AkzoNobel completes €4.8 million surface chemistry plant expansion

AkzoNobel NV has completed the €4.8 million expansion project at its surface chemistry facility in Boxing, China, significantly increasing the company's regional product portfolio and reconfirming its commitment to the Asian market.

Being able to supply higher value products means AkzoNobel speciality chemicals is now in a stronger position to serve customers in numerous market sectors, including cleaning, agrochemical, personal care (such as cosmetics), mining, fuel and lubes, asphalt and the oil industry.

Prior to the expansion, the site was mainly dedicated to producing fatty acids, nitriles, amines and quaternary ammonium compounds for chemical intermediaries and manufacturers in the fabric softeners market.

The Boxing expansion is the latest in a series of investments to increase production in China. As well as inaugurating a new alkoxylation plant in Ningbo in 2016, the company is also on track to double capacity for organic peroxides at the Ningbo multi-site over the course of next year.

Read more: AkzoNobel completes €4.8 million surface chemistry plant expansion

Invista to sell apparel & advanced textiles business

Invista has entered into a definitive agreement with Shandong Ruyi Investment Holding to sell its apparel & advanced textiles business, one of Invista’s four major business units.

Completion of the agreement is expected by mid-2018.

The transaction includes:

• Invista’s portfolio of apparel-focused fibres and brands including LYCRA fibre, LYCRA HyFit fibre, COOLMAX fibre, THERMOLITE fibre and insulation, ELASPAN fibre, SUPPLEX fibre and TACTEL fibre products
• TERATHANE polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMEG), 1,4 butanediol (BDO), and tetrahydrofuran (THF) production
• Related manufacturing assets, research and development centres, and sales offices around the globe
• All associated technical, operations, commercial and administrative staff (approximately 3,000 employees globally)

Invista will retain ownership of its nylon, polyester, polyols and licensing businesses and related brands. This includes Invista’s world-leading nylon 6,6 intermediates business, its global nylon polymer And fibre portfolio, and widely recognized brands including STAINMASTER and ANTRON carpet fibres and CORDURA fabric. Invista will also retain its intellectual property rights for 1,4 butanediol (BDO), tetrahydrofuran (THF) and polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMEG) technologies and will continue to license these technologies on a global basis.

Read more: Invista to sell apparel & advanced textiles business

Kuraray to increase price for ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer

Kuraray Co Ltd announced a price increase on its EVOH products (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer; Kuraray trademark: EVAL) effective 1 December 2017. Due to increased costs of raw materials used in the production of EVAL EVOH, these actions are necessary.

Under these circumstances, Kuraray has decided to implement the following price increases for EVAL EVOH.

Price increase in Asia Pacific – $ 0.20/kg; North America, South America –$0.09/lb ($0.20/kg) and Europe, Middle East, Africa – €0.15/kg

Read more: Kuraray to increase price for ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer

Chevron, Microsoft partner to fuel digital transformation

Chevron Corporation (CVX) announced a seven-year partnership with Microsoft Corporation establishing the company as Chevron’s primary cloud provider, accelerating the application of advanced technologies including analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT) to drive performance and improve efficiencies.

The Microsoft strategic partnership is part of Chevron’s overall digitization initiative, a multi-year effort to streamline information technology (IT) operations around a digital core connecting the company’s engineers and operations through nimble analytics and increased automation. Adoption of Microsoft’s Azure platform will allow Chevron’s IT workforce to evolve from supporting infrastructure to one that enables more advanced technologies, as well as optimize exploration, reservoir management, production operations, midstream logistics and marketing operations.

The strategic partnership also extends to broader technical collaboration that will allow the two companies to focus on joint innovation from a technology and business process perspective. This will include identifying areas to influence Microsoft’s roadmap of future products and where Microsoft solutions can help solve Chevron’s business challenges.

“We embrace every opportunity that streamlines our workflows, gives us insights into more efficient operations and helps us compete. We already have a head start in digitizing our oilfields, but we want to accelerate our deployment of new technologies that position us to increase our revenues, lower our costs, and improve the safety and reliability of our operations,” said Joe Geagea, Chevron’s executive vice president of technology, projects and services.

Read more: Chevron, Microsoft partner to fuel digital transformation

ExxonMobil wins approval for Los Toldos investment plan

ExxonMobil Corporation said that the Neuqun Province government (Argentina) has approved the investment plan for the development of a 35-year unconventional exploitation concession in the Los Toldos I South block.

The initial investment of about $200 million calls for a pilot project that brings up to seven wells to production, the construction of production facilities and development of export infrastructure.

ExxonMobil and its partners, Gas y Petroleo del Neuquen and Americas Petrogas Argentina SA (APASA), are looking for opportunities to further develop this block and bring wells into production.

If the pilot project is successful, it could lead to a staged development of approximately 300 horizontal wells of up to 3,000 meters in length. The block could have estimated production of 11 million cubic meters per day of gas when at full production.

ExxonMobil Exploration Argentina SRL (EMEA) is the operator and holds 80 percent interest in partnership with Gas y Petroleo del Neuquen, which holds 10 percent interest, and APASA (Tecpetrol), which has 10 percent.

Read more: ExxonMobil wins approval for Los Toldos investment plan

Solvay to sell Bi-Ex trademark to ProPHOS Chemicals

Solvay SA and ProPHOS Chemicals have reached a sales agreement about the trademark Bi-Ex, which includes the transfer of Solvay's trademark rights to ProPHOS. The sale will be effective from 1st January 2018.

Bi-Ex is a powder used as an extinguisher agent for class BC fires. 

Read more: Solvay to sell Bi-Ex trademark to ProPHOS Chemicals

Praxair to build syngas processing plant at BASF’s Geismar facility

Praxair Inc (PX) and BASF SE signed a long-term agreement for Praxair to design, build, own, and operate a new syngas processing plant at BASF’s facility in Geismar, Louisiana.

The new plant, which will start up in 2020, will produce high-purity carbon monoxide and hydrogen from a stream of crude synthesis gas. Carbon monoxide is a raw material in the production of a range of speciality chemicals used in the housing and auto industries. Hydrogen is used to produce several chemical intermediates and clean fuels from refineries.

Coupled with an earlier investment that Praxair announced in April 2016, this will bring the company’s total new investment in the Geismar area to approximately $250 million. These investments, including pipeline expansions, are examples of Praxair’s ongoing commitment to supporting growing customer demand and further increasing supply reliability in the Mississippi River chemical corridor.

Read more: Praxair to build syngas processing plant at BASF’s Geismar facility