Chemical Business Newsbase articles from April 2011, page 4

Chemical Business Newsbase archives from April 2011

Emerson partners with Sanmina-SCI to build solar power inverters for Canadian market.
April 18, 2011... Emerson has announced that it is partnering with Sanmina-SCI Corp to build innovative Emerson solar power inverters at Sanmina-SCI's Ottawa, Ontario, manufacturing facility. This will enable Emerson to fulfil Ontario's requirement that...

Bentek: Eagle Ford crude oil production expected to grow fivefold in five years.
April 18, 2011... Bentek Energy (Bentek) has just issued a market alert providing an analysis of shale oil, wet gas, natural gas liquids (NGL) and dry gas production growth anticipated from the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas through 2016. While there are...

ADA Technologies receives $750,000 to develop lithium-ion batteries for military unmanned aircraft systems.
April 18, 2011... ADA Technologies Inc has received a $750,000 contract from the US Air Force for research on an innovative nanomaterial-enabled power system for use in small to micro unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Specifically, ADA Technologies will create a...

American Tire Distributors Inc announces acquisition of North Central Tire Group.
April 18, 2011... American Tire Distributors Inc (American Tire) has announced that it has executed an agreement to purchase the capital stock of North Central Tire Group (North Central Tire). American Tire expects the transaction to close on 29 Apr 2011. North...

Bayer CropScience and DuPont announce canola trait licensing agreement.
April 18, 2011... On 18 Apr 2011, Bayer CropScience and DuPont announce that they have entered into a global licensing agreement for a canola herbicide tolerance trait. Bayer has licensed its proprietary herbicide tolerance technology, LibertyLink, to DuPont...

Ashland to raise prices on Vinac and Flexbond emulsion products.
April 18, 2011... Ashland Performance Materials, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc, will increase the North American price of emulsion products effective 1 May 2011. The increase cover those sold in the adhesives, coatings, paper, construction, carpet, non-woven...

Ashland to highlight three new products at Excipient Fest Americas.
April 18, 2011... Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc, is presenting three custom Benecel hypromellose (HPMC) grades at the Excipient Fest Americas trade show on 10-11 May 2011 in Baltimore, MD, USA. The products fill the...

Reliance, Essar, IOC to buy Cairn crude oil in 2011-2012.
April 18, 2011... For 2011-2012, Cairn India has inked an agreement with Reliance Industries, Essar Oil and Indian Oil Corp to supply crude oil pumped from its Rajasthan Oil field in India. The balance crude oil will be supplied to private refiners. As per the...

BASF announces plans to work directly with farmers in the Nile and Middle East region.
April 18, 2011... BASF has announced that the division Crop Protection plans to sell products directly to customers in the Middle East and Nile regions. This announcement falls in line with the company's long-term strategic plan to increase its support for the...

BioSante Pharmaceuticals announces pancreatic and prostate cancer vaccine licence.
April 18, 2011... On 18 Apr 2011 BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc announced it had licensed its Pancreas Cancer Vaccine and Prostate Cancer Vaccine to Aduro BioTech (a clinical-stage immunotherapy company) solely for use in combination with Aduro's proprietary...

Norsk Hydro: sale of shares to employees.
April 18, 2011... Norsk Hydro ASA's employees have purchased shares under a general arrangement offered to the employees of Norsk Hydro ASA each year. All employees in Norway have been offered an opportunity to purchase shares valued at NOK 10,000 with a 25%...

FDA approves Actemra for the treatment of Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA).
April 18, 2011... On 18 Apr 2011 Roche announced that the US Food and Drug Administration had approved Actemra for the treatment of active Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA) in patients aged 2 years and older. Actemra can be given alone or in...

UCB and K U Leuven join forces for immunological research.
April 18, 2011... On 18 Apr 2011 UCB and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K U Leuven) signed a collaborative research agreement in the field of immunology. Within this framework, researchers from both organisations will work together closely for several years...

UPM Profi composite achieves PEFC certification for 100% recycled raw material.
April 18, 2011... UPM ProFi has achieved PEFC Chain of Custody certification for its composite products manufactured in Lahti, Finland and in Bruchsal, Germany. The certificate verifies the link to sustainably managed forests and that the raw material of UPM...

NHS sues Reckitt for GBP 89 M over Gaviscon supply.
April 18, 2011... The Health Secretary Andrew Lansley and the National Health Service are suing the consumer-goods group Reckitt Benckiser for GBP 89 M over the supply of Gaviscon, the company's heartburn medicine. The case comes after Reckitt was fined GBP 10.2...

Glencore's banks value trader at up to $69 bn.
April 18, 2011... Glencore, the commodities trader which is planning to raise up to $11 bn (GBP 6.7 bn) in a flotation planned for May 2011, is already worth as much as $69 bn (GBP 42.3 bn), with its earnings set to double in two years, according to research from...

Common folk remedy may be future treatment for herpes.
April 18, 2011... Scientists from the UK and Spain report that a folk remedy called tansy, a flowering plant also known as mugwort, may be an effective treatment for the sexually transmitted disease herpes. A team of scientists from the University of Greenwich...

Poland: Actavis interested in Polfa Warszawa.
April 18, 2011... Icelandic generics company Actavis is interested in Polfa Warszawa and has submitted a takeover bid for the company, Poland's largest generics producer. Polfa is still under state control. China's Harbin Gloria, the Ukraine's Arterium, and the...

Kazkhstan: production of primary aluminium up 3.2% in 1Q.
April 18, 2011... Kazakhstan produced 465,909 tonnes of aluminium in Jan-Mar, a rise of 3.2% on a year earlier. Zinc output was up 0.1% at 78,576 tonnes and copper production was up 0.1% at 81,861 tonnes.

Ghana: US company approves financing for gold project.
April 18, 2011... The board of US gold group Newmont Mining Corp has approved financing for the Akyem Gold Reserve Project that it operates in eastern Ghana. The reserves are estimated at 7.2 M ounces. The exact level of investment has not been given, but a...

China's lead demand to grow strongly to 2015.
April 18, 2011... China's lead demand is expected growth at an average 9%/y from 2009 to 2013, growth then falling back to 7.5-8%/y in 2013-2015. Output from China's lead mines is expected to increase in the next five years. But growth in supply is expected to...

China: nickel project in Myanmmar begins production.
April 18, 2011... The Tagaung Taung nickel project has begun production. The project is being run by two Chinese companies - Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Group) Co (Tisco) and state-run China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group Co. China and Mayanmar had formed a joint...

S Africa: 38% of population in favour of nationalizing mines.
April 18, 2011... Two-thirds of the population of S Africa are in favour of nationalizing the mining sector. Some 38% of S Africans see the move as a good one. The S African National Congress (ANC) will decide on the matter in 2012.

Rome caps solar subsidies.
April 18, 2011... The Italian government is to cut spending on solar subsidies and has come up with a corresponding legislative basis for this before Easter. The new photovoltaics decree provides for an upper limit to the payment of premiums for solar equipment....

Turkmenistan: oil exports up 250%.
April 18, 2011... Turkmenistan's exports of crude oil and fuels produced from it in 1Q were up 2.5-fold on a year earlier, at $1.7 bn. Production of oil and gas condensate was up 106.5%. Natural gas production was up 41.3% and exports were up 87.9%. The increase...

Poland: pharmaceuticals wholesaler Phoenix scrutinizing position.
April 18, 2011... Pharmaceuticals wholesaler Phoenix is scrutinizing its activities in Poland. It is looking for strategic alternatives. In order to find a stronger and more permanent position, talks will now be held with potential partners. Poland is among the...

US: Synthes and Johnson & Johnson will jointly lead the field.
April 18, 2011... Swiss medical technology company Synthes Inc has confirmed it is in talks with Johnson & Johnson over a possible merger. Analysts value a deal at $20 bn. There is the matter of whether cartel authorities will agree to the deal. Synthes would...

Rare earths shortages, price spike spark supply scramble. [2 figures in original article].
April 18, 2011... With increasing global demand for rare earth metals and China's drastic export cuts, rare earth mining companies outside China are stepping up efforts to introduce new capacity. China, which provides around 97% of the world's rare earths,...

Styron adds latex unit at Zhangjiagang, China.
April 18, 2011... Styron will boost its latex capacity in Zhangjiagang, China by installing a fourth reactor at the facility. The new unit, which is anticipated to come online in 4Q 2012, will be equipped to manufacture styrene-butadiene latex for carpet backing...

Schulman boosts capacity in Brazil.
April 18, 2011... A Schulman will install a new production line at its facility in Sao Paulo in response to mounting demand for masterbatches and engineered plastics. The new line is slated to come online by Nov 2011. It will increase the site's aggregate...

Rhodia to divest salicylates assets.
April 18, 2011... Rhodia has forged a deal to sell its salicylates and acetaminophen operations to French firm Novacap. In addition to France, the to-be-sold Rhodia business has operations in China, Brazil and Thailand. The sale will affect around 390 workers.

Makhteshim to acquire DuPont's diuron business.
April 18, 2011... Makhteshim Agan has forged a deal to buy the global non-mixture diuron business of DuPont Crop Protection. The transaction covers rights, registrations and supporting regulatory data for non-mixture diuron herbicides, including DuPont's Direx...

GE plans solar plant.
April 18, 2011... GE will spend around $600 M to set up a new 400-megawatt solar panel production site in the USA. GE predicts worldwide demand for photovoltaics to increase by 75 gigawatts over the next five years.

PFOA ruling upheld.
April 18, 2011... A lower court's decision to discard large parts of a lawsuit lodged against DuPont by residents of Parkersburg, WV, USA was maintained by a US federal appeals court. In their complaint, Parkersburg residents claim that perfluorooctanoic acid...

Arch upgrades site.
April 18, 2011... Arch Chemicals has allocated around $30 M to modernize technology at its calcium hypochlorite facility in Charleston, TN, USA over the next several years. The upgrade is geared at reducing the site's operational costs, energy consumption and...

Arkema and Korean company form jv to build bio-methionine plant.
April 18, 2011... Arkema has teamed up with CJ CheilJedang, a Seoul-based food, feed and bioscience firm, to construct a bio-methionine and thiochemicals facility in Malaysia or Thailand. The partners will each invest $200 M in the project, which will entail...

Kemira floats its stake in Tikkurila paints unit.
April 18, 2011... Kemira has concluded the secondary offering of its 14% stake in Helsinki-based paints and coatings producer Tikkurila, realizing gross sales proceeds of about EUR 97.6 M ($141 M). In 2010, Tikkurila logged revenues of around EUR 182 M.

Mitsui buys Swiss firm.
April 18, 2011... Mitsui Chemicals has purchased all the shares of Acomon from private equity firm Auctus Capital Partners, the Acomon management team and other co-shareholders. Acomon, based in Zug, Switzerland, produces and distributes monomers for optical...

Lanxess opens in Mideast.
April 18, 2011... Lanxess has formed Lanxess Middle East to have a dedicated company that will handle its activities in the Mideast. The new unit is based in Dubai. Lanxess primarily sells speciality chemicals, colour pigments for the construction sector, and...

Output rises in Europe.
April 18, 2011... The European Union's (EU) chemical production in Jan 2011 increased by 7% year on year, according to Cefic. The EU reported a record chemicals trade surplus for full-year 2010 of EUR 47 bn ($67.8 bn), a gain of 10.3% from 2009.

Japan, UAE firms create polymer additives jv.
April 18, 2011... Tokyo-based Adeka Corp has plans to place a Yen 350 M ($4 M) investment in Al Ghurair Additives. Adeka has a 49% interest in Adeka Al Ghurair Additives and Al Ghurair Petrochemicals has the remainder. Adeka Al Ghurair Additives is currently...

Solvay reinvests.
April 18, 2011... Solvay is seeking to acquire Rhodia for EUR 3.4 bn ($4.9 bn) in cash, using proceeds from the Feb 2010 sale of its pharma business. By acquiring Rhodia, Solvay will be able to build up its presence in emerging economies, cut its energy and...

P&G, Unilever fined for powder detergent price fixing.
April 18, 2011... Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Unilever have been ordered to pay a total of EUR 315.2 M ($457.5 M) in fines by the European Commission for conniving to fix prices of household powder laundry detergents in eight European countries. Henkel was...

Solvay agrees to acquire Rhodia for EUR 3.4 bn in cash.
April 18, 2011... Solvay has reached an agreement to purchase Rhodia in all cash deal worth EUR 3.4 bn ($4.9 bn). The EUR 31.60/share acquisition offer is 50% higher than Rhodia's closing price on 1 Apr 2011, the last trading day before the bid was revealed, and...

Lanxess to boost performance rubber capacity in the USA.
April 18, 2011... Lanxess expects to complete adding 20,000 tonnes/y of new solution styrene butadiene rubber (SSBR) and neodymium polybutadiene rubber (Nd-PBR) capacity at its facility in Orange, TX, USA by 3Q 2012. The firm will spend EUR 10 M ($14.4 M) for the...

DuPont files suit over titanium dioxide technology, claims secrets poached.
April 18, 2011... DuPont has lodged a legal compliant in the US Federal Court for the Northern District of California against USA Performance Technology (USA PTI) and two individuals, claiming that the defendants are in the process of handing over or have already...

Braskem plans PVC investment in Brazil.
April 18, 2011... Braskem has commenced construction work on a new polyvinyl chloride (PVC) unit at Marechal Deodoro in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. The firm will invest R$1 bn ($633 M) in the plant, which will have the capacity to make around 200,000 tonnes/y...

Brazil directs Petrobras to step up ethanol production.
April 18, 2011... State oil firm Petrobras has been ordered by Brazil's president Dilma Rousseff to increase ethanol production to help stabilize prices of the product. In addition to being used in as a common motor vehicle fuel in Brazil, ethanol is also a...

Dow, OPX Bio Team up for bio-based acrylic acid.
April 18, 2011... Dow Chemical and OPX Biotechnologies of Boulder, CO, USA have agreed to jointly develop an industrial-scale process for the manufacture of bio-based acrylic acid. The partners will look into the technical and economic viability of producing...

RPM and Schulman return to profit as demand improves: fiscal quarters ended 28 Feb 2011.(Financial report)
April 18, 2011... A Schulman and RPM International were both back in the black in their respective fiscal quarters ended 28 Feb 2011. RPM recorded a net income of $1.1 M in its fiscal 3Q 2011 as against a loss of $9.4 M in the same year-ago period. Sales were up...

EPA's latest action plans target diisocyanates.
April 18, 2011... The EPA has unveiled chemical action plans for methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and related compounds, citing potential risks from consumer exposure to these chemicals. The move is in line with the agency's...

Lautenberg introduces revised TSCA reform legislation.
April 18, 2011... A revised Toxic Substances Reform Act (TSCA) reform legislation was presented by Senator Frank Lautenberg in the week before 18 Apr 2011. The new bill is a heavily revised version of the 2010 TSCA reform bill, which was not endorsed by the...

Air Liquide to invest $100 M in Mexico.
April 18, 2011... Air Liquide will construct and operate a new air separation unit (ASU) in Monclova, Mexico to provide industrial gases to steel manufacturer Altos Hornos de Mexico. The firm will spend around $100 M to build the plant, which will supply about...

Westlake Chemical to expand US ethylene capacity. [1 table in original article].
April 18, 2011... Westlake Chemical will increase the ethane-based ethylene capacity of both its crackers in Lake Charles, LA, USA. The expansion of the first cracker is anticipated to be finished by end-2012 and will result in approximately 230-240 M lbs/y of...

Evonik Industries IPO planned within 15 months.
April 18, 2011... The previously announced plan to launch an initial public offering (IPO) for Evonik Industries will push through within 15 months, according to the firm's majority shareholder RAG Foundation. The IPO may happen as early as end-2011 but not later...

Tata Chemicals to invest in fertilizer complex in Gabon.
April 18, 2011... Mumbai-based Tata Chemicals will purchase a 25.1% interest in the first stream of a planned ammonia-urea complex at a port location in Gabon for $290 M. Olam International of Singapore will hold a 62.9% stake in the project, with the remaining...

M&G builds first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant.
April 18, 2011... Mossi & Ghisolfi Group (M&G) has started construction work on a 13 M gallon/y cellulosic ethanol facility in Crescentino, Italy. M&G claims that the facility will be the first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol unit in the world....

Japanese firms prepare to restart operations.
April 18, 2011... Several chemical plants in Japan are now about to resume production, but some major facilities still need more time to restart operations. One of the two steam crackers at Mitsubishi Chemical's Kashima manufacturing complex will be reopened by...

Egypt to build world's largest methanol complex.
April 18, 2011... Egypt Japan Petrochemical Corp (EJPC) claims to be building the world's largest methanol manufacturing complex in Ain Sohkna, Egypt. The two-line site will have an aggregate methanol capacity of 6000 tonnes/day. EJPC is implementing the project...

Start-up of Rabigh II petchem complex slated for 2015.
April 18, 2011... Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical intend to make a final investment decision by end-2011 on the second phase of their Petro Rabigh jv, dubbed Rabigh Phase II. The Rabigh II petchem complex would be constructed adjacent to the existing Petro...

Indonesia builds large ammonia-urea production plant.
April 18, 2011... State-owned firm PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur (Kaltim) will construct a nitrogen fertilizer facility at Bontang in the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan. The complex will have the capacity to produce 3500 tonnes/day of urea and 2700 tonnes/day...

Perstorp plans HDI derivatives capacity in Singapore.
April 18, 2011... Perstorp will add a production line for hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) derivatives at its purified isophthalic acid facility in Singapore. The HDI line is seen to come online in 2012. Perstorp also plans to start producing 2-ethylhexanoic acid...

Sika buys Chinese admixture firm.
April 18, 2011... Sika China, a unit of Swiss firm Sika, has agreed to buy a majority interest in Hebei Jiuqiang Construction Material, a major Chinese provider of powder concrete admixtures. Hebei Jiuqiang Construction Material has around 300 employees and...

Ferro opens solar tech centre.
April 18, 2011... A new photovoltaic R&D laboratory was opened by Ferro within Neihu Technology Park in Taipei City, Taiwan. The facility will be equipped to conduct tests related to the deposition of metallization pastes on solar cells.

Univar adds lubricants depot.
April 18, 2011... Univar has spent about EUR 1.5 M ($2.1 M) to build a lubricants depot at its facility in Gothenburg, Sweden. The depot will handle over 10 M litres/y of products from many European Shell Lubricants plants. The facility also houses a laboratory...

Strong demand spurs capacity and R&D investments.
April 18, 2011... Several investment projects were announced by water treatment producers to meet escalating demand. Worldwide water treatment demand is seen to increase by 5.7%/y to $59 bn through 2013, according to The Freedonia Group. Growth will be driven by...

Butadiene contracts skyrocket on renewed demand. [1 figure in original article].
April 18, 2011... Butadiene contract prices increased by $0.17-0.19/lb in a split settlement in Apr 2011 to reach $1.21-1.23/lb, depending on the manufacturer. Supply continues to be limited as olefins producers still prefer cracking cost-advantaged ethane,...

Indorama to boost PET capacity.
April 18, 2011... Indorama Ventures will ramp up its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) capacity in Europe by 220,000 tonnes/y, bringing its total European PET capacity to around 1.3 M tonnes/y. The expansion is anticipated to be completed in 2013.

Methanex begins Alberta restart.
April 18, 2011... Methanex reportedly has started to resume operations at its 470,000 tonne/y methanol facility in Medicine Hat, AB, Canada. The firm closed the unit in 2001 because of high natural gas feedstock prices. The reopening of the plant was prompted by...

Perstorp renews plasticizer unit.
April 18, 2011... Perstorp will now proceed with the construction of a new valeraldehyde unit at its site in Stenungsund, Sweden. The project was put of because of the economic downturn. The new plant will also produce valeraldehyde derivatives 2-propylheptanol...

Profits on the rise: 2010. [4 figures in original article].
April 18, 2011... Corporate profits rose at a faster rate than the overall GDP in 2010. Operating earnings increased by 29%, on the back of strong gains in the financial sector and manufacturing industry. In Feb 2011, sales of manufactured products inched by...

Halocarbon expertise yields profits.
April 18, 2011... Halocarbon, based in River Edge, NJ, USA, has established a profitable business from being a niche producer of fluorochemicals. The privately held firm has built an expertise in making specialty fluorochemicals, inhalation anaesthetics, and...

Europe chemical profile: toluene. [1 table, 1 figure in original article].
April 18, 2011... Rising crude and energy values, and steadier aromatics prices, are driving up European toluene prices, but weak demand is restricting price hikes. The decline in Apr 2011 contracts surprised many sellers because gasoline prices have risen....

Commentary: crude hits chemicals.
April 18, 2011... Consultants attending the 1st ICIS European Purchasing conference held in Brussels, Belgium mentioned the possibility of a serious slump in demand for chemical products as a result of soaring crude oil prices. Over the past four decades, there...

Jurong Aromatics signs $1.56 bn financing deal.
April 18, 2011... Jurong Aromatics Corp (JAC) has secured a debt financing package worth $1.56 bn (EUR 1.08 bn) for its petrochemical project in Singapore from South Korean investors. JAC will receive $618 M in covered loan from Korea Trade Insurance, and $278 M...

Glencore plans to raise up to $11 bn in IPO.
April 18, 2011... Glencore International will undertake an initial public offering on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges to raise as much as $11 bn (EUR 8 bn). The money will be used to finance future acquisitions and expansions. Glencore is a Swiss...

Egypt's OPC runs PP at 80% on lack of Libya feed.
April 18, 2011... Egypt's Oriental Petrochemicals Co (OPC) is operating its 160,000 tonne/y polypropylene (PP) plant in the industrial zone in the northwestern Gulf of Suez at around 80% of capacity due to lack of propylene feedstock from Libya. The ongoing civil...

Xinjiang Tianli plans expansion of ADA.
April 18, 2011... Xinjiang Dushanzi Tianli High & New Tech plans to construct a 75,000 tonne/y adipic acid (ADA) line at its site in the northwestern Xinjiang region in China to boost its ADA capacity. The company is operating at 100% capacity a 75,000...

Technip wins contract for methionine plant.
April 18, 2011... Bluestar Adisseo has let an engineering, procurement and project management services contract to France's Technip for a new 140,000 tonne/y methionine unit at Nanjing in Jiangsu province. The plant will be China's first integrated liquid...

A Schulman to add line to plant in Sao Paulo.
April 18, 2011... A Schulman is building a fourth line at its compounding plant in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The expansion will boost the plant's capacity by 8-10 M lbs/y (3600-4500 tonnes/y) to a total of 22-24 M lbs/y. Chemical additives for the masterbatch-plastics...

US OSHA may fine Lion Copolymer $182,000.
April 18, 2011... Synthetic rubber maker Lion Copolymer may be fined $182,000 (EUR 125,580) by the US Dept of Labor for violating safety and health regulations at its plant in Baton Rouge, LA, USA. A probe launched by the Occupational Safety and Health...

China tightens controls on coal-to-chemicals.
April 18, 2011... China's National Development and Reform Commission has set up centralized approval of coal-to-chemical projects, removing such authority from local governments, because of high pollution and technology issues accompanying such projects....

Brazil chemicals trade deficit grows on ferts.
April 18, 2011... Chemical association Abiquim has reported that Brazilian fertilizer imports in 1Q 2011 grew 56.2% to $1.2 bn, resulting in a 16.9% gain in the country's chemicals trade deficit from 2010. The country's chemical trade deficit stood at $5 bn (EUR...

US regulator acts on concerns about MDI, TDI.
April 18, 2011... The US Environmental Protection Agency is responding to concerns about the possible health risks of methyl di-p-phenylene isocyanate (MDI), toluene di-isocyanate (TDI) and related compounds by issuing an action plan that could include banning or...