KINGSPORT, Tennessee — Eastman Chemical Company’s footprint is about to get bigger. The company announced a joint venture with Accsys, a London-based company, to construct and operate an acetylated wood facility formed as Accoya USA in Kingsport. Eastman will hold 40% ownership in the joint project. The project will bring 300 construction jobs to the Kingsport manufacturing site over the next 20 months, according to the email, and more than 70 permanent chemical operator, business, wood handling, trucking and maintenance positions for Accoya. The project is expected to be completed in early 2024 with a projected cost of approximately $136 million. …According to Accoya, the wood acetylation process includes subjecting a softwood to a vinegar, which turns it into a hardwood by preventing the cells in the wood from being able to absorb water.