Industry: Chemicals & Plastics

AMERICAS Shell selects site near Monaca, Pittsburgh for petrochemical refinery Shell Oil Co. has chosen a site near Pittsburgh for a major, multi-billion-dollar petrochemical refinery that could create thousands of construction jobs and provide a huge economic boost to the region. Shell has signed a land option agreement with Horsehead Corp. to evaluate a site […]

AMERICAS Ethylene XXI financing completion is expected by end of April Negotiations for a financing package for the Ethylene XXI complex planned by Braskem and Grupo Idesa for Coatzacoalcos, Mexico are expected to be making good progress, with final formal closing expected by the end of April. Ethylene XXI would include a 1,050 KTA ethylene […]

AMERICAS Eastman to acquire Solutia for USD 4.7 billion Eastman Chemical has reached an agreement to acquire Solutia for about USD 4.7 billion in cash and stock. Eastman expects the purchase to create a leading specialty chemical maker and offer the opportunity to grow its presence in Asia. Solutia shareholders will receive USD 22/share in […]

AMERICAS Polypropylene resin prices drop sharply North American polypropylene resin prices have dropped an average of 14 cents per pound since Oct. 1, while polyethylene prices have taken a smaller, 3-cent drop since then as well. The PP price drop ends a two-month period in which prices were flat. Prices for the material had reduced […]

Polypropylene resin prices drop sharply North American polypropylene resin prices have dropped an average of 14 cents per pound since Oct. 1, while polyethylene prices have taken a smaller, 3-cent drop since then as well. The PP price-drop ends a two-month period in which prices were flat. Prices for the material had reduced by a […]

DuPont starts up $500-Million Kevlar plant DuPont has started up a $500-million Kevlar para-aramid fiber plant in Cooper River, SC, the company says. The plant will begin supply customers at the end of the year. The plant, combined with a $50 million expansion at an existing Richmond, VA facility, increases global Kevlar capacity by 25%. […]

Coke and AT&T using more PlantBottle resin All conventional 500ml PET bottles for Coca-Cola, Coke Zero and diet Coke sold in the United Kingdom are being replaced by the company’s PlantBottle, which includes materials partly sourced from plants, according to Coca-Cola Great-Britain. In addition, AT&T Inc. announced Sept. 12 that it will use PlantBottle resin […]

AMERICAS LyondellBasell ending business relationships in Iran, Sudan, and Syria LyondellBasell Industries is ending its business relationships in Iran, Sudan, and Syria. The decision is the result of a business review that began more than a year ago and was affected by both an increased number of American executives on LyondellBasell’s management team and by […]

AMERICAS BASF to build Acrylic Acid and SAP complex at Camaçari, Brazil BASF has announced to investment in a world-scale acrylic acid, butyl acrylate, and superabsorbent polymers (SAP) manufacturing complex in Brazil. The investment would be BASF’s largest in South America. The company has selected the Camaçari, Bahia, site for the investment. The complex, which […]

AMERICAS BASF to build Acrylic Acid and SAP complex at Camaçari, Brazil BASF has announced to investment in a world-scale acrylic acid, butyl acrylate, and superabsorbent polymers (SAP) manufacturing complex in Brazil. The investment would be BASF’s largest in South America. The company has selected the Camaçari, Bahia, site for the investment. The complex, which […]

Plastic park to be set up in Dahej, India Some 30 plastic manufacturers in and around India’s commercial capital Mumbai plan to invest about US$134 million in a plastic park under construction in Dahej, Gujarat. “Gujarat is emerging as a major plastic hub. Currently, about 70 percent of the raw material used in the plastic […]

Braskem buying Dow’s PP business Brazilian plastics giant Braskem SA has made another big move in the polypropylene market, this time acquiring the PP business of Dow Chemical Co. For $323 million. The deal makes São Paulo-based Braskem the largest PP producer in North America, and includes two U.S. plants and two in Germany, with […]