Business Roundup

Jilin Chemical Industrial has removed itself from the Hong Kong stock exchange after earlier delisting itself from the New York Stock Exchange. The move follows a successful offer by its parent PetroChina to repurchase all foreign-owned Jilin shares.

International Specialty Products has acquired the biocides business of Fontenay, France-based Progiven. ISP President Sunil Kumar says the acquisition will accelerate the growth of ISP's industrial biocides franchise.

Terra Industries has resumed production of ammonia and its derivatives at its Woodward, Okla., facility. The company had suspended production in Woodward in November because of high natural gas prices.

Haldia Petrochemicals will expand its Haldia, India, polyethylene plant by 60%, to 370,000 metric tons per year, and its polypropylene plant by 50%, to 320,000 metric tons, by the middle of next year. The facilities use Basell's Spherilene and Spheripol processes, respectively.

Akzo Nobel's Organon division has linked with Shanghai Genomics in a two-year project to support Organon's program for the identification of more selective steroid hormone receptor modulators. The research will focus on rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, and oncology.

LG Chem's net profit sagged 25% to $410 million in 2005, while sales increased 4% to $7.6 billion. LG attributes the disappointing performance to higher crude oil prices, uneven Chinese demand for petrochemicals, and quality problems with its rechargeable batteries.

BASF is installing engineering polymer compounding capacity at its Altamira, Mexico, site. When production starts up in the second quarter of 2006, the company will compound nylon 6, nylon 6,6, and polybutylene terephthalate at the plant.