Chemical Week articles from January 2009

Chemical Week archives from January 2009

Building on strengths.(VIEWPOINT)(chemical industry relaunched www.chemweek.com.)(Viewpoint essay)
January 26, 2009... The double hit on the chemical industry of unavailable or expensive credit and the slowdown in end-user markets makes a stronger case than ever for companies to use the best market intelligence available. So it is timely that we at CW are...

Celanese eyes closures.(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Celanese says it may close its Pardies, France acetic acid and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) production units and its Cangrejera, Mexico VAM plant due to "the significant change in the global economic environment and anticipated lower customer...

Braskem restarts unit.(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Braskem (Sao Paulo) says it will restart its 720,000-m.t./year naphtha cracker at Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil at the end of January. The company shut down two crackers at the site in December 2008 due to weak ethylene demand, but announced...

Koppers expects loss.(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Koppers Holdings (Pittsburgh) says it expects to report a loss from continuing operations of $12 million-$14 million in the fourth quarter, compared with net income of $5 million in the year-ago quarter. Fourth-quarter results have been...

Huntsman cuts workforce by 9%; closes U.K. plant.(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Huntsman says it plans to cut about 1,175 jobs, 9% of its total workforce, and close its 40,000-m.t./year titanium dioxide plant at Grimsby, U.K. in a bid to reduce costs amid the economic downturn. The company will also lay off 490 full-time...

Air Products' first-quarter income tumbles.(Air Products and Chemicals Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Air Products reported net income of $69 million (32 cts/share) for its fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2008, down 74% from the same period last year. Earnings were 97 cts/share, excluding a 55 cts/share restructuring charge and a 10...

Solvay to exit Soda Ash consortium.(Solvay Chemicals Inc.)(American Natural Soda Ash Corp.)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Solvay Chemicals says it will withdraw from the American Natural Soda Ash Corp. (ANSAC; Westport, CT) by December 31, 2010. ANSAC is a consortium of U.S.-based soda ash producers and sells into specific overseas markets. "We felt the...

Dow and Sud-Chemie to collaborate on syngas-to-chemical project.(Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Michigan))(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Dow Chemical and Sud-Chemie say they will collaborate on the development, scale-up, and manufacture of catalysts to be used to convert synthesis gas (syngas) to chemicals, including alcohols and olefins, as well as ethanol to chemicals including...

Sabic's profit plummets on global downturn.(Saudi Basic Industries Corp.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Sabic's fourth-quarter 2008 net profits dropped 95%, to SR311 million ($83 million) compared with the year-earlier period. The figure is also down 96% on Sabic's third-quarter 2008 earnings. Sales were not disclosed. Operating profits in the...

China court sets death penalty in melamine case.(Author abstract)
January 26, 2009... A court at Shijiazhuang, China has sentenced two men to death and handed a life prison sentence to the former boss of a dairy firm for their involvement in a scandal over the contamination of milk products, including baby formula powder, with...

Lanxess reduces butyl rubber production.(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lanxess says it is reducing butyl rubber production at its Zwijndrecht, Belgium; and Sarnia, ON sites due to a decline in demand. The plants will operate at reduced capacity or be closed temporarily in the coming...

China to announce massive stimulus package for petchem industry.(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... The Chinese government will soon announce a Rmb500-billion ($74 billion) financial stimulus package specifically to support the country's petrochemical and refining industries, the official China Daily newspaper says. The package will include...

Ineos posts a profit.(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Ineos estimates that it generated replacement cost Ebitda (RC Ebitda), adjusted to exclude inventory holding gains and losses, of 300 million [euro] ($397 million) in the fourth quarter of 2008. The estimate is based on "unaudited preliminary...

Output drops in Europe.(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Output of chemicals, excluding pharmaceuticals, declined 6.3% in the European Union (EU) in October 2008 compared with October of the previous year, Cefic says. Output for the first 10 months of 2008 decreased 0.8% compared with the...

Gas dispute is resolved.(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Russia and Ukraine have signed an agreement that they say will restore natural gas supplies from Russia to Ukraine and the rest of Europe. A dispute between the countries over gas prices caused Russia to shut off gas supplies to Ukraine for...

AkzoNobel closes deal.(LII Europe)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... AkzoNobel has completed the acquisition of chlor-alkali company LII Europe (Frankfurt) (CW, Jan. 5/12, p. 9). The acquired activities will be integrated into AkzoNobel's industrial chemicals business.

CF Industries launches unsolicited bid to buy Terra.(TOP OF THE WEEK)(Terra Industries Inc.)
January 26, 2009... CF Industries (Deerfield, IL) has made an unsolicited bid to acquire Terra Industries for $2.1 billion in stock. The acquisition "would create a leader in the global fertilizer industry," CF Industries says. Terra says it "will consider...

BASF cuts staff hours at several sites in Europe as business slumps.(TOP OF THE WEEK)
January 26, 2009... BASF says that demand for its products in all regions did not pick up in the first half of January and that customers are continuing to destock. The company says it will, as a result, cut staff hours at several sites in Europe (CW, Jan. 19,...

Rohm and Haas to eliminate another 900 jobs.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS)
January 26, 2009... Rohm and Haas (R&H) will eliminate a further 900 jobs, about 6% r of its workforce, in a second round of cost cuts in seven months. R&H cites a need to "adjust operations and cost structure to reflect the slowing economy and widespread...

Olin will not restart St. Gabriel chlor-alkali plant.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS)(Olin Corp. Olin Chemicals)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Olin says that it will not restart its chlor-alkali unit at St. Gabriel, LA due to the economic downturn. The 197,000-electrochemical unit (ECU)/ year facility has been shut down since last month for scheduled maintenance. The company says it...

Taminco expands amines.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Taminco (Gent, Belgium), a producer of methylamines and derivatives, plans to invest about $29 million to expand its St. Gabriel, LA amines facility, says the Louisiana Office of Economic Development. The expansion includes a grassroots...

Cabot names new CFO.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS)(appointment of Eduardo Cordeiro)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Cabot Corp. says it has elected Eduardo Cordeiro as CFO, effective February 13. Cordeiro succeeds Jonathan Mason, who has taken a position at another firm. Cordeiro joined Cabot in 1998 and has held several senior management positions,...

Sun Chemical names distributor.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS)(Pitman Co.)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Sun Chemical says it has named Pitman (Totowa, NJ), which serves the U.S. commercial graphic arts printing market, as its national distributor for commercial inks. Pitman and Sun will jointly provide customers with technical and product...

Nova stocks slide on liquidity concerns.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Nova Chemicals Corp. (Calgary, Alberta))
January 26, 2009... Nova Chemicals shares fell more than 25% on January 20 amid analysts' concerns about the company's ability to refinance bond payments, including a $250-million note due in April. Nova responded by reiterating statements made earlier this...

Earnings take a hit at most early reporting chemical firms.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
January 26, 2009... The rapidly deteriorating economy at the end of 2008 took a toll on fourth-quarter specialty chemical earnings. Omnova Solutions, PPG Industries, and Sherwin-Williams (SW) each posted significantly lower income compared to the year-ago...

Lubrizol lowers 2008 earnings estimate.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Lubrizol has lowered its full-year 2008 earnings guidance to $4.09/share, excluding restructuring and impairment charges, down from prior guidance of $4.19-$4.34/ share. The company says it expects 2008 restructuring and impairment charges of...

Ecolab and Nalco to cut jobs, close plants.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Nalco Chemical Co.)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Ecolab and Nalco have announced restructuring programs, including job cuts and plant closures. Analysts cite the difficult economy for both firms. Ecolab says it will cut 1,000 jobs, or 4% of its total workforce, as well as close plants,...

Chemtura realigns business.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Chemtura says it will realign its business structure around two divisions-performance products and engineered products--to improve operational performance amid "difficult economic conditions." David Dickey has been named executive v.p. and...

A major portion of Europe's ethylene capacity is still offline.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)
January 26, 2009... About 2.4 million m.t./year of ethylene capacity in Western Europe was offline at CW's presstime last week, industry sources say. The figure accounts for 10% of regional ethylene capacity. It represents an improvement on mid-December, when...

Tikkurila likely to cut jobs.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)
January 26, 2009... Tikkurila (Helsinki), the paints and coatings subsidiary of Kemira, says it plans to launch a group-wide savings program likely to involve 500 job cuts, about 13% of Tikkurila's workforce. The program aims to save an annualized 25 million...

Mitsubishi Rayon reports extraordinary loss.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)(Mitsubishi Rayon Company Ltd.)(Financial report)
January 26, 2009... Mitsubishi Rayon says it will report an extraordinary loss roof [yen] 13 billion ($144 million) for its fiscal third quarter ended December 2008, due to structural problems in its acrylic fibers business. Mitsubishi Rayon makes acrylic fibers...

Showa Denko to build carbon nanotube plant in Japan.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)
January 26, 2009... Showa Denko says it will begin construction in March on a 400-m.t./ year carbon nanotube plant at the company's Oita, Japan complex. The plant will produce a new grade of carbon nanotube developed by Showa Denko for resin composite...

Abu Dhabi Polymers Park to attract 60 investors.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Abu Dhabi Basic Industries Corp.)
January 26, 2009... Abu Dhabi Polymers Park (ADPP), a recently created industrial cluster in Abu Dhabi, is expected to host about 60 plastics processing factories by 2015, involving a combined investment of $4.5 billion and consuming more than 1 million m.t./...

Total-Sonatrach Petchem JV delayed by two years.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Total Petroleum Inc.)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Completion of a previously announced $3-billion petrochemical joint venture between Total Petrochemicals and Sonatrach (Algiers) has been delayed by two years until 2014, CW has learned (CW, July 25, 2007, p. 17). Total has a 51% stake in the...

Moroccan firm to use Arkema PVC technology.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Arkema licensed its polyvinyl chloride manufacturing technology to Societe Nationale d'Electrolyse et de Petrochimie)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Arkema says it has licensed its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) manufacturing technology to Societe Nationale d'Electrolyse et de Petrochimie (SNEP; Casablanca). SNEP is part of the YNNA group, owned by Morocco's Chaabi family. The company will use...

Sibur and Solvay delay PVC plan by two years.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Sibur-Neftekhim)(polyvinyl chloride)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Completion of a previously announced polyvinyl chloride (PVC) project at Kstovo, Russia by RusVinyl--a joint venture between Sibur-Neftekim and SolVin--will be delayed by two years, to 2012, Sibur-Neftekhim says. Sibur-Neftekhim, a Sibur...

Lanxess awards ion exchange resins contract to Uhde.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Uhde India Ltd.)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Uhde India says it has been awarded a contract by Lanxess India (Thane) to build a previously announced ion exchange resins complex at Jhagadia, India (CW, June 23, 2008, p. 18). Lanxess is investing 30 million [euro] ($39.8 million) to build...

A new spin on soap demand: the slowing economy threatens to pull the plug on growth in the soap and detergent market and move consumer buying patterns toward less costly products. Suppliers say a combination of careful cost-control and increased collaboration with formulators will be their best defense through the global downturn.(Cover story)
January 26, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Soap and detergent makers remember 2008 as a year of considerable uncertainty as upstream costs left margins in disarray up and down the supply chain. Formulators and suppliers are no more certain about this year....

FDA launches program to improve drug safety.(SUPPLY CHAIN)(United States. Food and Drug Administration)
January 26, 2009... The U.S. FDA has launched a voluntary pilot program to help promote the safety of drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) produced outside the U.S. The agency plans to select 100 applicants to participate in the program, the Secure...

Xoma to slash workforce.(BIOTECHNOLOGY)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Biotechnology firm Xoma (Berkeley, CA) says it will cut 144 jobs about 42% of its workforce, due to challenging market conditions. Most of the cuts will be in manufacturing, Xoma says. "We have made a difficult but necessary decision,"...

Landfill gas to supply high-purity graphite plant.(CATALYSTS)(Catalyx Nanotech partnerd with Dudek and Associates Inc.)
January 26, 2009... Privately owned startup Catalyx Nanotech (Anaheim, CA) says it plans to commercialize a technology to generate "green" hydrogen and nanomaterials from landfill gas. Under the project, carbon dioxide (C[O.sub.2]) offgas would be sequestered....

Merisant files for bankruptcy; plans new sweetener launch.(DIGEST)(Merisant Worldwide)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Artificial sweetener maker Merisant Worldwide (Chicago) says it has filed for U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to restructure its balance sheet and continue normal operations. "During the last four years, we took aggressive measures that...

Angus opens product development site.(DIGEST)
January 26, 2009... Angus Chemical, a Dow Chemical subsidiary, says it has opened a $10-million product development plant at its flagship Sterlington, LA complex, focusing on nitrated compounds used in multiple markets. Angus announced plans to build the facility...

Danisco launches 'sustainable emulsifiers' for food ingredients.(DIGEST)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Danisco says it is the first food ingredient producer to offer customers "sustainable emulsifiers," which it bases on either palm oil or palm kernal oil sourced mainly from Malaysia and Indonesia. Separately, Danisco says the high-growth bio...

Thomas Swan teams up with TWI in hybrid resins deal.(DIGEST)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Thomas Swan & Co. (Consett, U.K.) says it has teamed up with technology firm TWI (Granta Park, U.K.) to commercialize a new manufacturing route to hybrid silsesquioxane resins. The technology, called Vitolane, enhances the performance of...

Gas supplies could impact feedstock outlook.(HYDROCARBONS)(BMO Capital Markets)
January 26, 2009... The supply of natural gas is expected to be ample in both the near and long term, according to analysts and producers at the Annual Unconventional Gas Conference, sponsored by BMO Capital Markets (Toronto), held in New York earlier this...

Ethylene margins turn negative.(OLEFINS)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Average U.S. ethylene margins turned negative in December, falling 4 cts/lb, to -3cts/lb, due to weak demand and lower coproduct prices, analysts say. Margins were artificially inflated from August through October 2008, because the decline in...

Uralkali cuts production.(BASIC CHEMICALS & PLASTICS)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Uralkali (Berezniki, Russia) says it cut output of potash by 71.5% in December, to 129,900 m.t., from 456,600 m.t. in December 2007. It cut total output for 2008 by 6.4%, to 4.8 million m.t. "The cut in production was a result of the current...

Chlorine output drops in Europe.(BASIC CHEMICALS & PLASTICS)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... European chlorine production fell 15% in December 2008 compared with the previous month, and 36% compared with December 2007, says European chlor-alkali industry association Euro Chlor (Brussels). The "drastic drop" in chlorine production is...

Commentary.(CW PRICE REPORT)(petrochemicals demand and price)(Statistical table)
January 26, 2009... Spot NAPHTHA in northwest Europe fell by about $5/m.t., following a smaller drop in Brent crude oil prices. The naphtha decline disappointed olefins producers who were hoping to rebuild battered margins, but they were appeased by a rise of 30...

OSHA takes first step toward regulating diaceytl.(HEALTH EFFECTS)(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) for diacetyl, the chemical used in popcorn flavoring that has been linked to respiratory problems in some workers. The ANPR...

Europe bans dichloromethane from use in paint strippers.(CHLORINATED SOLVENTS)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... The European Parliament and European Council have approved a ban on dichloromethane (DCM) from paint strippers intended for consumer use and have strengthened the restrictions on commercial applications of these products, industry groups say....

Bayer canola hits EU stalemate.(REGULATORY)(Bayer CropScience AG)(European Union)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... The European Union (EU) has failed to reach an agreement on Bayer CropScience's request for approval of its T25 genetically modified (GM) canola seeds, which is altered to resist glufosinate-ammonium herbicides, The impasse opens the...

Germany eyes biodiesel ban.(REGULATORY)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... Germany has proposed regulations that would limit the import of biofuels from the U.S., local press reports say. The German proposal would bar the import of biofuels made from soybean or palm oil if those are beneficiaries of tax subsidies...

Washington bid to ban BPA.(REGULATORY)
January 26, 2009... Washington state lawmakers have proposed a ban on bisphenol A (BPA) in products intended for children under the age of three. The bans, proposed by House Representative Mary Lou Dickerson (D., Seattle) and Senator Karen Keiser (D., Kent),...

Economy under siege.(chemicals production)(Statistical data)
January 26, 2009... Manufacturing output declined 1.4% in November, and preliminary data show that it dropped at an annualized rate of 12.5% for fourth-quarter 2008. Output dropped an annualized 8.8% in the third quarter. Durables decreased 22% in the...

Lanxess.(VITAL STATISTICS--KEY CHANGES)
January 26, 2009... Lanxess has appointed Uwe Boltersdorf head of its planned butyl rubber plant in Singapore. Boltersdorf previously held positions in plant engineering. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Aceto.(VITAL STATISTICS--KEY CHANGES)
January 26, 2009... Aceto has appointed Vincent Miata president/chemicals and colorants, and Frank DeBenedittis executive v.p./Health Sciences and director/global pharmaceutical strategy.

DSM.(VITAL STATISTICS--KEY CHANGES)(appointments of)(Brief article)
January 26, 2009... DSM has made appointments: Gerard de Reuver, as director/strategic projects; Stefan Doboczky, as business group director/DSM Anti Infectives; Hans van Suijdam, as director/corporate operational audit and compliance officer; and Luca Rosetto,...

Rhodia.(VITAL STATISTICS--KEY CHANGES)
January 26, 2009... Rhodia has named Jean-Yves Bubreuil director/human resources, France and European labor relations. Dubreuil was previously director/development and labor management for the Altran Group.

Univar.(VITAL STATISTICS--KEY CHANGES)
January 26, 2009... Univar has named Christophe Jeusse CFO, Europe. Jeusse was most recently CFO at Adecco.

A. Schulman.(VITAL STATISTICS--KEY CHANGES)
January 26, 2009... A. Schulman has named Irvin D. Reid to its board of directors. Reid is currently president emeritus at Wayne State University.

European Petrochemical Association.(VITAL STATISTICS--KEY CHANGES)
January 26, 2009... Albert Heuser has been appointed president of the European Petrochemical Association. Heuser is currently head/petrochemicals at BASF

Nalco Holding.(VITAL STATISTICS--KEY CHANGES)
January 26, 2009... Nalco Holding has elected Paul J. Norris to it's board of directors. Norris is director and nonexecutive chairman of the board at Sealy.

Carbon Sciences.(VITAL STATISTICS--KEY CHANGES)
January 26, 2009... Carbon Sciences has named Naveed Aslam chief technology officer.

Honeywell.(VITAL STATISTICS--KEY CHANGES)
January 26, 2009... Honeywell has named Norman Gilsdorf president/Honeywell Process Solutions. Gilsdorf was formerly v.p. and general manager/Process Solutions, Europe, Mideast, and Africa.

North American Membrane Society.(VITAL STATISTICS--KEY CHANGES)
January 26, 2009... Bill Mickols has been elected to the board of directors of the North American Membrane Society. Mickols is senior research scientist of Dow Water Solutions.

Microbia Precision Engineering.(VITAL STATISTICS--KEY CHANGES)
January 26, 2009... Chuck Walton has been named director/North American sales at Microbia Precision Engineering.

CW75 stock performance.(Statistical table)
January 26, 2009... The CW75 index dropped 7.1% for the week ended January 20, slightly outperforming the Morgan Stanley Global Composite and the S&P 500 indexes, which dropped 7.5% and 7.6%, respectively. Basic chemical shares fell 7.2%, diversified shares...

Gauging earnings.(earnings of chemical industry)(Viewpoint essay)
January 19, 2009... The severe fourth-quarter drops in chemical demand are likely to be matched by even sharper declines in reported earnings over the next few weeks. Consensus earnings estimates for chemical makers tracked by BB&T Capital Markets (New...

Satyam names auditors.
January 19, 2009... The board of directors of IT consulting firm Satyam Computer Services (Hyderabad, India) has named Deloitte and KPMG as independent auditors to help restate the company's financial reports and has launched a search for a new CEO and CFO. The...

EPA fines producers.(United States. Environmental Protection Agency v. Chemtrade Logistics, Chemtrade Refinery Services, and Marsulex Inc.)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Three sulfuric acid producers will spend a combined $12 million to install pollution upgrades at six U.S. facilities, EPA says. The producers--Chemtrade Logistics, Chemtrade Refinery Services, and Marsulex--also will pay a civil penalty of...

Wellman plan approved.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York has approved Wellman's modified reorganization plan, which was also recently approved by more than 80% of the company's stakeholders, Welman says (CW, Jan. 5/12 p. 8). Wellman...

PolyOne cuts staff, closes compounds plant.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PolyOne says it will cut about 370 jobs, 8% of its total workforce, and close its Niagara Falls, ON compounds facility to remain competitive "during a period of weakened demand." PolyOne says it will also implement...

Texas Petrochemicals idles units.(Texas Petrochemicals Corp.Texas Petrochemicals L.P.)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Texas Petrochemicals says it has temporary idled "various production units" at its Houston and Port Neches, TX facilities to reduce operating costs, amid "the severe decline in economic conditions." The company says its butadiene business has...

Mosaic cuts jobs in Canada.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Mosaic says it will temporarily lay off 1,000 employees at its Saskatchewan potash mines, due to decreased demand. Jobs may be reinstated as market conditions improve, Mosaic says. Job cuts will begin on March 8 at Mosaic's Colonsay site and...

Monsanto lifts dividend; reelects directors.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Monsanto says it will raise its quarterly cash dividend by 10%, to 26.5 cts/share. The dividend is payable on April 24 to shareholders of record April 3. Monsanto has increased its dividend eight times since 2002. The company also announced...

LyondellBasell to restart olefins unit in Texas.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... LyondellBasell says it will restart its 2.4-billion lbs/year olefins unit at La Porte, TX before the end of the month. The unit was temporarily idled in October due to declining market and economic conditions, the company says (CW, Nov. 3/10,...

European Parliament votes to approve revised EU pesticide legislation.(European Union)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Revised European Union (EU) pesticide legislation moved a step closer to being finalized when the European Parliament voted last week to approve the laws, which will replace existing EU agchem legislation. The laws include a package of new...

Invista to shutter U.K. nylon facility.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Invista will close the company's nylon polymer and intermediates manufacturing complex at Wilton, U.K. with the loss of about 300 jobs. Invista did not announce a proposed date for the closure but says it has started consulting with trade...

BASF to close Korean BDO and THF complex.(butanediol and tetrahydrofuran)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... BASF says it will make permanent the closure of its 1,4-butanediol (BDO) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) manufacturing complex at Ulsan, Korea. The complex has been temporarily closed since August 2008. BASF's downstream polyTHF plant at Ulsan will...

PolymerLatex to mothball U.K. plant.(PolymerLatex GmbH und Co.)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Dispersions producer PolymerLatex (Marl, Germany) has decided to mothball its latex plant at Bromsgrove, U.K., citing "weak demand and a poor industry outlook." The company says that all production will be stopped by March at the latest....

Wyeth to buy Crucell?(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Biopharmaceutical company Crucell (Leiden, Netherlands) says it is in friendly discussions with Wyeth (Madison, NJ) that may lead to a merger with Wyeth. The discussions are at a preliminary stage and there is no certainty that they will...

PTT Asahi builds acrylo.(PTT Asahi Chemical)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... PTT Asahi Chemical has signed a $400-million loan agreement with a syndicate of Japanese banks to finance a previously announced petrochemical complex at Map Ta Phut, Thailand. The complex will be designed to produce 200,000 m.t./ year of...