Valmet will deliver a BioTrac pretreatment system and a BioPower 48 MWth lignin-fired combined heat and power plant for ORLEN Południe's planned second-generation bioethanol plant in Jedlicze, Poland. The plant is due to start operation in 2024. The order value was not disclosed.

Schweitzer-Mauduit (SWM) and Neenah agreed an all-stock merger of equals creating a specialty materials company with about $3 billion in combined revenue, targeting at least $65 million in annual run-rate cost synergies within 24-36 months.

Grupa Azoty Zakłady Azotowe Kędzierzyn is installing new syngas compressors to raise ammonia capacity at its Poland plant, a PLN 180 million (about $43.5 million) project with completion expected in H1 2023.

Avantium N.V. agreed with LVMH to explore PEF, a plant-based recyclable polymer, as packaging for LVMH beauty brands. LVMH Beauty becomes the first luxury cosmetics company to join the PEFerence consortium.

Kaneka Corporation has decided to significantly increase production capacity for its PHBH biodegradable polymer Green Planet in Japan, with further capacity planned in Europe and America.

Chemieanlagenbau Chemnitz has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction management contract by PVC maker Kem One to build a membrane chlor-alkali electrolysis plant at Fos-sur-Mer, France. The order volume is $64 million, with Asahi Kasei as technology partner.

Avantium announced construction of a commercial-scale FDCA plant in Delfzijl, Netherlands, with capacity of 5 kilotonnes (5,600 tons) per year. The construction is expected to run from Q1 2022 to end-2023, with commercial production from 2024, funded by €192 million in financing.

Flotek Industries agreed a long-term contract to supply its green downhole chemistry solutions to a dedicated portion of ProFrac's hydraulic fracturing fleets for three years. The contract creates an expected backlog of more than $230 million, and Flotek is also issuing $10 million of convertible notes to ProFrac.

Lummus Technology has been awarded a contract by LUKOIL Permnefteorgsintez for a new integrated MTBE and alkylation plant at LUKOIL's refinery in Perm, Russia, using its CD Etherol and CD Alky technologies. The award was announced on 14 January 2022.

Clariant completed the sale of its Pigments business to a consortium of Heubach Group and SK Capital Partners, with a base enterprise value of CHF 805 million before a possible earn-out.

Bona US held a groundbreaking for a 280,000-square-foot building at Monroe Corporate Center in Monroe, North Carolina, its second facility at the industrial park. The company plans to invest more than $20 million and create 124 jobs.

Zep Inc. completed and started up a new AFCO production facility in Kingman's Industrial Park, Arizona, to serve western US customers in the food and beverage processing industry, with about 25 jobs expected over two years.

Burckhardt Compression signed a contract to equip three EVA and LDPE production lines at Jiangsu Hongjing New Material's petrochemical mega-plant in Lianyungang, China, with Booster-Primary and Hyper Compressors. The plant will have an output of 600 kilotons per year of EVA/LDPE. The contract value was not disclosed.

Henkel closed its acquisitions of Darex Packaging Technologies, a metal packaging sealants supplier based in Cambridge, MA, for US$1.05 billion, and the Sonderhoff Group, a Cologne-based foamed gasketing and dosing equipment maker, with undisclosed terms.

Juhua Co. board approved two fixed-asset investment projects at its electrochemical plant: a 48kt/a VDF expansion (CNY 979 million) and PVDF projects (CNY 693 million), expected to be completed and operational in Q4 2023.

Tereos signed a strategic supply agreement with Avantium Renewable Polymers to supply 100% of the wheat-derived F95 high-fructose syrup needed to make FDCA for bio-based PEF packaging. The initial volume is 5,000 tons.

Honeywell is expanding its Baton Rouge, Louisiana facility to double the capacity of its ultra-low global warming potential Solstice ze product. The product is used in foam insulation, propellants, refrigeration and air conditioning.

ADNOC and Borealis signed a final investment agreement worth USD 6.2 billion to build Borouge 4, a polyethylene expansion at the Ruwais complex in the UAE. It will produce 1.4 million tons of polyethylene per year, including a 1.5 million ton ethane cracker.

MPE Partners has acquired DecoArt, a manufacturer of acrylic paints and finishes for arts, crafts and home decorating. The deal was reported on 19 October 2021.

Italian metal packaging maker Tecnocap now uses BASF's biomass-balanced plasticizer Hexamoll DINCH BMB in the sealing gaskets of its metal closures for food packaging, announced in a joint release dated September 23, 2021.

MAN Energy Solutions subsidiary DWE won an order from Wanhua Chemical to deliver three salt-operated reactor systems for a new maleic anhydride plant in China, with an overall capacity of 200,000 tons per year. The plant produces PBAT for biodegradable plastics.

Boeun County signed a 12 billion won expansion investment agreement with Puremann, which will buy land and build a second factory in the Jangan industrial complex to enter the new materials business. Puremann currently makes automotive and refrigeration refrigerants.

Avantor announced a multi-year investment in global hydration capabilities, including a recently completed expansion of its Gliwice, Poland facility and a multi-stage expansion of its Aurora, Ohio facility due by mid-2022.

H.B. Fuller announced a strategic investment in a new adhesives manufacturing plant at CPC Industrial Park in Cairo's 6th of October industrial city. The 37,000 m2 facility is set to start full production in the last quarter of 2022 and will double production capacity.

VA Tech Wabag secured an engineering and procurement order worth USD 165 million from Amur Gas Chemical Complex in Russia, a SIBUR and Sinopec joint venture. Wabag will supply the integrated wastewater treatment facilities with zero liquid discharge.

Eastman and Procter & Gamble signed an agreement under which P&G will use Eastman Renew materials, made by molecular recycling of waste plastic, in select products and packaging. The companies will also collaborate on plastic recycling infrastructure.

Maire Tecnimont subsidiary Tecnimont won a lump-sum turnkey contract from Repsol worth about €430 million to build polypropylene and linear polyethylene units at Repsol's Sines complex in Portugal, due for completion by 2025.

A Maire Tecnimont and Tecnimont Private consortium was awarded a lump-sum EPCC contract by Indian Oil Corporation worth about $170 million for a 200,000 tons per year polypropylene plant at the Barauni Refinery in Bihar, with a 30-month schedule.

Haldor Topsoe will build a 15,000 tpy hydroprocessing catalyst plant at its existing Bayport production site in Pasadena, Harris County, Texas, expected to be fully operational in the first half of 2023.

BASF has entered a collaboration with Pulpex and its global partners to develop proprietary food-grade barrier technologies for the Pulpex paper bottle. The company also aims to add hot-fill and carbonated product capability by end of 2022.

PPG is expanding coatings manufacturing capacity for beverage and food can coatings at its Tiel, Netherlands plant and Cieszyn, Poland plant. Completion is expected between late 2021 and Q1 2022; financial details were not disclosed.

Nouryon will spend SEK 180 million modernizing its Domsjö plant in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The upgrade could raise capacity by up to 4,000 tons. The announcement was reported on 26 May 2021.

Cove signed an exclusive five-year agreement to receive 350 million pounds of RWDC Industries' PHA biopolymer for its biodegradable water bottles. The deal supports Cove's planned first product launch later in 2021.

Origin Materials and Packaging Matters have agreed to jointly develop advanced packaging materials, including the polymer PEF, building on an existing 10-year supply agreement for carbon-negative PET.

SK Capital Partners, LP completed its previously announced acquisition of IPACKCHEM Group SAS, a Paris-headquartered supplier of barrier packaging for crop protection and specialty chemicals. The deal value was not disclosed.

Tamilnadu Petroproducts board approved setting up a propylene recovery unit at an estimated cost of about Rs 30 crore. The announcement was made on 30 March 2021.

Tamilnadu Petroproducts approved revamping the caustic soda unit of its heavy chemicals division at an estimated cost of Rs 165 crore, raising capacity from 150 to 250 tonnes per day. Completion is expected in about 18 months after statutory clearances.

Tamilnadu Petroproducts approved augmenting its linear alkyl benzene plant from 120 to 145 kilo tonnes per year at an estimated cost of Rs 240 crore, with completion expected in about 24 months after approvals. The announcement was made on 30 March 2021.

The Estée Lauder Companies and Eastman signed a global memorandum of understanding under which Estée Lauder brands will incorporate Eastman Renew molecularly recycled polyester packaging to help meet its 2025 sustainable packaging goals. The announcement was made on 30 March 2021.

Avantium Renewable Polymers signed two additional conditional offtake agreements for PEF resin with Toyobo and Terphane, bringing the total to four contracts, which together cover 30% of the planned flagship FDCA plant's capacity. Refresco is also among the offtake partners.

Sumika Polymer Compounds Europe is setting up a new Polish subsidiary and a production site of about 5,500 square meters in Poznan. The site will add 30,000 tonnes of compounded polypropylene capacity, with about 30 jobs and production scheduled from Q1 2022.

Johnson Matthey signed a substantial deal to supply membrane-electrode assemblies to German direct methanol fuel cell maker SFC Energy. No value was disclosed in the article.

Johnson Matthey announced new manufacturing capacity for catalyst-coated membranes used in green hydrogen production. The capacity location and amount were not stated in the article.

Diversified CPC International completed Phase I of its new Beaumont, Texas plant at Iron Horse Terminals, which began commercial operation in late November 2020. The company invested $10 million in Phase I.

Lummus Technology was awarded a contract by Enter Engineering for four SRT VI and VII cracking furnaces at the Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex in Uzbekistan, which will more than double its ethylene production.

Bostik started up a new industrial adhesives plant in Nara, Japan, within the Bostik-Nitta joint venture, 80% owned by Arkema. The lines serve non-woven hygiene and industrial packaging, labelling, transportation and electronics markets.

NOVA Chemicals signed a long-term agreement with Merlin Plastics, Canada's largest plastics recycler, to increase supply of post-consumer recyclate for consumer packaging. NOVA is also providing financing for a multi-million dollar recycling project.

Tver regional governor discussed with Shell Neft plans to expand lubricant production at its Torzhok plant, with investment up to 6 billion roubles, output rising to 300 million litres a year, and work starting in 2021 and finishing in 2023.

China's JDB Group selected PPG INNOVEL non-BPA coatings for beverage cans for its Jia Duo Bao herbal tea, after testing against Chinese and international food contact standards.

Agfa is building a new unit at its central factory in Mortsel, near Antwerp, to produce water-based inks for laminates, corrugated and other packaging. The plant will be co-located with R&D and quality control and is meant to cover volumes for the next five to ten years.