Polymers
Aramco to buy stake in JV Petro Rabigh from Sumitomo Chem
Saudi Aramco will buy from Japan's Sumitomo Chemical a 22.5% stake in their petrochemical JV Petro Rabigh for $702 MM, as part of a turnaround plan for the loss-making venture. Under the deal, Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical will each provide $702 MM in funding to Petro Rabigh and waive loans worth a total $1.5 B.
BASF switches their portfolio to bio-based ethyl acrylate
BASF announced the biotransformation of their (Meth)acrylate portfolio, switching the production to bio-based ethyl acrylate starting Q4 2024.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Taiwan Fertilizer sign MoU to study a fuel ammonia value chain in Taiwan
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Taiwan Fertilizer Co., Ltd. to conduct a joint pre-feasibility study that will explore the establishment of an ammonia value chain in Taiwan, in support of Taiwan's "2050 Net-Zero Emissions" goal.
OCI Global to sell its clean ammonia project in Texas (U.S.) to Woodside Energy for $2.35 B
OCI Global has entered into a binding equity purchase agreement for the sale of 100% of its equity interests in OCI’s 1.1-MMtpy clean ammonia project under construction in Beaumont, Texas to Woodside Energy Group Ltd for $2.35 B.
Shard Capital proposes $7-B petrochemical complex in Egypt
Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced that Shard Capital has proposed constructing a $7-B petrochemical complex in Egypt's New Alamein Industrial Zone.
Indorama Ventures joins the T-REX Project to revolutionize textile recycling
This ambitious initiative aims to establish a harmonized EU blueprint for the closed-loop sorting and recycling of household textile waste to help the fashion industry transition towards a more circular and sustainable future.
Clariant, OMV aim to reduce carbon footprint of ethylene and ethylene oxide derivatives
Clariant and OMV sign a letter of intent to accelerate the transition towards renewable carbon in the European ethylene supply chain.
Technip Energies awarded proprietary equipment contract by CP Chem for low-CO2 cracking furnace technology
Technip Energies has been awarded an engineering and procurement contract by Chevron Phillips Chemical for the supply of a proprietary low-emission cracking furnace in an existing olefins unit at its facility in Sweeny, Texas (U.S.).
Catalyst safety assessment: Making catalyst and adsorbent startups safer
An unease around potential high temperature and pressures during fresh catalyst and adsorbent startups—which can lead to situations where designed pressures and temperatures are exceeded—led the authors’ company to create the Catalyst Safety Assessment (CSA) methodology.
Decarbonizing steam crackers: Key technical challenges of transitioning from natural gas to hydrogen
In the petrochemical industry, olefin crackers utilize significant amounts of heat to crack hydrocarbons into essential chemicals, such as olefins and aromatics.

- Hunt Refining's Tuscaloosa refinery (U.S.) expedites maintenance, repairs on fire-damaged coker unit 5/23
- SIBUR-Sinopec's Amur GCC expects to produce first polyethylene in Q3 2026 5/23
- Phillips 66's Los Angeles (U.S.) refinery layoffs to begin in December, sources say 5/23
- Nigeria's Dangote refinery agrees to export polypropylene with Vinmar 5/23
- ExxonMobil Joliet refinery (U.S.) running unit at reduced rate 5/23
- Suncor reports flare replacement project at the Montreal refinery in coming weeks 5/23