Alexander H. Tullo

New York

Senior Editor at C&EN

Senior Correspondent, Chemical & Engineering News. Dad. Guitarist. Go Blue!

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Articles

Chemical execs struggle to assess tariff impacts

1 week ago | pubs.acs.org | Alexander H. Tullo

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Nylon maker Ascend files for bankruptcy

3 weeks ago | cen.acs.org | Alexander H. Tullo

Struggling with debt and a market swamped with overcapacity, the nylon 6,6 producer Ascend Performance Materials has declared bankruptcy in Texas. Ascend says that it is pursuing an easy restructuring process that will wrap up in about 6 months. It has secured $250 million in debtor-in-possession financing that will allow it to continue running its operations in the interim.
Dow plans deep cuts amid poor economy

3 weeks ago | cen.acs.org | Alexander H. Tullo

Responding to economic uncertainty and a longer and deeper chemical industry downturn than it had anticipated, Dow is planning further cuts to manufacturing. The company, the largest US chemical maker, is delaying an ethylene project in Alberta and may idle or permanently shut down three large facilities in Europe, including its ethylene cracker in Böhlen, Germany.
New US tariffs spare many chemicals

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Alexander H. Tullo

The Donald J. Trump administration declared a trade war with the rest of the world, only to declare a 90-day pause on April 9, the day steep new tariffs would have been enforced. Some 75 countries, Trump says, have contacted administration officials to negotiate.But China, which has shown no signs of conciliation, will see a 145% tariff, Trump said in a Truth Social post that day.
LanzaTech gets lowball takeover offer

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Alexander H. Tullo

The ethanol technology firm LanzaTech has received a takeover offer of 2 cents per share from one of its investors, Carbon Direct Capital Management. Carbon Direct says the offer, which is at about a tenth of LanzaTech's current stock price, may be the only thing that keeps LanzaTech from going bankrupt. LanzaTech, based in Skokie, Illinois, has a fermentation technology that converts carbon monoxide emissions from sources like steel plants into ethanol.
Chemistry on currency and a chemical company's fine art sell-off

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Alexander H. Tullo

Last April, the Aamjiwnaang First Nation reported hazardous levels of benzene in the air in Sarnia, Ontario. In response, the Canadian government quickly imposed strict limits on area facilities known to emit the carcinogenic chemical. The new regulation was aimed primarily at a nearby plant run by Ineos Styrolution, which uses benzene to make styrene, a precursor for polystyrene and other styrenic copolymers.
New US tariffs spare many chemicals

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Alexander H. Tullo

Duties from the Trump administration hit most countries but not all chemicals
New US tariffs spare many chemicals

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Alexander H. Tullo

The Donald J. Trump administration is imposing the toughest trade barriers in generations, levying new duties of at least 10% on every major trading partner. But the duties exempt many chemicals and most pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and energy products.
Petrochemical makers fret over their future

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Alexander H. Tullo

It is facing its worst business downturn in a generation because producers overbuilt capacity just as the global economy stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem is particularly bad in Europe, where nearly every major petrochemical producer is reviewing assets for closure. At the same time, the industry is navigating the energy transition away from fossil fuels, carefully deciding which low-carbon projects to take on, which to shelve, and which raw materials to bet on for the future.
Sustainable polymer makers Danimer, Brightmark file for bankruptcy

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Alexander H. Tullo

Demonstrating that making sustainable plastics isn't necessarily a sustainable business, two prominent green plastics operations-the biobased polymer maker Danimer Scientific and Brightmark's plastics pyrolysis plant-have gone bankrupt. Danimer filed for Chapter 11 in Delaware. It is seeking approval for $15 million in financing that will help it wind down operations and sell its assets. Danimer opened a plant in Winchester, Kentucky, in 2020 to make polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) via fermentation.