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Reports on the chemical industry in Latin America. Auction of assets at the ethylene cracker at the Copene plant at Camacari, Brazil; Step in unraveling the Brazilian petrochemical industry's ownership structure; Major chemical companies with investments in Latin America.

The article discusses the Brazilian firm Oxiteno reportedly being the world's second-largest producer of ethoxylates, growing its business in the U.S., opening its first office in Houston in 2007. It states that in 2012 it acquired an idle synthetic vitamin E plant in Pasadena, Texas, in 2015 the firm announced plans to build a 170,000-metric-ton-per-year alkoxylation plant on the site along with striking co-production deals with small ethoxylators in the Northeast region of U.S. as a strategy.

Focuses on E.I. du Pont Nemours & Co.'s plan to build a development facility in North Carolina that will evaluate the use of supercritical carbon dioxide as a reaction solvent. Catalyst for chemical industry use; Alternative methods for extracting active substances from natural products. INSET: Dry cleaning and paint spraying are CO2 `pioneers'..

The article reports that Netherlands-based chemical maker Avantium will select a pilot plant for its Zambezi biorefining process at the Chemport Europe industrial park in Delfzijl.

The article offers information on the plan of French-biobased chemicals firm Metabolic Explorer to establish a facility in Carling Saint-Avold in France that coproduces butyric acid and propanediol.

The article focuses on the partnership between Cabot Corporation and Dow Corning and the building of a 80 million dollars fumed silica facility in Carrollton, Kentucky by Cabot adjacent to a Dow Coming silicone monomers plant.

The article reports on plans of chemical company Bio-on for construction of a plant in Castel San Pietro Terme, Italy that can make polyhydroxyalkanoates from nonfood agricultural sources and mentions its partnership with sugar maker Sadam for development of biobased levulinic acid.

The article reports on the plan of specialty chemicals company Evonik Industries to reopen its specialty polyesters plant in Mobile, Alabama.

The article informs that start-up GreenMantra Technologies has raised funds in its third round of venture capital funding, and also mentions GreenMantra has opened a plant in Brantford, Ontario.

The article reports on the decision of Japanese chemical company Ube Industries to license technology to Chinese chemical firm CNSG Anhui Hong Sifang for a plant in Hefei, China, that will make the solvent dimethyl carbonate (DMC).

The article reports that chemical company DAK Americas has announced a project for an expansion of U.S. capacity for polyester fiber and the company states that it will add DAK add 230 million pound capacity for polyester staple fiber per year for its plant in Bay St. Louis, Missouri.

The article reports on the expansion of the operations and construction of a facility by the Japan-based chemical manufacturer Kureha in Charleston, West Virginia. The firm announced plans to spend $100 million in the commercial-scale plant for polyglycolic acid. Details about business operations and strategies are cited.

The article discusses various management strategies at the plants of specialty chemicals company Degussa in North America in 2007. Plant managers at the company's biggest U.S. facilities in Mobile and Greensboro in Alabama are concerned about keeping the facilities relevant amidst the decline in the manufacturing infrastructure, maintaining good relations with the community and complying to environmental regulations.

Describes the use of solution-phase methods to synthesize peptides at the Torrance, California-based chemical facility of PolyPeptide Laboratories. Operations of five chemical plants in the U.S. and Europe; Developments in pharmaceutical peptide manufacturing; Business strategies.

Explores Cargill Inc.'s corn-processing plant in Blair, Nebraska. Production of high-fructose corn syrup, ethanol, lactic acid and other products out of corn; Role of biorefineries in yielding products with unique properties; Importance of corn and soybeans as chemical feedstocks.

Focuses on BASF's signing of an agreement with Brazil's state-owned oil and gas firm Petrobras to study construction of an acrylic acid plant. Projected capacity of the plant; Blow to two other parties' goal of building South America's first big acrylic acid plant; Issue of access to propylene.

The article informs that the chemical manufacturer BASF Corp. has decided to close a facility in Somerset, New Jersey.

The article discusses the benefits which the chemical industries derive by extracting natural gas from underground shale deposits. According to the chief executive officer Calvin M. Dooley of the American Chemistry Council, development of investment projects for extraction of natural gas from underground shale deposits will further boost the production of chemical industries and will also help in creation of job opportunities in chemical plants in the U.S.

The article reports on the opening of a polysilicon facility by Wacher Chemie at its site in Nünchritz, Germany.

The article reports on the plans of Royal DSM NV and Roquette in 2011 to establish a commercial-scale plant in Europe for the production of succinic acid using biobased raw materials.

The article reports on the partnership between French chemical maker Arkema and South Korean CJ CheilJedang aimed at building the first commercial facility in the world that will manufacture the feed additive methionine from renewable resources. The facility is expected to produce 80,000 metric tons per year of L-methionine and be built in either Malaysia or Thailand. It is claimed that Arkea and CJ will become the fifth major methionine producer in the world once their venture becomes successful.

The article announces the decision of Sanofi-Aventis to close most of its facilities on Great Valley, Pennsylvania and Bridgewater, New Jersey as part of its reorganization program.

The article reports on the plan of Germany-based specialty chemical maker Süd-Chemie to build the country's cellulosic ethanol plant.

The article reports that Arkema of France will acquire the Dow Chemical Co.'s acrylic acid plant in Clear Lake, Texas and the UCAR acrylic latex business in North America for 50 million dollars. It notes that the sale of Dow's businesses was made following the approval of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for its acquisition of Rohm and Haas Co., another supplier of acrylic acid and latexes. The companies expect the deal to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The article reports that Canadian companies GreenField Ethanol and Enerkem have won government backing for what they say will be the world's first facility to convert municipal solid waste into ethanol on an industrial scale. The two Canadian companies will build the $70 million plant in Edmonton, Alberta. The government will contribute $20 million to the project.

The article features the chemical plant of Sigma-Aldrich in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. According to the author, the plant was built 25 years ago to produce diethyl pyrocarbonate. The plant has since opened to serve the electronics industry, adding a $9 million clean room at the site. The clean room is where Sigma distill TDMAH and other electronic materials.

Reports that Japanese firm, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd. will invest into the building of an integrated polyvinyl chloride complex on the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005. Possible sites for the project; Details of the proposed complex. Americans

Reports on the plan of Dow Chemical Co. to close its biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing facility in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Area of the manufacturing facility; Focus of the biopharmaceutical efforts of the company on new expression systems that clients can use in the production of therapeutic proteins and peptides; Implication of the addition of mammalian cell culture production for the rank of company in chemical industry.

Focuses on the investment of several chemical companies on laboratories and chemical plants in China. Description of investor-backed start-up companies as the key source of the technology the chemical industry will need; Popularity of venture capital; Companies' consideration of fundamental research and development.

Reports on downsizing at Akzo Nobel's Diosynth pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturing unit in the face of declining demand for its products. Reduction of global chemical synthesis capacity; Closure of site in Mexico City; Scaling back of facilities in the Netherlands; Rise in overcapacity.

Reports the plant expansion of the Procter & Gamble (P&G) Chemicals. Assets of P&G Chemicals; Sales growth of the business; Collaboration of P&G Chemicals to outside firms.

Reports on General Chemical Group Inc.'s closure of its soda ash facility in Amherstburg, Ontario in March 2001. Utilization of the Solvay process for synthetic soda ash production; Description of the process; Reason behind the closure.