Shell Licenses EO-EG Process to PetroChina Subsidiary
Shell Global Solutions International, a Shell subsidiary, says it has signed a contract to license ethylene oxide-ethylene glycol (EO-EG) technology to PetroChina Sichuan...

Sipchem and Sabic Hold Cooperation Talks
The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (Riyadh) is mediating between Saudi International Petrochemical Co. (Sipchem; Al Khobar) and Sabic in talks that are expected to lead to Sabic toll manufacturing ethylene and propylene for Sipchem’s...

Israel Chemicals Announces Major Fertilizer Expansion Program
Rising demand and limited supplies have driven potash and phosphate fertilizer prices to 'record highs,' the company says....

… Starts Work on Tobolsk PP Project
Sibur has broken ground for a previously announced propane dehydrogenation and polypropylene (PP) complex at Tobolsk, Russia (CW, Jan.14, p. 17). The plant will...

European Food Safety Group Calls for More Data on Additives
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA; Brussels) has requested more information for certain flavoring substances, as part of its evaluation of flavoring additives used in the European Union (EU). EFSA cites “data gaps” on the safety of some...

Codexis, Arch Pharmalabs Expand Pharma Manufacturing Deal
Biocatalysis technology company Codexis (Redwood City, CA) says it has expanded its manufacturing collaboration with Indian active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and intermediates producer Arch Pharmalabs (Mumbai), to provide drug ingredients to the global...

Canada: Pinning Hopes on the West  
Canadian chemical producers say they are bracing for a sharp drop in profitability this year amid fluctuating energy prices, a slow economy, and a rapid increase in the Canadian-U.S. dollar exchange rate. That drop, which some analysts expect to be as much as 30%, follows a record 2007. Chemical demand is also expected to continue to slide, especially if the Canadian dollar remains so strong, industry executives say....