Chemical Engineering September 2023 - 11

Business News
LINEUP
AIR LIQUIDE
BASF
CHEVRON
CONAGEN
COVESTRO
CUMMINS
EVONIK
GAIL
HUNTSMAN
INDORAMA
INEOS
KBR
KURARAY
LANZATECH
MITSUI CHEMICALS
ORIGIN MATERIALS
PROMAN
SIKA
SINOPEC
SUMITOMO CHEMICAL
WACKER
Plant Watch
Mitsui Chemicals to increase production
capacity for polyurethane dispersions
August 11, 2023 - Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
(Tokyo, Japan; www.mitsuichemicals.com) will
increase its production capacity for polyurethane
dispersions (PUDs) at the company's Shimizu
site. This expansion will approximately double
domestic PUD production capacity. Construction
is slated to commence in February 2024 and
operational launch is expected in June 2025.
Covestro starts up new
elastomers plant in Shanghai
August 10, 2023 - Covestro AG (Leverkusen,
Germany; www.covestro.com) has started
production at its new plant for polyurethane
elastomer systems at its integrated site in
Shanghai, China. This project is part of a
series of investments in Covestro's Elastomers
raw-materials business worldwide, including
investments in sites in Thailand and Spain.
Indorama completes significant PET
recycling expansion in Brazil
August 10, 2023 - Indorama Ventures Ltd. (IVL;
Bangkok, Thailand; www.indoramaventures.
com) completed the expansion of its recycling
facility located in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais,
Brazil. This project raised production capacity
from 9,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) to
25,000 m.t./yr of polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) made from various post-consumer
recycled materials.
Kuraray to expand EVOH production
capacities in the U.S. and Europe
August 10, 2023 - Kuraray Co. (Tokyo; www.
kuraray.com) plans to increase production
of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH
resin) at sites in the U.S. and Europe. A total
of 5,000 m.t./yr will be added to U.S. and
European bases of operation in 2024, with
another 5,000 m.t./yr to be added in 2026. This
increase will expand total global production
capacity to 113,000 m.t./yr.
Evonik expands rubber
silanes production in China
Look for more
latest news on
chemengonline.com
11
August 9, 2023 - Evonik Industries AG (Essen,
Germany; www.evonik.com) started production
at a new rubber silanes plant. Operated as
a joint venture (JV) between Evonik, DEG
and Rizhao Lanxing Chemical Industry Co.,
the new plant is strategically located in the
Rizhao Lanshan Chemical Industrial Park in
Shandong Province, China. The expanded
plant is specifically designed to meet growing
demand within the global tire and rubber industry.
With this site, Evonik can now regionally provide
product grades previously only available from
Evonik's European production sites.
BASF announces capacity
expansion for polyisobutenes
August 1, 2023 - BASF SE (Ludwigshafen,
Germany; www.basf.com) will increase the
production capacity for its medium-molecularweight
polyisobutenes at its site in Ludwigshafen
by 25%. The investment comes in response to
the rising global demand for medium-molecularweight
polyisobutenes. Applications for such
polyisobutenes include surface protective films,
window sealants, binder material for batteries
and food packaging.
Wacker completes hydrogen chloride
capacity expansion at Burghausen site
August 1, 2023 - Wacker Chemie AG (Munich,
Germany; www.wacker.com) recently finished
significantly expanding its production of ultrapure
hydrogen chloride in Burghausen, Germany.
Ultrapure hydrogen chloride is used as an etching
and cleaning agent for the semiconductor
industry. Wacker manufactures hydrogen
chloride using rock salt from its own mine in
Stetten, Germany.
Mitsui Chemicals breaks ground on new
elastomers plant in Singapore
August 1, 2023 - Mitsui Chemicals held the
groundbreaking ceremony for a new plant
to produce high-performance elastomers
in Singapore. The new plant is designed for
a production capacity of 120,000 m.t./yr of
elastomers, adding to the site's existing capacity
of 225,000 m.t./yr. The project is scheduled
for completion during 2024.
Sika expands production capacities for
macro-fibers at Tennessee plant
July 28, 2023 - Sika AG (Baar, Switzerland;
www.sika.com) increased production capacities
for macro-fibers at its plant in Chattanooga,
Tenn. With this fiber technology, Sika is further
strengthening its position in the mining and
sustainable construction sectors. Synthetic
macro-fibers are the basis of a technology for
the reinforcement of concrete construction,
significantly enhancing the properties of cured
concrete and surpassing traditional steel
reinforcement, the company says.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Origin Materials and Proman to partner on
low-carbon biofuels production
Origin Materials, Inc. (West Sacramento, Calif.;
www.originmaterials.com) and methanol
producer Proman (Wollerau, Switzerland;
www.proman.org) announced a strategic
partnership centered on low-carbon biofuel
production. Origin expects to produce biofuels
using its patented technology platform, which
turns the carbon found in wood residues into
useful products.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
SEPTEMBER 2023
http://www.basf.com http://www.mitsuichemicals.com http://www.covestro.com http://www.wacker.com http://www.indoramaventures.com http://www.kuraray.com http://www.sika.com http://www.evonik.com http://www.originmaterials.com http://www.proman.org http://www.chemengonline.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
Chemical Engineering September 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering September 2023
