The Emulsion Polymers business of Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE), a global technology and specialty materials company, formally dedicated its expanded vinyl acetate/ethylene (VAE) unit in Nanjing, China.

Metathesis plays a key role in oleochemistry to make renewable resources usable for the chemical industry. The metathesis catalysts used for this purpose must be robust and highly active to convert the raw material qualities, which are subject to frequent fluctuations and occasional contamination. New catalysts can solve this difficult task.

Having completed its factory revamp in Perm, Halo Polymer announces the start of the R-14 manufacturing, which allowed practical doubling of volume of the finished product output, bringing it up to 20 tonnes per month.

Liaoning Bora Petrochemical has selected Lyondell Basell’s polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) technologies for three new plants in its new petrochemical complex in Panjin, Liaoning Province, China.

Teaming up for China: Together, BASF, Huntsman, Shanghai Hua Yi Group, Shanghai Chlor-Alkali Chemical and Sinopec kicked off the construction of a new 240,000 tons MDI plant at Caojing, China. The facilities will complement existing lines of Shanghai Lianheng Isocyanate at the site, giving it a total 480,000 tons per year capacity.

A German chemicals group planning a major investment in Central Europe is certainly something out of the ordinary. But a company that spends several hundred million Euros in ramping up capacities in a seemingly saturated market must have something in mind. Just like the polymer specialists Lanxess, who, since 2004, have invested over 300 million euros in its Belgian flagship site in Antwerp. What is the story behind these? On the 50-year anniversary of caprolactam production on the banks of the river Scheldt, the Cologne-based company lets us have a look behind the scenes…

Akzo Nobel's Specialty Chemicals business is planning to double the production capacity at its organic peroxides facility in Ningbo, China, within the next two years. A project to boost the capacity by 40 % is underway, which is expected to be completed by mid-August.

Evonik Industries is presenting new Sepuran hollow fibers for efficient, energy-saving separation of gas mixtures.

The Kneader Reactor from List offers a pathway to process intensification in both living- and free-radical polymerization. Process intensification is an approach to process and plant design that can minimize costs, increase flexibility and deliver higher yields.

Sasol has succesfully started–up Phase I of its Fischer-Tropsch Wax Expansion Project (FTWEP) at Sasolburg, South Africa. Pahe 2 is already underway.