The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has completed field testing of a battery energy storage system (BESS) connected to a live electrical grid, marking a significant step toward validating next-generation grid control strategies and advanced AC/DC power conversion technologies under real-world operating conditions.
On 6 November 2026, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (No.1, Ton That Dam, Hanoi), Mr. Nguyễn Văn Luyện – Deputy General Director of Vietnam National Chemical Group (Vinachem) – participated in a networking event between Vietnamese enterprises and African Ambassadors. The programme was jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Department of Middle East and Africa and the Department of Economic Diplomacy, on the occasion of African Ambassadors presenting credentials in Vietnam.
By utilising surplus saturated steam from the formalin production line to provide heat for the UF/UMF resin line, Ms. Nguyễn Thị Hà, Director of the Centre for Scientific and Technological Production Experimentation at the Vietnam Institute of Industrial Chemistry, delivered benefits worth VND 761 million in the first year of implementation. The initiative contributed to energy savings, reduced production costs, and emission mitigation, and was awarded the Creative Labour Certificate by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour in 2025.
Enzymes designed by artificial intelligence are being used for the first time in a mass-market laundry liquid. At the same time, China has begun drafting a standard method to verify how much of a detergent comes from biological sources.
After years of liquid detergents and pods dominating the market, the cleaning industry is now seeing a new generation of solid-format detergents emerge in the form of dissolvable sheets and fiber tiles. The technology removes most of the water from the product, cutting shipping volume and the amount of plastic used in packaging.
Major US chemical producers Olin and Westlake reported lower third-quarter profits, as the chlor-alkali industry prepares to replace asbestos diaphragm technology under environmental regulations, a transition that could cost billions of dollars.
Messages from Leader
To develop VINACHEM into a powerful economic group; to own centralised chemical complexes equipped with state of the art technology; to focus on environmental protection, products could be competitive, satisfying domestic demand and strengthening export
