Dow AgroSciences, BioDuro to collaborate on crop protection research

(dow) -- Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company , and BioDuro, a PPD Company, announced a three-year, multi-program discovery research agreement to generate novel molecules for synthesizing and testing fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides across a variety of crops.

The two companies will leverage BioDuro's deep expertise in medicinal chemistry and biochemistry and Dow AgroSciences' agrochemical capabilities in this new agrochemical discovery collaboration.

"We are very pleased to announce this novel collaboration between Dow AgroSciences and BioDuro, a respected leader in discovery services," said Daniel R. Kittle, Ph.D., Global Leader, Research & Development, Dow AgroSciences.
"This agreement is another example of our commitment to further enhance Dow AgroSciences' world-class discovery research capabilities by working with the best research teams around the globe to develop new solutions for our customers around the world."

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

MRC

(solvay) -- Solvay has successfully commissioned the largest PEM fuel cell in the world at SolVin's Antwerp plant.

Solvay announced it has successfully commissioned its 1 MegaWatt (MW) industrial demonstration Fuel Cell at the SolVin plant in Lillo, Antwerp, Belgium. This Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell converts coproduced hydrogen (H2) in the plant into electricity and is now producing for weeks at a steady rate. The Fuel Cell has generated over 500 MWh in about 800 hours of operation, which amounts to the electricity consumption of 1370 families during the same time frame.

This successful industrial scale-up project containing Solvay's innovative specialty polymers and SolviCore's membrane electrode assemblies brings PEM Fuel Cell technology to a new threshold. The Fuel Cell also increases SolVin's brine electrolysis' energy efficiency.

Fuel Cells are increasingly considered an important clean power generation technology for a wide variety of applications such as busses, cars, ships, trucks, fork lifts, cogeneration and electricity generation devices. Hydrogen-powered fuel cells produce only electricity and water.

MRC

(bp) -- BP's fourth-quarter replacement cost profit was USD7,606 million, compared with USD4,614 million a year ago. For the full year, replacement cost profit was USD23,900 million compared with a loss of USD4,914 million a year ago.

The group income statement for the fourth quarter and full year includes pre-tax credits related to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill of USD4.1 billion and USD3.7 billion respectively.

Non-operating items (including amounts relating to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill) and fair value accounting effects for the fourth quarter had a net favourable impact of USD2,620 million compared with a net favourable impact of USD250 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. For the full year, there was a net favourable impact of USD2,242 million for 2011 compared with a net unfavourable impact of USD25,436 million in 2010.

Finance costs and net finance income or expense relating to pensions and other post-retirement benefits were USD261 million for the fourth quarter, compared with USD346 million for the same period last year. For the full year, the respective amounts were USD983 million for 2011 and USD1,123 million for 2010.

MRC

(lukoil) -- The LUKOIL would like to announce that the Board of technical enquiry into the causes of the fire outbreak at the Stavrolen petrochemical facility and the ensuing breakdown of an ethylene-producing unit on December 15, 2011, completed its work on February 4, 2012.

The Board's report says that most probably the fire was caused by the unsealing of connecting elements in the assembly for separation of the propane-propylene fraction. The unsealing, in its turn, was caused by corrosion and structural changes that had occurred while the equipment was in use.

By preliminary estimates, the damaged and destroyed property is worth almost 812 million rubles.
According to the time schedule of manufacture and delivery of the new equipment, ethylene unit operation is expected to resume no later than on April 1, 2012.
Recovery operations will not impair the timeline of the gas chemical facility construction project at Stavrolen's production site.

The Company is now looking at the possibility of organizing supplies of propylene in order to renew the production of polypropylene before the end of February 2012.

The construction is expected to be completed in May 2012.

MRC

(basf) -- BASF officially inaugurated its new world-scale production plant for sodium methylate in Guaratingueta, Brazil, its largest site in South America. The plant has a capacity of 60,000 metric tons per year and is supplying the regional market. Production started at the end of 2011 and the plant has been continuously delivering excellent product quality. It is the first BASF plant for this product in South America and the second in the world, in addition to a plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Capital expenditure for the project was in the low double-digit million euro range.

"This investment in the new plant responds to the growing market opportunity for biodiesel in the region. As announced last year, we are planning to build a second plant in South America in order to accompany South America's intended growth for biodiesel," said Dr. Alfred Hackenberger, BASF President for South America.
Sodium methylate is an efficient and reliable catalyst for the production of biodiesel, which has developed into an important and increasing alternative for diesel fuels in the past years. Biodiesel meets the requirements of engine manufacturers for high-quality fuels.

MRC