NOVA and BP in agreement with Grace Davison to supply new NOVACAT™T Ziegler-Natta polyethylene catalyst NOVA Chemicals and BP Petrochemicals announced that they have entered into a long-term supply arrangement with the polyolefin catalyst business of Grace Davison for the manufacture of NOVACAT T advanced Ziegler-Natta catalysts. These catalysts, which are designed for gas-phase polyethylene […]

ExxonMobil Chemical develops a new cost-effective PE resin for wire and cable applications ExxonMobil Chemical announced a new linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) resin, LL 4004EL, for low-voltage power cable insulations. According to the company, the resin provides the cable manufacturer with a balance of crosslinking speed and ease of processing for cost-competitive cable constructions. ExxonMobil […]

Basell’s PE process technology licensing activity on the rise Basell announced that Salavatnefteorgsintez, a Russian petrochemical company controlled by Gazprom, has signed a licensing agreement to use Basell’s Hostalen technology for a new 120,000 MT/year high-density polyethylene plant at Salavat, Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia. The plant is scheduled to be completed in 2006. In a […]

BP licenses Innovene technology for Sasol Polymers polypropylene expansion BP and Sasol Polymers announced the signing of an agreement to license BP’s Innovene polypropylene process technology for the expansion of Sasol’s polypropylene facilities located in Secunda, Republic of South Africa. The new plant will have an annual capacity of 300,000 MT/year, produce homopolymers, random copolymers, […]

Major polyolefins producers Dow, ExxonMobil, Nova, and DuPont report earnings Dow Chemical Dow Chemical Company reported fourth-quarter sales of $8.3 billion, up 20% from fourth-quarter 2002 sales of $7.0 billion, with a 12% increase in price and an 8% increase in volume. Net income rose to $929 million, compared with a loss of $809 million […]

Chevron Phillips Chemical enters into a new licensing agreement with Sinopec to construct a 350,000 MT/year HDPE plant Chevron Phillips Chemical Company announced that it has licensed its slurry loop technology to China Petrochemical International Company Ltd. (Sinopec) for the construction of a new 350,000 metric tons per year high-density polyethylene plant. The new loop […]

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Borealis joint venture Borouge to expand polyethylene capacity to 580,000 MT/year Borouge, Borealis’ joint venture with ADNOC has announced its plans to expand its existing Borstar capacity and that is considering further expansion to form a world-scale petrochemical complex at Ruwais, Abu Dhabi in the UAE. Building on the successful start-up and first two years […]

DuPont Dow records first sales of new ENGAGE® grades DuPont Dow Elastomers reported the first commercial sales of ENGAGE polyolefin elastomer ethylene butene grades to the automotive TPO, plastics modification, and footwear markets. The company introduced 4 new grades of ENGAGE based on ethylene butene in August for these markets along with the compounding, extrusion, […]

BP licenses the Innovene® polypropylene technology line to Sinopec BP and China Petrochemical International Company, a Sinopec Corporation company, have reached an agreement to license BP’s Innovene gas phase polypropylene process technology for the upgrading of Sinopec’s Beijing Yanhua Petrochemical Company Limited Polypropylene manufacturing complex. The plant will produce homopolymers and random copolymers and will […]

Nova Chemicals outlines business improvement initiatives after the third quarter loss of $65 million Nova Chemical Corporation reported a third-quarter loss of $65 million. Approximately $9 million was attributed to the power interruption – as announced earlier. Approximately $10 million was attributed to from expenses associated with the permanent closure of the polyethylene line in […]

Basell to license new Spherizone technology for polypropylene manufacturing Basell announced that the Spherizone process, a new manufacturing technology that significantly and uniquely expands the polypropylene property envelope, is now available for license on a global basis. The Spherizone process is based on MultiZone Circulating Reactor (MZCR) technology that enables the production of more uniform […]