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Petrochemicals

BASF to build €500mn acrylic acid plant in Brazil

BASF will invest in a world-scale production site for acrylic acid, butyl acrylate and superabsorbent polymers (SAP) in Camaçari, Bahia, Brazil, it said on Friday. It will be the first acrylic acid and superabsorbents plant in South America. With an investment of more than €500 million, it is the largest investment in BASF’s century-long history in South America.

INEOS technology for PVC, VCM chosen by Qingdao Haijing project in China

Qingdao Haijing Chemical has selected technology from INEOS to use in the production of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and suspension polyvinyl chloride (S-PVC) technologies for a project at its new site in Dongjia-kou Pro Port Industrial Zone, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China.

Novamont, Genomatica form Europe JV for bio-BDO

Genomatica and Novamont have signed a letter of intent to establish a joint venture that is expected to lead to the first industrial plants in Europe producing butanediol (BDO) from renewable feedstocks.

KBR to expand DuPont offices at Delaware campus

KBR announced that its Building Group subsidiary has been awarded the second phase of a multi-phase expansion at DuPont’s Chestnut Run Plaza, the chemical major’s suburban campus in Wilmington, Del.

Fluor wins EPC deal for Saudi Arabia polymer plant

Fluor has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract by SAPCo, a joint venture company being formulated between Saudi Acrylic Acid Co. and Evonik Industries, for the super absorbent polymer project (SAP) in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

KBR awarded technology, engineering contract for South Korea phenol plant

KBR was awarded a contract by LG Chem Ltd. (LG) to license phenol technology for LG’s 240,000 tpy phenol plant in Daesan, South Korea. The Daesan plant will be the second license by LG for KBR’s phenol technology, the company said.

Dow Corning starts production of monosilane gas for use as solar feedstock

Dow Corning said on Wednesday that it has begun production of high-purity monosilane gas - a key material used as an anti-reflective solar cell coating and as a feedstock for photovoltaics.

Alfa Laval to supply heat exchangers for Singapore petrochemical plant

Alfa Laval - a firm specializing in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling - has received an order to supply its Packinox heat exchangers to a petrochemical plant in Singapore. The order value is about SEK 110 million and delivery is scheduled for 2012, the company said.

Sunoco to sell Ohio phenol plant for $106.5mn

US refiner Sunoco has agreed to sell its phenol manufacturing facility in Haverhill, Ohio, to Haverhill Chemicals, an affiliate of Goradia Capital LLC. Sunoco will sell the facility and the estimated value of the product inventory attributable to the facility for a combined price of approximately $106.5 million, it said.

BASF to raise global capacity for copper catalysts

BASF announced a new round of capital investment projects to increase its production capacity and further enhance its global manufacturing operations for copper and copper-chrome catalysts. These investments are aimed at improving catalyst manufacturing efficiency to meet increased global demand, the company said.