NEWS
Dow adds MMA
Dow is to add 50,000 tonnes / year of methyl acrylate capacity at its St Charles Operations site in Louisiana , in 1H 2022 , to meet growing North American demand . The product has multiple applications , including water treatment . St Charles Operations will henceforth focus on this and 2-ethyl-hexyl acrylate .
Nalco goes Global
Ecolab subsidiary Nalco Water has combined its Heavy Chemical and Downstream Chemical Process Industries groups into a new Global Chemical organisation . This , the firm said , will make it a “ bolder partner ” to the chemicals industry , providing “ new streamlined and holistic approaches to water , carbon and energy challenges ”, based on strategies that use digital tools .
Acetonitrile expansion
The board of Balaji Amines , one of India ’ s largest makers of aliphatic amines , has approved a plan to build a new acetonitrile plant to meet growing demand . This will add 7,500 tonnes / year capacity to the existing 9,000 and is due to be completed within 12-18 months at a cost of about $ 9.4-10.8 million .
Givaudan into India
Givaudan has formed a joint venture with India ’ s Privi Speciality Chemicals to build a greenfield plant for the manufacture of medium to high complexity , small-volume fragrance ingredients at Mahad , south of Mumbai . The company said that this will strengthen its manufacturing footprint and enable it to supply speciality ingredients in the varying volumes wanted in the local market .
BASF-YPC to add more specialities in Nanjing
BASF and Sinopec are to further expand the verbund site operated by their BASF- YPC joint venture at Nanjing , adding capacity in several downstream plants for speciality chemicals . These will come onstream in 2023 . Precise details were not disclosed . The products
BASF-YPC is based at Nanjing involved are :
• Propionic acid , a mould inhibitor for the preservation of food and feed grains , which is also used in the production of pharmaceuticals , crop protection agents , solvents and thermoplastics
• Ethyleneamines and ethanolamines , which are intermediates used in the manufacture of crop protection products , surfactants for personal and home care products , process chemicals for gas treatment , lubricants and cement additives , paper chemicals and APIs
• Propionic aldehyde , an intermediate for propionic acid and n-propanol production , mainly for use in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals , insecticides , fragrances and plastics
• Purified ethylene oxide , a raw material for the manufacture of ethanolamines , glycol ethers and surfactants for detergents
• Tert-butyl acrylate , an acrylic acid ester used for manufacturing polymers , as a feedstock for syntheses , and in paper sizing and emulsion applications
Univar works with Solvay in Brazil
Univar Solutions has reached an agreement to serve as Solvay ’ s first distribution partner for the agrochemical market in Brazil , covering agrochemical defensives , adjuvants and fertilisers . This is the first time Solvay has named a distributor for this market in the country . Univar will provide technical and logistical support , tolling services and chemicals and ingredients throughout Brazil , which is one of the most important markets in the world . Through its Solution Centre , its scientists will also help customers to address formulation demands and work in newer technology niches , including biopesticides .
Also in August , Univar began construction on a custom-designed , SAP-ready facility in Abbotsford , British Columbia , Canada . This is due to open in 1H 2023 and will feature larger chemical and ingredient storage , plus rail capacity , a wholesite tank telemetry system for realtime product inventory , and blending rooms designed specifically for solvents , corrosives and oxidisers . The company commented that this investment aligns with its target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 . The facility will offer “ energy-efficient technology and compliance through the latest emission standards , as well as innovative logistic and storage strengths ,” it said .
10 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981