Chemical Week articles from January 2011

Chemical Week archives from January 2011

The latest earnings.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
January 31, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Check chemweek.com for all the latest fourth-quarter and full-year 2010 earnings from top chemical companies. We update continuously as earnings are released. Next week major companies reporting include Dow Chemical,...

Climate change & water webcast.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
January 31, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Join CW and CSC (Falls Church, VA), a consulting firm, on Thursday, February 3 for a discussion of the risks facing the chemical industry's water supply due to climate change. Log in to prepare for the demands facing...

DSM invests in wind propulsion firm.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
January 31, 2011... DSM Venturing says it has made an investment in SkySails, a German wind propulsion firm. chemweek.com/sustainability

Aromatics tick higher.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
January 31, 2011... Aromatics markets were much more mixed than olefins markets this week, players indicate. chemweek.com/pricewatch

Blackstone respects the cycle.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
January 31, 2011... On our blog, CW editor Vincent Valk considers a private equity firm's criteria for chemicals investment, chemweek.com/chem_ideas

Weekly round-ups.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
January 31, 2011... Our weekly look at the top stories on business and innovation from CW's website and around the web. chemweek.com/chem_ideas

Most read stories online.(Chemweek 24 7)
January 31, 2011... As of CW press time on Thursday, Jan. 27 1. China Investigation Confirms Dumping of Caprolactam by U.S. and EU 2. Reliance Industries Profits Rise 3. Sabic Posts Increased Profits 4. Borouge Awards XLPE Contract to Hyundai...

Fine chemicals on mend.(VIEWPOINT)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Trends in fine chemicals are improving as the sector readies for InformexUSA in Charlotte, NC, starting February 7. Contract manufacturing continues to grow as more pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies shift to outsourcing, as this week's...

ISP hikes prices by 10%.(International Specialty Products )(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... International Specialty Products (ISP) says it will increase prices worldwide for all of its products by 10%, effective February 1 or as contracts allow. The company cites "continued material and energy cost escalation." ISP last implemented an...

Rail traffic rises 1.7%.(Brief article)(Statistical data)
January 31, 2011... Chemicals sector rail traffic in North America rose 1.7% year-on-year for the week ended January 22, to 41,490 cars, the Association of American Railroads (AAR; Washington) says. The rate of increase was smaller than in recent weeks. U.S....

Dow Corning sales rise.(Financial report)
January 31, 2011... Dow Corning posted fourth-quarter sales of $1.6 billion, up 8% from the year-ago quarter, according to Corning's fourth-quarter earnings presentation. Corning owns 50% of the 50-50 jv with Dow Chemical. Dow Chemical reports fourth-quarter...

Chemtura, Isagro JV.(joint venture)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Chemtura and Isagro (Milan) have farmed a 50-50 joint venture to develop new active ingredients for the agrochemicals industry. The jv, ISEM (Milan), comprises Isagro's ongoing activities in that field, and has an equity value of 40 million...

Cereplast sells stock.(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Bio-based plastics firm Cereplast (El Segundo, CA) has announced that it will sell $12 million worth of stock in a private placement. The buyers, several institutional investors, will each receive one share of common stock plus an option to...

Cytec to sell acrylonitrile business; profits rise.(Cytec Industries Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Cytec Industries says it is in discussions to sell its building block chemicals business, a leading U.S. producer of acrylonitrile and melamine. The business generated sales of $150.6 million in the fourth quarter, a 45% increase from the same...

Canpotex signs potash deal with Sinofert.(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Canpotex (Saskatoon, SK)--the exclusive offshore potash marketing company owned by Agrium, Mosaic Canada Crop Nutrition, and Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PotashCorp)--has signed a contract with Sinofert Holdings (Beijing) to supply...

Thai chemical firm takes stake in Myriant.(Myriant Technologies)(PTT Chemical )(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... PTT Chemical (Bangkok) says it has invested $60 million in biochemical firm Myriant Technologies (Quincy, MA) and has a formed a 50-50 joint venture with Myriant to deploy Myriant's technology in Southeast Asia. PTT says demand for such...

PPG expands Indian JV.
January 31, 2011... PPG Industries says it will expand the scope of Asian PPG Industries (APPG; Mumbai), its 50-50 joint venture with India's largest paintmaker Asian Paints Ltd. (Mumbai), to include India's industrial liquid, marine, and consumer packaging...

Lubrizol buys Nalco's personal care line; to become part of Noveon.(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Lubrizol has acquired Nalco's performance products business, a supplier of specialty polymer and additives for the household and personal care markets, for $166 million. The acquired business reported sales of about $45 million last year....

Saudi Arabia may hike feedstock prices.(Statistical data)
January 31, 2011... The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (Riyadh) is likely to implement a phased increase in the price of gas sold to Saudi industrial users, including chemical producers, and reduce the discount that is applied to the price of propane,...

EU emissions trading remains suspended.(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Spot trading remained suspended on the European Union's (EU) Emissions Trading System (ETS) at CW press time on January 27 after the European Commission had ordered exchanges and clearing houses to halt all spot deals from January 19 following a...

Zachert leaves Lanxess to join Merck KGaA board.(Matthias Zachert)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Merck KGaA says it has appointed Matthias Zachert as a Merck KGaA board member and general partner, effective summer 2011. Zachert is currently CFO of Lanxess. He will succeed Michael Becker, who is due to retire at...

Bidders for Sud-Chemie.(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... One Equity Partners (OEP; New York) is lining up a number of potential bidders for its 50.41% controlling stake in Sud-Chemie (Munich), reports say. Potential bidders include Clariant, Honeywell, Mitsubishi Chemical, and Umicore. The sale is...

China olefins patent.(Keyuan Petrochemicals)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Keyuan Petrochemicals (Ningbo, China) says it has received approval from Chinese authorities for a patent related to the company's proprietary Multiple Ethylene Propylene (MEP) production process. MEP technology improves manufacturing efficiency...

Dumping decision.(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... The Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom; Beijing) has made a preliminary ruling after a previously announced antidumping investigation into imports of caprolactam from the U.S. and EU. Mofcom concluded that caprolactam imports from the EU and U.S. had...

Higher volumes drive year-end earnings growth.(TOP OF THE WEEK)
January 31, 2011... Chemical firms posted strong gains in the quarter ended December 31, 2010 as most beat expectations. Volumes were strong, but in some cases selling prices failed to keep pace with rising raw material costs. DuPont's fourth-quarter net income...

Outreach, advocacy efforts top ACI agenda.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(American Cleaning Institute)
January 31, 2011... Efforts to adopt chemical management programs at the state level, reform of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and relief from federal policies that disadvantage consumers of oleochemicals are key parts of American Cleaning...

ACI 2011: renewed industry optimism reigns.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(American Cleaning Institute)(Conference news)
January 31, 2011... Cleaning industry executives say they have been met with renewed optimism at the American Cleaning Institute (ACI; Washington) conference held recently in Orlando, a trend executives attribute to economic recovery and a demand rebound that has...

Dow commits to $10-million sustainability project.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Dow Chemical Co.)
January 31, 2011... Dow Chemical and The Nature Conservancy (TNC; Arlington, VA) have launched a collaboration aimed at helping companies "incorporate nature into global business goals, decisions, and strategies." Dow will provide $10 million over the next five...

Rockwood to refinance $1.3 billion in debt.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Rockwood Specialties Inc.)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Rockwood Specialties is planning a new $180 million revolving credit line and an $850 million term loan to refinance existing debt. The term loan will be combined with $439 million in balance sheet cash to repay $1.267 billion in existing term...

Court denies EPA petition for extended boiler MACT deadline.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Environmental Protection Agency)(Maximum Achievable Control Technology)
January 31, 2011... A federal court has rejected EPA's request for an 18-month extension r mandating additional reductions in air toxics from industrial boilers. The January 20 decision gives EPA 30 days to finalize the rule. Industry groups and some lawmakers have...

White House energy adviser Carol Browner to resign.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Carol Browner, top adviser to President Obama on climate change and energy issues, is planning to resign from her post, White House officials say. Browner served as climate and energy czar in the Obama White House, and was head of the EPA during...

Port Arthur biorefinery.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Endicott Biofuels )(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Endicott Biofuels (Houston) says it has agreed to build a 30-million gals/year biorefinery at KMTEX's Port Arthur, IX facility. KMTEX is a custom processor of petrochemicals and specialty chemicals, including oleochemicals, agchems, and food...

Hallstar buys organics supplier.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(BioChemica International)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Hallstar (Chicago) says it has acquired BioChemica International (Melbourne, FL), a supplier of butters and oils for the personal care industry. Terms were not disclosed. Hallstar says the natural and organic personal care products market, which...

Obama speech draws mixed reviews from industry.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
January 31, 2011... ACC welcomed the emphasis on job creation in President Obama's annual State of the Union address last week, but says it remains concerned about existing and potential regulatory burdens on industry. "While we were encouraged that the president...

S&P: chemicals credit outlook stable.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
January 31, 2011... Credit ratings in the chemicals sector are unlikely to change much this year after numerous upgrades in 2010, says ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P; New York). Chemical companies have put the recession behind them, and generally...

PotashCorp announces stock split; lifts dividend.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Potash Corporation Of Saskatchewan Inc.)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (PotashCorp) announced a three-for-one split of the company's shares. The company's shareholders will all receive two additional shares for each share owned as of February 16, PotashCorp says. The company is also...

M&A activity shifts up a gear in the distribution sector.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(merger and acquisition )
January 31, 2011... Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity was brisk in Europe's chemical distribution sector during January, maintaining the momentum established by an upturn in dealmaking toward the end of 2010. M&A involving distributors had dwindled to...

Rhodia Process to Recycle Rare Earths
January 31, 2011... Rhodia says it has developed a process for the recovery and separation of rare earths contained in used low-energy light bulbs. The process, which should be operational by the first quarter of 2012, is based on the recycling of luminescent...

Aramco, Dow seek bids for Saudi JV; completion in 2015.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(Saudi Arabian Oil Co.)(Dow Chemical Co.)
January 31, 2011... Engineering contractors have been asked to bid for several plants that will form part of a previously announced large-scale joint project by Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical to build a petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia. The packages, all...

DSM forms engineering plastics joint ventures in Russia.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(DSM Engineering Plastics Inc.)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... DSM says that its DSM Engineering Plastics business unit has agreed to form two joint ventures with KuibyshevAzot (KA; Togliatti, Russia). DSM will hold a majority stake in each jv. DSM has also agreed to license its cyclohexanone manufacturing...

Frutarom buys U.K. food ingredients firm.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(British East Anglian Food Ingredients)(Frutarom Industries )(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Frutarom Industries (Haifa, Israel) has signed an agreement to acquire British East Anglian Food Ingredients (Eafi; Clacton-on-Sea, U.K.) for $4.8 million. Eafi, founded in 1979, is expected to report 2010 sales of $8.4 million. It develops,...

Asahi Kasei to build large acrylonitrile plant in Korea.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)(Asahi Kasei Chemicals )
January 31, 2011... Asahi Kasei Chemicals (AKC), an Asahi Kasei subsidiary, says it will construct a world-scale plant for the production of acrylonitrile at Ulsan, Korea. Construction of the plant, which will have a production capacity of 245,000 m.t./year, is...

Reliance Industries records rise in third-quarter profits and sales.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Reliance Industries says net profits for the company's fiscal third quarter ended December 31, 2010 increased 28% compared with the same period of the previous year, to about Rs51.36 billion ($1.12 billion), on sales up 6%, to Rs624 billion....

Thailand's PTT to merge petchem affiliates this year.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Energy company PTT (Bangkok) expects to decide on a merger plan for several of its petrochemical-producing affiliates by the end of this quarter and to start implementing the merger in the third quarter. PTT CEO Prasert Bunsumpun confirmed the...

Russia's Nizhnekamskneftekhim approves ethylene plant.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... The board of TAIF (Kazan, Russia), the parent of leading petrochemicals producer Nizhnekamskneftekhim (Nizhnekamsk, Russia), has approved Nizhnekamskneftekhim's expansion program covering 2011-16 and through to 2020. The decision was taken at a...

Formosa builds large phenol complex in China.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Formosa Chemicals and Fibre (Taipei) has awarded an engineering contract to Lummus Technology for a major cumene and phenol complex. The complex will be built at Formosa's large production site at Ningbo, China and be designed to produce 450,000...

Oxea hikes neopentyl glycol output in line with demand growth.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Oxea (Oberhausen, Germany), a producer of oxo intermediates and derivatives, says it will increase neopentyl glycol (NPG) capacity at Oberhausen to 45,000 m.t./year by the middle of this year. The company declined to reveal its current capacity....

Lanxess to expand menthol capacity at Krefeld-Uerdingen.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Lanxess says it will expand production capacity for menthol at its Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany site for completion in the first half of 2012. Synthetic menthol is a key component in aromas and pharmaceutical products, and demand for the product...

Kuraray expands PVOH resin plant at site in Germany.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Kuraray Chemical Company Ltd.)(polyvinyl alcohol)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Kuraray says it will invest 58 million [euro] ($77 million) to expand polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin capacity at Frankfurt by 24,000 m.t./year, to 94,000 m.t./year by the first quarter of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014. Kuraray currently...

Fine chemicals on a growth path: the long-term prospects for the global pharmaceutical fine chemicals industry look promising despite current volatility in the market. Contract manufacturing continues to grow as more pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies recognize the benefits of outsourcing.(Industry overview)
January 31, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pharmaceutical fine chemical producers and contract manufacturers say the industry is recovering from the economic downturn of the past two years and that the long-term future of the industry appears largely positive....

Producers stack up capacity in Asia and Latin America.(PAPER CHEMICALS)(Industry overview)
January 31, 2011... Paper chemical makers are squeezed between overcapacity in Europe, especially in the printing sector, and rising raw material costs worldwide. Producers plan to offset those pressures by investing in technology for stronger end-use markets, and...

Vertellus enters Indian market through jv.(COMPANIES)(Vapi Products Industries)(joint venture)(Vertellus Specialties )(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Vertellus Specialties (Indianapolis) has formed a joint venture with Vapi Products Industries (Valsad, India) to manufacture and distribute specialty chemicals globally. Vertellus says it will control a majority stake in the iv, but did not...

Altana buys polymer modifiers.(SPECIALTIES)(Kometra Kunststoff-Modifikatoren und-Additiv )(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Altana has agreed to acquire polymer modifier producer Kometra Kunststoff-Modifikatoren und-Additiv (Schkopau, Germany). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Kometra will be integrated into Altana's BYK Additives & Instruments...

IBM and Samsung collaborate.(SPECIALTIES)(International Business Machines Corp.)(Samsung Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... IBM and Samsung say they will jointly develop new materials and transistor structures, as well as innovative interconnect and packaging solutions for next-generation technology nodes, at IBM's Semiconductor Research Alliance at the Albany...

Clariant's industrial and consumer specialties unit has raised its selling prices.(SPECIALTY PRICEWATCH)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Clariant's industrial and consumer specialties unit has raised its selling prices across its entire product line by up to 15%, effective immediately or as contracts allow

Wacher Chemie will increase its prices in Europe.(SPECIALTY PRICEWATCH)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Wacher Chemie will increase its prices in Europe for vinylacetate and acrylate based dispersions by up to 40/ton [euro], and by up to 8% for polyvinylalcohol solutions, effective February 15.

Chemtura will raise its selling prices for all of its urethane prepolymer products.(SPECIALTY PRICEWATCH)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Chemtura will raise its selling prices for all of its urethane prepolymer products by up to 15% in North and Latin America. Effective February 15, or as contracts allow.

ExxonMobil sees favorable trends continuing in 2011.(PETROCHEMICALS)(ExxonMobil Chemical Co.)
January 31, 2011... ExxonMobil Chemical officials say momentum from a strong 2010 should carry through 2011. "The outlook for 2011-2012 is positive and we expect solid growth," says ExxonMobil Chemicalpresident and CEO Stephen Pryor. Petrochemical demand is likely...

Saudi Kayan exports acetone.(DIGEST)
January 31, 2011... Saudi Kayan Petrochemical, an affiliate of Sabic, says it has shipped its first exports of acetone from its 140,000-m.t./year plant at Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The initial shipment of about 1,600 m.t. is bound for manufacturing customers in...

K+S Reduces Potash Production
January 31, 2011... K+S says it will reduce production of potash and magnesium by 70,000 tons at its Sigmundshall potash plant at Wunstorf, Germany, due to recent damage inflicted by the site's shaft conveyor equipment while undergoing maintenance. The process of...

Ineos ChlorVinyls says it will increase the price of caustic soda by 75/ton [euro] for first-quarter 2011.(BASIC CHEMICALS PRICE WATCH)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
January 31, 2011... Ineos ChlorVinyls says it will increase the price of caustic soda by 75/ton [euro] for first-quarter 2011 contracts due to continued supply limitations and low stocks, combined with rising costs of production. The company says it also increased...

Momentive Specialty Chemicals says it will raise prices for unsaturated polyester.(BASIC CHEMICALS PRICE WATCH)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Momentive Specialty Chemicals says it will raise prices for unsaturated polyester resins by 9 cts/lb and vinyl ester resins by 14 cts/lb on February 1, or as contracts allow

Cristal Global says it will increase prices on all of its titanium dioxide.(BASIC CHEMICALS PRICE WATCH)
January 31, 2011... Cristal Global says it will increase prices on all of its titanium dioxide (Ti[O.sub.2]) products sold in Japan by Yen 40/kg, effective February 1.

Chlor-alkali rates hold steady.(BASIC CHEMICALS & PLASTICS)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
January 31, 2011... Average U.S. chlor-alkali operating rates were unchanged in December, at 85%, according to the latest statistics reported by the Chlorine Institute (Arlington, VA). Operating rates were stable but production did increase, the report says. Total...

CW75 stock performance.(Statistical data)
January 31, 2011... The CW75 Index fell by about 2% for the week ended January 25, lagging broader markets including the Morgan Stanley global composite and the Standard and Poor's 500, which each fell by less than 1%. Basic chemical shares declined by 2.8%, and...

Managing for recovery: former CEOs on crisis response, outlook, and M&A.(COMPANIES)(mergers and acquisitions)(Industry overview)
January 31, 2011... Former industry chief executives say quick action by companies has sped margin recovery and they expect M&A to become more targeted and better aligned with strategy. The executives were speaking at a meeting organized by The Valence Group...

DuPont.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)(E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. appoints James Collins)(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... DuPont has named James Collins, president/crop protection, v.p./DuPont acquisition integration team, effective February 1. Collins will lead the team working on the integration of Danisco. He first joined DuPont in 1984 and has served on past...

Eastman Chemical.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)
January 31, 2011... Eastman Chemical has named two executives for its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Joost BeRing has been named managing director/ EMEA; Dominic Moore has been named business development director/EMEA. Betting succeeds Godefroy...

Foster Wheeler.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)
January 31, 2011... Foster Wheeler has promoted three executives in its engineering and construction group. Roberto Penno, previously managing director/global sales and marketing, has been named CEO/Asia Pacific operating unit. Chris Brown, previously senior...

Univar.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)(appointment of David Jukes )(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Univar has named David Jukes president/ Europe. Jukes, who joined Univar in 2002, was most recently v.p./sales and marketing, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He replaces John van Osch, who is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.

Aceto.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)(appointment of Guillaume Saint-Clair )(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Aceto has named Guillaume Saint-Clair international v.p./pharmaceutical intermediates. He first joined Aceto in 2001 with he acquisition of Schweizerhall, and was most recently manager/ pharmaceutical intermediates and specialty chemicals, Europe.

Vishnu Chemicals.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)(appointment of Lee Iwan )(Brief article)
January 31, 2011... Vishnu Chemicals has named Lee Iwan commercial manager/North and Latin America. Iwan's appointment took effect January 1. He was most recently president of a self-owned independent consultancy, and also previously worked as international...

Socma.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)
January 31, 2011... Aslam Malik, president of Ampac Fine Chemicals, has joined Socma's board of governors. Malik has served in his current role since 2005.

Upward trend continues.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)(Statistical data)
January 31, 2011... The leading indicator for the chemical industry rose 1.9% in January, its sixth consecutive monthly advance. The indicator is now 15% above its summer 2009 low. Output in the chemical industry has also recovered. Measured on a fourth-quarter to...

UN: collaboration is essential.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
January 17, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The World Future Energy Summit speakers including Ban ki-Moon, UN secretary general, told delegates that energy producers and technology innovators must join forces to satisfy future energy needs. There is a need for "a...

Sipchem posts a doubling of profits.(CHEMWEEK.COM)(Financial report)
January 17, 2011... Sipchem's net profits more than doubled in the fourth quarter, to SR 125 million ($33 million), chemweek.com/home/top_of the news

Stamicarbon buys Noy Engineering.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
January 17, 2011... Stamicarbon has bought Noy Engineering from sister company Tecnimont. chemweek.com/home/top of the news

International Year of Chemistry.
January 17, 2011... IUPAC and UNESCO on Thursday will celebrate the start of the International Year of Chemistry (IYC) in Paris. Industry leaders including Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris will present their take on what IYC should be all about. CW will be reporting...

Naphtha prices rise in Far East.
January 17, 2011... Spot naphtha prices in the Far East rose to $883-$885/m.t. U.S. propylene contracts have spiked, chemweek.com/pricewatch

ECHA recounts CLP notifications.
January 17, 2011... ECHA received 107,067 substances in classification and labeling notifications, not 24,529 as previously stated, chemsustainability.com

Most read stories online.(Chemweek 247)
January 17, 2011... As of CW press time on Thursday Jan. 20 1. Cargill to Divest Majority Stake in Mosaic in $24.3-Billion Deal 2. Celanese to Invest $600 Million to Build Ethanol Facilities at Nanjing and Zhuhai, China 3. Energy and Tech Firms Urged to...

DuPont reboots.(E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.)(Brief article)
January 17, 2011... DuPont's planned purchase of Danisco essentially comes down to a $6.3 billion bid to remake one of industry's-and all of manufacturing's-most storied growth and innovation engines. Revenues and earnings at DuPont have stalled for the past 10...

Braskem eyes butadiene?(Brief article)
January 17, 2011... Braskem plans to invest about $300 million to build a 100,000 m.t./ year butadiene plant at a yet to be determined site in Brazil, according to the Brazilian daily 0 Estado de S, Paulo. Site selection will be finalized during the first half of...

Praxair ASU in Brazil.(Brief article)
January 17, 2011... Praxair subsidiary White Martins (Rio de Janeiro) says it will build an air separation unit (ASU) at Joao Monlevade, Brazil to supply oxygen to ArcelorMittal's steel plant. The ASU will have capacity of 780 tons/day when it starts up in early...