Construction work on the largest coal chemical plant on earth has just been suspended in the Shaanxi province, reports the business magazine Caixin. In Inner Mongolia, another province with many coal-chemical projects, new approvals have also recently become more difficult, the magazine reports. Across the country, not only large-scale coal chemical projects but also petrochemical projects are falling victim to the axe of the newly strengthened climate change activists.

The rising demand of cell and gene therapies across the globe has forced life science, pharma companies and even research institutes to turn to Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) for developing and delivering treatments quickly to patients in need. Digital transformation is one area that is being explored by CDMOs to accelerate this pace.

BASF recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new acrylic acid complex at its Verbund site in Zhanjiang, China. With an annual production capacity of approximately 400,000 metric tons of BA and 100,000 metric tons of 2-EHA, the project is expected to further expand the firm’s production capacities in the acrylics value chain in China.

The manufacture of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances is soon to come to an end at 3M. The company has also announced that it will stop using PFASs in its entire product portfolio by the end of 2025. In doing so, the manufacturer is pre-empting a possible ban in the EU and other countries.

Weeefiner has partnered with Sensmet to develop an Intelligent Recovery Unit that has the capacity to recover metals from mining-impacted waters. The metal recovery and water treatment solution will be provided by Weeefiner whereas the online measurement technology will be provided by Sensmet.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) recently stated that the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index rose by 0.2 % in July following a 0.1 % decline in June and a 0.4 % gain in May.

Braskem and Haldor Topsoe have recently achieved their first demo-scale production of bio-based monoethylene glycol (MEG) from sugar in Denmark. This confirms the potential for large-scale production of renewable MEG by making use of the Mosaik technology.

Emerson has launched the improved Rosemount 3051 Pressure Transmitter which offers a faster and intuitive experience. The upgraded solution now provides mobile responsive connectivity, enhanced efficiency and safer facilities.

Hapco, a joint venture of Aramco, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony to establish a new refinery and petrochemical complex in China. Aramco will be supplying up to 210,000 barrels per day of crude oil feedstock to the facility which is expected to be operational by 2026.

KBR has secured a contract under which the firm’s ammonia technology will be used for a one million tons per annum low-carbon ammonia facility in the Middle East GCC region.