Ingevity has announced that it will close its site at DeRidder, Louisiana, by the end of 1H 2024 plus other cost reduction actions. Combined with previously announced cuts, these are expected to yield savings of $65-75 million/year from 2024 onwards.

DeRidder makes a range of products based on crude tall oil (CTO), primarily for the Industrial Specialties business. The company is seeking to transition away from CTO-based fatty acids and towards those based on soy, canola and others. This is because of the high costs of CTO as a result of demand from the biofuels market.

Japan’s Ube has revealed that is has been studying the feasibility of commercializing dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) in the US and has also decided to build an additional plant for high-purity nitric acid in Japan. Both moves are described as in line with its medium- and its longer-term plans.

The company is now beginning basic design for a plant in Louisiana, which would have capacities of 100,000 tonnes/year for DMC and 40,000 of downstream EMC. A final investment decision is to be made in 1H fiscal 2023. Operations would commence in 2H fiscal 2025.

Alongside Governor John Bel Edwards, BioLab has announced a $170 million investment to build a new chlorine product facility in Westlake, Louisiana. Due to be completed in May 2022, it will create 82 direct jobs and an estimated 231 indirect ones, while facilitating the retention of 19 more.