Kebotix’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities will aim to improve Johnson Matthey’s (JM) digital transformation in the chemical industry and combined they intend to discover innovative methods to increase the efficiency of experiments leading to the optimization of catalytic converter coating formulations.

Twelve and LanzaTech have teamed up to develop the world’s first polypropylene from CO2. Twelve’s carbon transformation technology along with LanzaTech’s carbon recycling ‘Pollution to Products’ technology will be used to produce the unique polypropylene.

Orion Engineered Carbons has commenced the construction of its second plant in China for specialty carbon black. Located in Huaibei, the new facility is expected to have an initial production capacity of 65-70 kilotons per year and will be completed by 2022.

McDermott has won an engineering and procurement contract from Heat Transfer Technologies DMCC for a spent caustic treatment solution for Baltic Chemical Plant’s Gas Chemical Complex (GCC) project, claimed to be the world’s largest polyethylene integration project.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has stated that the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) rose 3.1 % in June following a 4.6 % decline and a 1.2 % decline in May and April respectively.

Nouryon has plans to build a new production facility in Southeast Asia for sustainable additives in order to meet the global demand in the paints and coatings end-market as well as other high-growth end-markets. With the new 15-20 kilotons unit, the company will expand its Bermocoll business, which supplies ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose and other essential ingredients to multinational and regional customers.

Exxon Mobil and Sabic’s joint venture Gulf Coast Growth Ventures has recently reached mechanical completion of a monoethylene glycol unit and two polyethylene units in Texas, USA. The units will produce fundamental chemicals used in medical, automotive and packaging products.

Marathon and ADM have plans to establish a joint venture which will focus on the production of soybean oil (feedstock) in order to produce renewable diesel. Under the terms of the agreement, the joint venture will own and operate ADM’s soybean processing complex in Spiritwood, USA which is expected to produce 600 million pounds of refined soybean oil annually.

A massive explosion occurred at the waste disposal centre of the chemical park operator Currenta in Leverkusen on 27 July. Black clouds of smoke could be seen over the city. At least two people were killed in the subsequent fire of a solvent tank.

In its most recent quarterly report, Cefic has revealed that the EU27 chemical output has returned to the pre-pandemic level but large differences still remain across countries. The key findings of the report have been highlighted here.