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Americas

Berkshire Hathaway closes on $9.7bn Lubrizol deal

Berkshire Hathaway has officially completed its acquisition of US-based specialty chemicals firm Lubrizol for $135/ share in an all-cash transaction. The transaction, having been overwhelmingly approved by Lubrizol shareholders and having met all US and non-US regulatory filing requirements, is valued at approximately $9.7 billion, including approximately $0.7 billion in net debt.

Butamax disputes Gevo bio-isobutanol patent suit

Butamax Advanced Biofuels is disputing allegations of patent infringement on bio-based isobutanol from rival producer Gevo. “Gevo’s lawsuit against Butamax is baseless and irresponsible” said Paul Beckwith, CEO of Butamax. “When Butamax makes isobutanol, we do not use the technology claimed in the Gevo patents.

Huntsman plots expansion for US epoxy resins

US-based chemicals major Huntsman has begun initial plans to expand its epoxy resins product lines by launching a multi-million dollar engineering study at its facility in McIntosh, Alabama.

GE sees rising gas turbine sales in North America

GE has received more than $1 billion in orders for heavy duty and aeroderivative gas turbines for projects throughout North America in 2011, underscoring a growing trend to use abundant, cleaner-burning natural gas for power generation. That figure is up more than 10% from 2010, the company said.

BP given brunt of blame in final Gulf oil spill report

A final investigation report released by US regulators on Wednesday found BP largely at fault in the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and resulting oil spill in April 2010.

Shell mulls new Louisiana-to-Texas crude pipeline

Shell Pipeline Co. is considering building a new pipeline segment (Westward Ho) to move crude from St. James, Louisiana to the Golden Triangle area of southeast Texas, the company said on Wednesday.

IEA cuts global oil demand outlook, citing economy

Market observers are puzzled over the ‘paradox’ of weakening economic growth and oil demand indicators on one hand and $110/bbl crude on the other, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), which on Tuesday cut forecasts for oil demand growth in 2011 and 2012.

Chevron Phillips, Sumitomo venture to shut down Texas polypropylene unit

Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem) has reached an agreement with partner Sumitomo Chemical Co. to permanently shut down polypropylene assets jointly owned by the Phillips Sumika Polypropylene Co. (PSPC) venture in Pasadena, Texas.

Process optimization to grow 9%/yr to 2015 - study

The real-time process optimization and training (RPO) market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 9%/year over the next five years, according to a new study from ARC Advisory Group.

Gevo wins US patents for bio-isobutanol production

Advanced biofuels firm Gevo received two patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on technologies that enable the low-cost, high-yield production of bio-based isobutanol.