Business Roundup

Arkema will acquire the polymethyl methacrylate sheet and block business from Spain's Repsol YPF for an undisclosed sum. The European business employs 125 people and has sales of about $40 million per year. Arkema's Altuglas subsidiary claims 20% of global capacity for acrylic sheet and resin, which it sells as Plexiglas and Altuglas.

PetroChina subsidiary Daqing Petrochemical will begin construction of a 600,000-metric-ton-per-year ethylene cracker at the company's site in Heilongjiang in northeast China, the Xinhua News Agency reports. The expansion will double Daqing's ethylene capacity.

DSM has invested in Ithaca, N.Y.-based Novomer, which is developing technology to use CO₂ and other renewable materials to produce polymers and chemicals. In addition, DSM and Novomer will sign a cooperation agreement for such performance polymers. Novomer's technology is based on catalysts developed at Cornell University.

Innophos will spend $1.5 million to increase capacity for sodium hexametaphosphate by 15% at its Chicago plant. The firm says demand has increased for U.S.-made SHMP since September, when the U.S. government set antidumping duties on imports from China.

Hercules and Evonik Goldschmidt will cooperate in the development of multifunctional natural polymers for the personal care market. The partners have already developed hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-based water-soluble polymers for cleansing formulations.

G24 Innovations has established an R&D partnership with Wales's Cardiff University to give it access to Cardiff's labs for testing solar-energy technology. G24 bills itself as the world's first producer of commercial-grade dye-sensitized thin film, used in lightweight solar cells.

Akzo Nobel's proposed acquisition of ICI has been conditionally cleared by the European Commission and Canada's Competition Bureau. Akzo Nobel has agreed to divest several paint brands in Canada, particularly in Quebec, and in the U.K., Ireland, and Belgium.

Oxford Catalysts is expanding its labs in Oxford, England, to accelerate its catalyst development work. The $2 million expansion will more than double existing facilities and will permit an increase in its scientific staff to about 30 from 20.

Rhodia plans to cut 129 jobs at its cellulose acetate fiber plant in Freiburg, Germany. The firm blames the weak U.S. dollar for hurting the competitiveness of the fibers, which are used to make cigarette filters.