Chemical Week articles from November 2011

Chemical Week archives from November 2011

Petchem leaders to gather at GPCA.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
November 28, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CW will be in Dubai as petchem executives gather for GPCA, which will be held December 13-15. Our IHS Chemical booth will be located in the Silk Room. CMAI will host a seminar on December 13: 'Emerging Economies and...

EU companies falls short on GHGs.(CHEMWEEK.COM)(greenhouse gas )(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A report by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP; London) has found that Europe's heavy industry--including chemicals--is falling short of international recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 2.65%/year....

Bio-based economy needs a re-brand.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
November 28, 2011... Opinion piece by an expert on biomaterials and public relations on the need to market the biobased economy, chemweek.com/chem_ideas

Aromatics rise in U.S. and Europe.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
November 28, 2011... Aromatics prices rose last week, with benchmark spot benzene on the U.S. Gulf gaining 20 cts/gal, chemweek.com/pricewatch

Novozymes opens lab in Brazil.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
November 28, 2011... Novozymes has opened R&D laboratories and customer solutions facilities at Araucaria, Brazil. chemweek.com/envirotech/r_d

Ethanol from non-renewables?(CHEMWEEK.COM)
November 28, 2011... Opinion piece by Celanese making the case for using ethanol from non-renewables, chemweek.com/chem_ideas

Most read stories online.(Chemweek 24 7)
November 28, 2011... As of CW press time on Wednesday, Nov. 23 1. The Bio-based Economy Needs a Re-brand 2. Siam Cement and Barito Mull IPO 3. China Launches Antidumping Probe into Monobutyl Ether from U.S. and EU 4. Novozymes Opens Enzymes R&D Lab...

Middle East: growing up.(VIEWPOINT)(Viewpoint essay)
November 28, 2011... Producers in the Middle East are nearing the end of a five-year growth spurt. Ethylene capacity is expected to reach 28 million m.t. in 2011, doubling from 14 million m.t. in 2007, according to CMAI (Houston). The region now accounts for almost...

Sabic nabs Dupont exec.(Sabic Innovative Plastics)(E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sabic Innovative Plastics (Sabic IP; Pittsfield, MA) says executive v.p. Charlie Crew will retire January 1, and will be replaced by Keith Smith, DuPont's top sourcing and logistics executive. Smith will join Sabic...

Perro relocates.(Ferro Corp. Ferro Chemicals)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Ferro says it has relocated its global headquarters from Cleveland to Mayfield Heights, OH. The company will still maintain its technology development center at Independence, OH.

PPG force majeure.(PPG Industries Inc.)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... PPG Industries says it has declared force majeure on certain optical products due to the impact of flooding on its Bang Pa-In and Lat Krabang, Thailand manufacturing facilities. While PPG's Chon Bud, Thailand transition optical facility is...

Praxair Uruguay supply.(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Praxaiir has signed a 15-year contract to supply oxygen to a pulp mill complex being built in Punta Pereira, Uruguay. The mill will be operated by Montes del Plata, a 50-50 joint venture between Arauco and StoraEnso. Praxair will build and...

Valspar swings to loss on housing-related charge.(revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Valspar fell to a net loss of $295.7 million for the fiscal fourth-quarter, or $3.18/share, on a $410-million goodwill impairment charge related its 2000 acquisition of Lilly Industries. Sales for the fiscal fourth quarter rose 19.4%, to $1.05...

BHP to keep mine out of potash cartel.(BHP Billiton Ltd.)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Australian mining company BHP Billiton (Melbourne) will keep its Jansen, SK potash mine out of Canpotex, the potash export cartel owned by Saskatchewan producers, according to reports in the Financial Times. Planned capacity at full production...

Strong fertilizer demand boosts SQM profits.(Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM) reported third-quarter net income of $143.2 million, up 51% from the year-ago quarter on sales up 25%, to $574.7 million. Earnings were driven by strong sales in the company's lithium and fertilizer...

Solutia completes Southwall deal.(Southwall Technologies Inc.)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Solutia has completed its tender offer for Southwall Technologies (Palo Alto, CA), an energy-efficient films maker, the company says. The $13.60/ share cash offer was accepted by 95.7% of Southwall shareholders. The acquisition, the total price...

EPA takes nominations for advisory board on IRIS review.(Integrated Risk Information System)(Environmental Protection Agency)
November 28, 2011... EPA says it will accept nominations for scientific experts for its Science Advisory Board (SAB) Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee, which will review proposed changes to the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Nominations must be...

China issues climate change white paper; approves emissions trading plan.(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... The Chinese government has issued a white paper covering its policies and actions to address climate change. The document, entitled China's Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change, was released by the State Council. It confirms that...

Dutch biopolymer companies combine.(Rodenburg Biopolymers acquired Optimum )(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Privately owned Rodenburg Biopolymers (Oosterhout, the Netherlands) has acquired Optimum (Rotterdam), another biopolymer producer. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition provides Rodenburg with a second technology platform....

BASF invests in battery technology and materials.(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... BASF says it will invest more than 100 million [euro] ($135 million) to develop battery technology for vehicles during the next five years, including investments in R&D and the production of battery materials. The company also plans to...

DSM cuts jobs.(DSM Composite Resins)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... DSM Coating Resins, a DSM subsidiary, says it will cut 150 jobs following its creation through the previously announced merger of the DSM Powder Coating Resins and DSM NeoResins units. The measures are aimed at improving the financial...

Fire at Tosoh VCM Plant.(vinyl chloride monomer)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Tosoh says that a fire broke out following an explosion on November 13 at the company's No. 2 vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) plant at Nanyo, Japan. One employee died as a result of the incident, Tosoh says. The cause of the accident had not been...

ICL posts earnings rise.(Israel Chemicals Ltd. revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICE) reported a 79% increase in third-quarter net income, to $436 million on 36% higher sales at $1.9 billion. Operating income was 74% higher at $556 million and operating margins rose from 22.9%, to 29.3%. The company...

Arkema offloads Chlor-Alkali, PVC unit to private equity firm.(TOP OF THE WEEK)(polyvinyl chloride )
November 28, 2011... Arkema plans to offload its money-losing vinyl products business to private equity firm Klesch Group (Geneva), which specializes in the development of commodity-related activities. The deal includes Arkema's chlor-alkali and derivatives, and...

PTT global chemical and perstorp form isocyanates jv.(TOP OF THE WEEK)(joint venture)
November 28, 2011... PTT Global Chemical (Bangkok) has reached an agreement to acquire a 51% stake in Perstorp's isecynates business for 114.8 million [euro] ($154 million). The business will become a joint venture between the two companies making toluene...

Industry maintains spending on long-range research.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
November 28, 2011... The chemical industry will maintain its Long-range Research Initiative (LRI) spending of about 10 million [euro] ($13.4 million) for 2012. The program promotes scientific understanding about chemicals within the context of human health and the...

Taminco expands amines production at St. Gabriel, LA.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Methylamines and derivatives producer Taminco (Ghent, Belgium) says it has started a dimethylaminopropylamine (DMAPA) unit at its St. Gabriel, LA production facility. DMAPA is primarily used as a raw material for amine oxides and betaines both...

BASF to shift surfactants production from New Jersey to Louisiana.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... BASF will close a surfactants plant at Washington, NJ by the end of 2014 as part of plans to shut down the site. Production will be expanded at BASF's Geismar, LA site, where it currently has surfactants production. "We are committed to a...

Olefins post declines on lower feedstock values.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Statistical data)
November 28, 2011... Olefins prices in North America have dropped in recent weeks, trailing crude oil and feedstock prices lower. At CW press time, West Texas Intermediate crude oil was lower by $7/bbl for the week, to $95.74/bbl, while Brent crude was off by $4/...

Penford acquires starch business.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Carolina Starches )(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Food and industrial starch supplier Penford (Centennial, CO) has entered into an agreement to acquire Carolina Starches (North Charleston, SC), a maker of modified starches and starch blends. Financial terms were not disclosed. "This...

DuPont and Evogene partner to improve soybean rust resistance.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... DuPont's Pioneer Hi-Bred business I has signed a multi-year collaboration with genomics technology firm Evogene (Rehovot, Israel) to improve resistance to soybean rust. Under the agreement, DuPont and Evogene will jointly generate a genomic...

U.S. sanctions target Iran's petrochemical sector.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)
November 28, 2011... The Obama administration has announced additional sanctions against Iran, specifically targeting the country's petrochemical sector for the first time. The U.S. is "prohibiting the provision of goods, services, and technology to this sector and...

FMC acquires environmental technology firm.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... FMC has acquired the assets of Adventus Intellectual Property (Mississauga, Ontario), an environmental technology and services company, from investment firms Covington Capital and VeutureLink Innovation Fund, the company says. Terms of the deal...

Rare Earths prices falling from peak.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: UNITED STATES/AMERICAS)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
November 28, 2011... Prices for many rare earth oxides (REOs) fell by 25% between July and early November, and some have fallen by as much as 40% in just the past month, according to a new report by IHS Global Insight senior economist John Mothersole. IHS is the...

French Industry Association downgrades 2012 forecast.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(Statistical data)
November 28, 2011... French chemical industry association UIC (Paris) has revised its forecast for the sector's 2012 growth in output volumes to 1.8%, from 2.4%. However, UIC projects chemicals output growth of 4.5% in 2011, higher than an earlier forecast of 3.1%...

Kemira lowers full-year sales and profits forecast, citing lower demand.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Kemira has confirmed that its revenues and operating profits for the whole of this year will be lower than originally forecast. The company says that, following weaker-than-expected volume demand in the fourth quarter of 2011 and high raw...

Ravago and Barentz merge chemical distribution units.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: EUROPE/MIDEAST)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Ravago Group (Arendonk, Belgium) and Barentz Europe (Hoofddorp, the Netherlands) have agreed to combine their chemical distribution activities into a 50-50 joint venture, Barentz Ravago Chemical Specialist. The new company, which will start...

Arkema to acquire two Chinese renewable makers.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)(Hipro Polymers)(Casda Biomaterials)
November 28, 2011... Arkema says it will acquire Hipro Polymers (Zhangjiagang, China), a producer of biosourced nylon-10,10; and Casda Biomaterials (Hengshui, China)--a manufacturer of sebacic acid, derived from castor oil and used to manufacture nylou-10-,10--for a...

China sets up food, healthcare safety committee.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... The Chinese government says it has established an expert committee for cosmetics, food, and healthcare safety under the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA; Beijing), to provide technical consultation and suggestions for policymakers. The...

Late-reporting Japanese companies post mixed results.(BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS: ASIA/PACIFIC)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Late-reporting Japanese chemical companies recorded mixed results for their fiscal first half ended September 30, 2011. DIC Corp. reported a slight improvement in earnings during the period, Tosoh reported a huge rise in profits, and Tokuyama...

Siam Cement, Barito mull IPO to fund Chandra Asri hike.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(P.T. Barito Pacific Timber)(initial public offerings)
November 28, 2011... Siam Cement Group (SCG; Bangkok) and PT Barito Pacific (Jakarta) are studying ways to raise $500 million for an expansion at their Chandra Asri Petrochemical joint venture. Chandra Asri, based at Cilegon, Banten Province is Indonesia's biggest...

Assam cracker's costs escalate; completion is delayed.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(gas cracker project's revised cost estimation)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (New Delhi), headed by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has approved a revised cost estimate for a previously announced gas cracker project in the state of Assam, India. Costs have risen by 63%, to...

AkzoNobel expands Ningbo site with additional investment.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... AkzoNobel says it will invest C45 million ($61 million) to build a dicumyl peroxide plant at its Ningbo, China site. The plant will be AkzoNobel's fifth at Ningbo on completion in mid-2014. It will expand AkzoNobel's dicumyl peroxide capacity by...

Japanese consortium signs fertilizer plant deal in Angola.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Ministry of Geology, Mining, and Industry )(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... A Japanese consortium comprising Toyo Engineering, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Sojitz, and Sumitomo Corp. has entered into an early work agreement with the Ministry of Geology, Mining, and Industry (Luanda) covering a portion of the engineering...

Air Liquide builds China's largest air separation unit.(NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS)(Air Liquide America L.P.)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Air Liquide will build an air separation unit with capacity for 3,000 m.t./day of oxygen at Maoming, China. It will be the largest such unit in China and will also produce nitrogen and argon. The investment follows a deal concluded between Air...

Borouge: a growth driver for Mideast petrochemicals.(Company overview)
November 28, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Abu Dhabi Polymers Co. (Borouge) has transformed itself into a major power in the worldwide polyolefins industry. The company, a 60-40 joint venture between Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (Adnoc) and Borealis (Vienna),...

Iran's vision is to be Mideast leader, but sanctions hinder development.(Abdolhossein Bayat)
November 28, 2011... Iran's target is to become the Mideast's leading petrochemical industry by 2025, overtaking current leader Saudi Arabia. Abdolhossein Bayat, Iran's deputy minister of petroleum and president of National Petrochemical Co. (NPC; Tehran), outlined...

Sadara highlights chemicals diversification in Mideast.
November 28, 2011... Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical say their $20-billion joint venture at Jubail, Saudi Arabia, named Sadara, marks a milestone in the Mideast, bringing downstream and higher-value product chains that have never been produced in the region. Sadara...

Mideast producers reap benefits of low-cost production.(Statistical data)
November 28, 2011... Mideast producers continue to benefit from the region's abundant and cheap feedstocks, and retain their position as the world's lowest-cost producer of ethylene and derivatives due to a wave of capacity builds. Ethylene capacity in the...

Start-up challenges lithium firms with bolt-on process.(LITHIUM)(Simbol Materials (Pleasanton))
November 28, 2011... A California start-up backed by trading giant Itochu (Tokyo) says it can produce large volumes of lithium and other valuable minerals from geothermal brines with its proprietary bolt-on extraction technology. The company, Simbol Materials...

U.S. paints and coatings demand forecast to exceed $26 billion in 2015.(PAINTS AND COATINGS)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
November 28, 2011... The U.S. market for paints and coatings is growing at an estimated annual rate of 7.80 and is expected to be worth $26.2 billion in 2015, according to a study by The Freedonia Group (Cleveland, OH). The market is set to grow strongly both in...

Amyris, method products ink deal.(SPECIALTIES)(Amyris Biotechnologies Inc.)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Synthetic biology firm Amyris (Emeryville, CA) says it has signed a deal with Method Products, a provider of environmentally friendly home and personal care products to big box retailers like Target and Lowe's, to jointly develop renewable...

IFF opens lab in Dubai.(SPECIALTIES)(International Flavors and Fragrances)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) says it has opened a creative and applications lab in Dubai's DuBiotech research part. The company says the facility supports all categories of flavor and fragrance applications in the "unique" Mideast...

CW75 stock performance.(Statistical data)
November 28, 2011... The CW75 index declined 6.2% for the week ended November 22, lagging the MSCI World and the S&P 500 indexes, which fell 5.4% and 5.6%, respectively. Basic chemical shares fell 7.8%, diversified shares fell 6.2% and specialty stocks fell...

Haldor Topsoe.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)(appointment of Bjerne Clausen)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Haldor Topsoe has named Bjerne Clausen CEO. Clausen replaces Njels Kegel Sorensen, CEO since September 2007, who has resigned. Clausen joined Haldor Topsoe in 1979 as a researcher, and was later promoted to director of R&D. Since 2008, he...

PolyOne.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)(appointment of Cynthia Tomasch)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... PolyOne has named Cynthia Tomasch, v.p./ planning and investor relations, effective December 14. She will succeed Joseph Kelley, who has left the company. Tomasch joined PolyOne in 1992 and has held a variety of senior positions in marketing,...

OM Group.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)(appointment of Christopher Hix)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... OM Group has named Christopher Hix CFO, effective January 3, 2012. He succeeds Kenneth Haber, who is retiring at the end of the year. Hix was most recently senior v.p. and CFO at Robbins & Myers, a supplier of engineered equipment and...

Ashland.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)(appointments of Eric Boni and John Goswell)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... Ashland has made two new executive appointments. Eric Boni has been named v.p. and treasurer, effective December 1, and John Goswell has been named v.p./internal audit, effective immediately. Boni succeeds Kevin Willis, who assumed the role of...

The American Cleaning Institute.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)(appointment of Eric Schwartz and Cynthia Bryant)(Brief article)
November 28, 2011... The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) has named Eric Schwartz and Cynthia Bryant to its board of directors as temporary replacements for Greg Tipsord and Anders Lund, colleagues at Henkel and Novozymes, respectively. Schwartz is general...

Elevance.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)
November 28, 2011... Elevance has named Don Johnson to its board of directors. Johnson had a 36-year career with DuPont, retiring as senior v.p./human resources last December.

Economy rebounds.(KEY CHANGES--LEADING INDICATOR)(Statistical data)
November 28, 2011... Surging equity prices in October pushed the leading indicator higher in November. The indicator remains 0.8% below the most recent peak attained in May 2011. The sharp swings in the stock market have not been reflected in the broader economy,...

Long-range Research moves ahead.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
November 14, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CW reports from Brussels on the latest news to come out of the industry's Long-range Research Initiative, which focuses on expanding chemicals safety assessments. Nanomaterial safety is one of several key topics due to...

Boeing joins materials consortium.(CHEMWEEK.COM)(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Boeing, together with Lockheed Martin and Thales, has joined the Environmental Materials Information Technology (EMIT) Consortium, a group sharing information on sustainable materials. The consortium avoids the use of...

Aromatics prices rise.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
November 14, 2011... Aromatics prices rose last week, with benchmark spot benzene on the U.S. Gulf gaining 20 cts/gal, chemweek.com/pricewatch

News round-up.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
November 14, 2011... CW publishes a round-up of the key news stories online from CW editors and beyond every Friday. chemweek.com/chem_ideas

Evonik adds pharma capacity.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
November 14, 2011... Evonik says it has added to its capacity for producing highly potent pharma ingredients. chemweek.com/markets/fine_chemicals

Takeaways from BioAmber's IPO filing.(CHEMWEEK.COM)
November 14, 2011... Analysis on the implications of BioAmber's IPO filing, by CW's Rebecca Coons. chemweek.com/chem ideas

Most read stories online.(Chemweek 24 7)
November 14, 2011... As of CW press time on Thursday, Nov. 17 1. Key Takeaways from BioAmber's IPO Filing 2. Congressional Panel Examines Shale and Impact on U.S. Economy, Chemicals 3. BioAmber Files for $150-Million IPO 4. Evonik Expands Production...

IHS acquires Purvin & Gertz.(VIEWPOINT)(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... We are excited by the latest development at parent company IHS (Englewood, CO), which has added the esteemed consultancy Purvin & Gertz (Houston) to our energy and chemicals portfolio. Purvin & Gertz was founded in 1947 by Robert...

Bayer announces 11-billion [euro] annual sales target in Asia by 2015.(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... Bayer aims to achieve a more than 60% increase in annual sales in Asia by 2015, to 11 billion [euro] ($14.8 billion), compared with 6.9 billion [euro] in 2010. Bayer chairman Marijn Dekkers announced the target at a press conference held on...

DuPont's Pioneer Hi-Bred reports yield gains.
November 14, 2011... DuPont's Pioneer Hi-Bred seeds business showed "solid" performance in the 2011 North American harvest season, with its highest-volume corn and soybean hybrids delivering yield advantages over competitors' products. According to Pioneer's on-farm...

Dow AgroSciences produces 2,4-D choline.(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... Dow AgroSciences says it has produced 2,4-D choline in a commercial scale-up setting. The 2,4-D choline will be used to produce a herbicide sold under the trade name Enlist Duo. Once all regulatory approvals are secured, Enlist will introduce a...

Mosaic and Cargill Trust complete share sale.(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... Mosaic says it will repurchase 21.3 million shares, roughly 5% of shares outstanding, from the Margaret A. Cargill Trusts for $1.2 billion, a purchase price of $54.58/share, equal to Mosaic's closing price on November 16. The repurchase...

Court: DA Nano does not infringe Cabot patents.(DuPont Air Products NanoMaterials L.L.C.)(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has upheld a July 2010 jury decision in the U.S. District Court in Arizona that various DuPont Air Products Nanomaterials (DA Nanomaterials) tungsten chemical mechanical planarization (CMP)...

Sinochem planning IPO.(Initial Public Offering)(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... Sinochem (Beijing) plans to sell 26.5 billion new shares in an initial public offering (IPO) in Shanghai to fund a previously announced refinery and petrochemical project at Quanzhou, China, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection...

Lanxess buys biocides.(Verichem)(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... Lanxess says it has acquired privately owned biocides firm Verichem (Pittsburgh, PA) for an undisclosed sum. Verichem currently employs about 20 people and recorded sales of about $10 million in 2010. Verichem's production site is located close...

Clariant sells Licomer.(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... Michelman (Cincinnati, OH) says it has acquired Clariant's Licomer business. The purchase includes the Licomer line of floor polish additives, associated intellectual property, equipment and assets. Financial details of the deal were not...

Novozymes wins case.(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... The U.S. Court for the Western District of Wisconsin has ordered Danisco, a DuPont company, to pay $18.3 million in damages to Novozymes after a jury found Danisco liable for infringing certain Novozymes' patents. The decision is subject to the...

Arkema's to acquire specialties business; details chlor-alkali restructuring.
November 14, 2011... Arkema's Ceca specialty chemicals subsidiary plans to acquire the specialty alcoxylates business of Seppic, an Air Liquide subsidiary. The acquisition, which includes an industrial site at Antwerp, will expand Ceca's specialty surfactant range,...

Brenntag posts higher earnings and sales.(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... Brenntag posted a 4% hike in third-quarter 2011 operating Ebitda, to 167 million [euro] ($229 million) compared with the corresponding period of 2010 on sales up 10%, to 2.2 billion [euro]. Third-quarter earnings per share were 1.30 [euro], up...

BASF moves dispersions, pigments HQ to Asia.(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... BASF plans to relocate the global headquarters of its dispersions and pigments division to Hong Kong. The division's head and about 50 other staff, currently based at Ludwigshafen and Basel, will transition to Hong Kong starting January 1, 2012....

Makhteshim profit.(Makhteshim Chemical Works Ltd)(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... Makhteshim Agan Group (Tel Aviv) registered a $10-million net profit in the third quarter of 2011 compared with a $56-million net loss in the corresponding period of 2010, on sales up 20%, to $638 million. Ebitda increased more than three-fold,...

Phosagro plans merger.(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... PhosAgro (Moscow), a leading producer of phosphate fertilizers, says it is considering plans to merge its Ammophos and Cherepovetsky Azot subsidiaries. Both subsidiaries are based at Cherepovets, Russia. The planned transaction would create a...

Vopak earnings rise.(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 14, 2011... Vopak reported a 6% increase in third-quarter 2011 operating profits excluding exceptional items, to 121 million [euro] ($166 million). Ebitda grew 6% year on year, to 163 million [euro]. Sales were not disclosed. Average occupancy rates at...