Volume 4 Issue 22

Fire Damages West Virginia Refinery

A fire broke out Saturday night at Ergon’s refinery in Newell, West Virginia, damaging a fuels unit and forcing the whole facility to shut down. The company said Tuesday that it was in the process of restarting most operations, including the site’s base oil plant.

Vertellus to Acquire IM Chemicals

Specialty chemicals manufacturer Vertellus acquired IM Chemicals, another specialty chemicals producer involved in the lubricants industry, the company announced this week. IM Chemicals, the intermediates and specialties division of ESIM Chemicals, based in Linz, Austria, produces succinic anhydride and succinimide, which are used to make lube additives.

Education Partnerships Urged for Industry

Non-degree certificate programs and six-month career certifications could help draw more young people into tribology and lubrication engineering, helping ensure the workforce in those fields stays strong, a university president said during the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers’ Virtual Annual Meeting and Exhibition.

Vertex Earnings Jump

Vertex Energy’s black oil segment, which includes its rerefineries and used oil collection business, reported increases in gross profit, income from operations and revenues for the quarter ending March 31, compared to the same quarter last year.

From Other Editions of Lube Report

Kline: Industry Bounced Back in 2020

Serbia Far From EU Rerefining Norms

Thailand to Boost Bio-lubes, Palm Oil

Briefly Noted

Lubes’n’Greases has launched a sustainability blog, which is now available with free subscriptions. Lubes’n’Greases’ newest contributor, Apu Gosalia, kicks off the proceedings with a cautionary yet positive note about Overshoot Day.