• Dow Sells Styron Division to Bain Capital for US$1.63 Billion

• Waste Management/InEnTec JV Inks First Gasification WTE Deal

• Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Fuji, Tokyo Electric Team-up on Electric Cars

• UOP Gets US$1.5 Million Grant for CCS-Algae-Biofuel R&D

• DuPont and BAL Awarded US$8.8 Million for Macroalgae-to-Isobutanol Project

• China to OK US$9 Billion KPC/Sinopec Refinery

• Hindustan Petroleum Revives Refinery Plan

• S&P Analysis: U.S. Refiners More Efficient and Best Positioned

• EU Commercial Vehicle Sales Fall 12.3% in January

• Neste Jacobs: Refocus on Russia, Middle East for Refining, Petchem

• Cummins, Valvoline Team-up on Urea-SCR for Clean Diesels

• Britain Announces Grant Program to Encourage EVs, Hybrid Adoption

• SPCC Rule Revisions Affect Liquids Storage Facilities

• New Report: Refiners Worldwide to Invest in Automation

• Launch of First U.S. Propane Refueling Network

• IFQC Ranks Top 100 Countries by Gasoline Benzene Standards

• Study: Chemical Companies Could Increase Cash Flow with Increased Sustainability Performance

• Reports Predict Short-Term World Biodiesel Market Value

• U-Wisconsin Researchers Unveil Bio-Jet-Fuel Scheme

• Algae-Based Fuels Producers Want U.S. Tax Break

• KBR Wins Support Contract for PMI-Shell Refinery in Texas

• Flowserve Wins Lukoil Refinery Deal

• U.S. EPA May Soften ‘Greenhouse’ Regs for Refiners, Coal-Power Plants

• Sinopec Sees China Demand Rising 5% This Year

• China to OK US$9 Billion KPC/Sinopec Refinery

• Coalworks Sees CTL-Gasoline Opportunity in Australia

• Foster Wheeler Wins Vietnam Refinery Contract

• Indonesia Coal Producer Seeking Supplies for Sasol CTL Scheme

• Daimler, BYD Ink Electric Car Partnership for China

• Saudi Aramco Brings Two Gas Plants Online

• Denmark to Raise Diesel, Gasoline Taxes to Subsidize Electric Cars

• Infiniti Joins Diesel Car Parade

• Jacobs Inks Master Site Contract at BP-Netherlands Refinery

Dow Sells Styron Division to Bain Capital for US$1.63 Billion

Officials with Dow Chemical Co. and Bain Capital Partners, a global private equity firm, announced jointly March 2 that they have signed a definitive agreement under which Dow's Styron Division will be divested to an affiliate of Bain Capital for US$1.63 billion.

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Waste Management/InEnTec JV Inks First Gasification WTE Deal

Waste Management/InEnTec “S4 Energy Solutions” joint venture officials announced March 3 that they’ve decided to develop their first waste-to-energy (WTE) plasma-enhanced gasification project at Waste Management’s Columbia Ridge Landfill in Arlington, Ore.

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Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Fuji, Tokyo Electric Team-up on Electric Cars

Four of Japan’s biggest automakers – Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Fuji Heavy Industries – are teaming up with Tokyo Electric Power to form what they’re calling the “CHAdeMO” association to coordinate electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

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UOP Gets US$1.5 Million Grant for CCS-Algae-Biofuel R&D

Illinois-based UOP officials announced March 2 that they’ve won a US$1.5 million grant from U.S. Dept. of Energy for a demonstration project combining carbon dioxide capture and algae cultivation, designed for biofuels and energy production.

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DuPont and BAL Awarded US$8.8 Million for Macroalgae-to-Isobutanol Project

Officials with the U.S. Dept. of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy awarded a Technology Investment Agreement to DuPont on March 3 for the development of a process to convert sugars produced by macroalgae into next-generation biofuels called isobutanol. Bio Architecture Lab will be a subrecipient on the program.

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China to OK US$9 Billion KPC/Sinopec Refinery

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is expected to give final approval to a proposed 300,000 barrels/day, US$9 billion joint refining project between state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and Sinopec, according to a report from Kuwait’s official Kuna news agency.

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Hindustan Petroleum Revives Refinery Plan

India’s Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (HPCL) revealed plans last week to revive a proposed US$4 billion refinery and petrochemical plant at Andhra Pradesh, according to a news item posted to the company’s own Web site.

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S&P Analysis: U.S. Refiners More Efficient and Best Positioned

Tina Vital, Standard &Poor’s (S&P) equity analyst, assessed the global refining segment and its challenges, including oversupply from new refining capacity resulting in reduced throughput rates, temporary shutdowns of units and some permanent closures, including five in the United States.

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EU Commercial Vehicle Sales Fall 12.3% in January

Commercial vehicle sales (mostly diesel) in the European Union fell 12.3% in January 2010 versus January 2009, according to data released by ACEA (the European vehicle-makers association) last week.

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Neste Jacobs: Refocus on Russia, Middle East for Refining, Petchem

Neste Jacobs – 60%-owned by Neste Oil and 40%-owned by the Jacobs Engineering Group – will refocus is strategy on Russian and Middle East refining and petrochemical markets, according to company officials.

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Cummins, Valvoline Team-up on Urea-SCR for Clean Diesels

Cummins and Valvoline officials announced Feb. 24 that they’ve created what they’re calling the “Fleetguard-Valvoline Air Shield Diesel Exhaust Fluid” (DEF) alliance to market urea in bottles, drums and totes for new diesel vehicles equipped with urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) tailpipe emissions control systems.

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Britain Announces Grant Program to Encourage EVs, Hybrid Adoption

The British Department of Transport (DOT) announced a “Plug-In Car Grant” that will provide consumers with 25% of the cost to purchase a battery electric, plug-in hybrid or fuel cell vehicle. The grant is capped at £5,000 (US$7,634) and effective Jan. 1, 2011.

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SPCC Rule Revisions Affect Liquids Storage Facilities

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires certain facilities that use, manage and store “oil” to develop and implement Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans.

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New Report: Refiners Worldwide to Invest in Automation

A new report from the ARC Advisory Group forecasts that automation expenditures by the refining sector are expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of nearly 5% during the next five years.

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Launch of First U.S. Propane Refueling Network

Officials with CleanFUEL USA, a provider of alternative fuel dispensing equipment and engine technology, announced Feb. 23 that they are partnering with one of the nation’s largest distributors of propane, Ferrellgas Partners LP, to increase the availability of propane engine fuel at retail refueling stations across the United States.

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IFQC Ranks Top 100 Countries by Gasoline Benzene Standards

The International Fuel Quality Center (IFQC) has ranked the top 100 countries based on gasoline benzene content standards. South Korea came in first with the earliest nationwide implementation of the lowest benzene limit – 0.7 vol% since January 2009, down from 1 vol%. Colombia followed in second and Canada was third.

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Study: Chemical Companies Could Increase Cash Flow with Increased Sustainability Performance

A new study from Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, Sustainable Value Creation by Chemical Companies, has found that “global chemical companies could release at least €1 billion in cash flow if they increase their sustainability performance,” the university announced Feb. 23.

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Reports Predict Short-Term World Biodiesel Market Value

Two reports were released recently that predicted the market value of the world biodiesel market within the next 10 years.

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