Chemical Week articles from December 2009

Chemical Week archives from December 2009

Going global.(chemicals production and demand)(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... CW's cover story this week surveys the stories and trends that had the biggest impact on industry over the past 10 years (p. 20). The overarching trend was globalization, which advanced rapidly despite two recessions and fears of backlash...

Sensient boosts flavors.(Sensient Technologies Corp.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Sensient Technologies says it has opened flavors facilities in China and Latin America, including a manufacturing plant at Guangzhou, China that will produce colors, flavors, fragrances, and pharmaceutical coatings, primarily for the Chinese...

Dow submits trait.(Dow AgroSciences L.L.C.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Dow AgroSciences says it has submitted a new herbicide-tolerant trait in soybeans for review by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The trait is designed to provide broader-spectrum control of hard-to-control and glyphosate-resistant weeds, Dow...

Merisant out of debt.(Merisant Worldwide Inc.)(Wayzata Investment Partners )(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Artificial sweetener maker Merisant Worldwide (Chicago) says it expects to emerge from bankruptcy within weeks, following the approval of its reorganization plan by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The company filed for...

Scipig wins contract.(Shanghai Chemical Industry Park Industrial Gases to supply industrial gas to Bayer Polyurethanes)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Shanghai Chemical Industry Park Industrial Gases Co. (SCIPIG), a 50-50 joint venture between Air Liquide and Praxair, has been awarded a 15-year contract to supply industrial gases by pipeline to Bayer Polyurethanes' Shanghai facility. Under the...

Kraton goes public.(Kraton Polymers)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Kraton Polymers completed its initial public offering (IPO) last week, offering 10.3 million shares, about a 35% stake in the company, on the New York Stock Exchange at $13.50/share. Kraton closed at $13.51/share after its first day of trading...

Air Products' Alberta pipeline approved.(Air Products and Chemicals Inc.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Air Products says it has received regulatory approval from the Alberta Energy Resource Conservation Board (Calgary) to build a hydrogen pipeline through Alberta's industrial heartland. The project was first announced in January 2008. The roughly...

$5 billion in renewable energy tax credits.(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... The White House has announced a proposal to provide an additional $5 billion in tax credits for manufacturers of renewable energy products, including wind, solar, and electric vehicles. The $5 billion is in addition to the $2.3 billion in tax...

Industry agrees to phaseout of flame retardant deca-BDE.(brominated diphenyl ether)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Industry has agreed to a voluntary phaseout of the brominated flame retardant deca-brominated diphenyl ether (deca-BDE) by year-end 2012, a move welcomed by EPA. The agency had been in the process of reviewing deca-BDE under the its previously...

Lenzing plans major investment program in Europe and Asia.(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Lenzing says it will invest 120 million [euro] ($175 million) in 2010 to expand and upgrade cellulose fiber and raw material capacity in Europe and Asia. The projects will be realized over the next two years, the company says. [ILLUSTRATION...

Arkema process selected for Chinese PVC plant.(polyvinyl chloride)(Anhui Hwasu)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Arkema says its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) technology has been selected by Anhui Hwasu, a subsidiary of Huaibei Mining (Huaibei, China), for a 1-million m.t./year plant at Luquiao, China. It will be the world's biggest PVC plant, Arkema says. The...

Showa Denko to merge with polymers subsidiary.(Showa Highpolymer Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Showa Denko says it will merge with its performance polymers subsidiary Showa Highpolymer (SHP; Tokyo), effective July 1, 2010. SHP will be dissolved on the date of the merger. Showa Denko says it has decided to absorb SHP so it can integrate...

Romanian oil firm to exit chemicals business.(Petrom-Enron Gas)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Oil and gas company Petrom (Bucharest) has announced plans to exit the chemicals business by the end of 2010. The company says it has "reviewed its development options and the financial implications thereof in light of current market...

BASF enters crop deal.(Genomine)(BASF Plant Science)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... BASF Plant Science says it has entered into a license agreement with bio-venture company Genomine (Pohang, Korea) and the Pohang University of Science and Technology (Postech; Pohang) for the discovery of genes that help maximize yields in...

Sabic expands PC sheet.(Sabic Innovative Plastics)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Sabic Innovative Plastics, a Sable subsidiary, says it has increased capacity of Lexan polycarbonate (PC) sheet at its Vadodara, India facility. Capacities were not disclosed. Demand for Lexan in Asia is mainly driven by the building and...

Jubilant ups niacinamide.(Jubilant Organosys Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Pharmaceutical custom research firm Jubilant Organosys (Noida, India) says it will start up a niacinamide plant and a 3-cyanopyridine plant by the end of 2010. Each line will have capacity for 10,000 m.t./year. Jubilant did not say where the new...

RPM buys U.K. firm.(Rust-Oleum Corp. acquired FibreGrid Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... RPM International's Rust-Oleum (Vernon Hills, IL) business has acquired FibreGrid (Haverhill, U.K.), a supplier of fiberglass anti-slip safety products. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. FibreGrid generates sales of about $3.5...

LyondellBasell amends plan; reliance mulls bid.(TOP OF THE WEEK)(Reliance Industries Ltd.)
December 21, 2009... LyondellBasell has filed an amended reorganization plan as it seeks to sidestep an offer from India's Reliance Industries, which has made a nonbinding offer for a controlling stake in the company. LyondellBasell's amended reorganization plan,...

Evonik to split off energy and real estate business.(TOP OF THE WEEK)(Evonik Industries AG)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Evonik Industries has confirmed German press reports that the company plans to split off its energy and real estate businesses, and focus on chemicals. "As part of its new strategic focus," Evonik plans to transform itself "from a conglomerate...

CDC releases fourth national biomonitoring report.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Centers for Disease Control )
December 21, 2009... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta) has issued its fourth national biomonitoring report, which analyzes the levels of 212 environmental chemicals, and includes first-time reporting on 75 substances. Those include...

Braskem and Novozymes team up to develop 'green' polypropylene.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Braskem and Novozymes say they have formed a research partnership to develop large-scale production of "green" polypropylene (PP) made from sugarcane-derived ethanol. The companies plan to develop products based on Novozymes' fermentation...

CF turns down heat on Terra bid after latest rebuff.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(CF Industries Inc. to acquire Terra Industries Inc.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... CF Industries says it will not seek to extend financing commitments for its proposed acquisition of Terra Industries after they expire on December 31. That announcement was made a few days after Terra rejected CF's most recent acquisition bid....

Chemtura postpones target date for bankruptcy exit.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
December 21, 2009... Chemtura says it now plans to emerge from bankruptcy in the summer of 2010. The exit date is later than previously estimated in order to allow time to process the more than 14,000 claims it has received, the company says. Chemtura filed for...

Private equity firm to acquire Ashland's wood rosin business.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(TorQuest Partners Inc.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Ashland says it has agreed to sell its refined wood rosin and natural wood terpenes business to private equity firm TorQuest Partners (Toronto) for about $75 million. The deal includes a manufacturing plant at Brunswick, GA as well as 200...

RPM acquires U.K. firm.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(FibreGrid Limited)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... RPM International's Rust-Oleum (Vernon Hills, IL) business has acquired FibreGrid (Haverhill, U.K.), a supplier of fiberglass anti-slip safety products. Terms were not disclosed, but FibreGrid has annual sales of about $3.5 million and the deal...

Schirm expands in Texas.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Contract chemical manufacturer Schirm (Schoenebeck, Germany) says it has started up a new plant at its Ennis, TX facility that expands the company's capacity to formulate and package liquid and solid chemical products. The main customer of the...

ExxonMobil buys XTO Energy in bid to expand gas assets.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... ExxonMobil has agreed to acquire XTO Energy in a big bet that unconventional natural gas resources will play a key role in meeting U.S. energy needs. XTO has a leading resource base in shale gas, tight gas, and coal bed methane. The deal...

Agrium expands capacity at two sites.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Vanscoy)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Agrium says it will expand annual capacity at its Vanscoy, SK potash plant by 750,000 m.t., starting in late 2010. Construction is expected to be completed by 2014, with full production reaching 2.8 million m.t./year in 2015, the company says....

Formosa remains on force majeure at Texas site.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Formosa Plastics Corporation U.S.A.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Formosa Plastics says its force majeure declaration for polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) produced at the company's Point Comfort, TX complex remains in force. The site suffered an electrical outage on December 4, forcing the shutdown of...

Huntsman may raise bid for Tronox assets.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
December 21, 2009... Huntsman says it would be willing to increase its bid for Tronox's titanium dioxide (TiO2) and electrolytics assets, as well as assume certain related liabilities, according to a December 14 court filing. Huntsman agreed in August to acquire the...

Emissions reporting: different standards, different results.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
December 21, 2009... An analysis of the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reporting practices at the top companies in CW's 2009 Billion Dollar Club reveals a wide variety of reporting practices and varying results (CW, Oct. 12/19, p. 24). Many top companies including...

Valero continues ethanol bargain hunt.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Valero Energy (San Antonio, TX) has bought three ethanol plants at bankruptcy auctions for a total of $472 million, roughly 41% of the plants' estimated replacement cost. Valero agreed to purchase two ethanol plants from ASA Ethanol Holdings for...

Indian firm reaches agreement to acquire DyStar.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(Kiri Dyes and Chemicals Ltd.)
December 21, 2009... Kiri Dyes & Chemicals Ltd. (KDCL; Ahmedabad, India) has agreed to acquire most of DyStar's (Frankfurt) production sites in Germany and the company's 36 international subsidiaries. The proposed deal includes manufacturing plants at...

Borealis builds catalyst plant in Austria.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Borealis says it is investing 75 million [euro] ($109 million) to build a semi-commercial catalyst plant and development facility at Linz, Austria to develop and scale up new catalysts for the production of polymers. The new center will support...

Israel Chemicals completes acquisitions in Europe.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL; Tel Aviv) says it has completed the acquisition of six water treatment and cleaning products businesses in Europe for a total value of more than $40 million. The acquired companies include manufacturing firms, and...

SNPE eyes fine chemicals sale to private equity firm.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(Aurelius)(Societe Nationale de Poudres et Explosifs S.A.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... SNPE (Paris) has entered exclusive negotiations to sell its Isochem fine chemicals business to private equity firm Aurelius (Munich), according to a recent report in French newspaper Les Ethos. SNPE and Aurelius declined to comment on the...

W.R. Grace boosts polypropylene catalyst capacity in Germany.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... W.R. Grace says it will increase production capacity for the company's Polytrack polypropylene catalysts at Worms, Germany. Financial terms were not disclosed. Construction will begin in the first quarter of 2010 with start up planned for 2011....

Solvay launches takeover offer for the rest of Vinythai.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)(Solvay Chemicals Inc.)
December 21, 2009... Solvay has launched a tender offer to acquire the nearly 50% it does not own in chlor-alkali and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) company Vinythai (Bangkok). The baht6.15/share offer values the outstanding shares at baht3.64 billion ($110 million)....

Sumitomo establishes methionine joint venture in China.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)(Dalian Jingang Group)(Sumitomo Chemical Company Ltd)(Dalian Sumika Jingang Chemicals)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Sumitomo Chemical says it has established a joint venture with Dalian Jingang Group (Dalian, China) for the manufacture and sale of methionine and high-performance greenhouse films. The jv, Dalian Sumika Jingang Chemicals, will construct...

Lanxess quits hydrazine hydrate jv.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)(Lanxess Yaxing Chemicals )(joint venture)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Lanxess says it has sold its 55% stake in hydrazine hydrate joint venture Lanxess Yaxing Chemicals (Weifang, China) to its partner Weifang Yaxing Group (Weifang) for an undisclosed amount. Lanxess says the move forms part of the company's...

Shell advances jv with PetroChina and Qatar Petroleum.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(joint venture)(Shell Chemicals U.K. Ltd.)
December 21, 2009... Shell Chemicals says it is making progress on a previously announced refinery and petrochemicals joint venture at Taizhou, China with PetroChina and Qatar Petroleum (QP). "We signed the framework agreement between the three parties and the...

KBR's phenol technology selected for Rabigh II study in Saudi Arabia.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... KBR says it has been awarded a contract by Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical for KBR's phenol technology in support of a detailed feasibility study for the previously announced Rabigh II project. Aramco and Sumitomo are partners in the Petro...

LG Chem picks UOP process for ethylene capacity hike.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... UOP says that its distillation and mass transfer technology and equipment have been selected by LG Chem for a project to increase ethylene production at LG Chem's Yeosu, Korea naphtha cracker. LG Chem will use UOP's SimulFlow technology to...

Tecnimont awarded contract for propane dehydro unit in Russia.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Sibur)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Sibur (Moscow) has awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract to Tecnimont for a previously announced propane dehydrogenation plant being built by Sibur's Tobolsk-Polymer subsidiary at Tobolsk, Russia. The plant will be...

Celanese to expand China acetate tow joint venture.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(China National Tobacco Corp.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Celanese has completed a feasibility study with China National Tobacco Corp. to expand their acetate tow and flake joint venture at Nantong, China. The project is under review and awaiting final approval by Chinese government agencies, Celanese...

Decade in review.(chemical production and price)(Cover story)(Statistical data)
December 21, 2009... As the first decade of the new millennium draws to a close, CW reviews the stories and trends that had the biggest impact on industry over the past 10 years. The rapid advance of globalization, consolidation and de-consolidation, acquisitions,...

Fast-tracking new materials for integrated circuits.(SPECIALTIES)
December 21, 2009... Demand for ever-smaller and more-functional electronic devices is driving the need for rapid advances in new materials for integrated circuits. At the same time, chipmakers have to contend with skyrocketing research costs and slumping bottom...

IBM deal may lead to other product entries for Halocarbon.(DIGEST)(International Business Machines Corp.)(Halocarbon Products Corp.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Specialty fluorochemicals producer Halocarbon (River Edge; NJ) has licensed IBM's patents related to hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP)-based photoresists for semiconductor manufacturing. "This is the next-generation of photoresists that will enable...

Flame retardant demand to reverse its decline.(DIGEST)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
December 21, 2009... U.S. demand for flame retardants is forecast to grow 2.7%/year, to 950 million lbs in 2013, valued at $900 million, according to The Freedonia Group (Cleveland). Demand for flame retardants fell by 2.4%/ year from 2003-2008, Freedonia says....

Ajinomoto advances amino acids.(SPECIALTIES)(Ajinomoto Company Inc.)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Ajinomoto (Tokyo) says it plans to develop a proprietary fermentation technology for producing cystine and cysteine, amino acids used by the pharmaceuticals, flavorings, and cosmetics industries. Ajinomoto says it will produce the amino acids...

Arkema signs composites deal.(SPECIALTIES)(Fulcrum SP Materials )(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Fulcrum SP Materials (Omer, Israel) says it has signed an agreement with Arkema to develop high-performance composite parts with improved damage resistance using Arkema's multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNT). Fulcrum will contribute expertise in...

TiO2 producers up prices.(BASIC CHEMICALS & PLASTICS)(titanium dioxide)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... North American titanium dioxide (Ti02) producers are looking to hike prices by about 5% due to shrinking margins and rising raw material costs. Several major Ti02 producers including Cristal Global, DuPont Titanium Technologies, Kronos, and...

LyondellBasell inks PP agreement.(BASIC CHEMICALS & PLASTICS)(polypropylene)(Hyundai Engineering Plastics )(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... LyondellBasell has inked a deal with Hyundai Engineering Plastics (HEP; Dangjin, Korea) allowing HEP to use LyondellBasell's technology to produce the company's Hostacom- and Hifax-brand polypropylene (PP) resins at HEP's Chennai, India...

Enterprise buys Chevron pipeline.(BASIC CHEMICALS & PLASTICS)(Enterprise Products Partners L.P. purchased natural gas pipelines from Chevron Midstream Pipelines)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Enterprise Products Partners (Houston) says it has purchased three natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline systems, totaling 212 miles, in southern Louisiana, from Chevron Midstream Pipelines, a Chevron subsidiary. Financial details were not...

Basic chemicals price watch.(BASIC CHEMICALS & PLASTICS)(Celanese Corp. and Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Michigan) increases the price of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers and oxygenated solvents )(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Celanese says it will increase the price of its ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers by 8 cts/lb on January 1, 2010 or as contracts allow. Low-density polyethylene will also increase on January 1 by 5 cts/lb, or as contracts allow * Dow Chemical...

U.S. ethylene contracts headed for a two-month agreement.(OLEFINS)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
December 21, 2009... U.S. ethylene contracts are on the verge of settling a two-month contract agreement for November and December 2009, after market players failed to reach a settlement for November. Contracts last settled in October at a gain of 2.75 cts/lb, to...

Equistar to settle dispute over chocolate Bayou olefins unit.(DIGEST)(Equistar Chemicals L.P. v. Solutia Chocolate Bayou)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Equistar Chemicals, a LyondellBasell subsidiary, has reached a settlement "in principle" with Solutia and Ascend Performance Materials regarding Equistar's move to abandon its Chocolate Bayou, TX olefins facility (CW, Oct. 26/Nov. 2, p. 33)....

Fertilizer demand to increase amid high potash prices.(DIGEST)(Brief article)
December 21, 2009... Yara International (Oslo) says demand for nitrogen fertilizers is increasing due to continued growth in food markets and the need for improved agricultural productivity. "During the last few months demand for straight nitrogen fertilizer has...

CW price report.(COMMENTARY)(Statistical data)
December 21, 2009... Feedstock prices in North America fell in line with lower crude oil prices. ETHANE lost about 5 cts/gal, PROPANE was down 3 cts/gal, and BUTANE and NAPHTHA fell about 10 cts/gal. U.S. olefins were quiet, with little movement in spot trading,...

GPCA 2009: Mideast advance: region's influence continues to grow.(COMPANIES)(Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association)
December 21, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Prospects for demand recovery and the continuing rise of Mideast influence in petrochemicals topped discussion at the fourth annual Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Forum, co-organized by Chemical...

CW75 stock performance.(Statistical data)
December 21, 2009... The CW75 Index rose 1.1% for the week ended December 15, in line with the Morgan Stanley global composite and the S&P 500 indexes. The stock market fell early in the week on news that credit-ratings firms cut their assessment of Dubai's...

Mideast advance.(VIEWPOINT)(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... While the region may not be entirely immune from the global recession, the Mideast continues to advance its position as the world's export hub for petrochemicals. A decade ago, Mideast imports and exports of primary...

Blasts rock Texas plants.(American Acryl)(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... An explosion ripped through American Acryl's 120,000-m.t./year acrylic acid plant at Bayport, rx last week, sending two people to the hospital. The blast involved toluene and shut local schools and businesses for several hours, officials say....

PPG share buyback.(PPG Industries Inc.)(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... PPG Industries says its board of directors has approved the repurchase of 5 million shares of outstanding common stock, about 3% of its total. The repurchase program adds to the 1.1 million shares that are still available from a 10-million share...

Cray, Sartomer realign.(Cray Valley Products Inc.)(Sartomer Company Inc.)(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... Cray Valley and Sartomer, both part of Total's chemicals arm, say they are reorganizing in order to "better synchronize" products and services with customers and markets. Sartomer's photocure business will become a separate entity named Sartomer...

Huntsman, Zamil to build Saudi amines plant.(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... Huntsman and Zamil Group (Riyadh) say the have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to explore the feasibility of building a morpholine and Diglycolamine (DGA) joint venture in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The 50-50 jv would use technology...

Formosa declares force majeure at Texas site.(Formosa Plastics Corporation U.S.A.)(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... An electrical outage forced the shutdown of a cracker at Formosa Plastics' Point Comfort, TX complex. The company has declared force majeure on polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) because of the disruption. The company has the capacity to...

DOE awards $600 million for biorefinery projects.(Department of Energy)(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) says it has awarded a total of $600 million to 19 biorefinery projects in 15 states. The projects selected will produce advanced biofuels, biopower, and bioproducts using biomass, DOE says. Up to $483 million...

Cereplast close to deal on bioplastics.(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... Cereplast says it is weeks away from announcing a major partnership with a U.S.-based manufacturer to produce its proprietary bioplastics. The company announced in May that it planned to shift its corporate strategy by focusing on product...

EPA endangerment finding sets clock ticking on climate regulations.(Environmental Protection Agency )(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... EPA has released the agency's final rule establishing that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions constitute an "endangerment" of public health. The agency's progress on the endangerment finding has galvanized industry representatives who say that...

Taminco buys rubber chemical assets in Germany from Solutia.(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... Taminco says it will acquire a portion of Solutia's rubber chemicals operations at Cologne, Germany. Taminco says it will purchase certain assets, and assume certain contracts and commercial obligations related to Solutia's tetramethylthiuram...

Cefic: Europe needs a new R&D approach.(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... The European Union (EU) needs to introduce a more effective approach to research and innovation, Cefic says. "Innovation is becoming the most important engine of growth and jobs in an emerging, knowledge-based economy," Cefic says. "But in the...

Growth to resume in Germany next year.(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... Production of chemicals will increase 5% in Germany in 2010, compared with 2009, industry association VCI (Frankfurt) says. VCI repeated its earlier forecast that chemicals output would fall 10% in 2009 compared with 2008. But a meaningful...

Koppers to buy tar distillation firm.(Cindu Chemicals )(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... Koppers Holdings says it has agreed to acquire tar distillation company Cindu Chemicals (Uithoorn, The Netherlands) for an undisclosed amount. Koppers says that Cindu's operations and end markets are similar to those of Koppers's existing carbon...

Tessenderlo exit.(Tessenderlo Chemie S.A.)(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... Tessenderlo Group says it plans to exit the glycine market by the end of 2010, citing "structural problems in the European market and competition from China. Tessenderlo makes glycine at Tessenderlo, Belgium, where about 40 jobs will be lost....

BASF sells India site.(Sonachi Industries)(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... BASF India (Mumbai) says it will sell its agchem site at Dadra, India to Sonachi Industries (Mumbai) for Rs51.5 million ($1.1 million). BASF stopped production of agchems at the Dadra site in July of this year as part of its consolidation plans....

Teijin forms PC unit.(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... Teijin Chemicals says it has established a new business unit, Mobility Business Project, to expand the automotive market for polycarbonate (PC) and advanced materials made by the Teijin group. The business unit will centralize planning,...

LyondellBasell shuts PP.(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... LyondellBasell says it will close permanently a polypropylene (PP)line at the company's Wesseling, Germany complex by the end of this year. PP capacity at the site will be reduced by 110,000 m.t./year, to 350,000 m.t./ year. The line is small...

Moderate recovery expected in 2010.(TOP OF THE WEEK)
December 7, 2009... Global chemical industry output will increase 4.6% in 2010, offsetting a 4.6% decline in 2009, according to the ACC's annual year-end outlook. "As more markets recover, a 5.0% gain in global output is expected in 2011, and a 5.1% gain in 2012,"...

Eastman abandons Texas gasification project.(TOP OF THE WEEK)(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... Eastman Chemical says it has decided to discontinue its plans to build an industrial gasification plant at Beaumont, TX. The company, which put a $1.6-billion price tag on the plant when it was announced in August of 2007, slowed spending on the...

DuPont delays seed launch as Monsanto ups sales forecast.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
December 7, 2009... DuPont's Pioneer Hi-Bred business will delay launch of its Optimum GAT herbicide-tolerant corn and soybean seeds, due to subpar field tests of the corn trait and regulatory challenges facing the soybean trait in key import markets. The...

KMG's earnings soar on efficiency improvements, acquisition planned.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Financial report)(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... KMG Chemicals reported net income of $4.6 million in its fiscal first quarter 2010, ended October 31, an almost three-fold increase from the same period last year. KMG cites supply chain and manufacturing efficiencies implemented in fiscal 2009....

ExxonMobil: petchem sector has lost three years of growth.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
December 7, 2009... Abroad-based recovery in petrochemicals will not come quickly despite the resumption of demand growth in the second half of 2009, says Stephen Pryor, president of ExxonMobil Chemical. "We estimate that combined demand for polyethylene (PE),...

Dow taps bankers for Styron sale.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(HSBC and Deutsche Bank has been hired)(Brief article)
December 7, 2009... Dow Chemical has appointed HSBC and Deutsche Bank as advisors on the sale of its $5-billion/year styrenics and aromatics unit, CW has learned. Private equity firms are the most likely buyers at this point, says one financial source. A deal is...