l Eastman Chemical Company has announced plans for an expansion of its crude tall oil fractionation unit in Franklin, VA, and the shutdown of the company’s fractionation and rosin ester units in Savannah, GA. The fractionation process separates tall oil, a byproduct of the wood pulping process, into products used in adhesives, inks, coating, and other industrial applications. The expansion of the Franklin facility to approximately 100,000 tons per year and the shutdown of the Savannah site will restructure Eastman’s fractionation operations to a more efficient single site. These actions, scheduled to occur in 2003, will result in a better product supply/demand process and will reduce Eastman’s overall crude tall oil fractionation process.