Huntsman took over Icynene-Lapolla for 350 million dollars from an affiliate of FFL Partners. The business deal is in line with Huntsman’s strategy of expanding its downstream footprint in spray polyurethane foam insulation.

Wacker Chemie starts up its new production plant for food-grade polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) solid resins at its Nanjing site (Jiangsu province) in China today. The plant has an annual capacity of 20,000 metric tons and is certified to the highest food standards.

Over the course of their long existence solenoid valves have developed slowly but continuously so that they are opening up new fields of application. Today they are a central element in controlling fluids in a broad spectrum of different applications. One of the newer areas of application is in the life sciences. A new actuation technology now allows a significant reduction in size with no loss of performance.

Phillips Carbon black plans its fifth production site in India with a planned annual capacity of 150,000 tons. The Indian company is currently the world's eighth-largest carbon black producer.

The intrinsic safety (Ex i) type of protection has established itself worldwide in the field of measurement and control technology in systems with potentially explosive areas. For one thing, it is much more cost-effective when it comes to construction when compared to other types of protection. For another, it allows for maintenance work and modifications during operation. Moreover, it is also possible to use simple electrical equipment without special approval.

The growing need for operational excellence in process industries has fuelled the use of optimization solutions such as Distribution Control Systems (DCS) in India. The integrated offerings that include control, safety and power management further boosts market revenues.

Researchers at theTokyo Institute of Technology developed a catalyst promoting the dissociation of the nitrogen bond in ammonia production so that it is no longer the step limiting the rate of the reaction.

Emerson predicts the next 10 years will see exponential growth in the adoption of wireless and pervasive sensing applications that help companies maximise safety and reliability, optimise production and enable Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) strategies.

In light of the planned acquisition of Monsanto, Bayer has signed an agreement to sell selected Crop Science businesses to BASF for € 5.9 billion (approx. $ 6.97 billion).

Separlab, a Czech specialist in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), has standardized on Wanner seal-less Hydra-Cell multi-diaphragm pumps in its industrial-scale systems, using them to deliver solvents for the mobile phase and to inject sample mixtures. Learn why the company prefers such “specialists” over single-diaphragm and piston-plunger pumps in these applications.