On a major part of the pump breakdowns in the Chemical Process Industry, the causes are NPSH problems, gas admixtures in the transported fluids, dry running or operating a pump outside the permitted range.

BASF plans to sell major parts of its fertilizers activities. This comprises production plants in Antwerp/Belgium and BASF’s 50 percent share of the joint venture PECRhin in Ottmarsheim/France.

The Dow Chemical Company plans to build a propylene glycol (PG) plant in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, with a production capacity of up to 150 KTA.

The Chemical Process Industry is making a concerted effort to find an alternative to oil. Natural gas, coal and biomass are all potential sources of basic chemicals, and syngas production can make a bigger contribution than it has so far.

BASF announced that it has signed an agreement to sell its Bleaching Clay and Mineral Adsorbents businesses to EP Minerals.

Particularly in these times of increasing global competition, companies in the process industries are searching intently for ways to optimize their operations and cut their costs. Consumption of compressed air — long neglected in cost considerations — has regained significance in recent years, and with it, the use of modern electro-pneumatic positioners.

"Oxygen fire" – a nightmare scenario for steel mills and foundries. Where extreme temperatures, oxygen and high pressure come together, materials that seem fire–proof such as metals can easily burn. Therefore, applications like molten metals call for highly specialised process components - also in terms of control valves...

With the expansion of production capacity for vitamin A by 25 % in Ludwigshafen, Germany, BASF reacts to the rising demand for high-quality vitamin A products as well as to global market growth. For this purpose, the chemical giant has expanded an existing plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany, which is part of BASF’s Citral Verbund.

BASF has received approval for a 400,000 metric tons per year MDI (diphenylmethane diisocyanate) project in Chongqing, China. The investment will total RMB 8 billion (approximately €860 million). The facility, which will produce a core component mainly used for polyurethane foams, is expected to start up by 2014.

In order to meet the fast growing global market demand for its innovative chelating agent, BASF will build a new Trilon M (methylglycinediacetic acid) world scale plant at Evonik’s Theodore, Alabama site.