Grannus LLC selected Haldor Topsoe to license ammonia loop, shift catalyst and sulfur guard technologies and provide engineering services for its 250 short tpd ammonia plant in Kern County, California, due to be operational in 2019.

Corbion will expand its existing lactide plant in Rayong, Thailand by 25,000 tons per annum, with start-up targeted for the second half of 2018 alongside the new PLA plant.

Corbion broke ground on 9 November 2016 for a 75,000 tons per annum PLA polymerization plant at its Rayong site in Thailand, with a reported capex of 140 million USD. Sulzer Chemtech supplies key equipment and start-up is targeted for 2018.

BASF plans to invest more than €200 million globally in its plastic additives business over five years, about half in Asia, focusing on capacity expansions and operational excellence.

Wacker Chemie is expanding a hydrophobic silica specialties plant at its Burghausen, Germany site, raising capacity for HDK pyrogenic silica by 40%.

Parcol was awarded a contract in October 2016 to supply critical angle valves for the 40,000 MTPA melamine plant of Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals at Vadodara, India. The project is due for commissioning by Q3 FY 2017-18.

Saudi Aramco acquired the Converge product line with associated operations and technologies from U.S.-based Novomer Inc. of Waltham, Massachusetts.

PCI Augsburg GmbH completed its acquisition of the Thomsit and Ceresit brands from Henkel, after signing the agreement on September 14, 2016; the transaction required antitrust approval.