Speciality chemicals company Lanxess announced investments of € 30 million in a tire rubber facility at Port Jérôme, France until 2015. The site, that celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2012 shall undergo productivity and energy efficiency upgrades, the company said.

Linggu Chemical Co. has awarded the contract to KBR and under the agreement the new 1,500 metric tonnes per day ammonia synthesis facility will utilise KBR's proprietary ammonia synloop technology.

Awarded by the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation, the new plant is expected to be the largest fertiliser plant in Bangladesh. On completion, the plant will produce 1,600 tonnes of ammonia and 2,800 tonnes of urea per day.

Daniele Ferrari, CEO of Versalis (Eni) and President of Plastics Europe was elected President of Cefic, effective immediately, at Cefic’s annual General Assembly.

With MTP (Module Type Package) and NOA (Namur Open Architecture), Namur has launched important game changers in process automation. While the complexity of the topics in the context of the digitization challenges continues to increase, the users need simple solutions. Are sensors the key or the driver for successful digitization? This was discussed under the motto “Field Instruments Supporting Digital Transformation” at the annual users meeting of process automation technology.

Praxair’s largest investment in China comes after the company signed a long term agreement with Shanghai Huayi to supply oxygen and other industrial gas to the latter’s new chemical material facility.

There is currently a lot of talk about mega-trends, such as globalisation. Our look at the trends will not centre on these headline issues. Read here what is on the mind of the process industry at this year’s ACHEMA.

With this new catalyst, the institute has proven that catalysts found on earth that are abundant, cheap, and benign metals such as iron or manganese can be considered as possible alternatives for challenging reduction reactions.

Bayer Material Science's chlorine membrane electrolysis takes the next step: After nearly one year of tests, the company announced the adaption of this electricity-saving technology for its global chlorine production. Furthermore, the company is undertaking tests for another pioneering process - known as the oxygen depolarized cathode process - that would further reduce energy consumption for the production of chlorine.

China, the world’s largest consumer of coal, will ban the construction of new coal to chemicals plants as well as coal fired powerplants until 2018. In the same time, mining and oil refining overcapacities shall be cut to viable measures, news agency Reuters reports.