Business Roundup

Huber Engineered Materials has purchased West Coast Ingredients in Modesto, Calif. Huber says West Coast brings blending and fluid-bed processing technology that adds specialty granulation, crushing, and microencapsulation services to its health and nutrition business.

Solvay will build a plant producing polytetrafluoroethylene micronized powder at the Jiangsu High-Tech Fluorochemical Industrial Park in Changshu, China, some 60 miles from Shanghai. The plant is due to open in the second half of 2007.

Uniqema has acquired the Icematic line of refrigeration lubricants from BP's Castrol unit. The line includes polyol esters, alkylbenzenes, and lubricant blends.

DSM is expanding its acrylonitrile capacity in Geleen, the Netherlands, by 10% to roughly 260,000 metric tons per year. The project is scheduled to be finished by third-quarter 2006 at a cost of just under $20 million.

Novozymes and China Resources Alcohol Corp. will cooperate for three years on processes for producing cellulose-based biomass for biofuels in China. CRAC will set up a pilot plant for cellulose-based ethanol in Zhaodong in Heilongjiang province.

The Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association has opened its new headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. GPCA was founded in March 2006 by eight founding members drawn from the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Basic Industries Corp. has completed the acquisition of Neste Oil's 10% stake in Ibn Zahr for $120 million. SABIC now owns 80% of Ibn Zahr, which makes methyl tert-butyl ether and polypropylene. The balance is held equally by an ENI subsidiary and by Arab Petroleum Investments.