Lubrizol plans $25 million expansion at Kentucky plant

The Lubrizol Corporation said that it will invest more than $25 million in its Calvert City, Kentucky manufacturing facility.

The facility specializes in the production of Carbopol polymers and Pemulen(TM) polymeric emulsifiers. These polymers are used in consumer goods for personal care, home care, and pharmaceutical markets. This expansion will include advanced, proprietary process technology that will allow the Calvert City facility to continue to provide Lubrizol's partners with high-quality products.

Read more: Lubrizol plans $25 million expansion at Kentucky plant

CropEnergies to pause production at UK ethanol plant

CropEnergies AG said that will pause bioethanol production at its Wilton plant, UK, from the end of November 2018 on, due to low prices.

The company adjusts its outlook for the current financial year 2018/19 due to ethanol prices – both spot and forward prices – which have significantly fallen in the last few days contrary to all expectations.

Read more: CropEnergies to pause production at UK ethanol plant

P2 Science starts commercial production of renewable C9 aldehyde

P2 Science Inc, a bio-renewable chemistry company has produced the first ever commercial quantities of BioNonanal, at its new plant in Naugatuck.

BioNonanal is a 100 percent renewable, vegetable-based linear C9 aldehyde, commonly used in fragrances to impart waxy, citrus and floral notes to consumer products in both household and personal care markets.

To date, nonanal has been mainly produced from a petrochemical, Octene. The only option for a renewable nonanal has been via a costly extraction process from certain essential oils such as orange oil. The resulting cost of such a natural extract nonanal made it impractical to use in most fragrance applications. P2’s patented green chemistry process enables the efficient conversion of many common vegetable oils into nonanal and other valuable speciality products for use in cosmetics and related applications.

Read more: P2 Science starts commercial production of renewable C9 aldehyde

MHI wins fertilizer plant construction contract in Bangladesh

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI), together with China National Chemical Engineering No.7 Construction Co Ltd, have signed a fertilizer plant construction project for Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation.

This will be the largest fertilizer plant in Bangladesh, with production capacity of 2,800 tonnes per day. The project will be managed through an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contracting arrangement, with completion scheduled for 2022.

Read more: MHI wins fertilizer plant construction contract in Bangladesh

Kraiburg presents new TPE for soft-touch surfaces

Kraiburg TPE presented a new thermoplastic elastomers series specially developed for decorated surfaces that appeal to the touch and for functional parts inside motor vehicles’ cabins.

Design flexibility, cost-effective processability, and flawless surface quality are a must when it comes to the properties of high-performance materials for high-quality automotive interior parts. The specific compounds also comply with all of the industry’s strict regulations that stipulate the long-term behaviour of applications in this sophisticated environment.

The compounds of the new FG/SF THERMOLAST K series comply with all established automotive standards set by OEMs with regard to the emission and odour behaviour of components for vehicle cabins including DIN 75201-B (G) and VDA 278 on fogging and VOC (volatile organic compound) as well as VDA 270 Var. 3 (odour behaviour dependent on temperature and climatic influences). In addition, the compounds provide permanent UV stability, which is confirmed by comprehensive independent tests in accordance with DIN EN ISO 105-B06.

Read more: Kraiburg presents new TPE for soft-touch surfaces

Vertellus appoints former PolyOne exec as next CEO

Vertellus has appointed former president of PolyOne’s global colour and additives business as its next CEO. Effective immediately, John Van Hulle brings to Vertellus more than three decades of leadership experience in the speciality chemical and plastics industries serving business sectors.

Read more: Vertellus appoints former PolyOne exec as next CEO

Unilever, Veolia join forces on sustainable packaging

Unilever and Veolia have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly work on emerging technologies that will help create a circular economy on plastics across various geographies, starting in India and Indonesia.

In reaching this important agreement, Unilever and Veolia acknowledge that the issue of plastic waste is a shared responsibility that requires bold action across the value chain to develop and scale up collection and reprocessing infrastructure, which is critical in the transition towards a circular economy.

The work will focus on material collection, which will help channel recycled content back into the value chain. Veolia will work with Unilever to implement used packaging collection solutions, add recycling capacity and develop new processes and business models through this partnership in various countries.

Read more: Unilever, Veolia join forces on sustainable packaging

Givaudan opens $2.89 mn commercial centre in Indonesia

Givaudan has officially opened a new CHF 2.9 million ($2.89 million) commercial and development centre in Jakarta. The centre is designed to deliver a superior level of creative flavour, taste and fragrance solutions.

The new 2,600 square metres centre will enable Givaudan to serve customers across a wide range of food, beverage and consumer good segments including, sweet goods, savoury, snacks, beverages, fine fragrances, personal care, home care and fabric care.

Read more: Givaudan opens $2.89 mn commercial centre in Indonesia

Sika opens new concrete admixture plant in Russia

Sika has opened a new production plant for concrete admixtures near Yekaterinburg, Russia. In the area around the plant, there are five cities with populations of over one million and attractive construction markets. Large parts of the Volga region and Siberia can also be supplied from the new site.

The new production plant in Beryozovsky, to the north-east of Yekaterinburg, will deliver cost-savings and make it possible to supply customers in this fast-growing region with customized concrete admixtures for demanding construction projects.

Read more: Sika opens new concrete admixture plant in Russia

Stork bags asset integrity contract extension by Chrysaor

Stork, part of Fluor Corporation’s diversified services segment was awarded a two-year contract extension by Chrysaor. Stork will deliver integrated specialist asset integrity services for its Armada, Everest and Lomond offshore production platforms located in the Central North Sea.

Under this contract, Stork will continue to deliver an inclusive range of solutions and capabilities to extend the offshore assets’ life cycle. Through proven methodologies and its integrity corrective action teams (ICATs), Stork will assess and optimize work, delivering an inspection process to meet the operational strategy for each asset and undertaking any necessary repairs.

This integrated capability reduces failures while extending the asset’s life.

ICAT is Stork’s process-led, multi-disciplined approach which identifies and rapidly remedies integrity anomalies before they require repair or replacement.

Read more: Stork bags asset integrity contract extension by Chrysaor

Total opens $50 mn lubricants oil blending plant in Russia

Total SA has inaugurated its new state-of-the-art lubricants oil blending plant, in Kaluga, Russian Federation.

The blending and production plant will allow Total to localize the production of its top-tier lubricants for the Russian market. With an investment equivalent to $50 million, this facility has been designed to produce initially 40,000 tons of automotive and industrial lubricants per year, with a scale-up option to bring this capacity up to 70,000 tons per year.

The plant is equipped with a fully automated blending system and ultramodern filling lines. Covering an area of 7 hectares of the Vorsino industrial park in the Kaluga Region, this facility opens less than two years after the start of construction. Its operations are creating 50 new working positions onsite.

Read more: Total opens $50 mn lubricants oil blending plant in Russia

KBR wins FEED contract for BP's Tortue project

KBR Inc’s UK subsidiary has been awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract by BP Plc. The contract is for Phase 1 of the Tortue field Hub/Terminal development located on the maritime border between Senegal and Mauritania.

The agreement contains a mechanism to allow transition of the contract to an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract at a later date.

KBR will provide management of the Quarters and Utilities (QU) including Telecoms Systems FEED and provision of supplemental services (system engineering, interface oversight, technology planning, support and verification) of the Hub/Terminal for the Tortue project in Senegal and Mauritania.

Read more: KBR wins FEED contract for BP's Tortue project

Clariant's Hans joins executive board; Britta to leave

Clariant has appointed Hans Bohnen, currently head of global business services as the new member of executive committee.

Bohnen has been with the company for almost 10 years.

Simultaneously, Britta Fuenfstueck, member of executive committee has decided to leave Clariant as of 31 October 2018 to become CEO of the Hartmann Group.

Effective 12 October, Bohnen will be installed as a member of Clariant’s executive committee. He will assume responsibility for the business area plastics & coatings, global business services, group information technology, Digital4Clariant, and the regions Latin America and North America.

Read more: Clariant's Hans joins executive board; Britta to leave

Jacobs bags contract for Sirius' materials handling facility

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract from Sirius Minerals PLC for its new materials handling facility (MHF).

Located in Teesside, England, the MHF is being constructed as part of the company's North Yorkshire Polyhalite Project, which will supply a unique type of potash fertilizer.

Jacobs is designing the MHF to handle seven million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of granulated product in its first phase of development, with expansion considerations being developed into the design to support up to 20 MTPA of the granulated product. In addition, the facility will also handle three MTPA of coarse product.

Through the development of its North Yorkshire Polyhalite Project, the world's largest and highest-grade deposit, Sirius Minerals will become a leading global producer of polyhalite. At full production, the project will create over 1,000 direct jobs and many more indirectly, and has the potential to generate over £2 billion of annual exports for the U.K.

Read more: Jacobs bags contract for Sirius' materials handling facility

IFF opens new flavours plant & lab in China

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (IFF) has opened two new facilities in China. A flavours manufacturing facility in the Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone and a Natural Product Research lab, located in the Nanjing Life Science Park.

The flavours plant is the company’s second in China and is designed to supplement IFF’s existing flavours and manufacturing operations in Guangzhou. The Naturals Lab is the company’s first outside of the US.

The Zhangjiagang site spans 66,800 sqm, encompassing the main manufacturing building that is fitted with a strong odour control system, quality control labs and an ambient warehouse for goods. Aligned with IFF’s commitment to sustainability, this facility is designed to have zero liquid discharge by reusing all water on-site, and is built to LEED Silver qualifications. 

Read more: IFF opens new flavours plant & lab in China

Covestro to build €1.5 bn world-scale MDI plant

Covestro has approved an investment of around €1.5 billion to build a new world-scale methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) plant in Baytown, Texas. This investment at the existing site in Baytown is the largest single investment in the history of the company.

Total capacity of the new train will be 500 kilotons MDI per year, start of production is expected in 2024. At the same time an older, less efficient MDI unit of 90 kilotons production capacity will be closed. Thus, total MDI capacities of Covestro in the NAFTA region will reach around 740 kilotons per year making Covestro the industry capacity leader in the region by 2024. With that, Covestro will also strongly underline its global industry capacity leadership position.

Read more: Covestro to build €1.5 bn world-scale MDI plant

Ascend sees constrained PA66 availability in short term

The US nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 (Polyamide 66-PA66) markets continue to face pressure despite decreasing feedstock costs amid severely constrained global supplies and strong demand.

In this market scenario, “PA66 availability will continue to be constrained for the short term,” said Phil McDivitt, President and CEO of Ascend Performance Materials, in a statement. “We are committed to meeting the long-term needs of our customers and maintaining reliable operations,” he added.

Due to conflicting reports on long-term PA66 availability, the company believed it necessary to restate its plans to meet the increased market demand, it stated.

A fully integrated producer and supplier of PA66, Ascend, declared force majeure on Pensacola, Florida site, mentioning that production continued to be around 90 percent of capacity. 

Read more: Ascend sees constrained PA66 availability in short term

Wood bags multi-million-dollar contract in Oman

Wood Group has secured a new multi-million-dollar contract with Duqm Refinery and Petrochemicals Industries to provide two Terrace Wall double-fired delayed coker heaters at their refinery on the south eastern coast of the Sultanate of Oman.

The award follows on from Wood’s successful delivery of the engineering and process design phase, the technology package and licence of the company’s SYDEC (selective yield delayed coking) technology.

Effective immediately, the contract will be delivered by Wood’s process and technology specialists based in New Jersey, US, and builds on Wood’s strong contribution to the Duqm Refinery to date, including the successful delivery of the overall facility pre-FEED, FEED and ongoing project management.

The contract is due to be completed in the first quarter of 2020.

Read more: Wood bags multi-million-dollar contract in Oman

Aramco, Total launch engineering studies for giant petrochemical complex

Total SA and Saudi Aramco have signed a joint development agreement for the front-end engineering and design (FEED) of a giant petrochemical complex in Jubail, on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast.

The agreement was signed by Amin Nasser, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco and Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman and CEO of Total.

Announced in April 2018, the world-class complex will be located next to the SATORP refinery, operated by Saudi Aramco (62.5 percent) and Total (37.5 percent), in order to fully exploit operational synergies. It will comprise a mixed-feed cracker (50 percent ethane and refinery off-gases) – the first in the Gulf region to be integrated with a refinery – with a capacity of 1.5 million tons per year of ethylene and related high-added-value petrochemical units. The project represents an investment of around $5 billion and is scheduled to start-up in 2024.

Read more: Aramco, Total launch engineering studies for giant petrochemical complex

Yara to acquire 100 pc of Galvani minority interests

Yara SA has reached an agreement to acquire the minority interest in Galvani Industria, Comercio e Servicos SA from the Galvani family. As part of the deal certain assets will be transferred to the Galvani family, who will also receive a payment in cash and a contingent amount. Yara will thereby own 100 percent of the shares in Galvani Industria, Comercio e Servicos SA.
"This deal streamlines our production footprint in Brazil, securing full ownership of key Yara Brazil production assets, complementing its extensive distribution capabilities and achieving a more integrated position in the Brazilian market," said Lair Hanzen, Executive Vice President Yara Brazil.

Yara Brazil will own 100 percent of the industrial unit in Paulinia with integrated Single Super Phosphate production and a fertilizer bulk blend facility, and the Serra do Salitre project with an annual production capacity of approximately 1.2 million tonnes of phosphate ore and 1.5 million tonnes of finished fertilizer (SSP equivalents).

Read more: Yara to acquire 100 pc of Galvani minority interests

Brenntag to distribute PQ’s sodium, potassium silicate solutions

Brenntag France said that it is distributing PQ Corporation’s sodium and potassium silicate solutions in France. This exclusive distribution agreement is effective since 1 July 2018.

“The PQ Corporation silicate product portfolio is an important addition to Brenntag’s product offering across all sectors. We value the core competency of PQ and the extensive technical knowledge and insight that they can offer customers to address real life situations. Brenntag is very motivated to serve and understand evolving demands from our respective customers,” said Eyal Attia, head of product management Brenntag France.

Read more: Brenntag to distribute PQ’s sodium, potassium silicate solutions