PRA News

US chemical firm ExxonMobil and Riyadh-headquartered Sabic have received final environmental regulatory approval to proceed with the construction of their 50:50 joint venture project in San Patricio County, Texas. Known as the Gulf Coast Growth Ventures, the US$20 billion project will include one of the world’s largest ethane crackers, designed…

In Finland, 40 to 60% of separately collected plastic waste ends up incinerated as a portion of collected plastic waste does not qualify for mechanical recycling due to the difficulty of separating various types of plastics used, for example, in multi-layer plastic films. The quality of plastic will also weaken…

German chemicals maker Wacker has inaugurated a new production line for silicone elastomers at its Zhangjiagang site in China. With an annual capacity of several thousand tonnes, the facility will help support Wacker’s future growth path in China and improve the availability of high consistency silicone rubber (HCR) in the…

Dutch specialty polymers supplier DSM has launched a new production line for Arnitel thermoplastic copolyesters (TPCs) in Emmen, the Netherlands. The capacity will be expanded by 20%. The new production line will allow DSM to meet the growing demand for its TPCs. These materials are known for their combination of…

Japanese maker of rubber and plastics automotive parts Toyoda Gosei Co. has invested1 in QBIT Robotics Corporation (Tokyo, Japan), a provider of robotics services, to accelerate development of a practical robot hand with tactile sense using e-Rubber sensors. The investment amount is 120 million yen, which will give Toyoda Gosei…

German materials supplier BASF and automotive parts manufacturer Liyang Shanhu Industry Auto Trim Material Co., have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement to develop lightweight and low-emission polyurethane (PU) system product applications. “There is an increasing demand in China for composite products that make automotive parts lighter for fuel efficiency,…

With the global thermoplastics polyurethane (TPU) market expected to grow at 6% between 2017 and 2022, and the majority of such growth to come from the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, German materials supplier Covestro has completed a capacity expansion for TPU at its Changhua manufacturing site in Taiwan by 30%.…

German materials supplier Covestro has delivered its first commercial order of polyurethane (PU) raw materials for wind blades to China. China is the world’s largest wind power market with 221 GW of installed capacity at the end of 2018, according to the World Wind Energy Association.(1) The blades, produced by…

Nouryon has completed a EUR20 million project at Sundsvall, Sweden, that significantly raises production capacity for its Expancel expandable microspheres. These are used to enhance the properties of products ranging from shoe soles and food packaging to wind turbines. “Expancel demand is growing fast as we develop new applications to…

Dutch chemical firm LyondellBasell says it has ended discussions with Odebrecht S.A. concerning the potential acquisition of Brazilian petrochemical firm Braskem. Odebrecht S.A. is the controlling shareholder of São Paulo-based Braskem. “The combination of LyondellBasell and Braskem is compelling because of the companies’ complementary strengths, product portfolios and operational footprints.…