ICIS - Search Articles by Date : April 09 2007 - April 15 2007

Slovnaft plants to be made over
Slovakia's Slovnaft Petrochemicals is examining options to expand ethylene and polyethylene (PE) capacity in Bratislava as part of plans to replace.... more
(10 April 2007 12:37)

West Bengal moves petrochemicals park
West Bengal has scrapped a plan to build a petrochemicals park in Nandigram, which would have formed the backbone of a special economic zone (SEZ)..... more
(10 April 2007 12:23)

More time now availableto bid for Carom Onesti
The Romanian privatization agency, AVAS, has again pushed back its deadline for offers for the synthetic rubber manufacturer Carom Onesti, until May.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Europe lags competitors in R&D
European firms are still spending less on research and development than their US and Japanese counterparts, and the Chinese could catch up by 2009,.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Naphtha buyers opt for LPG
A trickle of crackers are switching a portion of their feedstocks to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to defend themselves against high naphtha prices.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

IN BRIEF: Asia watch
China petchems break records China's petrochemical industry posted a record yuan (CNY) 437.7bn profit ($56.7bn) in 2006, up by 18.3% from the.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

WEF ranks Middle East top 40
Economies in the Middle East posted strong growth for the fourth straight year, buoyed by high crude prices and intensifying global linkages, the.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Aramco/Dow talks quash project doubts
Protracted negotiations between Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical over a worldscale petrochemical and plastics complex are progressing, easing.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Conferences & Events
NanoMaterials 07 April 30-May 1 Gateshead, UK 2007 NPRA National Safety Conference May 2-3 The Woodlands, Tex., US Singapore HR.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Asian aromatics market prepares to do business
The global aromatics industry will gather in Singapore in June for the 3rd Asian Aromatics & Derivatives Conference, which takes place at the.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Base oils emerge in Malaysia
THE 1ST ICIS Asian Base Oils and ­Lubricants Conference will take place June 20-21 2007. This inaugural conference will not only provide a.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

DIARY: ICIS CONFERENCES
Petrochemicals - A Beginner's Course An introduction to the industry May 15 Venue: Brussels, Belgium Petrochemicals -The Next Level.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

SBR roars ahead on Lion
PRODUCTION PROBLEMS at Lion Copolymer's SBR (styrene butadiene rubber) plant in Baton Rouge, La., have put upward pressure on prices due to.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Chevron teams up with Weyerhaeuser
CHEVRON AND Weyerhaeuser have agreed to jointly assess the feasibility of commercializing the production of biofuels from cellulose-based sources..... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Quotes of the week
"We are very concerned that the DHS rules conflict with Congressional intent" Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas   "Many scientists now.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Commentary: New rules! Security and the big breach
More than five years after 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security has issued its final rules on site security. And much to the delight of the.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

... and strikes styrenics JV with CPChem
DOW CHEMICAL will create its long-awaited commodity styrenics joint venture with Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem), although it will be limited to.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Dow, CP JV expected to lift polystyrene
DOW CHEMICAL and Chevron Phillips' joint venture (JV) should help bring order to a fragmented polystyrene market, said a chemical analyst in the.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Canada to derail strike
FACING A possible fertilizer supply disruption and urgings for action by the country's chemical industry, the Canadian government may force striking.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Sunoco declares PP force majeure
SUNOCO HAS declared force majeure for polypropylene production at its 240,000 tonne/year plant in Neal, W.Va. The force majeure was declared.... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

Letters to the editor
Sa fety and the environment took top billing in letters to the editor these past weeks. Here you shout out and voice your concerns and opinions. .... more
(13 April 2007 16:38)

ICIS radio: Chemical News Central 16 April 2007
ICIS radio: Chemical News Central 16 April 2007 more
(13 April 2007 17:57)

Bank cash to triple Brazil's biofuel yield
THE INTER-AMERICAN Development Bank (IDB) plans to lend up to $2.5bn (€1.9bn) to Brazil to support the country's goal of tripling its annual.... more
(10 April 2007 12:36)

European aromatics settlements climb
APRIL AROMATICS contracts have risen across the board in Europe, driven by improved consumption and ­rising spot numbers. Orthoxylene (OX).... more
(10 April 2007 12:38)

Akzo completes divestments
Akzo Nobel has completed its chemicals divestment programme after agreeing to sell its methylamines and choline chloride (MACC) business to Balchem,.... more
(10 April 2007 12:12)

Sasol halts sale of olefins/surfactants
Sasol intends to hang on to its olefins and surfactants business, after failing to find a suitable buyer willing to bid high enough. The South.... more
(10 April 2007 12:12)

Benzene
  Insert caption here Uses Benzene is mainly used to make styrene, phenol, cyclohexane, aniline, maleic.... more
(10 April 2007 11:15)

A Land of Opportunity
The EU is examining opportunities and obstacles in China - the Union's second biggest trading partner with massive potential as a chemicals importer.... more
(12 April 2007 12:43)

NEW PROJECTS SUMMARY
NEW PROJECTS REPORTED BY ICIS 9-15 April 2007 Company Product Capacity Process Contractor Cost .... more
(12 April 2007 13:51)

Copesul will revive plan for Brazil
BRAZIL'S Copesul is this year expected to proceed with its delayed 100,000 tonne/year butadiene (BD) project, according to Andre Bauer, process.... more
(12 April 2007 13:50)

Washington state bans PBDEs
The US state of Washington has banned the use of polybrominated diphenylether (PBDE) flame retardants in some household items. The Washington State.... more
(13 April 2007 12:52)

IN BRIEF: Supply Chain
BARCELONESA TO MARKET FOR DEGUSSA Degussa has chosen Barcelonesa de Drogas y Productos Quimicos to market its organic peroxides in Spain. From.... more
(12 April 2007 13:55)

IN BRIEF - Innovations
BASF launches podcast service BASF has launched a podcast service for science and research-based innovation topics, in English and German..... more
(13 April 2007 12:52)

IN BRIEF - Environment Watch
EU HAZARDOUS WASTE PROJECT EXTENDED The UK has extended the deadline for signing up to its HAZRED project. The EU-funded project aims to.... more
(13 April 2007 12:52)

IN BRIEF - Environment Watch
GERMAN PLASTIC GROUPS JOIN FORCES PlasticsEurope Deutschland and Gesamtverband Kunststoffverarbeitende Industrie - both industry associations.... more
(13 April 2007 12:52)

GIBSON'S GRAPEVINE - Why is there no HDPE in Europe?
It's not very often that a petrochemicals market tightens, and the pundits cannot explain why. But this seems to be the case with the high density.... more
(13 April 2007 12:52)

Malaysia is wise to halt cracker building
Thailand is building two more crackers. One or two new ethylene plants are due to be built in Singapore, and a further two are to be built in.... more
(12 April 2007 13:29)

It's a good time to be an ICI shareholder
THINK TANK ICI's shares were buoyed further on the London Stock Exchange last week as bid speculation refused to fade and Dow Chemical,.... more
(12 April 2007 13:32)

EU INSIDER
Europe lags behind competitors in R&D European firms are still spending less on research and development (R&D) than their US and.... more
(12 April 2007 13:11)

IN BRIEF: Asia Watch
CHINA PETCHEMS BREAK RECORDS China's petrochemical industry posted a record yuan (CNY) 437.7bn profit ($56.7bn, €42.4bn) in 2006, up by 18.3%.... more
(12 April 2007 13:22)

ASIA INSIDER
BATTLING TO OVERPOWER COUNTERFEITERS China is facing an uphill battle against counterfeits and contaminated food. Despite big plans from the.... more
(12 April 2007 13:26)

WASHINGTON INSIDER - Exhaust ruling has widespread ramifications
The US Supreme Court issued a key ruling last Monday that has the potential for a broad and costly impact on the country's chemical producers and.... more
(13 April 2007 12:52)

Akdeniz gears Izmir plant for production
TURKISH polymer additives producer Akdeniz Kimya expects to start up a new 20,000 tonne/year acrylic impact modifier plant in Izmir, Turkey, by the.... more
(12 April 2007 13:49)

Agility goes on double acquisition spree
Agility, formerly PWC Logistics, has agreed to purchase freight forwarding companies in the US, Australia and New Zealand. The company is buying.... more
(12 April 2007 13:55)

PE and PP units for Orenburg
SIBUR and Orenburg-gazprom plan to build a 650,000 tonne/year polyethylene (PE) plant and a 450,000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) unit in Russia's.... more
(12 April 2007 13:48)

Linde makes further Turkish inroads with BOS acquisition
THE LINDE Group has acquired Turkish industrial gases firm Birlesic Oksijen Sanayi (BOS) for €92m ($123m). "With this acquisition, we complement.... more
(12 April 2007 12:52)

BDP buys out German JV
BDP International, a privately held US logistics company, has acquired full ownership of its German joint venture (JV), BDP International GmbH. .... more
(12 April 2007 13:53)

China to push biodiesel
China is expected to release a national standard for biodiesel by the end of the year, according to an independent energy consultant based in.... more
(12 April 2007 13:47)

Aussie bid to match Asian sugar yield
Ethanol production from sugar cane in Western Australia could be as competitive as production from grain, according to a study released by the state.... more
(12 April 2007 13:24)

Market growth to boost EMS sales
EMS-Chemie has reported a 9.5% rise in year-on-year first-quarter sales to Swiss francs (Swfr) 392m ($321m, €239m), and expects revenue and.... more
(12 April 2007 12:54)