Newly formed chemical company Vertellus Specialties announced last week that it has begun expansion of its existing Greensboro, N.C., facility to include a new castor derivatives manufacturing plant and formulation technology center. The new facility is part of Vertellus Performance Materials division, which was formed last month through the combination of Rutherford Chemicals CasChem and Reilly Industries Morflex operating units. The new facility will produce specialty castor and shea butter de...

U.S. demand for amines in lubricants will grow 2.1 percent per year through 2010 to 139 million pounds valued at $214 million, according to a new Freedonia Group study. This compares to 3 percent annual growth for total U.S. amine demand; overall growth is driven by personal care and other non-lube applications. Freedonia, a Cleveland-based market research firm, predicts that amines demand in lubricants will grow further to 156 million pounds by 2015, valued at $257 million. This compares to U....

Sisu Chemical has received a half-million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to commercialize its proprietary water-based emulsion polymer cold-forging lubricant. In partnership with the mechanical engineering department at North Carolina State University, Raleigh-based Sisu Chemical LLC received a phase-one NSF grant in 2004 to develop an environmentally friendly synthetic lubricant for cold-forged metals. The resulting new lubricant is a significant technical breakthrough, sai...

Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP said Thursday that profits for the second quarter of 2006 improved 24 percent from the same period of last year, thanks to improved margins for base oils and other products, and lower operating costs. The company, which conducted its initial public stock offering earlier this year, posted net income of $23.2 million for the three months ended June 30, compared to $18.7 million in the second quarter of 2005. Sales revenue jumped 43 percent to $ 429.9 million...

BP Castrol is playing games with advertisements for Syntec motor oils – and apparently reaching a lot of men who do likewise on their televisions and computers. The lubricant marketer tried its hand last year at placing advertisements in video games and found itself on a winning team when the game it sponsored became a top-seller. The company said it received measurable benefits from the sponsorship and that video games will continue to be part of how it reaches customers. I think it can b...