Photo: Guilherme Almeida Braskem has inaugurated the expansion of the Technology and Innovation Center (CTI), located in the Petrochemical Complex of Triunfo, in the Metropolitan Region. The new building has a total area of 6,000 m2, including 2,000 m2 of laboratories with the latest equipment, which represents a 25% increase in the company’s research and development area at the site. The investment in the expansion was R$ 108 million, of which R$ 64 million in the physical structure of the new building and R$ 44 million in laboratory equipment. According to Braskem’s Product Development and Advanced Materials Director, Fabio Lamon, the building will now house expanded structures for laboratories such as catalysis and advanced characterization, chromatography, polymer fractionation and microscopy. The site has a dedicated structure for PVC and EVA, with a focus on finding new applications for these resins, such as new uses for Green EVA produced from sugarcane. “The ...

Azelis, a leading global innovation service provider in the specialty chemicals and food ingredients industry, announces it has been appointed the exclusive distributor in the U.S. of LANXESS polymer additives phosphorous flame retardants, including the Disflamoll and Levagard product lines. Azelis’ CASE technical expertise and application labs in the Americas region will be leveraged to grow the market and support customers’ needs. The commercial partnership is effective as of April 1, 2024. LANXESS Polymer Additives is a leading supplier of flame-retardant additives for multiple industries, including construction, electrical and electronics, and transportation. Fire represents a significant risk to both life and property. LANXESS flame retardants are innovative polymer additives that provide substantially increased fire protection when added to rubber and plastic materials, such as flexible PU, rigid PU foam formulations and PVC. Shiona Stewart, Managing Director, Azelis...

The Government of Gujarat has signed an MoU with IndianOil for setting up a Petrochemical and Lube Integration (LuPech) Project and Acrylics/Oxo Alcohol Project along with other infrastructure projects at its Gujarat Refinery at Vadodara.  The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijaybhai Rupani and Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan, presided over an MoU signing ceremony for Investment Promotion between IndianOil and Government of Gujarat.  These projects will enable large-scale direct and indirect employment opportunities during the peak construction period and later for the operation of these facilities. During the construction stage, around 125 million person hours of employment will be generated and the total investment outlook for these projects in different execution stages is approximately Rs. 24,000 crore.  The LuPech project will produce import substitutes like Lube Oil Base Stock (LOBS) and Polypropylene whereas Acrylics/Oxo Al...