Alex Scott

Hemel Hempstead

Senior Editor at C&EN

Journalist writing and filming about innovations in science and sustainability. Views are own.

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Articles

Carbon capture is struggling just as big projects start

3 weeks ago | cen.acs.org | Alex Scott

An array of 12 cigar-shaped steel holding tanks connected to a sleek concrete dock is all that can be seen of Northern Lights, Europe's newest carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. Pipes from the tanks, on a Norwegian island, head out into the North Sea and then go 2.6 km under the seabed until they meet a depleted natural gas reservoir. In its first phase, the project has the capacity to store 1.5 million metric tons (t) of waste carbon dioxide.
Huntsman, Sasol, and biofuel makers eye European plant closures

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Alex Scott

More chemical companies say they will-or may-close plants in Europe because of tough economic circumstances. The announcements follow a series of plant closures already announced in Europe this year. Huntsman says it will close its facility in Moers, Germany, for making maleic anhydride-a precursor for unsaturated polyester resins-by the end of June. The business generated a pretax loss of $10 million in 2024. The company will write down $75 million because of the closure.
Bayer to slash agrochemical jobs in Germany

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Alex Scott

Bayer is restructuring Crop Science, its agrochemical and seed business, in a bid to "ensure the division's global competitiveness" in the face of competition from low-cost Chinese generic products, Bayer says in a press release. Measures the firm will take include closing a site in Frankfurt, Germany, by the end of 2028 that produces active ingredients and formulations for herbicides.
More hurt for European chemical firms

2 months ago | cen.acs.org | Alex Scott

The European chemical sector isn't getting out of its slump quite yet. In fact, a number of indicators suggest that the outlook today is worse than it was at the start of the year. German chemical executives had hoped that their country's new government, which is set to receive parliamentary confirmation on May 6, would ease their plight. But there is "little to enthuse investors in energy-intensive German industrials," says Sebastian Bray, Berenberg Bank's chemical analyst, in a note to investors.
Shell to pull back from chemicals

Mar 26, 2025 | cen.acs.org | Alex Scott

The energy and petrochemical giant Shell plans to pull back from the chemical industry and instead focus on its liquified natural gas business. Speaking at the firm's capital markets day meeting on March 25, Shell CEO Wael Sawan said that the chemical business is "not delivering adequate returns" and that "we do not believe we are the natural owners of this chemicals portfolio." Shell sold almost 12 million metric tons of chemicals in 2024 but posted a net loss of about $102 million for the year.
European states push Critical Chemicals Act

Mar 19, 2025 | cen.acs.org | Alex Scott

Led by Marc Ferracci, France's minister for industry and energy, eight European countries have released a series of measures they want the European Union (EU) to adopt to protect the region's ailing chemical industry. Called the EU Critical Chemicals Act and outlined in a joint statement by the countries, the proposed legislation is a response to the European chemical industry's lack of global competitiveness, a situation that has led to a series of plant closures across the region.
Europe’s chemical industry eyes a wave of plant closures

Feb 24, 2025 | pubs.acs.org | Alex Scott

Monday, February 24, 2025 Please be aware that pubs.acs.org is undergoing maintenance from Saturday February 1 to Monday Febraury 3, that may have an impact on your experience. During this time, you may not be able to access certain features like login, purchasing single articles, saving searches or running existing saved searches, modifying your e-Alert preferences, or accessing Librarian administrative functions.
Europe's chemical industry eyes a wave of plant closures

Feb 20, 2025 | cen.acs.org | Alex Scott

The European chemical industry is in dire straits. Several major firms are on the verge of closing plants in the face of weak demand, persistently high natural gas prices, and a looming trade war. "Chemical plants are up for sale and closing on an unprecedented scale in Europe," says Richard John Carter, an independent consultant and former senior executive at BASF. Hard times in Europe's automotive sector, one of the chemical industry's main customers, are part of the problem, Carter says.
Copying point layer attribute form structure (built for QField) to an existing line layer

Feb 9, 2025 | gis.stackexchange.com | Alex Scott

Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.
Ineos closes UK synthetic ethanol plant

Jan 23, 2025 | cen.acs.org | Alex Scott

By Ineos has closed its synthetic ethanol plant in Grangemouth, Scotland. The plant, which had 180,000 metric tons per year of capacity, was one of just two in Europe converting ethylene into the alcohol. Ineos blames the closure on the UK's high energy prices and carbon taxes. "De-industrializing Britain achieves nothing for the environment. It merely shifts production and emissions elsewhere," Ineos chairman Jim Ratcliffe says in a statement.