Acquisition by Basell will not immediately effect Lyondell's Tuscola plant

Basell, owned by Access Industries, a U.S. based industrial group, has agreed to acquire Lyondell for US$48 per share in an all-cash transaction.

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Market for Biodegradable Polymers to grow by 7%

The market for biodegradable polymers is estimated to grow to about 392 million pounds by 2013, according to a study by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. The 7% pa growth will be propelled by potential demand from the chemical, agricultural and plastic sectors as well as environmental concerns.

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New BASF polymers plant in Wyandotte

A new BASF Corporation facility has commenced construction in Wyandotte to house the R&D, administrative and manufacturing operations of recently acquired Johnson Polymer. BASF is investing up to US$147 million to relocate the operations from Wisconsin to Michigan, in line with the company's competitive, pro-business environment.

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Oil prices dip to US$75.43 a barrel

Oil prices dipped as Nigeria resumed exports from an oil facility in Angola over the weekend and amid expectations of an easing of U.S. gasoline demand as peak of the Northern Hemisphere summer driving season passes.

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New plastic membrane boosts fuel cell efficiency

Kyoto University chemical engineering professor Masahiro Ohshima and Mitsubishi Plastics Inc. have developed plastic sheets to make fuel cells more efficient. The duo has invented a way to manufacture plastic sheets with a number of tiny, uniformly sized holes.

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Aker Kvaerner awarded contract for PP and PE plants in China

Aker Kvaerner has been awarded a contract by China's ShenHua Baotou Coal Chemicals for a new polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) facility at its coal chemical complex at Baotou in Inner Mongolia. Aker Kvaerner will provide the basic engineering design, technical advisory services, and offshore equipment procurement service.

ShenHua Baotou is part of ShenHua Group Corporation, the biggest coal enterprise group in China and one of the largest coal enterprises in the world.

Sinopec Yangzi plans expansion to become China's largest paraxylene (PX) producer

Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical Co, a unit of China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec), has planned expansion at its 800,000 tpa plant to become China's largest paraxylene (PX) producer. The company plans to boost its annual paraxylene capacity to 1.2 mln tons in 2010 at its plant located in Nanjing in eastern China's Jiangsu province.

Equistar to spend US$125 mln on pollution controls and clean-up at seven petrochemica...

Equistar Chemicals LP is to spend over US$125 mln on pollution controls and clean-up at the plants in Texas, Illinois, Iowa and Louisiana. The plants include Morris, Ill.; Clinton, Iowa; an inactive plant in Lake Charles, La.; and Channelview, Chocolate Bayou, Corpus Christi and La Porte, Texas.

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HPCL and ONGC sign agreement for infrastructure sharing

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) have signed a wide-ranging cooperation agreement. The agreement will assure domestic oil supplies to HPCL from ONGC and its subsidiary MRPL.

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A new additive adds strength to polylactic acid

A new additive that broadens the usability of polylactic (PLA) has been introduced by Rohm and Haas. The new additive Paraloid BPM-500, uses dispersible nanoparticles that do not scatter light, and allows for the production of PLA packaging material that exhibits less than 10% haze at 5% loading. Visual transparency is maintained along with stronger impact and tear-resistance. Paraloid BPM-500 complies with food contact requirements in Europe and with room temperature food contact requirements in the US.

Dow Chemical plans JV in Brazil to make PE from sugarcane

Dow Chemical Co plans a joint venture with ethanol producer Crystalsev to manufacture polyethylene from sugar cane. Dow and its Brazilian partner plans to design and build a manufacturing facility in Brazil that will use ethanol derived from sugar cane to produce ethylene. Production is slated for commencement in 2011. The partners have launched a feasibility study for the project, scheduled for completion in about one years' time.

KRAIBURG TPE expands US production capacities

KRAIBURG TPE GmbH & Co. KG has expanded its production capacities in the USA. A new production machine went into service at the Duluth, Georgia plant operated by the world's leading manufacturer of thermosplastic elastomer compounds based on hydrogenated styrene block copolymers (HSBC).

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Texas Petrochemicals commissions new facility

Texas Petrochemicals, Inc (TPC), a leading petrochemical company specializing in the production of valued added products derived from C4 and C3 hydrocarbons has started the commissioning of its new nonene and propylene tetramer facility in Baytown with start-up and initial plant operations expected to begin by the end of July.

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Hexion increases bid for Huntsman by additional 75 cents

Hexion Specialty Chemicals, owned by private equity firm Apollo Management, has increased its bid for Huntsman Corporation by adding 75 cents per share, hiking its offer from US$27.25 per share to US$28.00. Earlier last week, Hexion overtook the US$25.25 per-share bid made by polyolefins major Basell.

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Solvay introduced a new engineered polyolefin material

Solvay Engineered Polymers Inc., has introduced a new engineered polyolefin material in its SEQUEL(R) 1800 series of products. The new SEQUEL 1828 polyolefin exhibits a coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE) that is the lowest of any material the company has yet developed.

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Hydro Polymers shuts down PVC reactor in UK

A PVC reactor at the UK site of Norway based Hydro Polymers near Newton Aycliffe was shut down automatically following a power cut on 3 July 2007. Declaration of Force Majeure on PVC supplies by the company will not be necessary as inventories seem sufficient to supply customers until the plant restart planned on 13 July.

LLDPE futures likely to be traded from August at Dalian Commodity Exchange

LLDPE (Line Low Density Polyethylene) futures are likely to be traded from August at Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE), one of China's three futures exchanges, pending final approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

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New Thermoplastic Elastomers for Breathable Membranes

Skymark Performance Films Limited (Scunthorpe, U.K.), has employed Arnitel® VT thermoplastic ether ester block copolymer elastomer (TEE-E) film technology materials from DSM Engineering Plastics, in Skymark's breathable SKYAIR® and SKYAIR® XT membranes.

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GE Plastics' Materials for Auto Body Panels

GE Plastics has announced the company's newest products to join the GE ecomagination* portfolio, offering the environmental and economic advantages of replacing traditional steel with Noryl GTX* resins in automotive body panels.

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Mittal group signs MOU for US$1.5 bln investment in petrochem projects in Bangladesh

Companies from the Mittal group, a business conglomerate with extensive interests in India and overseas, plans to invest US$2.9 bln in Bangladesh.

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