Covestro has received its maiden batch of renewable phenol from Borealis. The renewable phenol has been produced with ISCC Plus certified hydrocarbons from Neste and Covestro will be using it to produce high-performance plastic polycarbonate.

BASF has started up a world-scale plant for the production of specialty amines in Ludwigshafen. The multi-product plant can manufacture approximately 12,000 metric tons per year of a product range of about 15 amines for different applications.

Sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the new pilot plant will make use of carbon dioxide and hydrogen to produce sustainable chemicals. BMBF is investing 7 million dollars for various stages of the project.

The co-production plant is based on Topsoe’s Imap process and has been successfully operated by the Russian chemical firm Shchekinoazot since the past two years. The facility is capable of co-producing 450,000 tonnes of methanol and 135,000 tonnes of ammonia annually.

Under a Letter of Intent (LOI) signed between Chandra Asri and Vopak, both the companies will set up a joint venture company for collaborating in the industrial infrastructure business in Cilegon, Indonesia.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lyondell Basell and Sasol will form a 50:50 JV through which Lyondell Basell will acquire 50 % of Sasol’s selected assets in Louisiana for 2 billion dollars. The new JV will be operational under the name Louisiana Integrated Polyethylene JV.

Lanxess and Saudi Aramco plan to establish a joint venture for synthetic rubber. The speciality chemicals company and Saudi Aramco subsidiary, Aramco Overseas Company, will each hold a 50 % interest in the joint venture, with annual sales of approximately three billion Euro in 2014.

Lux Research’s new report titled ‘The Chemicals and Materials Company of 2040’ states that over the next 20 years, the chemicals and materials industries will change drastically due to climate change and the digital transformation. The sectors will also be forced to adopt new skills and develop new goals to stay competitive in the market.

Perstorp has introduced the world’s first partly renewable carboxylic acids – 2-Ethylhexanoic Acid Pro and Valeric Acid Pro with a renewable content of 25 % and 20 % respectively. The oxo acids are expected to lower carbon footprint and also support the sustainable sourcing of renewable raw material.

Sumitomo Chemical Company and Shimane University aim to accelerate their joint research on synthesising methanol from carbon dioxide in the background of growing climate change concerns. Together, they also intend to promote the use of carbon cycle chemistry.