Orica to acquire mining chemicals company Cyanco for $640m

Orica, an Australian chemicals company, has agreed to fully acquire Cyanco Intermediate (Cyanco) from an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management for a total of $640m.  Cyano is a US-based manufacturer and distributor of sodium cyanide, primarily serves the gold mining industries in the US, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, and Africa. The company operates production facilities … Read more

Kemira completes the divestment of its Oil & Gas related portfolio

Kemira has completed the divestment of its Oil & Gas related portfolio to Sterling Specialty Chemicals LLC, a US subsidiary of Artek Group, a global industrial chemicals group based in India. The divestment was announced on December 4, 2023.  The transaction enables Kemira to focus on its core businesses and accelerate its profitable growth strategy … Read more

AGC to plans $100 Mn facility for fluorinated ion-exchange membranes in Japan

AGC, a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals, and high-tech materials, has announced that it has decided to construct a new production facility for FORBLUE™ S-SERIES, a fluorinated ion-exchange membranes suitable for producing green hydrogen at its Kitakyushu Site (Tobata-ku, Kitakyushu City).  AGC will invest approximately 15 billion Japanese yen for the new facility, which is scheduled to … Read more

Evonik expands silica capacity in US site in Charleston

Charleston, USA. Evonik, one of the world’s leading silica producers, invests in a plant expansion for precipitated silica at its site in Charleston, USA. The new line in South Carolina is satisfying the high demand in particular from the tire industry in North America and makes the supply chains of Evonik partners in the region resilient … Read more

Rallis India to expand herbicide capacity

Rallis India Ltd’s Board of Directors, in their meeting on January 23, 2024, greenlit the expansion plan for the Pendimethalin Plant located at the Dahej SEZ unit.  The proposed augmentation, slated to increase the capacity by approximately 2000 MT/Annum, entails an investment of around Rs. 150 million, to be sourced from internal accruals. Presently, the … Read more

Birla Carbon starts carbon black facilities in both India and Thailand

Mumbai, India / Marietta, USA – Birla Carbon, the leader in sustainable carbon solutions, announced the establishment of two new carbon black manufacturing sites in Naidupet, Andhra Pradesh, India, and Rayong, Thailand.  “We are excited to augment our expansion plans in support of key customers in the fast-growing markets of India and Southeast Asia,” stated John Loudermilk, … Read more

India’s Epsilon Carbon plans $1.2 Bn investment in integrated carbon complex

Epsilon Carbon Pvt. Ltd., a prominent player in the chemical industry, has officially inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of the Indian State of Odisha. The commitment entails a substantial investment of Rs 100 billion ($1.2 billion) spread over a decade, earmarked for the establishment of a cutting-edge Integrated Carbon Complex (ICC) … Read more

Solenis to expand with new production facility in Virginia

Solenis, a leading global producer of specialty chemicals for water-intensive industries, will invest $193 million to expand its operation in the City of Suffolk, Virginia. The company will build a new 80,000-square-foot production facility, packaging facility and tank farm, and add a new rail spur to accommodate production of polyvinylamine (PVAm) polymer products, which are … Read more

PPG is considering the potential divestiture of its precipitated silica business

PPG (NYSE: PPG), a global leader in paints, coatings, and specialty materials, announced that it has engaged Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC as financial advisor to assist in a review of strategic alternatives for its silica products business.  PPG’s silica products business, which operates within the company’s specialty coatings and materials strategic business unit, manufactures … Read more

India’s Godrej Industries to invest $72.2 million to expand oleo chemicals capacity

Godrej Industries Ltd (Chemicals Division) has recently entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government, as revealed in an official regulatory filing.  The agreement signals a potential substantial expansion for Godrej Industries in Valia, with an anticipated investment of Rs 6 billion ($72.2 million) over the next four years. The expansion … Read more

Colonial Chemical to inaugurate Saudi specialty surfactants plant

Colonial Chemical, a leading manufacturer of personal care ingredients based in the United States, is set to inaugurate a cutting-edge manufacturing facility in Dammam, Saudi Arabia on January 17.  This state-of-the-art plant has been established through the collaborative efforts of Colonial Chemical Middle East Arabia (CCME), a joint venture between Colonial Chemical and its Saudi … Read more

Usalco acquires Brenntag Southwest coagulants business

USALCO, LLC, a leading provider of water treatment solutions for municipal and commercial customers, announced that it has acquired the coagulant manufacturing business of Brenntag Southwest, Inc.  Brenntag’s coagulants business is based in Houston, TX, and serves a diverse group of municipal and commercial water treatment customers in Texas, a key growth region for USALCO. … Read more

DIC builds printing inks plant in China

DIC Corporation announced that wholly owned subsidiary Nantong DIC Color Co., Ltd., based in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), has commenced construction of a new printing inks production facility in the southern area of the Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area (NETDA).   The new facility is scheduled to begin … Read more

India’s Ami Organics to set up battery electrolyte plant

Ami Organics, a prominent player in the field of specialty chemicals research and development, is gearing up to capitalize on the thriving battery market. The company has recently entered into a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a global electrolyte giant, paving the way for the establishment of battery cell and material production facilities in … Read more

PQ plans to install sodium silicates furnace at Georgia site

PQ LLC., a leading global producer of sodium silicates, specialty silicas, and derivative products, announced plans to expand its existing Augusta, Georgia-based manufacturing facility with an on-site sodium silicate furnace.  The new, high-efficiency furnace will significantly increase PQ’s production capabilities in the Southeastern United States as well as enhance its broader silicate supply network. The … 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

NewMarket to acquire additives maker American Pacific for $700 million

NewMarket Corporation announced its entry into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire AMPAC Intermediate Holdings, LLC, the ultimate parent company of American Pacific Corporation (AMPAC), for approximately $700 million.  Based in Cedar City, Utah, AMPAC is the leading North American manufacturer of critical performance additives used in solid rocket motors for space launch and military … Read more

Toyo awarded contract for acetylene black project in Thailand

Toyo Engineering Corp. (Tokyo) has been awarded engineering and procurement contract for an acetylene black project by Denka SCGC Advanced Materials Co., Ltd., a joint venture company of Denka Company Ltd. and SCG Chemicals plc (SCGC; Bangkok, Thailand).   Acetylene Black is a type of carbon black  used for applications such as EV lithium-ion batteries and high-voltage transmission cables for … Read more

Paladin Holdings acquires industrial cleaning chemicals firm Texize

Paladin Holdings LLC, a portfolio company of Makai Capital Partners, has acquired Texize, Inc. of Greenville, SC. Texize is a leading regional manufacturer of industrial and commercial soaps, detergents, and other associated cleaning products.  “We are very pleased to welcome Texize to the Paladin Holdings portfolio,” said Andrew Fulford, Managing Partner of Makai Capital Partners. “Texize has … Read more