins, based on renewable bio based raw materials that do not compete with food production.  Products will be supplied from the INEOS Koln site, Germany, later this year. The company stated that bio-attribution measures the extent to which fossil fuel-derived feedstocks have … Read more

BASF, Adani, Borealis, ADNOC Sign MoU to Study Joint Development of $4-bn Petrochemical Complex

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Adani Group, BASF SE and Borealis AG have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to engage in a joint feasibility study to further evaluate a collaboration for the establishment of a chemical complex in Mundra, Gujarat, India. This is the next step of BASF’s and Adani’s investment plans as … Read more

Solvay’s New Polyethersulfone Unit in India Comes On-stream

Solvay has started the operation of its new Veradel PESU (polyethersulfone) line at its plant in Panoli, India. Solvay is raising capacity to address significant demand mainly from the Healthcare and Water Treatment industries, for this high-performance thermoplastic material. This capacity increase is a part of Solvay’s plan, announced in 2017, to raise sulfone polymers … Read more