James Snodgrass

Sustainability and circularity took center stage at the start of the Polyurethane Technical Conference organized by the American Chemistry Council's Center for the Polyurethane Industry.

Everchem LLC, a systems house and raw materials manufacture for the polyurethane and epoxy markets based in Media, Pa., has acquired Specialty Products International Inc. (SPI) of Mancungie, Pa., a producer of specialty polyurethane additives.

The parent company of Accella Polyurethane Systems LLC says it is "contemplating" the sale of its Delphos, Ohio, facility, and may close it if it can't find a buyer within 60 days.

UBQ Materials co-CEO Albert Douer: "Recycling is part of the solution. But it's not going to solve everything. And, literally, this is how I describe UBQ: We take the garbage out of the garbage. The stuff that no one else wants? That's what we take."

Think Menlo Park, Calif., and you'll likely think of digital technology. The city is famous for its cryptocurrency-hawking tech bros and its games development houses. It's not a place you'd readily associate with groundbreaking technology for the chemical upcycling of waste plastics.

Clariant had previously announced a 60 million Swiss franc investment on a new facility at Daya Bay, China. The plant, which is scheduled to open in mid-2023, will produce Exolit OP halogen-free flame retardants for thermoplastics used in e-mobility and in the electrical and electronics segments.

The 31,000-square-meter indoor facility will produce more than 1,000 metric tons of leafy greens including lettuces, arugula, mixed salad greens and spinach for in-flight meals annually, while reportedly requiring 95 percent less water than conventional agriculture.

The aim of the Polestar 0 project is to make a car that is truly climate-neutral — without using carbon credits or offsetting.

Roofing and waterproofing manufacturer GAF, part of the Standard Industries group, will build a fifth polyisocyanurate insulation manufacturing plant, set for Peru, Ill.

Covestro will focus on its sustainability drive at K 2022  in October, following up on its recently announced collaboration with two petrochemical companies, Finland’s Neste and South Korea’s SK Geocentric, to supply mass-balanced benzene for MDI production in China.

Owens Corning Co. will buy Natural Polymers LLC, a Cortland, Ill-based polyurethane systems house specializing in spray foam formulations.