BASF’s new production line in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia will help the company to double its acrylic dispersions capacity and produce new dispersions technologies which will also cater to the ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand markets.

The upgrade of Ingevity’s facility in DeRidder, Louisiana, USA is expected to increase the company’s global polyol production capacity by 40 %. Also, the move is being undertaken in the backdrop of the rising global demand for the firm’s Capa suite of caprolactone technologies.

Ajax Equipment has supplied two large stainless steel vertical screw blenders to a major chemical producer in South Korea for producing polymer powder. Each blender is capable of handling batches of up to 8T of polymer powder and additives.

Located in Izmir, Turkey, the first phase of the new zinc borate facility is expected to produce an annual capacity of 3,000 tons. On completion of the second phase, the project will additionally produce 6,000 tons of zinc borate annually.

Arkema has plans to make fresh investments at its Changshu site in China in order to increase its Kynar fluoropolymer capacities by 35 %. The move is being undertaken in the backdrop of growing demand from the lithium-ion battery business and significant opportunities in the water filtration, construction coatings, and semiconductor industries.

Nova has completely revised and introduced an extended third version of its nova’s technology and trend report ‘Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as Chemical Feedstock for Polymers – Technologies, Polymers, Developers and Producers’. The report states that CO2 is used as chemical feedstock for polymers and nearly 1 million tons production capacity has already been installed.

The year 2020 was a promising year for bio-based polymers: Sold out PLA in 2019 has led to the installation of increased capacities, PE and PP made from bio-based naphtha are breaking ground and future expansion for bio-based polyamides as well as for PBAT, PHAs and casein polymers is on the horizon. A lower production is only observed for bio-based PET.

The manufacturer of high-tech polymer materials, Covestro, is planning a new production facility for polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) at their Integrated Site in Shanghai, China (CISS). The company wants to address the rising demand for environmentally compatible coatings and adhesives in the Asia-Pacific region. A further line for polyester resins, from which PUDs are produced, is also to be built there.

Under a 50:50 joint venture with Plastic Energy, Sabic will start construction of the first commercial unit to produce its flagship certified circular polymers. The new facility is expected to significantly upscale Sabic’s production of certified circular polymers and will become operational in the second half of 2022.

The integrated, international oil, gas and chemicals company, OMV, and Kommunalkredit Austria have announced a joint investment in the construction of Austria’s largest electrolysis plant on the premises of Schwechat Refinery.