DES PLAINES, Ill. (AP) — A Honeywell subsidiary will spend $20 million to expand a production plant in Alabama so that it can aid workers trying to clean up after the nuclear disaster in Japan.
UOP LLC produces adsorbents, which are used to remove radioactive material from liquid. The plant also produces catalysts that are using in refining, petrochemical and other applications, to create products ranging from transportation fuels to biodegradable detergents.
"This investment helps us meet the demand for our newest advanced materials, as well as established products that are in demand by customers around the world," said Mike Millard, an executive with the UOP Catalyst, Adsorbents and Specialties business.
Outside of the Mobile, Ala., plant that is being expanded, UOP, based in Des Plaines, Ill., makes adsorbents and catalysts in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, La.; McCook, Ill.; Shanghai, China; Brimsdown, U.K. and Reggio Calabria, Italy.
The company, which is part of Honeywell International Inc.'s. specialty materials segment, said that the Mobile plant expansion is expected to be finished by the fourth quarter.
Shares of Honeywell International, which is based in Morris Township, N.J., added 13 cents to $61.25 in morning trading.