Business Roundup

Air Liquide plans to build a $20 million air separation plant in Roorkee, Uttaranchal state, India, to supply nitrogen and hydrogen to a new Asahi India Glass factory. The 250-metric-ton-per-day unit will start up in June 2006 and will also supply gases to other customers in northern India.

Wacker Chemie has completed the change of its legal form from a private limited company (GmbH) to a stock corporation (AG). The move gives the family-owned company more financing flexibility, says Chief Financial Officer Joachim Rauhut.

Honeywell has completed the acquisition of Dow Chemical's 50% stake in UOP, giving Honeywell full control of the process technology firm. Honeywell has named Carlos A. Cabrera, a 32-year veteran of UOP, to lead the firm.

Solutia is buying out its partner, Vitro Plan, in a polyvinyl butyral interlayer joint venture based in Puebla, Mexico. Solutia recently announced the construction of a new PVB interlayer plant in Suzhou, China.

Chemtura will increase capacity for high-viscosity poly-α-olefins at its facility in Elmira, Ontario. The 15% expansion should be on-line in 2006.

DuPont is acquiring Parsippany, N.J.-based Belco Technologies, which specializes in sulfur and nitric oxide emission reduction for refineries. The business will be integrated into DuPont Environmental Solutions.