Solvay adds high purity semiconductor grade phosphoric acid to its wet chemicals portfolio

(reuters) -- Solvay announced today its new high purity semiconductor grade Phosphoric Acid plant in Bernburg, Germany, is supplying this high added value etching acid to manufacturers of electronic devices and components and the semiconductor industries.

This new high purity acid complements Solvay's product portfolio of high purity wet chemicals for the electronics and semiconductor industries such as hydrogen fluoride and peroxides. The plant which uses a novel and very precise crystallization technology has been developed by Solvay and its Dutch technology partner TNO.

"This new Phosphoric Acid plant complements a number of investments and capacity expansions carried out by the Electronic Wet Chemicals Division over the past two years, especially in China and the USA, in other high purity products like Hydrogen Peroxide, Hydrofluoric Acid and Ammonium Fluoride.

With Phosphoric Acid we are adding a new critical material to our product range whilst relying on our analytical, logistics and customer support capabilities to improve our offering to our semiconductor customers", said Steve Dobson, Head of Solvay's Electronic Wet Chemicals Division.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) is in talks with 10 potential investors and companies involved in the oil and gas related activities to set up their operations at its refinery and petrochemicals integrated development (Rapid) project.

The RM60bil complex is located in the southeast Johor and the proposed 300,000 bpd crude oil refinery capacity is larger than the combined capacities of Petronas' existing refineries in Malacca, Kertih and Gebeng.

RAPID Executive Project Director, Wan Yusoff said it was vital to attract world-class, oil, gas and petrochemical companies to invest in the project as they would contribute to the country's aspiration to become a high-income nation by 2020.

Several options are available to the investors - by setting up their own operations or through joint-venture with Petronas. Rapid's close proximity with Singapore could create potential collaboration in term of logistics and products disposal. Additionally, being close to the sources of demand, particularly Indonesia, is an added advantage.

MRC

(hydrocarbonprocessing) -- HB Fuller will close six manufacturing facilities and eliminate approximately 130 positions across its North America adhesives business segment as part of its integration of the recently-acquired industrial adhesives business of Forbo Group. The closures will occur by mid-2013, the company says.

HB Fuller will close six manufacturing facilities and eliminate approximately 130 positions across its North America adhesives business segment as part of its integration of the recently-acquired business of Forbo Group.

HB Fuller described the move as an opportunity to eliminate duplication in manufacturing and redundant services and to harmonize raw material procurement.

Fuller said it is continuing its integration assessment work in the Europe, India Middle East and Africa (EIMEA) and Asia Pacific regions and, upon completion of the analysis in the coming months, could announce changes to the organizational structures in those regions.

The facilities scheduled for closure by mid-2013 are: Pointe-Claire, Quebec; Morris, Ill.; Kansas City, Kan.; Eugene, Ore.; Jackson, Tenn.; and Dallas, Texas.

These facility closures will be staggered over the next 15 months and will result in approximately 90 job eliminations.

HB Fuller will consolidate its North America adhesives business segment operations within its remaining US facilities in California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas and Washington, it said.

MRC

(basf) -- BASF is increasing the production capacity of its ammonium bicarbonate and ammonium carbonate plant at Ludwigshafen by 30% in a move designed to cope with rising demand for high-purity food additives on the world market. The upgrade is scheduled to be complete by early 2013.

"With our technical expertise and the high quality standard of our plant, which is geared towards the most stringent requirements in the production of food additives, we are ideally placed to further strengthen our market-leading position in this segment," says Dr. Thomas Wehlage, Senior Vice President and Head of the Inorganic Chemicals business unit.

Karl Chang, Regional Head of Business Management Inorganic Chemicals Asia Pacific, adds, "The extra capacity at Ludwigshafen will enable us to meet growing demand for high-purity food additives in the Asia Pacific region too."

Ammonium bicarbonate is an important synthetic leavening agent for bakery products. The Ludwigshafen plant is not only GMP-certified (Good Manufacturing Practice) but also satisfies the high certification standards of the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The plant also manufactures certified kosher and halal products. Certifications like these give customers the assurance of the highest standard of product safety so essential in the food industry.

MRC

(chemmonitor) -- The polyvinyl chloride (PVC) market sentiment is mixed in Russia as the traditional demand rise did not take place due to the absence of the active end-products trading.

Domestic sellers anticipated a boost of the purchasing operations in the current month, but their expectations were not justified.

A temporary rise of the demand was observed in early April in the end-market. It was below the required level. Vendors' PVC inventories are still high.

MRC