Materials specialist Lyondell Basell has announced plans to build a new 500,000 tons/year polyethylenen plant in Texas, using its new Hyperzone PE technology.

Plant engineering is making a small comeback in Europe. But how viable is the trend? — In 2018, European investment projects saw a mini-boom: 134 new plants in the first eight months show the potential in the industry. But now, thanks to trade conflicts, the Brexit and oil price rises, growth is coming to a standstill —  is chemistry running out of steam?

The digitalisation process ensures that the company’s operative business continues to develop. Significant investments are also being made for the expansion of the company's computing capacity.

With a capacity of 750,000 tonnes of liquefied natural gas per annum, the new plant is expected to meet the growing demands of the domestic market. The contract for this project was awarded by Inner Mongolia Huineng Coal Chemical.

From process and conveyor belts, from stainless steels to carbon steel or titanium, from endless loops to open units, with polished or ground surfaces, with tracks or level walls – Berndorf belts are quite diverse.

The advantages of flexible automation solutions have long been talked about, and now it comes down to putting them into practice. In doing so, the aim is to link the respective smart modules in such a way that the overall plant runs in harmony. ABB shows that it has mastered all the parts in the orchestra.

The larger the reaction vessel, the quicker products can be made – or so you might think. Microreactors show just how wrong that assumption is: in fact, they can be used to produce explosive materials – nitroglycerine, for instance – around ten times faster than in conventional vessels, and much more safely as well. At the ACHEMA trade fair, held June 18-22 in Frankfurt, researchers demonstrate microreactors they use for a very broad range of chemical processes...

Kemira has formed a joint venture called Kemira TC Wanfeng Chemicals Yanzhou (New Co) with TC Wanfeng. The JV is to strengthen the company's position as a global supplier for the pulp & paper industry. The newly formed company will mainly produce AKD wax (Alkyl Ketene Dimers) and its key raw material fatty acid chloride (FACL).

Scientists from Exxon Mobil and the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new technology that could significantly reduce the amount of energy and emissions associated with manufacturing plastics. Results of the research were published in the peer-reviewed journal Science.

An explosion near a large chemical plant in northern China claimed 22 lives and leaves at least as many injured. According to the news agency "The Paper", the detonation occurred next to a loading ramp operated by the plant. 38 trucks and twelve cars exploded.