German chemical company BASF invests in a new production plant for emissions catalysts in Poland. Production in Nienburg, Germany, will also be expanded.

Technip, in a consortium with Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation Japan, was awarded by BASF a lump sum turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, for the expansion project of a chlorine plant (chlor-alkali). The plant is situated in Ludwigshafen, Germany, BASF’s largest production site worldwide. The work will include a membrane chlorine plant expansion as well as the integration and implementation of existing equipment and facilities.

China is looking to eliminate its dependency on imported oil and utilize its domestic coal resources. PROCESS conducted an in-depth investigation to find out who stands to gain from the coal-to-chemical projects.

Several leading chemical and energy companies including Exxon Mobil, Total and BASF announced their planned investments in the Port of Antwerp

Amacell, a specialist for flexible insulation foams, announced that it will build a new manufacturing facility in Bahrain. The new plant at the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP) will produce elastomeric rubber insulation for the US $ 3 billion heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) market in the GCC states.

Praxair (China) Investment Company, in a joint venture with Chongqing Chemical and Pharmaceutical Holding Group Company (CCPHC), will supply oxygen, nitrogen and clean dry air to a major integrated chemical production complex in Chongqing (Changshou) Chemical Industrial Park.

In applications such as pH determination, process analytics is securely in the driving seat. As yet unexploited potential, in contrast, is still slumbering in spectroscopy. A solution is promised by new data analysis methods as well as the integration of analysis equipment into control systems.

BASF has signed a definitive agreement to sell its manufacturing facility for natural fish oils, medium-concentrated omega-3s, and customized bottled fish oil in Brattvåg, Norway, to Marine Ingredients, a leading manufacturer of quality marine-based ingredients and customized products.

BASF intends to build an additional production plant for sodium methylate in South America. Argentina is the planned location for the second plant with an annual capacity of about 60,000 metric tons.

The board of the Namur, the association of Germany’s automation users in the process industry has appointed Heinrich Engelhard as the new general manager of the organisation. Despite a negative business climate in late 2012, the industry remains cautiously optimistic…