Sadara Chemical Company has announced the production of commercial quantities of on-specification liquid PMDI (polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate), the largest single train facility of its kind in the world.

On 19 June the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA) released a statement opposing the recent proposal by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to designate spray polyurethane foam products containing unreacted methylene diphenyl diisocyanates (MDI) as a listed Priority Product under the department’s controversial Safer Consumer Products Program.

Prepolymer contract manufacturer Third Coast Terminals LLC, announced a full year of successful prepolymer toll manufacturing at its state of the art prepolymer facility in Pearland, TX, USA. The unit was completed as scheduled in 2016 and commissioned flawlessly, the company said in a statement issued on 6 July.

The European Joint Undertaking on Bio-Based Industries (BBI), consisting of representatives from the European Union and the bio-based industry, has granted EUR 25 million to PEFerence, a consortium of eleven companies. The grant supports the establishment of an innovative value chain for bio-based raw materials as well as chemicals and materials based on polyethylenefuranoate (PEF). It includes the intended construction of a 50,000 t/y FDCA reference plant, the main chemical building block for the production of PEF. Synvina, a joint venture of Avantium and BASF, will be coordinating the PEFerence project.

The Lubrizol Corporation recently announced new partnerships with distributors, Al-Shihab Al Thahabi and Al Azzaz, based in UAE and Saudi Arabia, respectively.

Sri Lanka’s rubber industry, which faced one of the toughest years, last year, due to lower global commodity prices, doesn’t appear to be recovering, with a few companies discontinuing their rubber production.

Cuts in rubber exports by Thailand and other producers in the region are on the table to combat plunging prices for the commodity.

Orpic, the Sultanate’s refining and petrochemicals flagship, plans to establish a worldwide network of offices to support the marketing of the huge quantities of polymers that will be produced when its Liwa Plastics mega venture comes on stream in 2020.

BASF and Stahl have agreed to combine BASF’s leather chemicals business with Stahl Group. The transaction is subject to approval by the relevant authorities and the closing is expected to take place in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Foam Supplies, Inc. (FSI) worked in partnership with the global law firm Dentons to develop a carbon offset methodology which earned Dentons the American Carbon Registry's prestigious 2017 Innovation Award.