AmSty and Agilyx announce they have formed a joint venture, Regenyx LLC, to recycle post-consumer polystyrene materials back to new polystyrene products. Regenyx will utilize Agilyx’s chemical recycling process to convert used polystyrene products back to their original liquid form, styrene monomer. AmSty can then take that styrene monomer and work with its supply chain … Read more
Food and beverage companies Nestlé Waters, Pepsi and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe have joined an industrial consortium to fund the development of Carbios’ enzyme technology for plastic recycling. There is an increasing pressure on companies recently to cut down waste and develop better ways to recycle the plastic they use or produce in order … Read more
Univation Technologies LLC has announced that PJSC Kazanorgsintez (KOS) has successfully produced metallocene polyethylene resin on their existing UNIPOL PE Reactor Line located in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, in the Russian Federation. KOS currently operates three UNIPOL PE Reactor Lines that have been in operation since 1983, with KOS also completing a significant capacity expansion … Read more
INEOS Enterprises has announced on Wednesday the sale of INEOS Melamines & Paraform to Prefere Resins Holding GmbH. The agreement covers sites in USA, Germany and Indonesia. INEOS Paraform is Europe’s second largest producer of Paraformaldehyde. It employs around 120 people at its Mainz facility located close to the River Rhine and the port of … Read more
Kaneka Starts New Biopolymers Division Kaneka Americas Holding, Inc. announced on Tuesday the establishment of the new Houston-based Biopolymers Division. PHBH (a copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyhexanoate) from Kaneka is a plant-based product offering flexibility as well as heat resistance. It is produced through a novel process of bio-fermentation using renewable plant oils as feed stock. PHBH … Read more
Dow Chemical is closing its acrylic emulsions facility in east Charlotte this July. The company said that it made the decision after thorough assessments on sustainability of the operations. The company will decommission the plant on July 31st and will supply the product to its customers from other locations. The Charlotte site produces acrylic emulsions … Read more
MOL Group, a Hungarian energy company, has agreed to acquire Aurora, a recycled plastic compounder with production plants in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. The deal is part of the long-term strategy to expand the petrochemicals portfolio, MOL added. The transaction is subject to the relevant approvals for merger control. Aurora is a medium-sized company that mainly produces … Read more
INEOS Styrolution announced that it is planning to set up a new production site for its successful composite StyLight. “The establishment of a new production site reflects growing customer demand. Ever since its introduction at the K in Düsseldorf in 2016, StyLight has caught the attention of designers globally in the automotive, electronics and sports … Read more
Evonik announced on Monday that it will expand its production capacity of transparent polyamides at the Marl Chemical Park (Germany) which the company sells under the brand TROGAMID CX. Production expansion is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2020. The project will double the specialty chemicals company’s capacity for its transparent, high-performance materials. … Read more
INEOS Styrolution has announced the completion of the first successful test runs to produce virgin polystyrene from recycled monomer. Completed at the company’s Antwerp site in Belgium, these experiments can be viewed as practical proof of polystyrene recyclability and as a game changer for INEOS Styrolution in polystyrene production. The product is the result of … Read more
Eastman, a global specialty chemical company, announced a breakthrough innovation to address the plastic waste problem worldwide on Wednesday. The company announced plans in March to launch an advanced circular recycling technology that breaks down polyester waste that cannot be recycled into basic polymer building blocks by current mechanical methods that can be reintroduced as … Read more
DowDupont estimated that in the first quarter of the year, its earnings fell by a percentage in the high teens, hit by flooding in the midwest of the US, and a squeeze on margins in packaging and plastics. The company’s previous guidance was that earnings before interest, tax depreciation, and amortization would drop by a … Read more
Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals) will double production capacity for solvent-based organic peroxides at its Los Reyes, Mexico site, enabling it to support the strong growth of the North American polyolefin and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) markets. The expansion is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2020. Polyolefins are used to produce a … Read more
Arkema has successfully started up a Kepstan PEKK (Poly-Ether-Ketone-Ketone) plant at its site near Alabama, United States. The company considers the investment as a new step in Arkema’s ambitious growth strategy in high-performance polymers and advanced materials, the development of which is supported by the Group’s cutting-edge technologies in search of solutions for sustainable development. … Read more
Westlake Chemical Corporation announced that the company has joined the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), an organization launched in January 2019 to advance solutions to eliminate plastic waste in the environment, especially in the ocean. “Westlake is pleased to have joined the Alliance to End Plastic Waste as part of our long-standing commitment to … Read more
Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP today announced that it is currently studying the addition of a global scale 1-Hexene unit. The addition would expand the production of normal alpha olefins (NAO), marketed under the Alpha Plus brand name. “As global demand for polyethylene continues to grow, this study demonstrates Chevron Phillips Chemical ’s commitment to … Read more
Celanese Corporation announced on Tuesday that the Donegani facility at Ferrara, Italy will expand its production capacity for Pibiflex ® and Riteflex ® TPC (thermoplastic copolyester) to support its ongoing growth of its global engineered materials business. Thermoplastic co – polyester (TPCs) constitute the block co – polymers combining favorable rubber properties with the easier … Read more
Evonik signed an agreement to sell its methacrylates business for € 3 billion ($ 3.4 billion) to Advent International. The sales price is 8.5 times the EBITDA of the business. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals in various countries and is due to close in the third quarter of this year. Globally, Evonik’s methacrylates … Read more
Exxon Mobil Corporation announced that after 38 years of service, John Verity, chairman of ExxonMobil Chemical Company, chose to retire. The board of directors appointed senior vice president of basic chemicals, Karen McKee as ExxonMobil Chemical Company’s next president effective April 1, 2019. McKee, 52, joined Exxon Chemical Company in the UK in 1990, where … Read more
INEOS Styrolution, the world leader in styrenics, announced the completion of the acquisition of polystyrene sites from Total S.A. after all applicable regulatory and legal approvals have been received. The transaction, which was agreed on 31 August 2018, includes the purchase of the Foshan site in South China’s Guangdong Province and the Ningbo site in … Read more