Petrochemicals
US chemical activity index continues upward climb
The index has four primary components, each consisting of a variety of indicators: 1) production; 2) equity prices; 3) product prices; and 4) inventories and other indicators. During July, chemical equity prices were down, while product prices and production were flat, and inventories continued to improve.
BASF, Yara break ground on new ammonia project on Texas Gulf Coast
As part of the project, Yara will build an ammonia tank at the BASF terminal, while BASF will upgrade its current terminal and pipeline assets for the export of ammonia from the new plant.
INVISTA licenses PTA technology for new Chinese petrochemicals project
INVISTA’s latest PTA technology is available as a license package from INVISTA Performance Technologies. Jiaxing Petrochemical’s first PTA line, in operation since 2012, also utilizes INVISTA’s technology.
UOP licenses novel aromatics technology to new Chinese project
The new chemicals facility will be the first in China to use UOP's energy-efficient aromatics complex design to convert heavy naphtha into 800,000 tpy of high-purity paraxylene.
Eni’s Versalis to commercialize styrene-butadiene from India’s Reliance
The SBR sales agreement follows the license agreement that the two partners entered into in 2011 when Versalis seized upon Reliance's plan to expand its activities in the market of synthetic rubber by offering a technology license and know-how for the construction of a new unit.
BASF, Petronas to build new world-scale plant for polyisobutene in Malaysia
The plant, which will be the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, will have a total annual capacity of 50,000 tons of HR-PIB. It is expected to start production in the fourth quarter of 2017.
US chemical activity shows summer recovery
There were gains in the output of pesticides, synthetic rubber, chlor-alkali, plastic resins, and pharmaceuticals. These gains were offset, however, by declines in the production of organic chemicals, adhesives, acids, phosphates, sulfates, manufactured fibers, other specialties, and fertilizers.
INEOS starts building Europe's largest ethane tank to import US feedstocks
The investment in the Grangemouth tank and infrastructure is part of the company’s £450 million rescue package to equip the site to import ethane gas from the US.
Dow, Olin earn IRS nod for $5B chlor-alkali merger
Dow will separate its US Gulf Coast chlor-alkali and vinyl, global chlorinated organics and global epoxy businesses, and then merge these businesses with Olin in a Reverse Morris Trust transaction.
Univar acquires US-based Chemical Associates
Chemical Associates markets, manufactures and distributes oleochemicals like tall oil fatty acids, oleic acids, stearic acids, fractionated acids, fatty alcohols, polyunsaturated fatty acids, coconut fatty acids, castor derivatives, methyl esters, calcium stearate, metallic stearates, and glycerine.
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