The prospect of turning coal into fluorescent particles may sound too good to be true, but the possibility exists, thanks to scientists at Rice University.

The Dow Chemical Co.’s joint-venture membrane chlor-alkali facility, with Mitsui & Co. Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan (Mitsui), has successfully initiated full-scale, commercial production.

RE Carroll Inc., Trenton, NJ, has signed a distribution agreement with Sincol USA to distribute its line of organic pigments.

Orion Engineered Carbons’ principal owners, private-equity firms Rhône Group and Triton Advisors, are exploring the potential for an initial public offering of stock of the company.

FutureFuel, a manufacturer of custom and specialty organic chemicals, has named Viachem as its partner for the marketing, technical sales, customer service and fulfillment of selected performance chemicals.

Arkema Coating Resins, a business unit of Arkema, has introduced its ENCOR^® brand of latex binders for formulators in Brazil.

PPG Industries’ industrial coatings business has received a $224,000 award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help develop dark-colored pigments for cool metal roof and façade coatings that incorporate near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence and reflectance to improve energy performance.

RPM International Inc. reported record financial results for its fiscal 2014 third quarter ended February 28, 2014, which reflected strong performance by the company's industrial segment that overcame weather-related weakness in its consumer segment.

VersaFlex Inc, a formulator and manufacturer of polyurea protective coatings, liners and sealants, is expanding its technical sales and service operations into regionally staffed units across the United States and Canada.

RPM International Inc. has hired Joe Toula as Assistant Controller, Angela Vannucci as Manager of Corporate Development and Jennifer Scully as Human Resources Generalist.