Tammi Weir

LyondellBasell & Sasol Sign Agreement To Form Integrated PE Joint Venture

Houston—
LyondellBasell and Sasol have entered into a definitive
agreement to form a 50-50 integrated polyethylene (PE)
joint venture, which will operate under the name Louisiana
Integrated PolyEthylene JV LLC.
Through the new joint venture, LyondellBasell will acquire
a 50% stake in Sasol’s 1.5-million t/y ethane cracker,
its 900,000-t/y low and linear-low density PE plants and
associated infrastructure on the U.S. Gulf Coast for a total
consideration of $2-billion.
LyondellBasell will operate the U.S. Base Chemicals
assets on behalf of the venture. Both partners will provide
pro-rate shares of ethane feedstocks and will offtake prorate
shares of cracker and PE products at cost.
Sasol’s Lake Charles Research and Development complex,
Lake Charles East Plant ethane cracker and U.S.
Performance Chemicals Business assets in Lake Charles
are not included in the joint venture.
The agreement includes customary rights for each party
regarding the potential future sale of its ownership interest.
Subject to customary regulatory approvals and approval
by Sasol shareholders, the transaction is expected to
close by the end of 2020.
“This transaction represents a significant step for Sasol
in achieving its financial and strategic objectives by reducing
net debt and rapidly shifting the company’s portfolio
towards specialty chemicals,” the companies noted.

 

AOC Materials Concludes Purchase Of Ashland’s MA Business, Facility

Wilmington—
Ashland Global Holdings has closed the sale of its maleic
anhydride (MA) business and manufacturing facility to
AOC Materials for $100-million (PCN, 3 Aug 2020, p 1).
The business has a manufacturing plant in Neal, W.
Va., and was previously excluded from Ashland’s sale to
Ineos Enterprises of its composites business and butanediol
manufacturing plant in Marl, Germany.
“This sale furthers Ashland’s strategic focus on specialty
ingredients and improved margins,” said Ashland
Chairman and Chief Executive Guillermo Novo.

 

Polyplex Planning to Add Second Line For BOPET Film at Site in Decatur

Decatur—Polyplex
Thailand announced it plans to expand its U.S. operations
with an additional thin biaxially oriented polyethylene
terephthalate (BOPET) film line at its site in Decatur, Ala.
The $103-million project will involve installing a
50,000-t/y BOPET film line adjacent to the existing film
line and debottlenecking its resin plant to increase capacity
to 86,000 t/y from 58,000 t/y currently.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the first half of
2021 with production expected to begin in about 24 months
from now.

 

Shell Expects to Cut Up to 9,000 Jobs by ’22 As Part of ‘Major’ Restructuring Process

London—
Shell, as part of its goal to be net-zero in all its operations
by 2050, has announced a “major” restructuring process
that will affect its refineries, chemical sites, onshore and
offshore production facilities, and will result in a reduction
of between 7,000 and 9,000 jobs by the end of 2022.
The upstream business will be run to ensure a “strong”
cash flow. The company will continue to invest, but it will
not be about the quantity of oil or gas, it will be about how
much it adds to the bottom line. Upstream will be “critical”
to Shell, as it will provide the financial strength to invest
further in lower-carbon projects, Shell noted.
Refining will also be refocused. Shell will retain only
what is strategically essential to the company and integrate
those refineries with its chemicals business, which it
plans to grow. It will keep sites in key locations that have
the flexibility to adapt.
“It is also worth noting that, if we want to be a large
player in biofuels, a lot of the biofuel capability will be
built within our refining infrastructure,” said Ben van
Beurden, chief executive of Shell.
“We will end up with fewer than 10 refineries, compared
to 55 around 15 years ago, but they will be set up to
serve the changing needs of society.”
The company also plans to expand its integrated gas
business as the market grows.

 

IQ Receives Approval from Shareholders To Acquire Remaining QAFCO Interest

Doha—
Industries Qatar (IQ), at a virtual Extraordinary General
Assembly, received shareholders’ approval for the proposed
purchase of the remaining 25% stake in Qatar Fertilizer
Co. (QAFCO) from Qatar Petroleum (QP) for $1-billion,
according to a local news report.
The acquisition, which would make IQ sole owner, is
subject to regulatory and customary approvals. An expected
completion date was not available (PCN, 31 Aug
2020, p 2).
Also, as part of the same transaction, the board of directors
recently approved QAFCO’s purchase of QP’s 40%
interest in Qatar Melamine Co. (QMC), effective 1 July
2020.
In addition, QAFCO has entered into a new gas sale
and purchase agreement with QP from 1 Aug. 2020 until
31 Dec. 2035, that covers all of QAFCO’s gas requirements
for trains one through six and the facilities of QMC.
QAFCO, based in Mesaieed, Qatar, produces about 3.8-
million t/y of ammonia and around 5.7-million to 5.8-
million t/y of urea.
“The 25% ownership in QAFCO will return back to
Qatar Petroleum at the end of the term [31 Dec. 2035] for a
nil consideration,” said the report quoting Mohammed Jaber
Al Sulaiti, manager of the Privatized Companies Affairs
Dept. at QP.

 

Dow Shutting Down Several Facilities As Part of Its Restructuring Program

Midland—Dow
recently announced it is implementing a restructuring program
to reduce its global workforce costs by about 6% and
to rationalize certain manufacturing assets.
Dow will shut down certain amines and solvents plants
in the U.S. and Europe, as well as select small-scale downstream
polyurethanes manufacturing units.
It will also close mainly small-scale coatings reactors,
and will rationalize its upstream asset footprint in Europe,
the U.S. and Canada by adjusting the supply of siloxane
and silicon metal.
These actions are expected to result in total annualized
EBITDA savings of more than $300-million by the end of
2021.
Separately, Dow said it would complete the sale of its
rail infrastructure assets at six North American sites to
Watco on 30 Sept. 2020 (PCN, 13 July 2020, p 3).
The transaction, valued at over $310-million, includes
rail infrastructure assets and related equipment at Dow’s
sites in Plaquemine and St. Charles, La; Freeport and
Seadrift, Texas, and Ft. Saskatchewan and Prentiss in Alberta,
Canada.

 

TPPI Increasing Aromatics Capacity At Its Tuban Complex in Indonesia

Tuban—Trans-
Pacific Petrochemical Indotama (TPPI), a subsidiary of
Pertamina, is expanding production capacity for paraxylene
and benzene at its complex in Tuban, East Java, Indonesia,
according to Argus Media.
The project, part of a planned $180-million renovation
and maintenance program, will increase paraxylene capacity
from 600,000 t/y currently to 780,000 t/y and will boost
benzene capacity to 490,000 t/y from 360,000 t/y. TPPI will
also expand an upstream platforming unit at the site, increasing
reforming capacity to 55,000 b/d.
Existing equipment at the site has reached the end of
its lifespan and will be replaced with more efficient equipment,
which will result in the additional production capacity,
the report said. Production is expected to begin in
early 2022.

 

Hexion Agrees to Sell 3 of Its Businesses To Black Diamond and Investindustrial

Columbus—
Hexion has signed a definitive agreement with Black Diamond
and Investindustrial, in which Hexion will sell its
Phenolic Specialty Resins, Hexamine and European-based
Forest Products Resins businesses to the two firms for
about $425-million.
The transaction involves 11 manufacturing plants
worldwide and around 900 employees. Subject to regulatory
approvals and other customary closing conditions, including
consultation with the Works Council, the sale is
expected to be finalized in the first quarter of next year.
“We continue to strategically manage our portfolio providing
us the ability to further strengthen our balance
sheet and maintain a strong business going forward,” said
Hexion Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer
Craig Rogerson.
“As we proceed, we will leverage our differentiated
technology and global manufacturing footprint to serve the
diversified customers of our remaining businesses.”

 

TechnipFMC Wins Shell Contract to Install New Ethylene Furnaces at Moerdijk Site

Moerdijk—
Shell has awarded a contract to TechnipFMC to install
eight new ethylene furnaces at Shell’s Moerdijk complex in
the Netherlands (PCN, 7 Sept 2020, p 4).
Under the contract, valued at between $75-million and
$250-million, TechnipFMC will be responsible for the engineering,
procurement and module fabrication for proprietary
equipment and related services for the furnaces.
Based on TechnipFMC’s innovative multi-lane radiant
coil design, the energy-efficient furnaces will replace 16
older units without reducing capacity at the site. Completion
is scheduled for 2025.
“We continue to invest in innovation, even in difficult
economic times,” said Shell Moerdijk General Manager
Richard Zwinkels.
“This investment . . . contributes to the reduction of
carbon emissions from our manufacture of chemicals and
to Shell’s ambition of becoming a net-zero emissions energy
business by 2050 or sooner. We aim to achieve our ambition
in step with society.”
The upgrade is expected to reduce Shell Moerdijk’s carbon
dioxide emissions by about 10% a year.

 

Cargill and Virent Partner to Evaluate Process to Produce Biofuels, Biochems

Madison—
Cargill and Virent announced that they are working together
to study the use of Cargill’s corn dextrose as a feedstock
to Virent’s BioForming technology for the production
of “drop-in” low-carbon biofuels and biochemicals.
The technology uses sugars found in plants as feedstock
to produce renewable gasoline and jet fuel, as well as lower
carbon biochemicals, including bio-paraxylene.
“We are working to scale up the BioForming process
and are very pleased to announce our work with Cargill to
study the availability of corn dextrose as feedstock,” said
Virent President Dave Kettner.
Once the study is complete, Virent will use the findings
to evaluate options for scale-up and the development of a
first commercial plant utilizing the BioForming process.
“The long-term objective is to use commercially available
feedstocks today as a bridge to next-generation lignocellulosic
feedstocks in the future,” the parties noted.

 

People on the Move

Toray Plastics (America) Inc.—Christopher Roy has
been has been named executive vice president and will
oversee the company’s Torayfan and Lumirror Divisions.
In addition, his role in providing support to Toray Films
Europe will be expanded. He was most recently senior vice
president and general manager of the Torayfan Division.
Matt Brown, general manager of the Lumirror Division,
has taken on the additional role of vice president of that
division.
Chris Nothnagle has been appointed senior director of
sales and marketing of the Lumirror Division. He has
been senior director of corporate marketing since 2017.
Sibur—Pavel Lyakhovich, previously head of the Plastics,
Elastomers and Organic Synthesis Division, has been
name head of the Basic Polymers Division. He will be succeeded
by Alexander Petrov, who was the former managing
director for economics and finance.

 

JJC, SVAP, Shenzhen Qianhai Gatsway End Jiangsu Jurong Petrochem Deal

Beijing—SunVic
Chemical Holdings’ Jiangsu Jurong Chemical (JJC) subsidiary,
SunVic Asia Pacific Investments Holdings (SVAP)
and Shenzhen Qianhai Gatsway Petrochemical have terminated
a framework agreement, in which Shenzhen Qianhai
would acquire a 100% equity interest in Jiangsu Jurong
Petrochemicals (JJP) from JJC and SVAP (PCN, 5
Sept 2016, p 3).
The agreement was terminated due to financial constraints
of Shenzhen Qianhai, and because of an explosion
last year in the chemical zone where JJP’s plants are located
in Yancheng City, China, which led to a government
shutdown of the chemical zone.
The transaction, which had an aggregate cash consideration
value of RMB 388-million, was to include a methyl
tertiary butyl ether facility and a jetty at JJC’s site in
Xiangshui, China.
JJC holds a 69% interest in JJP, while SVAP, an associated
company of SunVic Chemical Holdings, holds a 31%
stake.
With the continued shutdown of the chemical zone, the
management team of JJC doesn’t expect to be able to dispose
of JJP in the foreseeable future.

 

ABB Awarded Contract by MOL to Improve Asset Integrity Across Downstream Assets

London—
ABB said it has won a contract from MOL to transform
Asset Integrity Management (AIM) across four of MOL’s
key chemical and refinery sites in Hungary, Slovakia and
Croatia, in a move to drive production efficiency, improve
safety and reduce risk.
As part of the three-year project, ABB and Metegrity
Visions will integrate a common digital platform at the
Danube, Slovnaft, MOL petrochemicals plants and INA
chemical unit. The new solution will provide advanced risk
analysis of assets with a key aim of reducing unplanned
outages and lowering maintenance costs, ABB noted.
With the new AIM procedures, processes and systems,
ABB estimates that MOL will increase availability and
reduce turnaround duration leading to savings and production
improvements of around €10-million a year across
MOL’s downstream assets.
“The adoption of AIM will increase efficiency and transparency,
identifying the critical assets and focusing inspection
and remediation of risk with respect to safety and production,”
said Zied Ouertani, global technology manager
for Chemicals & Refining at ABB Energy Industries.
“This will enable MOL to base asset integrity investment
decisions on the equipment’s current condition, and
to make the switch from reactive to proactive maintenance.”

 

BASF Concludes Divestment to Lone Star Of Its Construction Chemicals Business

Berlin—
BASF has finalized the sale of its Construction Chemicals
business to an affiliate of global private equity firm Lone
Star for €3.17-billion (PCN, 3 Aug 2020, p 2).
The business, which has approximately 7,500 employees
and operates production sites and sales offices in more
than 60 countries, now forms the newly founded MBCC
Group, headquartered in Mannheim, Germany.

 

LyondellBasell Reports ‘Ambitious’ Targets, Focuses on Three Transformational Areas

Houston—
LyondellBasell has released its annual Sustainability Report,
in which it sets “ambitious” goals for the next decade
and focuses on three transformational areas, including
plastic waste, climate change, and thriving societies.
Specifically, the company aims to produce and market
2-million t/y of recycled and renewable-based polymers;
increase its investment in the recovery and recycling of
plastic; accelerate solutions to end plastic waste, and reduce
carbon dioxide emissions by 15% per ton of product
produced relative to 2015 levels by 2030.
It also plans to join the American Chemistry Council
and Plastics Europe industry peers to ensure 100% of plastic
packaging is reused, recycled or recovered by 2040.
In addition, LyondellBasell plans to advance diversity,
inclusion and equity in the workplace.
“LyondellBasell has been on a multi-year journey to advance
the circular economy and we have made strides in
mechanical and advanced recycling, as well as producing
renewable-based products,” said Jim Seward, senior vice
president, research and development, technology and sustainability.
“Our goals underscore what we see possible in the next
decade, and our sustainability ambitions require us to
adapt our business models. When viewed through the lens
of technology and innovation, our track record demonstrates
our capacity to advance new collaborations and
partnerships for the benefit of society.”

 

Mitsubishi Chemical America Completes Gelest Intermediate Holdings Purchase

New York—
Mitsubishi Chemical America, the U.S. subsidiary of Mitsubishi
Chemical Corp. (MCC), has concluded the acquisition
of all issued and outstanding shares of Gelest Inc.
from New Mountain Capital (PCN, 4 May 2020, p 4).
Headquartered in Morrisville, Penn., Gelest is a manufacturer
and supplier of specialty monomers, silicones, organosilanes
and metal-organics. Value of the transaction
was not disclosed.
“New Mountain Capital has been a terrific partner and
helped us to significantly grow the company over the past
three years,” said Gelest Chief Executive Ken Gayer. “We
now look forward to joining MCC where their capabilities
and breadth will allow Gelest to create even more value for
customers and opportunities for employees.”

 

Topsoe Changes Organization to Accelerate Development of Carbon-Neutral Processes

Lyngby—
Haldor Topsoe is establishing a new organization to support
its vision to be recognized as a global leader in carbon
emission reduction technologies by 2024.
“We have designed an organization with a clear focus
on accelerating the development of carbon-neutral technologies,
and it will be funded by continued delivery of
Topsoe’s globally leading solutions for energy-efficient production
of conventional fuels and chemicals,” said Topsoe
Chief Executive Roeland Baan.
The new organization, which will be effective 1 Nov.
2020, will result in approximately 200 job cuts. Many employees
will have new responsibilities as departments and
business areas are refocused.

 

Itochu, Borealis and Borouge to Jointly Study Uptake of Renewable PP in Japanese Market

Tokyo–
Itochu, Borealis and Borouge announced their intent to
jointly evaluate how to enable uptake of renewable polypropylene
(PP) in Japan.
“The developments of climate change are attracting attention
in Japan and overseas, and countermeasures are
urgently required,” the partners noted. “Under these circumstances,
Japan has formulated a basic plan to introduce
approximately 2-million tons of renewable plastic
products by 2030.”
This past March, Borealis began producing certified renewable
PP at its facilities in Kallo and Beringen, Belgium,
using Neste’s renewable propane as feedstock (PCN,
16 Mar 2020, p 1).
Itochu will move ahead with an expansion of the global
renewable plastics business, particularly in Japan and in
Asia. It plans to commercially launch Japan’s “first” food
containers, packaging materials and other products made
of renewable PP by the end of 2020.
“Itochu will actively use its group networks in Japan
and overseas to create a new business model in the domain
of renewable plastics and to accelerate actions towards
achieving a society for sustainable global development,”
the parties noted.

 

Toyota Tsusho Forms New Recycling Company To Turn Used PET Bottles into Raw Material

Tokyo–
Toyota Tsusho Corp., along with Utsumi Recycle Systems,
Chuo Warehouse and other firms, have established a company
in Japan that will sort, shred and wash used polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) bottles and recycle them into
raw material for new PET bottles.
The new company, Toyotsu PET Recycling Systems, is
expected to start operations in 2022. It is owned 65% by
Toyota Tsusho, 15% by Utsumi Recycle Systems, 12.5% by
Chuo Warehouse, and 7.5% by other partners.
“PET bottles disposed in Japan amount to 650,000 t/y,
with most exported overseas or recycled in Japan,” said
Toyota Tsusho. “However, due to import restrictions imposed
recently by China and Southeast Asian countries,
retention of used PET bottle [s] in Japan is expected to increase.
“With the announcement of PET bottle recycling policies
by Japanese beverage manufacturers, the creation of a
sustainable used PET bottle recycling system in Japan has
become an important issue.”

 

DSM Reaches Deal with Covestro to Divest Resins & Functional Materials Businesses

Heerlen—
Royal DSM said it has agreed to sell its Resins & Functional
Materials and associated businesses to Covestro AG
for an equity value of €1.6-billion.
The sale involves all of DSM’s Resins & Functional Materials
businesses, including DSM Niaga, DSM Additive
Manufacturing and the coatings activities of DSM Advanced
Solar. Completion is expected in the first half of
2021, subject to customary conditions and approvals.
“This sale builds on our approach of actively managing
our businesses, as DSM continues to evolve as a purposeled,
science-based company operating in the fields of nutrition,
health and sustainable living,” said Geraldine Matchett
and Dimitri de Vreeze, co-chief executives of DSM.
“The deal delivers strong value to DSM and is strategically
attractive for all parties.”

 

Agilyx Joins AmSty, Ineos and Trinseo To Explore Recycling Options for PS

Tigard—Agilyx
has decided to partner with AmSty, Ineos Styrolution and
Trinseo as technology partner to explore and optimize advanced
recycling technologies for polystyrene (PS), such as
depolymerization (PCN, 21 Sept 2020, p 2).
The parties, which have signed a non-disclosure agreement,
will develop and identify the best design and supply
chain approach to produce new high-value recycled products
from PS waste.
“We hope to signal to the industry, in particular to
companies along the value chain in a circular economy,
that we are very serious about circularity for polystyrene,”
said Dr. Randy Pogue, president and chief executive of
AmSty.
“Since 2018, AmSty and Agilyx have already worked
together in our joint facility in Tigard, Ore., using Agilyx’s
breakthrough pyrolysis technology. We are delighted to
see Agilyx join our program and couldn’t imagine a better
person.”

 

Affiliate of SK Capital Finalizes Purchase Of Baker Hughes’ Specialty Polymers

New York—
Funds advised by SK Capital Partners has concluded the
acquisition of the specialty polymers business of Baker
Hughes for an undisclosed amount (PCN, 3 Aug 2020, p 2).
The business, which has been renamed NuCera Solutions,
produces specialty low molecular weight olefin polymers,
including a range of differentiated functional polymers
and premium, high melting point polyethylene waxes.
It has manufacturing operations in Barnsdall, Okla.
Steve McKeown, most recently president and chief executive
of Galata Chemicals, has been appointed chief executive
of NuCera.

EC Approves Ineos’ Planned Acquisition Of BP’s Chemicals Business for $5-Bn

Brussels—The
European Commission (EC) has cleared the proposed acquisition
of sole control of BP’s chemicals business by the
Ineos Group, both of the UK, for a total consideration of $5-
billion (PCN, 6 July 2020, p 1).
The sale, mainly consisting of BP’s aromatics and acetyls
businesses, includes assets, technology and licenses, as
well as related assets. The transaction is expected to be
finalized by the end of the year.
BP’s aromatics business produces paraxylene and purified
terephthalic acid (PTA). Its largest manufacturing
plants are in China, the U.S. and Belgium, and it licenses
PTA production technology worldwide.
The acetyls business produces acetic acid and derivatives.
It has a diverse base with manufacturing facilities
in the U.S., UK, China, Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia. The
sale includes related interests, such as the chemical recycling
technology, BP Infinia, and BP’s stake in acetylated
wood developer Tricoya.
The commission concluded that the transaction would
raise no competition concerns given the presence of several
other well-established competitors in all of those markets.

 

IndianOil Expanding Gujarat Refinery; Will Add Petrochemicals Production

Gujarat—Indian
Oil Corp. (IndianOil) has received board approval to implement
a project that will increase capacity of its Gujarat
refinery in India and involves building new petrochemical
units there (PCN, 9 Mar 2020, p 3).
The project, expected to cost around Rs 17,825 crore,
will boost refining capacity to 18-million t/y from 13.7-
million t/y currently.
In addition, IndianOil will build a new 500,000-t/y polypropylene
plant at the site, as well as a 235,000-t/y lube oil
base stock unit.
PCN earlier reported that the project was expected to
take two years to complete.

 

PTTGCA Secures Ethane for Proposed Olefins Cracker Project with Daelim

Belmont—PTT
Global Chemical America (PTTGCA) has signed a longterm
ethane supply agreement with Range Resources for
its proposed world-scale olefins cracker project with
Daelim Chemical USA in Belmont County, Ohio (PCN, 4
May 2020, p 2).
Under the agreement, contingent upon PTTGCA and
Daelim reaching a final investment decision, Range will
supply 15,000 b/d of ethane to the multi-billion dollar project,
which would include a 1.5-million-t/y ethane cracker
for the production of ethylene, linear low-density polyethylene
(PE) and high-density PE.
Technip and Ineos earlier agreed to supply technologies
for the new plants. A final investment decision is expected
early next year.

 

Lummus Wins Master Licensor Contract For DRPIC’s New PC Complex in Oman

Duqm—
Duqm Refinery and Petrochemical Industries Co. (DRPIC),
a joint venture of OQ SAOC and Kuwait Petroleum Europe
BV, has awarded Lummus Technology a master licensor
contract for its planned Duqm Petrochemicals Project in
Duqm, Oman (PCN, 21 Sept 2020, p 1).
Under the contract, Lummus will be responsible for
technology licensing, process design package, training and
advisory services, and proprietary catalyst and equipment
supply.
The project includes a 48-million-cu m/d natural gas-toliquids
unit licensed by Lummus to Oman Oil Facilities
Development, a wholly-owned subsidiary of OQ, a 1.6-
million-t/y ethylene plant, a 161,000-t/y butadiene extraction
unit, a CDMtbe unit with 145,000 t/y of methyl tertiary
butyl ether capacity and a 1-butene separation plant,
licensed to DRPIC, with 51,000 t/y of 1-butene capacity.
Duqm Petrochemicals Project is the second stage of
DRPIC’s integrated refinery and petrochemical complex.
Value of the contract and an expected completion date
were not available.

 

Hengli Starts Up 7 Polybed PSA Units At Its Fully Integrated Site in Dalian

Dalian—Honeywell
UOP announced that Hengli Petrochemical Co. has
begun operating seven new UOP Polybed pressure swing
adsorption (PSA) units for the supply of high-purity hydrogen
for petrochemical production at its fully integrated site
in Dalian, Liaoning, China.
Hengli will use the PSA units in downstream hydrotreating
to create feedstock for petrochemical products
(plastics and other chemicals), producing about 1.4-million
normal cu m/hr of hydrogen.
The skid-mounted, modular units use UOP’s proprietary
adsorbents to remove impurities at high pressure from
hydrogen-containing process streams, allowing hydrogen to
be recovered and upgraded to more than 99.9% purity.
In addition to recovering and purifying hydrogen from
steam reformers and refinery off-gases, the Polybed PSA
system can be used to produce hydrogen from other sources
such as ethylene off-gas, methanol off-gas and partialoxidation
synthesis gas.

 

SIIG, Petrochem Get Board Ok to Discuss Potential Merger of the Two Companies

Riyadh—
Saudi Industrial Investment Group (SIIG) and National
Petrochemical Co. (Petrochem) have both received approval
from their board of directors to begin initial talks to study
the economic feasibility of merging the two companies.
SIIG, which own a 50% interest in Petrochem, said an
agreement has not yet been reached on the final structure
of the potential deal, and that entering into the study does
not necessarily mean a deal will take place.

 

AmSty, Ineos Styrolution Plan to Build New PS Recycling Facility in Illinois

Joliet—AmSty
and Ineos Styrolution announced plans to build a joint facility
for the advanced recycling of polystyrene (PS) in
Channahon, Ill.
The new 100-t/d plant, which will utilize Agilyx’s advanced
recycling technology, will recycle post-use PS products
back into virgin-equivalent styrene monomer. Engineering
design is already under way. Cost of the project
and an expected completion date were not given.
In 2018, AmSty and Agilyx formed their Regenyx joint
venture to advance the development of a similar facility in
Tigard, Ore., using Agilyx’s pyrolysis technology (PCN, 1-8
June 2020, p 2). The Channahon plant will be engineered
on a larger-scale.
Agilyx has agreed to source and supply plastic waste
feedstock for the new facility through its recently formed
Cyclyx International subsidiary (PCN, 6 July 2020, p 4).
“In addition to the technology, we have developed a feedstock
management system, which is just as important as
the technology in developing the supply chain for this new
market,” said Cyclyx President Joe Vaillancourt.
“The overreaching goal of Cyclyx is to dramatically increase
the recyclability of post-use plastics with a priority
for fully circular pathways, as well as assisting in the development
of new supply chains that will aggregate and
preprocess larger volumes of post-use plastics than current
systems.”

 

Ineos Signs Deal to Purchase Green Energy To Power Its Production Sites in Belgium

Antwerp—
Ineos has finalized a 10-year agreement with Engie for the
purchase of renewable electricity from the Norther offshore
windfarm in the North Sea to be used at Ineos’ production
sites in Belgium.
Under the contract, Engie will supply Ineos with 84
megawatts of renewable energy from 1 Jan. 2021, which
will initially be used by existing Ineos production sites and
later by Project One, Ineos’ planned investment in two
state-of-the-art plants in Antwerp for the production of
ethylene and propylene (PCN, 8 July 2019, p 1).
Project One, estimated to cost €3-billion, will include an
ethane cracker and a propane dehydrogenation unit, based
on McDermott’s Lummus Catofin technology, with a
nameplate capacity of 750,000 t/y of propylene. Commissioning
is expected in 2023.
The deal with Engie will reduce the company’s carbon
footprint in Belgium by more than 1-million tons of carbon
dioxide, Ineos noted.

 

BASF-YPC JV Concludes NPG Expansion At Its State-of-the-Art Site in Nanjing

Nanjing—
BASF-YPC, a 50-50 joint venture of BASF and Sinopec,
has expanded production capacity for neopentyl glycol
(NPG) at its state-of-the-art Verbund site in Nanjing,
China (PCN, 30 Sept 2019, p 3).
The project increased NPG capacity at the site to 80,000
t/y from 40,000 t/y, further strengthening BASF-YPC’s
market position, BASF noted.
BASF also has NPG production sites in Ludwigshafen,
Germany; Freeport, Texas, and Jilin, China.

 

MPL Gets Board Approval to Increase Indian Propylene Glycol Capacity

Chennai—Manali
Petrochemicals Ltd. (MPL) has received board of directors’
approval to increase propylene glycol (PG) production capacity
at its existing facilities in India.
The two-phase project, estimated to cost around Rs 150
crore, would increase PG production capacity by 48,000 t/y
to a total of 70,000 t/y.
In the first phase, the company will add 24,000 t/y of
PG capacity. Subject to regulatory approvals, completion
is expected to take 18 to 21 months.
The second phase, for which a schedule was not available,
will involve increasing PG capacity by an additional
24,000 t/y.
“The demand for PG in India is about 1 lakh t/y, which
is estimated to grow by 5% annually,” MPL noted. “Since
the current shortfall is met through imports, addition of
the above new capacity is expected to increase the domestic
market share of MPL and improve its operations,” said
Ramades Kothandaraman, company secretary.

 

Vinnolit Closing Schkopau PVC Facility

Berlin—
Vinnolit GmbH & Co. has begun consultations with the
works council at its site in Schkopau, Germany, regarding
shutting down the site’s paste polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
plant.
“The decision was driven by the plant’s lack of economic
viability and long-term competitive sustainability,” the
company noted.
Vinnolit will continue to supply customers from its larger,
backward-integrated sites at Burghausen, Gendorf
and Cologne, Germany.

 

Unipetrol Completes PE3 Unit in Litvinov

Prague—
Unipetrol announced the completion of its new highdensity
polyethylene (PE3) project at the Litvinov site in
the Czech Republic (PCN, 6-13 Apr 2020, p 3).
The first part of the 270,000-t/y facility, the line producing
natural PE, began operation in April 2020. The second
part of the plant, which produces black polyethylene, has
now been completed.
PE3 replaces the existing 120,000-t/y PE1 unit at the
site. Operations of the 200,000-t/y PE2 plant will continue.

 

People on the Move

Yara International—Lair Hanzen, currently executive
vice president of Yara Americas, has been appointed
special advisor to the president and chief executive.
Chrystel Monthean has been named executive vice
president of Yara Americas. She is presently executive
vice president, Yara Africa & Asia.
Fernanda Lopes Larsen, currently senior vice president
of indirect procurement, has been appointed executive vice
president, Yara Africa & Asia. All three appointments are
effective 1 Oct. 2020.
Venture Global LNG—Michael Sabel, a founder, cochairman
and co-chief executive of the company, has been
named chief executive.
Robert Pender, also a founder, co-chairman and co-chief
executive, will assume the new role of executive cochairman.
The new positions are effective 1 Oct. 2020.

 

Air Liquide Building New ASU in Tianjin For Growing Chemical, Steel Industries

Tianjin—Air
Liquide China said it will build, own and operate a new air
separation unit (ASU) in Tianjin, China, to supply oxygen,
nitrogen and argon to the growing chemical and steel industries.
The approximately €60-million project will have a production
capacity of over 2,000 t/d of oxygen utilizing stateof-
the-art technology, and is secured by a new long-term
supply agreement with a “major” customer, the company
noted. Operations are planned to begin in 2022.
Air Liquide already operates seven ASUs in Tianjin, as
well as a network of multi-sourced pipelines that supply
oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen to nearby customers.

 

BASF Investing in Pyrum Innovations For Pyrolysis Oil from Waste Tires

Berlin—BASF SE
said it will invest €16-million into Pyrum Innovations, a
German technology company specialized in the production
of pyrolysis oil from waste tires.
The investment will support the expansion of Pyrum’s
pyrolysis plant in Dillingen, Germany, and the further roll
out of Pyrum’s technology.
Pyrum plans to add two production lines to its 10,000-
t/y pyrolysis facility by the end of 2022. BASF will uptake
most of the pyrolysis oil and process it into new chemical
products by using a mass balance approach, as part of its
ChemCycling project.
Furthermore, Pyrum intends to build additional tire
pyrolysis plants, together with interested partners, with
production capacities of up to 100,000 t/y.

 

Inter Pipeline Inks Deal with CLH to Sell Most of Its European Storage Business

Calgary—
Inter Pipeline has entered into a definitive agreement to
divest a majority of its European bulk liquid storage business
to CLH Group, a European bulk liquid product logistics
company, for approximately $715-million.
The sale includes all of Inter Pipeline’s bulk liquid storage
and handling assets in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands
and Germany, which includes 15 storage terminals
and about 18-million bbls of storage capacity.
Subject to satisfaction of closing conditions and customary
regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to be
concluded in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Inter Pipeline will retain its eight terminals in Sweden
and Denmark, comprising around 19-million bbls of aggregate
storage capacity.
“This is a very positive transaction for Inter Pipeline,”
said Christian Bayle, president and chief executive of Inter
Pipeline. “Monetizing a significant portion of our European
asset base enables us to focus resources on developing
our higher growth Canadian businesses.
“As such, proceeds from the sale will be used to reduce
debt, strengthen our balance sheet and assist with financing
our large capital expenditure program, including the
Heartland Petrochemical Complex.”
The estimated $4-billion complex, currently under construction
in Strathcona County, Canada, will convert
22,000 b/d of propane into about 525,000 t/y of polypropylene
(PCN, 11 May 2020, p 1). Start-up is expected by early
2022.

 

Borealis to Receive €250-Mn EIB Loan To Boost Plastics Circularity Efforts

Vienna—The
European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted a €250-
million loan to Borealis to support Borealis’ multi-year investment
program in the area of plastics circularity.
The loan will allow Borealis to intensify the development
of novel, polyolefins-based circular solutions at its
Innovation Centres in Austria, Sweden and Finland.
“Borealis has been at the forefront of industry efforts to
accelerate the transformation to a circular economy of plastics,”
the company noted.
“Its proprietary Borstar, Borlink and Borceed technologies
have recently been enriched by Borcycle, an evolving
technology that enables the production of high-quality recycled
polyolefins (rPOs), and the Bornewables, a portfolio
of circular polyolefins produced with renewable feedstock
derived entirely from waste and residue streams.”
“The promotion of circular solutions in the polyolefins
industry is aligned with our goals to accelerate the transition
to a circular economy, including for plastics, and to
support cutting-edge innovation,” said EIB Vice President
Ambroise Fayolle.
“We are happy to continue and intensify our collaboration
with Borealis AG by signing our largest transaction
together so far. As the EU’s climate bank, we are eager to
support private sector partners that are committed to environmental
sustainability.”

 

Solvay to Curtail H202 in Western Europe Under Peroxides for the Future Program

Brussels—
Solvay has launched its new Peroxides for the Future
(P4F) program, a multi-year plan to adapt its industrial
footprint to meet customers’ needs, and said it plans to
curb hydrogen peroxide (H202) production capacity in
Western Europe.
Under the P4F program, H2O2 production capacity in
Western Europe will be curtailed by 70,000 t/y, as of 1 Jan.
2021. The company will make H202 capacity available in
new areas using Solvay’s proprietary technologies, in particular
its My H202, which involves mini satellite plants on
customers’ sites.
“The EMEA [Europe, Middle East and Africa] hydrogen
peroxide market has been developing at an accelerated
pace during the COVID-19 crisis,” Solvay noted. “While
the overall market remains strong, market segments and
sub-regions reacted differently to the crisis.
“Our traditional segments . . . are accelerating their decline,
whereas other applications’ growth has been boosted.
As a result, the H2O2 demand footprint is changing rapidly,
with significant additional volume of H2O2 needed in
new geographical areas and encouraging signs of a healthy
global peroxides demand for the years ahead.”

 

Evonik Considering Sale of SAP Business

Berlin—
Evonik is planning a possible sale of its superabsorbents
(SAP) business in about six to nine months, reported
Reuters citing the company.
“After an organizational carve-out, Evonik would put
the business up for sale, seek a partner or restructure it
further,” said the report citing a spokesman.
The SAP business is part of Evonik’s Nutrition & Care
Division.

 

Total Converting Grandpuits Refinery Into Platform for Biofuels, Bioplastics

Paris—Total
announced it is investing over €500-million to turn its
Grandpuits refinery in Seine-et-Marne, France, into a zerocrude
platform for biofuels and bioplastics.
Specifically, the new platform will focus on four new industrial
activities: the production of renewable diesel, the
production of bioplastics, plastics recycling, and the operation
of two photovoltaic solar power plants, which will contribute
to Total’s ambition to provide green electricity to all
of its industrial sites in Europe.
Total will build a new renewable diesel unit, primarily
for the aviation industry, which will be able to process
400,000 t/y, with potential production of 170,000 t/y of
aviation fuel, 120,000 t/y of renewable diesel and 50,000 t/y
of naphtha for use in bioplastics.
Total Corbion PLA, a 50-50 joint venture of Total and
Corbion, will construct Europe’s “first” polylactic acid
manufacturing plant with 100,000 t/y of production capacity.
Operations are expected to begin in 2024.
The new plastics recycling facility, which will be built
by Total (60%) and Plastic Energy (40%), will convert plastic
waste into Tacoil through a pyrolysis melting process.
The Tacoil will then be used for the production of polymers
with identical properties to virgin polymers. The unit will
help Total meet its goal of producing 30% of its polymers
from recycled materials by 2030.
The decision to end oil refining at Grandpuits follows a
audit conducted on the Ile-de-France pipeline (PLIF),
which carries crude oil from the Port of La Havre to the
refinery.
Last year, a leak on the PLIF forced the refinery to shut
down for over five months, following an earlier leak in
2014. The PLIF’s maximum working pressure was reduced
to guarantee safe operation. As a result, the refinery could
only operate at 70% capacity, threatening its long-term
financial viability, the company explained.
In order to restore normal operations at the refinery the
company would have to spend nearly €600-million, therefore,
Total has decided to end oil refining at Grandpuits in
the first quarter of 2021 and transform the site. Storage of
petroleum products will be discontinued in late 2023.
“With the industrial repurposing of the Grandpuits refinery
into a zero-crude platform focused on energies of the
future connected with biomass and the circular economy,
Total is demonstrating its commitment to the energy transition
and reaffirming its ambition to achieve carbon neutrality
in Europe by 2050,” said Bernard Pinatel, president
of Total Refining & Chemicals.

 

Stepan Finalizes Purchase of Clariant’s Mexican Surfactant Business, Assets

Santa Clara—
Stepan Co., through subsidiaries in Mexico, has completed
the acquisition of Clariant (Mexico) SA de CV’s anionic
surfactant business and associated sulfation equipment in
Santa Clara, Mexico, for an undisclosed amount (PCN, 20
July 2020, p 4).
“This acquisition supports Stepan’s growth strategy in
Latin America and enhances our ability to support our customers’
growth in the Mexican consumer and functional
markets for surfactants,” noted F. Quinn Stepan Jr.,
chairman, president and chief executive of Stepan.
“We look forward to transitioning customers’ supply to
Stepan’s Ecatepec and Matamoros, Mexico, facilities over
the coming months.”

 

Messer Building New ASU in Vila-Seca To Supply Oxygen, Nitrogen & Argon

Tarragona—
Messer will invest over €35-million to construct a new air
separation unit (ASU) in Vila-seca, Spain, to supply customers
with oxygen, nitrogen and argon.
The 2,400-t/d plant, scheduled for commissioning in December
2021, will be connected to the Messer pipeline network
to meet the growing oxygen and nitrogen demand of
the chemical industry in Tarragona.
The ASU will be based on the “most advanced” technology,
noted Stefan Messer, owner and chief executive of
Messer Group GmbH.

 

PetroChemical News Briefs

Fateh Kimia Petrochemical will build a new 120,000-
t/y methanol to propylene plant in Iran, NIPNA reported.
Petrochemical Research and Technology Co. plans to sign
and agreement with Fateh for license transfer, process engineering
and basic engineering for the project. No other
details were given.
Indorama Ventures updated that its site in Port
Neches, Texas, was not damaged due to Hurricane Laura’s
landfall on 27 Aug. 2020. Utility supplies are largely reinstated
in the area from its suppliers and it has already restarted
most operating units.
ICIS and Tecnon Orbichem have scheduled a World
Chlor-alkali Virtual Conference on 21-22 Oct. 2020. For
more information, contact ICIS by phone at 44 (0) 20 8652
4659, email events.registration@icis.com or visit online at
www.icisevents.com/worldchloralkali.
Sasol has completed damage assessments from Hurricane
Laura at its Lake Charles Chemical Complex in
Louisiana. There is no apparent damage to major process
equipment, utilities or infrastructure. This will be confirmed
once power is completely restored and all systems
are tested.
Air Products announced a new sustainability goal,
“Third by ’30,” to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions intensity
by one-third by the year 2030 from a 2015 baseline.

 

 

Baltic Chemical Selects Axens’ Technology For New Russian Gas Chemical Facility

Moscow—
Baltic Chemical, a wholly-owned subsidiary of RusGaz-
Dobycha, has entered into an agreement with Axens to
utilize its technology for a new gas chemical complex near
Ust-Luga, Russia (PCN, 15 June 2020, p 3).
The gas chemical complex, part of an ethane-containing
gas processing complex, will include two ethane cracking
plants with a capacity of 1.4-million t/y of ethylene each, as
well as six polyethylene (PE) reactor lines, each designed
to have a capacity of 500,000 t/y. Completion is scheduled
for 2024.
Under the deal, Axens will provide AlphaButol technology
for the production of 120,000 t/y of high-purity 1-
butene by ethylene dimerization and it will supply Alpha-
Hexol technology for the production of 50,000 t/y of highpurity
1-hexene by ethylene trimerization. Both comonomers
are used in various types of PE.
Axen will also be responsible for the transfer of the license,
the process book, several chemicals (catalysts and
adsorbents), proprietary equipment, training for Baltic
employees and technical support.
“Conclusion of an agreement for the supply of technology
for the production of alpha-olefins is the completion of
the next significant stage in the project,” said Konstantin
Makhov, general director of Baltic Chemical.

 

Hafnia & Partner Investing in NWIW’s Methanol Export Plant in Washington

Kalama—
Hafnia, part of international shipping group BW Group,
together with a strategic joint venture partner, is investing
$10-million in Northwest Innovation Works’ (NWIW)
methanol production and export facility planned at the
Port of Kalama in Washington (PCN, 22 June 2020, p 2).
Estimated to cost more than $2-billion, the plant will
convert regionally-sourced natural gas into approximately
3.6-million t/y of methanol for export to Asia.
Hafnia will provide and operate purpose-built, nextgeneration
methanol dual-fueled ships to transport onethird
of the methanol volume produced by the facility. The
vessels will be on 19-year charters with a satisfactory
guaranteed return during the period, Hafnia noted.
Methanol produced by the facility will displace more
carbon-intensive, coal-based methanol, resulting in greenhouse
gas (GHG) reductions globally. NWIW will offset
100% of its GHG emissions from both direct and indirect
sources within Washington state.

 

Clariant Building ‘State-of-the-Art’ Site For Catalysts Production in Jiaxing

Shanghai—
Clariant announced plans to build a new “state-of-the-art”
catalyst production site at the Dushan Port Economic Development
Zone in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, China.
The facility will be primarily responsible for producing
Catofin propane dehydrogenation catalysts for olefins production.
Construction is scheduled to start this quarter,
with full production capacity expected by 2022.
“The Jiaxing Catofin plant is a key component of our
China strategy and further improves our commitments to
the country’s growing PDH market,” noted Stefan Heuser,
senior vice president and general manager at Clariant
Catalysts.

 

DRPIC Chooses OQ Chemicals’ Technology For Ethylene, Propylene Derivatives Units

Duqm—
OQ Chemicals, formerly Oxea, will license its advanced
proprietary technology to Duqm Refinery and Petrochemical
Industries Co. (DRPIC) for the production of ethylene
and propylene derivatives at a planned grassroots petrochemical
complex in Duqm, Oman (PCN, 31 Aug 2020, p 1).
OQ has entered into the design phase for five worldscale
units for the production of propanol, butyraldehyde,
neopentyl glycol, 2-ethylhexanol (2EH) and 2EH acid. Capacities
of the plants were not given.
As part of the agreement, OQ will supply a process design
package and support contractors during the design
and construction phases. Once the units are commissioned,
it will provide support for operations, maintenance,
troubleshooting, training, and ongoing process optimization
at the site.
The petrochemical complex, the second phase of
DRPIC’s integrated refinery and petrochemical complex,
will include a mixed-feed steam cracker with a production
capacity of 1.6-million t/y of ethylene, production units for
hydrogen, syngas, methanol and other petrochemicals and
associated facilities. A schedule was not available.

 

Nan Ya Plastics Increasing EG Production With Construction of New Unit in Texas

Houston—
Nan Ya Plastics, a subsidiary of Formosa Plastics Group,
announced it is building a new plant to boost ethylene glycol
(EG) production at its site in Point Comfort, Texas.
The third-phase project, requiring an additional investment
of $160-million, will increase EG capacity to
800,000 t/y from 360,000 t/y currently, according to Taipei
Times. Construction is already underway and operations
are scheduled to begin in December 2020.
Nan Ya Plastics had expected to complete the project in
the first half of this year; however, construction was delayed
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company has invested a total of $437-million in the
project.

 

Hengyi Petrochem Plans Second Phase Of Brunei Refinery and PC Complex

Brunei Bay—
Hengyi Petrochemical Co., in a recent stock exchange filing,
announced plans to invest $13.65-billion in the second
phase of a refinery and petrochemical complex at Palau
Muara Besar, Brunei, Reuters reported.
The project will include a 280,000-b/d crude oil refinery,
a 1.65-million-t/y ethylene facility, a 2-million-t/y paraxylene
plant and a 2.5-million-t/y purified terephthalic acid
facility. Construction is expected to last three years. A
completion date was not available.
The first phase, which began operations at the site last
year, included a 160,000-b/d crude oil refinery, a 1-milliont/
y aromatics facility and a 500,000-t/y benzene unit (PCN,
16 Sept 2019, p 3).
Hengyi Industries is a joint venture of Zhejiang Hengyi
Group (70%) and Damai Holdings, a subsidiary of the
Brunei government’s Strategic Development Capital Fund
(30%).

 

Dow Strikes Deal with Vopak JV to Divest Certain U.S. Marine and Terminal Assets

Midland—
Dow said it has entered into a definitive agreement with
Vopak Industrial Infrastructure Americas, a joint venture
of Royal Vopak and BlackRock’s Global Energy & Power
Infrastructure Fund, to sell certain marine and terminal
operations and assets on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The $620-million transaction includes the marine and
storage terminal operations and assets at Dow’s sites in
Plaquemine and St. Charles, La., and in Freeport, Texas.
In addition, Dow and Vopak Industrial Infrastructure
Americas have entered into long-term service agreements,
ensuring “reliable and cost-advantaged” services for Dow’s
existing businesses at the in-scope site, Dow noted.
Planned to close in the fourth quarter of 2020, the sale
is subject to customary regulatory approvals and other
closing conditions in the U.S. and European Union.
“The transaction will enable Dow to deploy cash towards
value-enhancing opportunities in our core businesses
consistent with our capital allocation priorities, including
ensuring safe and reliable operations and paying
down additional debt,” said Dow Chairman and Chief Executive
Jim Fitterling.

 

ALPLA Acquires Site in Mexico to Build Facility for Recycling High-Density PE

Toluca—
ALPLA Group, a family-owned firm specializing in packaging
solutions and recycling, is planning to construct a new
high-density polyethylene (HDPE) recycling facility at a
site in Toluca, Mexico.
The project, estimated to cost around €15-million, is expected
to produce 15,000 t/y of HDPE recycled material for
non-food applications. Construction will begin this autumn,
with start-up scheduled for the second half of 2021.
ALPLA’s target markets are primarily Mexico, Central
America and the U.S.
“ALPLA has been demonstrating forward-looking action
in the field of recycling for many years,” said Georg Lasser,
head of recycling. “We invest in regions where the demand
for recycled material is not yet that high. In doing this, we
give used plastics value and act as role models for the
achievement of the circular economy.”

 

Ineos Styrolution, Trinseo & AmSty Join To Advance Circularity of Polystyrene

Paris—Ineos
Styrolution, Trinseo and AmSty have signed a joint development
agreement (JDA) to explore recycling options for
polystyrene (PS).
“This JDA represents the first global combined effort to
explore advanced recycling technologies, optimize them for
commercial use and call for all contributors along the value
chain to make circularity of polystyrene a reality,” the
partners said in a joint statement.
Each company has done its own independent research
and has invested in various projects to further the commercialization
of advanced recycling capacity. The partnership
will allow all parties to share best practices and
optimize recycling technologies for large-scale commercial
use (see related story, pg. 3).
“I am thrilled to see the industry coming together globally
to work on a common goal to realize true circularity for
styrenics,” noted AmSty President and Chief Executive Dr.
Randy Pogue. “This is a true win-win for all participants
in this joint effort and finally for our customers, for consumers
and for society.”

 

Thyssenkrupp to Supply PLAneo Process For New Polylactide Facility in China

Nanjing—
Thyssenkrupp has won an order from an unnamed client to
build a new polylactide (PLA) plant in South China based
on its patented PLAneo technology.
The facility, scheduled to begin operation in fall of 2021,
will produce 30,000 t/y of PLA, a compostable bioplastic
made from 100% renewable biomass, making it an “ecofriendly,
low-carbon dioxide and economic alternative” to
conventional oil-based plastics, Thyssenkrupp noted.
Thyssenkrupp will be responsible for designing the
plant and supplying the key components. Value of the contract
was not given.

 

People on the Move

Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.—Justine Smith has
joined the company as senior vice president of petrochemicals,
replacing Ron Corn, who is retiring. She was most
recently at BASF Corp., where she served as vice president
of intermediates, amines and specialties.
Borealis—Christopher McArdle has become vice president
of Polyolefins Strategy & Business Development. He
was previously EMEAI (Europe, the Middle East, Africa
and India) commercial director of Dow Consumer Solutions.
Dow—John Sampson, executive vice president of business
operations at Olin Corp., has been named senior vice
president, Operations, Manufacturing & Engineering at
Dow, effective 1 Oct. 2020. He succeeds Peter Holicki, who
will retire next year.
Venture Global LNG—Brian Cothran has joined the
company as chief operating officer. He had been chief executive
of The Flexitallic Group.
Euro Chlor—Wouter Bleukx has been appointed chairman
of the management committee for a period of two
years. He is also business unit manager for chlor alkali at
Inovyn.

 

Balmoral Funds’ Affiliate to Buy & Operate FHR’s Expandable PS Business in Illinois

Peru—An
affiliate of Balmoral Funds LLC has entered into a definitive
agreement to purchase and operate Flint Hills Resources’
(FHR) expandable polystyrene (EPS) business in
Peru, Ill., through a management buyout led by industry
veteran Brad Crocker.
“Flint Hills Resources made meaningful and critical investments
in the Peru EPS business over the years, which
allowed us to grow and improve,” said Chris Eager, plant
manager at Flint Hills Resources Peru.
“We are excited about this transaction, which gives us
the opportunity to invest further in the business and expand
on its substantial growth potential.” The deal, for
which a value was not given, is expected to close in the fall
of 2020.
Crocker will serve as chief executive of Flint Hills Resources
Peru, which is one of North America’s “leading”
producers of EPS resin, according to FHR.

 

Sumitomo Establishes New PP Compounds Production Plant at Sumika’s Wuxi Site

Beijing—
Sumitomo Chemical has established a new polypropylene
(PP) compounds production facility on the site of Sumika
Electronic Materials (Wuxi) Co. in Wuxi, China.
The new facility, named Zhuhai Sumika Polymer Compounds
Co. (Wuxi plant), along with a production facility
already set up in Chengdu City, is planned to begin operations
at the beginning of next year.
Sumitomo’s Chengdu production and sales facility,
which was established in October 2016, is currently manufacturing
trial products for evaluation by customers.
“Setting up the Wuxi plant as our fifth production facility
in China, we aim to further increase our presence
through a widespread supply chain for Chinese automobile
manufacturers and home appliance makers in the region
and by making the best of our timely response to customers,”
the company said.

 

Petronas Set to Enter Oxyalkylates Market With Purchase of 50% Stake in PCC-OM

Kertih—
Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG) has entered into
a shares sale and purchase agreement with PCC SE to acquires
50% of PCC’s shares in PCC Oxyalkylates Malaysia
(PCC-OM), marking PCG’s entry into the growing oxyalkylates
market.
With the acquisition, PCG and PCC SE plan to build a
new oxyalkylates facility within the Kertih Integrated Petrochemical
Complex in Terengganu, Malaysia, to produce
ethoxylates and polyether polyols. Construction is scheduled
to begin next year, with production anticipated in
2023.
The partners also plan to establish a joint venture research
and development center at PCC-OM to ensure a
“high-level” of innovation and fulfillment of individual customer
needs, said PCG.
“The Kertih site is ideal due to raw materials availability
and excellent infrastructure with a direct seaport access,
thus ensuring competitive production and logistics
costs,” noted Waldemar Preussner, chairman of the administrative
board of PCC SE.

 

Sinochem Quanzhou Achieves On-Spec HDPE Production at Unit in China

Beijing—Sinochem
Quanzhou Petrochemical has achieved on-spec production
of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) at its expansion project
in Quanzhou, China, Argus Media reported.
The HDPE plant, the “first” derivative unit to start operations
under the expansion project, has a nameplate capacity
of 400,000-t/y.
The project also includes a new 1-million-t/y ethylene
cracker, which is expected to start up this month, an
800,000-t/y paraxylene plant, a 350,000-t/y polypropylene
unit and an aromatics extraction unit with 300,000 t/y of
capacity (PCN, 6 Jan 2020, p 1).
In addition, Sinochem is expanding its existing refinery
capacity by 60,000 b/d to 300,000 b/d.

 

Trinseo, Ineos Styrolution Advancing Plans For ‘First-of-Its-Kind’ PS Recycling Plant

Paris—
Trinseo and Ineos Styrolution said their planning process
is progressing to build the “first-of-its-kind” commercialscale
polystyrene (PS) recycling facility in Wingles, France
(PCN, 13 Jan 2020, p 3).
The proposed plant, based on depolymerization technology,
will be capable of processing up to 50 t/d of postconsumer
PS feedstock. Full operations are expected by
mid-2023.
The technology converts PS food packaging waste directly
back into its original liquid monomer, which can
then be repolymerized into recycled PS for the same highquality
end applications, including food contact applications
much like virgin PS.
The partners will evaluate two technology concepts
from Agilyx and Recycling Technologies with regards to
quality, efficiency and adaptation to different waste
streams.
“Our collaboration between Trinseo and Ineos Styrolution
is a significant commitment of capital and resources
and a major milestone in truly closing the loop with food
grade recycled content,” said Sven Riechers, vice president,
business management, Standard Products EMEA at Ineos
Styrolution.
“It forms part of Ineos Styrolution’s and Trinseo’s commitments
to use, on average, 30% recycled content in products
destined for polystyrene packaging in Europe by
2025.”
Trinseo, Ineos Styrolution and AmSty recently agreed
to accelerate the introduction of circularity for PS (see related
story, pg. 2).

 

Polyplastics Building New Facility in Leuna To Meet Growing Demand for Topas COC

Leuna—
Polyplastics announced plans to set up a new cyclic olefin
copolymer (COC) production plant in Leuna, Germany, to
support the growing global demand for its Topas COC polymers.
The facility, which will be operated by Polyplastics’ Topas
Advanced Polymers GmbH subsidiary, will have a production
capacity of 20,000 t/y, more than double the company’s
current output. Operations will begin by mid-2023.
Polyplastics already has a COC production unit at its
site in Oberhausen, Germany.

 

Sasol Seeking Partners for Development Of New CO2 Utilization Technologies

Secunda—Sasol
is inviting interested parties to participate in a Request for
Information (RFI) process regarding the development and
demonstration of carbon dioxide (CO2) utilization technologies
at its operations in South Africa.
“We are currently exploring different initiatives and
projects with the intent of enabling technology development
deployment to achieve large-scale greenhouse gas
(GHG) reductions,” the company noted.
“Carbon dioxide utilization has been identified as a
promising lever to reduce GHG emissions globally and has
the potential to increase the implementation of carbon capture
and utilization technologies.”
Sasol is looking to partner with other companies to reduce
GHG emissions at its site in Secunda and Sasolburg.
The scale of application for potential projects can range
from demonstration level to commercial level.
Interested parties may apply for access to the RFI by
forwarding their company profile together with contact
details to CO2utilisation@sasol.com. The closing date for
submissions is 30 Sept. 2020.

 

VTT, Partners to Explore PS Recycling, Will Focus on Collection and Handling

Helsinki—VTT
Technical Research Centre of Finland and its partners,
during their new two-year MoPo project, will explore how
recycling of polystyrene (PS) could be “substantially” increased
by reshaping its collection and handling.
The goal is to convert waste into pure PS or styrene
monomers, as the bulk of collected expandable PS and
other PS waste still ends up incinerated, VTT noted.
“In the new MoPo project our target is to offer a technically
and economically feasible solution to the recycling of
polystyrene waste in Europe,” said Muhammad Saad
Qureshi, senior scientist at VTT and leader of the MoPo
project.
“We will explore the state of polystyrene production,
consumption and recycling in Finland and in selected
European countries. We will also develop a logistics model
for collecting polystyrene waste and methods for its mechanical
and chemical recycling.
Led by VTT, the project has a total budget of €964,000,
which will be covered by Business Finland, VTT and its
research and business partners: Aalto University, L&T,
HSY, Finnfoam, PS Processing, CH-Polymers, Pohjanmaan
Hyotyjatekuljetus and Suomen Uusiomuovi.

 

Brunei Fertilizer Gives Schedule Update For Ammonia, Urea Project in SE Asia

Belait—Brunei
Fertilizer Industries expects first urea production by the
second quarter of next year at its ammonia and urea complex
under construction in the Sungai Liang Industrial
Park in Brunei, according to a report on the company’s
website (PCN, 20 Aug 2018, p 1).
The state-of-the-art complex, which will be “one of the
largest” in Southeast Asia, includes a 2,200-t/d ammonia
unit, as well as a urea plant and urea granulation unit
with a combined capacity of 3,900 t/d, based on Stamicarbon
technology. Cost of the project was not given.
Thyssenkrupp is responsible for engineering, supply of
equipment, erection, supervision of construction and commissioning,
and various offsite and related utility systems
for the project.

 

Trinseo and Fernholz Develop New Grade Of Post-Consumer Recycled Polystyrene

Berwyn—
Trinseo, together with German packaging manufacturer
Fernholz, has developed a new grade of post-consumer recycled
polystyrene (r-PS) for food packaging.
Using Trinseo’s technology, the latest Form Fill Seal
(FFS) formulations incorporate 40% r-PS, depending on
final application.
Fernholz is working closely with Trinseo to incorporate
r-PS into sheet production, which can be used for food
packaging applications. To date, full-scale field tests have
shown that r-PS can be readily processed on classic FFS
machines, eliminating the need for expensive upgrades.
The new material grade is being trialed by several
European dairy companies, some of which have already
launched new products using the r-PS food packaging.
Trinseo has the capacity to supply the dairy industry and
related sectors with several thousand tons of the material.

 

PetroChemical News Briefs

Estonia’s Eesti Energia is considering construction of
a new methanol production complex in Ida-Viru County,
according to local reports. The proposed project is estimated
to cost €280-million. No other details were given.
Borealis has launched the Bornewables portfolio of
circular polyolefin products. Produced with renewable
feedstock derived entirely from waste and residue streams,
the polyolefins offer the same material performance as virgin
polyolefins, but with a reduced carbon footprint.
Rohm GmbH has announced sales control, with immediate
effect, for Meracryl methyl methacrylate in the
Europe region. The company cited increased demand and
limited availability of raw material.

Braskem Begins Commercial Production At New ‘World-Class’ PP Plant in Texas

La Porte—
Braskem announced that it has successfully launched commercial
production at its newest, “world-class” polypropylene
(PP) production line in La Porte, Texas (PCN, 24 August
2020, p 1).
The $750-million line, which has a production capacity
of over 450,000 t/y, has the capability to produce the entire
PP portfolio, including homopolymer, impact copolymer
and random copolymers.
“The start-up of our new production line comes at a
time when the North American polypropylene industry
needs it most,” said Alexandre Elias, vice president, polypropylene
North America.
“The market has adapted to the COVID pandemic and
demand in North America has recovered to pre-COVID
levels. This demand, coupled with recent operating challenges
in the industry, has created a situation where clients
in North America need our support.”

 

Jiatong Energy Picks Invista Technology For Two New PTA Lines in Nantong City

Nantong—
Invista Performance Technologies has reached an agreement
with Jiangsu Jiatong Energy Co. (Jiatong Energy), a
subsidiary of Tongkun Group, to provide its latest P8 process
technology for two new purified terephthalic acid (PTA)
lines to be installed in China.
The lines, for which capacities were not given, will be
located in Rudong, Nantong City, Jiangsu Province. They
will deploy Invista’s “largest” twin stream design using the
PTA technology, Invista noted. Start-up of the first line is
targeted for the fourth quarter of 2022.
“Building on the demonstrated performance of the P8
technology platform, the variable cost, capital productivity
and environmental performance is expected to set new
benchmarks within the industry,” said Invista.

 

IFC Providing $39-Mn Financing Package To Engee for New Nigerian PET Plant

Lagos—IFC, a
member of the World Bank Group, announced a $39-
million financing package to help Engee Manufacturing
Ltd., based in Nigeria, to build a continuous polymerization
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin facility in
Ogun State.
The new PET plant would source more than 20% of its
raw materials from local, waste plastics, strengthening
Nigeria’s recycling and manufacturing sectors, IFC noted.
Through the new facility, Engee could double the number
of plastic bottles recycled in Nigeria through a process
of collecting, cleaning and processing up to 30,000 t/y of
used plastic bottles. The plant is expected to be fully operational
within the next 24 months.
IFC will also provide Engee with advisory services support
to implement a plastics waste recycling program specifically
for bottle-grade resins.

 

Zhenhua Chooses Honeywell Technology To Boost Chinese Propylene Production

Beijing—
Zhenhua Petrochemical Co. has selected Honeywell UOP’s
C3 Oleflex technology to increase propylene production at a
proposed plant in Dongying City, China.
The project, which will be carried out in two phases,
will use the propane dehydrogenation technology to process
1-million t/y of polymer-grade propylene. Cost and a
schedule for the project were not available.
“With this project, we will have licensed capacity to
generate more than 15-million metric tons per year of
polymer-grade propylene in China,” noted Bryan Glover,
vice president and general manager, UOP Process Technologies.
Zhenhua is a joint venture of Zhenhua Import and Export
Corp. and Dongying Yatong Petrochemical Co.

 

KBR & JM Ink Alliance Pact to License NH3-Methanol Co-Production Process

Houston—KBR
and Johnson Matthey (JM) announced they have signed an
alliance agreement to license a “groundbreaking” ammonia
(NH3)-methanol co-production process that combines their
ammonia and methanol technologies.
The co-production of ammonia and methanol in a single
plant offers many advantages, including reduced capital
expenditure (CAPEX) and lower operating costs (OPEX),
the partners noted.
The co-production process utilizes KBR’s proprietary
Purifier ammonia process and JM’s methanol process. It
maximizes the savings in CAPEX and OPEX, while offering
the highest levels of safety, flexibility and reliability,
they added.
“I am excited to announce the alliance agreement combining
market leading technologies from KBR and JM into
a new offering for our clients,” said Doug Kelly, president
of technology solutions at KBR.
“KBR’s ammonia technology is known for its lowest energy
consumption resulting in reduced carbon footprint,
highest reliability and safety and outstanding financial
performance.”

 

LG Chem Raising Acrylic Acid Capacity; Chooses Sulzer’s Crystallization Process

Yeosu—
Sulzer has installed acrylic acid crystallization equipment
at LG Chem’s complex in Yeosu, South Korea, to accommodate
higher production volumes of acrylic acid and associated
superabsorbent polymers.
Sulzer’s processes can remove impurities at low process
temperatures, while avoiding the use of solvents and
eliminating the risk of acrylic acid polymerization that can
occur during distillation.
To realize the planned production increase to 160,000
t/y of high purity acrylic acid, Sulzer delivered the equipment
onsite in less than 14 months and supported the
commissioning and start-up activities.

 

Air Liquide, Sasol Ink Purchase Agreement For Oxygen Production Site in Secunda

Secunda—
Air Liquide has entered into a business purchase agreement
with Sasol, in which Air Liquide will buy and operate
the “biggest” oxygen production site in the world owned by
Sasol in Secunda, South Africa (PCN, 3 Aug 2020, p 1).
Under the terms of the agreement, Air Liquide would
operate the 16 air separation units of the site, with an installed
capacity of 42,000 t/d, in addition to the unit Air
Liquide already operates at the site. Subsequent to the
acquisition, Air Liquide will supply various gases to Sasol’s
operation under a long-term supply agreement with an
initial term of 15 years.
Air Liquide intends to initially invest around €440-
million to modernize the facilities in coordination with
Sasol, which would allow a targeted reduction of 30% to
40% in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.
The agreements are subject to customary approvals, including
the South African Competition Authority’s approval,
which is not expected to be received before December
2020.

 

CAP Commences Commercial Operations At MTBE, Butene-1 Plants in Cilegon

Cilegon—
Chandra Asri Petrochemical (CAP) has started operation of
its new methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and butene-1
production units at its existing petrochemical complex in
Cilegon, Batan, Indonesia (PCN, 4 June 2018, p 1).
The project involved a 128,000-t/y MTBE plant and a
43,000-t/y butene-1 unit, the “first of their kind” in Indonesia,
the company noted. Both facilities are based on technology
from Lummus.
Toyo Engineering was in charge of the engineering and
offshore supply services, while Inti Karya Persada Tehnik,
Toyo’s Indonesian subsidiary, was responsible for engineering,
domestic procurement and construction work and
commissioning support.
The plant operations are in line with the Indonesian
government’s target to substitute imports by 35% until
2022, noted CAP.

 

Chemetry Selects Zeton to Build Modular Demo Plant for Its New EDC Technology

Ontario—
Zeton has been chosen by Chemetry to build a modular
demonstration unit based on Chemetry’s new eShuttle ethylene
dichloride (EDC) technology to prove the commercial
viability of the process (PCN, 24 Aug 2020, p 4).
Based in Ontario, Canada, Zeton will provide detailed
engineering, procurement, fabrication and factory testing
of the new modular unit at its facility. Once complete, the
plant will be shipped to Braskem’s vinyls site in Maceio,
Alagoas State, Brazil.
After reassembly, the unit will be prepared for operation
and commissioned by Braskem and Chemetry with
assistance from Zeton. The plant will operate for about one
year to adequately demonstrate the performance and reliability
of the new process.
The eShuttle technology uses a “unique” metal halide
ion process to produce high-purity EDC without generating
chlorine gas, Chemetry earlier noted. The process uses
25% to 50% less power than current industrial processes.

 

Aker Solutions & Kvaerner to Combine; Kvaerner to be Dissolved Upon Merger

Oslo—Aker
Solutions ASA and Kvaerner recently announced plans to
merge the two companies and combine their solutions and
technologies.
Upon completion of the proposed merger, it is anticipated
that Aker Solutions will absorb all the assets, rights
and obligations of Kvaerner and Kvaerner will be dissolved.
Kvaerner is expected to hold an extraordinary general
meeting on or about 25 Sept. 2020, where approval of the
merger is on the agenda.
The combine company would have about 15,000 employees
in over 50 locations worldwide, with operations in
around 25 countries.

 

Sumitomo & Shimane to Accelerate Research On Methanol Synthesis from Carbon Dioxide

Tokyo–
Sumitomo Chemical and Shimane University announced a
decision to accelerate joint research on a “highly effective”
method of synthesizing methanol from carbon dioxide.
By combining carbon dioxide generated from the incineration
of waste with hydrogen derived from renewable
energy, the partners can create methanol that can be used
to produce useful industrial products, while also reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, they explained.
In addition, since methanol can also be produced from
syngas, it is possible to convert used plastics and biomass
resources from a region into syngas, and use that gas as
the raw material for methanol production, thereby creating
a complete carbon cycle.
“Challenges for the practical implementation of methanol
synthesis using carbon dioxide as a raw material are
the low yield of methanol and catalyst degradation due to
the presence of water vapor as a byproduct,” noted the parties.
However, a novel process technology that can increase
reaction yield, developed by professor Kohji Omata
of the Interdisciplinary Faculty of Science and Engineering
at Shimane University, has recently gathered attention as
a technology that may overcome these challenges.”
In this joint research, Shimane will continue basic research
into catalysts and reaction processes, while Sumitomo
will work on industrial applications of the catalysts
and processes developed in Shimane’s basic research.

 

People on the Move

EuroChem Group—Vladimir Rashevskiy, most recently
chief executive of SUEK, has been appointed chief
executive of EuroChem to succeed Petter Ostbo.
SK Capital Partners—Christopher Fraser has joined
the private investment firm as senior director. He was
previously chairman and chief executive of KMG Chemicals.
SNC-Lavalin—William L. Young has become chairman
of the board to succeed Kevin G. Lynch. He is also
chairman of Magna International, and a corporate director
on the board of Intact Financial.
Techmer PM—Michael McHenry, most recently president,
chief executive and board director of Master Fluid
Solutions, has joined Techmer as chief operating officer.

 

Axens, IFPEN and Jeplan Agree to Partner In New PET Monomer Recycling Process

Tokyo—
Axens, IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) and Jeplan announced
they have signed a joint development and commercialization
agreement to develop, demonstrate and
commercialize an “innovative” polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) monomer recycling process for all types of waste
PET-based materials.
The new process, Rewind PET, involves an optimized
glycolysis-based PET depolymerization combined with specific
purification steps aimed at removing all organic and
inorganic compounds present in waste PET. The resulting
product is a purified BHET (bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate)
monomer, which is ready to be manufactured into any
type of PET product, from fibers to food-grade resins.
The partners will utilize Jeplan’s 2,000-t/y demonstration
plant in Japan to accelerate the development and
demonstration of Rewind PET. Worldwide licensing by
Axens of the new process is expected at the end of 2022.
“This flexible, high-performance process will answer the
PET packaging and textile industries’ needs to reach their
ambitious recycling targets at the 2025-2030 horizon,”
noted Axens Chief Executive Jean Sentenac.
“Beyond licensing, Axens will propose to Rewind PET
customers a global offer, from the delivery of turn-key
modular units to a full support for the operation of this
new process.”

 

Eni and Pequiven Restart Production At JV Methanol Plant in Venezeula

Caracas—Eni and
Pequiven have restarted methanol production at their 50-
50 Supermetanol joint venture in the Jose industrial complex
in Venezuela, reported Argus Media citing industry
sources.
The 800,000-t/y methanol facility had been shut down
in the second quarter of last year to repair leaks to a natural
gas line and a steam valve.
PdV Gas supplies natural gas feedstock to the Supermetanol
complex, as well as to Mitsubishi’s 1.6-million-t/y
Meteor methanol complex, also located at Jose.

 

LyondellBasell Starts Up Small-Scale Pilot Molecular Recycling Facility

Ferrara—
LyondellBasell said it has successfully started up its new
small-scale MoReTec molecular recycling plant at its site in
Ferrara, Italy (PCN, 21 Oct 2019, p 4).
The company’s proprietary technology aims to convert
typically difficult to recycle plastic waste, such as multilayer
films, returning them to their molecular state to be
used as feedstock to produce new plastic for all applications.
While the process is based on chemical recycling, it
also includes a proprietary catalyst-based approach.
The pilot plant has the capacity to process between 5
kg/hr and 10 kg/hr of household plastic waste. The goal is
to understand the interaction of various waste types in the
molecular recycling process, test the various catalysts, and
confirm the process temperature and time needed to decompose
the waste into molecules.
Completion is anticipated in the “next couple of years,”
the company noted, at which time LyondellBasell will plan
for an industrial scale unit.
New plastic materials produced by the MoReTec technology
can be used in food packaging and healthcare items.

 

EPCA Details 54th Annual Meeting Being Held Virtually This October

Brussels—The
European Petrochemical Assn.’s (EPCA) 54th annual meeting,
originally planned to be held in Budapest, Hungary,
will be held virtually this year on 5-7 Oct. 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic (PCN, 4 May 2020, p 2).
Based on the theme “Building a Smarter, Circular and
More Inclusive Post-Pandemic World,” this year’s conference
will ask the question: how can we contribute to an
economic re-emergence? and how should we proactively
face the new political and social winds, accelerated by the
pandemic?
The three-day program overview involves: Navigating
Towards Future; C-Suite Leadership Forum; Standing
Strong, Moving Fast; Logistics & Supply Chain Panel;
Sharing New Perspectives, and Keynote Address & Conversation.
Some of the speakers include EPCA Chief Executive
Caroline Ciuciu; Marc Schuller, chief operating officer of
Arkema and president of the EPCA; Dow Chairman and
Chief Executive Jim Fitterling; Martin Brudermüller,
chairman of the board of directors and chief technology
officer of BASF SE; Shell Chemicals Executive Vice President
Thomas Casparie; Bernard Pinatel, president of Refining
& Chemicals and member of the executive committee
of Total SA, and Integra Petrochemicals Chief Executive
Gina Fyffe.
For further details, contact EPCA by phone at 32 (0) 2
741 86 60 or email meetings@epca.eu. You can also register
online at my.epca.eu.

 

Wood Forms Partnership with AspenTech To Offer Performance Solutions to Clients

Bedford—
Wood and Aspen Technology (AspenTech) formed a new
partnership that will offer Wood’s clients Aspen Mtell asset
performance management technology for predictive and
prescriptive maintenance.
Aspen Mtell analyzes historical and real-time operational
and maintenance data to discover the precise failure
signatures that precede asset degradation and breakdowns,
predict future failures, and prescribe detailed actions
to mitigate problems.
“Aspen Mtell is part of our connected operations and
maintenance programs that will allow our clients to detect
patterns in operating data, allowing them to take prescriptive
action and avoid unplanned downtime,” said Wood
Chief Technology Officer Darren Martin.
“Together, our vision is to drive value through digital
twins across the full asset lifecycle, working to optimize
asset performance, monitoring, and control across any environment.”

 

Lordegan Starts Up New Urea Unit

Tehran—Iran’s
Lordegan Petrochemical Co., a subsidiary of Iranian Investment
Petrochemical Group, has begun operation of a
new urea unit at its complex in Lordegan City, Chaharmahal
and Bakhtiari Province, Iran, reported Shana.
The 3,250-t/d urea plant is the third and final phase of
a project that included utility and ancillary units in the
first phase, and a recently launched 677,000-t/y ammonia
facility in the second phase (PCN, 22 June 2020, p 3).
Lordegan’s latest urea unit brings the company’s total
urea production capacity to over 1-million t/y.

 

Loop & Suez Form Strategic Partnership To Build Infinite Loop Recycling Plant

Montreal—
Loop Industries and Suez said they plan to build the “first”
Infinite Loop recycling facility in Europe for the production
of virgin quality, food grade, 100% recycled and infinitely
recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic (PCN,
7 Sept 2020, p 3).
The new facility, which will be dedicated to PET plastic,
will be the “largest in the world,” the companies noted.
Final site selection and engineering are targeted to be
completed by mid-2021. Commissioning is anticipated in
2023.
By leveraging Loop’s patented and proprietary lowenergy
technology and Suez’s expertise, the new facility
will be able to save 180,000 t/y of carbon dioxide, compared
with virgin PET produced from traditional processes.
According to the partners, Europe consumes about 5.5-
million t/y of PET plastic, less than 7% of which makes its
way back into bottles. European governments are imposing
new regulation on single use plastics and have set
minimum recycled content laws for packaging. The new
plant will directly increase recycling rates in the country.

 

MOL & Meraxis Sign MoU to Cooperate In Recycled Polyolefin Plastic Blends

Budapest—
MOL said it has signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with Meraxis Commercial Group to cooperate in the
development, manufacturing and distribution of “highquality,”
recycled polyolefin compounds.
Swiss distributor Meraxis will supply MOL with “highquality”
recycled plastic from municipal waste, which will
be mixed with MOL’s primary polyolefin products.
Utilizing the combined expertise of both companies, the
partners will develop a new product portfolio at Aurora
Kunststoffe in Germany, a member of the MOL Group.
Both parties will be responsible for distribution.
“MOL Group is a key strategic partner for us,” said
Meraxis Chief Executive Dr. Stefan Girschik. “As one of
Europe’s leading polymer producers, MOL has been committed
to the closed-loop circular economy for many years.
“Our goal is to use the combined expertise of the two
companies to meet the growing demand for high-quality
recycled plastics in the automotive, construction and packaging
industries. There are still many untapped opportunities
in the production of quality recycled materials.
However, strategic collaborations like this allow us to take
a key step towards optimizing recycling.”

 

Daelim Gets Approval to Split Company; Will Spin Off Petchems into New Firm

Seoul—Daelim
Industrial Co. has received board approval to split the company
into three firms in order to concentrate on each separate
specialty area, according to several local reports.
The new organization will include a holding company,
tentatively named DL Co., a construction firm named DL
E&C, and DL Chemical, which will be formed from the
spin-off of Daelim’s petrochemical business. DL Chemical
will be wholly-owned by DL Co.
Daelim’s plan to split the company is subject to shareholder
approval, which is expected 4 Dec. 2020. The three
new companies are planned to be launched on 1 Jan. 2021.

 

Ineos Expands Recycl-IN Product Range To Include Flexible Packaging Solutions

London—
Ineos Olefins & Polymers has expanded its Recycl-IN
range of products to include flexible packaging solutions
with over 60% recycled content (PCN, 17 Feb 2020, p 4).
The company has entered into a partnership with waste
management firm Saica Natur for the supply of recycled
low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear LDPE, which
will help Ineos serve the growing demand for increased
levels of recycled product in sustainable, virgin quality
flexible packaging, Ineos noted.
Ineos first launched the Recycl-IN range of polymers in
2019 to address consumer needs for high recycled content
resins, which match the performance of virgin resins in
terms of quality and processability.
“Through this partnership, Ineos Olefins & Polymers
has been able to develop high-performance polyethylene
Recycl-IN resins to meet the needs of converters, brand
owners and retailers, to use more than 60% recycled plastics
in very demanding applications, such as stretch and
lamination films typically used in flexible pouches for detergent
and personal care products,” said Ineos.

 

Orlen Aims for Carbon Neutrality by ’50

Plock—PKN
Orlen has set a goal of becoming emission neutral by 2050
at its petrochemical, refining and power generation operations
in Central Europe.
In order to reach this goal, by 2030 the company plans
to invest more than PLN 25-billion in over 60 new projects
to increase the energy efficiency of its existing assets.
It will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its
current refining and petrochemical assets by 20%, and
emissions from power generation by 33% CO2/mwh.
The carbon neutrality strategy is based on four pillars:
energy efficiency in production, zero- and low-emission
power generation, alternative fuels and green financing.

LyondellBasell & Bora Announce Start-Up Of New JV Polyolefin Complex in China

Panjin—
LyondellBasell and Liaoning Bora Enterprise Group (Bora)
have started up their new 50-50 joint venture polyolefin
complex in Panjin, Liaoning Province, China (PCN, 9 Mar
2020, p 1).
The facility, which will operate under the name Bora
LyondellBasell Petrochemical Co., includes a 1.1-milliont/
y flexible naphtha/liquefied petroleum gas cracker, the
production of 800,000 t/y of polyethylene (PE) and 600,000
t/y of polypropylene (PP).
The new facility will use LyondellBasell’s Hostalen ACP
PE technologies and its Spheripol and Spherizone PP technologies.
Materials produced at the complex will be sold
within China.
“Demand for polyolefins has returned in China after the
pandemic-related economic slowdown earlier in the year
and the long-term growth trends are very favorable for this
project,” noted LyondellBasell Chief Executive Bob Patel.
The parties are planning medium-to-long term collaboration
on additional petrochemical projects that could be
deployed in multiple phases over the next decade.

 

Huayi Picks Honeywell Oleflex Technology For Production of Propylene in Qinzhou

Beijing—
Guangxi Huayi New Material Co., a subsidiary of Shanghai
Huayi, has chosen Honeywell UOP’s C3 Oleflex technology
to produce propylene at its facility in Qinzhou,
Guangxi, China.
The propane dehydrogenation technology will be used
for the production of 750,000 t/y of polymer-grade propylene,
which will be used in its acrylic acid plant, as well as
its cumene and phenol units.
UOP will provide services, catalysts and adsorbents for
the facility. Value of the contract and a schedule for the
project were not given.
The project marks the 38th award for C3 Oleflex technology
in China, which continues to see increased growth
and demand for propylene, Honeywell noted.

 

Ascend Finalizes Purchase from D’Ottavio Of Italian Firms Poliblend & Esseti Plast

Como—
Ascend Performance Materials has completed the acquisition
of Poliblend and Esseti Plast, both of Italy, from D’Ottavio
Group (PCN, 17 Feb 2020, p 3).
“Our experience as a large-scale, fully integrated polyamide
[PA] 66 manufacturer coupled with Poliblend’s portfolio
of recycled and virgin PA66, PA6 and POM [polyoxymethylene],
and Esseti Plast’s extensive masterbatch operations
will offer our customers more choices for quality,
high performance materials on a global scale,” said John
Saunders, vice president of Europe at Ascend.
As part of the purchase, Ascend establishes a second
production facility in Europe. The acquisition also includes
Poliblend Deutschland, a German distribution facility.

 

Lummus Novolen Wins Lukoil Contract For New Polypropylene Unit in Kstovo

Moscow—
Lukoil NNOS has awarded a technology contract to Lummus
Novolen Technology for a new polypropylene (PP) facility
to be built in Kstovo, Russia (PCN, 29 July 2019, p 1).
The PP plant will have a provisional capacity of 500,000
t/y, which will be intended for exports, PCN earlier reported.
Cost of the project and an expected completion
date were not given.
Lummus’ scope of works includes the technology license
for the PP unit, as well as basic design engineering, training
and services, and catalyst supply.
This is the “largest” Novolen PP unit licensed in Russia
to date, Lummus noted.
Lukoil currently produces PP at its Stavrolen refinery
in Budennovsk, Russia, and its Netrokhim Burgas refinery
in Burgas, Bulgaria.

 

Bua Group Selects Axens Technology For Nigerian Refinery & PC Project

Lagos—Bua
Group has chosen Axens as the technology provider for a
new 200,000-b/d integrated refinery and petrochemical
plant in Lagos, Nigeria.
The multibillion-dollar greenfield project plans to produce
Euro-V fuels and polypropylene for the domestic and
regional market.
Axens will provide its advanced technology licenses, basic
engineering, catalysts and adsorbents, proprietary
equipment, training and technical services.
“Once completed, this RFCC [residue fluid catalytic
cracking]-based complex will produce high-quality gasoline,
diesel, jet fuel meeting Euro-V specifications for the
Nigerian market and the larger region,” said Bua Group
Chairman and Chief Executive Abdul Samad Rabiu. The
plant will also produce propylene.
“This large complex will help in reducing Nigeria’s dependence
on imported fuels and petrochemicals.”

 

CCI Gives OK to SABIC’s Acquisition Of Additional Stake in Clariant AG

New Delhi—The
Competition Commission of India (CCI) has cleared SABIC
BV’s incremental acquisition of a 6.51% shareholding in
Clariant AG (PCN, 9 Mar 2020, p 2).
The transaction, which will raise SABIC’s stake in
Clariant to 31.5%, is part of SABIC’s growth strategy in
specialties.
In September 2018, the companies signed a memorandum
of understanding to merge their specialty chemicals
businesses into a new high-performance materials specialty
chemicals business, following SABIC’s purchase of a
24.99% interest in Clariant, which was completed the same
month.
Last July, the parties agreed to temporarily postpone
discussions of merging the businesses, attributing the delay
to unfavorable market conditions.

 

GSFC Restarts Vadodara Methanol Unit After Being Shut Down for Six Years

Gujarat—
Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals (GSFC) said it resumed
methanol production on 31 Aug. 2020 at its facility
in Vadodara, India, which had been closed for six years.
The 525-t/d methanol facility is expected to help substitute
imports from Middle East countries. Currently, Gujarat
Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals and Rashtriya
Chemicals and Fertilizers are the only other companies
producing methanol in India.
“The restart of GSFC’s methanol plant will increase
[the] company’s turnover by Rs 150 crore in the current
financial year,” noted GSFC Managing Director Arvind
Agrawal.
GSFC’s methanol unit was first commissioned in 2013
and, after operating for less than a year, it was considered
non-viable and shut down in April 2014.
The plant is expected to reach 470 t/d of methanol production
by 10 Sept. 2020.

 

Braskem Returns to Normal Capacity At Its Brazilian Petchem Facilities

São Paulo—
Braskem announced that its petrochemical plants in Brazil
have returned to normal capacity utilization rate to meet
the high demand for thermoplastic resins (PCN, 1-8 June
2020, p 1).
In May 2020, Braskem announced it was reducing ethylene
production in Brazil to about 65% of its total capacity,
citing the coronavirus outbreak’s impact on the company’s
operations.
At the same time, it said it was cutting U.S. polypropylene
production to around 85% of its total capacity, and
lowering the company’s planned investments for 2020 to
$600-million from $721-million.
“Our facilities in Brazil have prioritized supplies to the
domestic market, which has already been stabilizing,”
noted Edison Terra, vice president of olefins and polyolefins
for South America. “Never, we continue to serve strategic
export markets.”
“In recent weeks, the entire chemical and plastic chain
has clearly recovered, which is very positive news, as it
signals a strong rebound by industry in the midst of a pandemic
and its developments,” said Isabel Figueiredo, vice
president of vinyls and specialties.

 

Energy Transfer Completes Project To Expand Lone Star Express PL

Dallas—Energy
Transfer (ET) said it has concluded its Lone Star Express
Pipeline (PL) expansion project ahead of schedule and on
budget (PCN, 17 Aug 2020, p 3).
The new 352-mile, 24-inch pipeline adds over 400,000
b/d of natural gas liquids (NGL) capacity from the Permian
Basin to ET’s existing Lone Star NGL pipeline system
south of Fort Worth, Texas.
The Lone Star pipeline system ultimately connects into
ET’s Mont Belvieu, Texas, facility, an integrated liquids
storage and fractionation facility along the U.S. Gulf Coast
with strategic connectivity to over 25 petrochemical plants,
refineries, fractionators and third-party pipelines.
Lone Star Express was a “major” part of ET’s 2020 capital
program, the company noted.

 

Air Liquide to Build New ASU & POX To Supply Eastman’s Longview Site

Longview—Air
Liquide will invest over $160-million to modernize existing
assets and build an air separation unit (ASU) and partial
oxidation unit (POX) to supply Eastman Chemical’s Longview,
Texas, site.
Under a long-term supply agreement, Air Liquide will
supply Eastman with gaseous oxygen, nitrogen and syngas
from the new units, which will be integrated into the existing
facilities. Production is expected to begin late 2021.
The new POX will use Air Liquide’s patented Lurgi
technology and will capture and recycle carbon dioxide,
reducing the carbon intensity of operations, in line with
the group’s 2025 Climate Objectives.
“Air Liquide is pleased to further its longstanding relationship
with Eastman with another significant investment
at its Longview site in east Texas, the world’s single
largest production facility of its type, and to further demonstrate
Air Liquide’s ongoing commitment to deliver innovative
technologies and safe, reliable and sustainable
solutions for the industry,” said Michael J. Graff, executive
vice president and executive committee member at Air
Liquide.

 

Japan Polyethylene Shutting Down LDPE Production Line at Kashima

Tokyo—Japan
Polyethylene, a joint venture of Japan Polychem and Japan
Polyolefine, has decided to stop production of low-density
polyethylene (LDPE) at its Kashima site in Japan, according
to Argus.
The 62,000-t/y LDPE line, which was built in 1971, has
caused increased financial “burden” on Japan Polyethylene,
said the report. The unit will be shut down in May
2021.
The company also expects to end production and sales
of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers at its Kawasaki, Japan,
facility.
Japan Polyethylene also owns a 95,000-t/y LDPE plant
in Kawasaki, a 65,000-t/y LDPE facility in Mizushima, Japan,
and a 125,000-t/y unit at its Oita, Japan, site.
In addition, Japan Polypropylene, a group company of
Japan Polyethylene, plans to end polypropylene production
next January at its Goi facility in Japan, due to raising
global competition.

 

People on the Move

Nexeo Plastics—Paul Tayler has become chief executive,
succeeding Michael Modak, who had been serving as
interim chief executive and will remain a member of the
company’s board of directors. Tayler was most recently
vice president, Europe Division.
EuropaBio—Andrew Topen has been appointed
chairman of the association to replace Tjerk de Ruiter. Topen
leads the overall public affairs strategy and strategic
relationships within Region Europe at Novartis.
Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (BPCL)—Padmakar
Kappagantula, director of human resources, has assumed
the additional responsibility of chairman and managing
director of BPCL. He had been a director on the board
since 2018.

 

U.S. Dept. of Treasury Sanctions 6 Firms For Enabling the Sale of Iranian PCs

Washington—
The U.S. Dept. of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control
has sanctioned six entities for their support to Trilliance
Petrochemical Co.’s continued involvement in the sale
of Iranian petrochemical products.
The entities, based in Iran, the United Arab Emirates
and China, helped efforts by Hong-Kong based Trilliance to
hide or otherwise obscure its involvement in sales contracts.
Trilliance was designated by the Treasury this past
January.
“Iranian petrochemical sales remain a key revenue
source for the Iranian regime, helping to finance its destabilizing
support to corrupt regimes and terrorist groups
throughout the Middle East and, more recently, Venezuela,”
said the Treasury.
Additionally, the U.S. Dept. of State has imposed sanctions
on five entities for knowingly engaging in a “significant”
transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport,
or marketing of petroleum or petroleum products
from Iran, the Treasury added. It also sanctioned three
individuals who are principal executive officers of the sanctioned
entities.

 

Eurotecnica Awarded Contract to Supply Melamine Technology for Chinese Unit

Shaanxi—
ShaanXi Qing Shui Yin Quan Coal Industry Development
Co. has selected Eurotecnica’s melamine technology for a
new melamine plant in China.
The 60,000-t/y single-train facility will use Eurotecnica’s
4th generation Euromel technology, which features
the traditional total-zero-pollution concept. No other details
were available.

 

PolyQuest Plans to Build Additional Line For Recycled PET Resins in S. Carolina

Wilmington—
PolyQuest, a polymer resin distributor and recycler, said it
will construct at least one additional recycled polyethylene
terephthalate (rPET) manufacturing line at its PET recycling
operation in Darlington, S.C., to meet the growing
demand for post-consumer recycled content.
Since 2006, PolyQuest has been producing recycled PET
resins at the Darlington facility. Using either postindustrial
or post-consumer recycled PET feedstocks,
PolyQuest can manufacture amorphous, crystallized and
solid state rPET resins that are either non-FDA or FDA
approved for food contact.
The new line, scheduled to be operational by the third
quarter of 2021, will be used to produce “high-quality”
resin that is suitable for use in the vast majority of PET
applications, the company noted.
“Our total corporate thermoplastics recycling capacity is
approximately 150-million pounds per year, which includes
post-consumer washed bottle flake plus post-consumer pelletizing
and solid stating plus post-industrial pelletizing,”
said PolyQuest Chief Executive John Marinelli.
“Even though the amount of post-consumer PP [polypropylene]
recycled pales in comparison with PET at present,
the rapid growth of PolyQuest’s virgin PP distribution
business requires that we intensively study and consider
investing in post-consumer recycled PP in the near
future.”

 

Loop and Chemtex Enter into Agreement To Accelerate Infinite Loop Technology

Montreal—
Loop Industries announced a deal with Chemtex Global, in
which it will leverage Chemtex and Invista Performance
Technologies polymerization know-how, in support of its
plan to accelerate the commercialization of its Infinite Loop
depolymerization process (PCN, 30 Mar 2020, p 1).
Infinite Loop enhanced recycling technology breaks
down waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic and
polyester fiber into its base petrochemical building blocks,
or monomers: dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and monoethylene
glycol (MEG).
After depolymerization, the monomers are purified back
into their original form. Invista’s polymerization knowhow
is then used to rebuild the DMT and MEG into brand
new PET resin or polyester fiber, Loop explained. Chemtex
will provide its engineering and design support for Invista’s
know-how.
Infinite Loop also shows a 60% reduction in global
warming potential when compared to virgin PET produced
from fossil fuels.
“Infinite Loop manufacturing facilities will transform
the way PET plastic and polyester fiber is made in the future,
as the world continues its transition away from fossil
fuel-based plastics and into the circular economy,” said
Loop Founder and Chief Executive Daniel Solomita.
“All of the waste plastic processed through our manufacturing
technology is now infinitely recyclable, without
compromising quality, which our customers demand. The
ability to transform a worn-out polyester sweater into a
pristine water bottle or a brand-new pair of jeans is a great
example of the endless possibilities of Infinite Loop manufacturing.”

 

PCG, PT AKR Subsidiaries to Form JV To Distribute Chemicals in Indonesia

Jakarta—
Petronas Chemicals Marketing and PT AKR Niaga Indonesia,
subsidiaries of Petronas Chemicals Group (PCG) and
PT AKR Corporindo (PT AKR), respectively, have agreed to
form a joint venture to distribute methanol and other
chemicals across Indonesia.
PCG and logistics and supply chain firm PT AKR will
work together to deliver innovative customer solutions to
customers’ diverse needs, noted Petronas. Methanol will
be the first product delivered to Indonesian customers.
“Southeast Asia is an important market for us,” said
PCG Chief Executive and Managing Director Datuk Sazali
Hamzah. “Having an established local partner in Indonesia
with a strong logistical infrastructure and market presence
would enable us to grow our network and serve our
customers more effectively.
“PT AKR’s experience in serving the methanol market
is synergistic to PCG’s business. Beyond distributing
methanol, we also aspire to extend the chemical range to
include other chemical products in the future.”

 

Stolt Tankers Enters Accord with CTG To Purchase Five Chemical Tankers

London—Stolt
Tankers BV, a subsidiary of Stolt-Nielsen Ltd., has agreed
to purchase five chemical tankers from Chemical Transportation
Group (CTG) for trading in the Stolt Tankers Joint
Service.
The 26,000-dwt carriers, built in China in 2016 and
2017, have stainless steel cargo sections. The acquisition
of the ships is expected to be finalized between December
2020 and February 2021. Value of the transaction was not
given.
“This acquisition is an excellent opportunity for Stolt
Tankers to replace ships being retired in the next few
years, lowering our fleet age profile with competitively
priced ships that can trade in any of our deep-sea lanes,”
said Stolt Tankers President Lucas Vos.
“Newer, fuel-efficient ships help us reduce our carbon
footprint, while buying existing tonnage means capacity is
not added to a market that doesn’t need it.”

 

Nova Partnering with Merlin to Increase Supply of PCR for Consumer Packaging

Calgary—
Nova Chemicals has entered into a long-term agreement
with Merlin Plastics Supply to boost the supply of highquality,
post-consumer recyclate (PCR) for consumer packaging,
marking Nova’s entry into the PCR market.
The partners will turn high-density polyethylene
(HDPE) plastic recyclate into resin for use in everyday
products and packaging, including food applications.
As part of the agreement, Nova will provide financing
for a multimillion-dollar project to accelerate Merlin’s expansion
into PCR for food contact applications and, in turn,
will secure a reliable supply to offer its customers.
“We expect demand for PCR to increase tenfold in the
next five years based on brand owner sustainability commitments,”
noted Greg DeKunder, vice president of marketing
at Nova.
This is one of several collaborations Nova is pursuing to
build its PCR offerings with commercial quantities beginning
in 2021. Ultimately, Nova plans to offer 100% PCR
PE and PCR blended with its virgin grades, including linear
low-density PE, low-density PE, and HDPE.
“Plastic has great value and is essential to modern life,”
said Nova President and Chief Executive Luis Sierra.
“Nova Chemicals is committed to finding new ways to capture
its value beyond its first use to drive a plastics circular
economy.”

 

SDK Licensed to Process Industrial Waste Into Raw Materials for Chem Production

Tokyo—
Showa Denko (SDK), which has been operating a plastic
chemical recycling business in Kawasaki, Japan, since
2003, recently obtained a license to process industrial
waste into raw materials for chemicals and has begun accepting
used plastics, which have been crushed or molded.
“We gasify used plastics under high temperature and
decompose them to the level of molecules,” SDK noted.
“The gasified plastics are converted into hydrogen (lowcarbon
hydrogen) and carbon dioxide (CO2). We use lowcarbon
hydrogen as raw material to produce ammonia, and
CO2 as raw material to produce dry ice and carbonated
drinks,” it explained.
“These days, social needs for high-technology based recycling
of used plastics as a countermeasure against plastic
debris problems, including [the] marine plastic problem,
have been increasing.”

 

Huntsman Enters into Agreement to Sell Remaining Shares in Venator Materials

Houston—
Huntsman Corp. has signed a definitive agreement with
funds advised by SK Capital Partners to divest 42.5-
million shares in its pigments and additives business, Venator
Materials, for approximately $100-million.
The agreement includes a 30-month option for the sale
of the remaining approximate 9.5-million shares its holds
at $2.15 per share. Subject to regulatory approvals, the
transaction is expected to close near year-end.

 

PetroChemical News Briefs

Shell will install eight new ethylene steam cracker
furnaces at its Moerdijk petrochemicals complex in the
Netherlands in place of 16 older units, without reducing
capacity. The furnaces will be shipped in modules, allowing
the cracker to continue operating throughout the upgrade.
Completion is expected in 2025.
Chandra Asri Petrochemical signed a head of agreement
with Kilang Pertamina Internasional, a subsidiary of
Pertamina (Persero), to cooperate in developing the Indonesian
petrochemical business. Indonesia’s president, Joko
Widodo, has encouraged the development of petrochemical
plants to reduce imports.
Borealis has successfully completed the purchase of a
controlling interest in South Korean compounder DYM
Solution Co., for an undisclosed amount.
Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem) has declared
force majeure on its polyethylene (PE) products after assessing
the impact of Hurricane Laura, which made landfall
on 27 Aug. 2020, said S&P Global Platts citing a letter
from the company. CPChem plans to return to full PE deliveries
“as soon as possible.”
Phillips 66 has resumed operations at its Beaumont
terminal in Nederland, Texas, which was impacted by
Hurricane Laura. Operations remain limited by electric
power curtailments. Timelines for other operational restarts
mainly depend on resources, including access to electricity
and other utilities.

Majority of Gulf Coast Producers Report Minimal Impact from Hurricane Laura

Houston—As
of PCN’s press deadline, most U.S. Gulf Coast producers
reported no major impacts from Hurricane Laura, which
made landfall on 27 Aug. 2020.
While most petrochemical plants and refineries are still
being assessed for damage, the following companies provided
brief updates:
ExxonMobil said its Beaumont, Texas, refinery,
chemical plant and polyethylene plant remain safely shutdown.
The company is conducing a preliminary assessment
to determine the impact of the storm on its facilities.
The Baytown, Texas, and Baton Rouge, La., units continue
to operate safely and reliably.
Shell tweeted that its Deer Park, Texas, plant is running
normally. Hurricane Laura had only a minimal operational
impact as of 27 Aug. 2020. No additional update
will be issued by the company.
BASF is maintaining normal operations at its Geismar,
La., facility “with no impact from Hurricane Laura to
date,” reported Argus Media citing the company.
LyondellBasell said there is widespread power outages
in the Lake Charles, La., area. It is assessing limited
damage to the site, but the extent is unknown at this time.
Westlake Chemical, following initial facility assessments,
believes it has incurred limited physical damage.
Restart of the units will primarily depend upon the availability
of electricity, industrial gases and other feedstocks.
Covestro said that its Baytown and Channelview,
Texas, plants were not significantly impacted, and the
Baytown site is returning to normal operations.
AmSty is operating its styrenics plant in St. James,
La., according to Argus.
Motiva Enterprises reported a leak at its Port Arthur,
Texas, refinery that resulted in an emission release of hundreds
of pounds of chemicals, reported Beaumont Enterprise.
The leak occurred on a process line during the shutdown
process. An initial assessment has been conducted
and the company is working toward a complete restart of
its refinery and chemical plant.
Energy Transfer, based on an initial assessment, determined
there was no major damage to its operations in
the Houston, Texas, area and along the Gulf Coast.
Venture Global LNG reported that its Calcasieu Pass
liquefied natural gas facility under construction in Cameron,
La., has sustained minimal impacts.
Golden Pass LNG, a joint venture of Qatar Petroleum
and Exxon Mobil, announced that an initial assessment
revealed no significant storm-related impacts.
Additionally, The Port of Houston began reopening to
commercial shipping on 27 Aug. 2020, Reuters reported.
The Port of Galveston, Texas, also reopened to tug and
barge traffic, and the Ports of Freeport, and Texas City,
Texas, reopened on 27 Aug. 2020 with draft restrictions.
The Port of Beaumont, Orange, Port Arthur and Sabine,
Texas, remained closed on 27 Aug. 2020, as did ports
in Lake Charles and Cameron, according to a notice from
the U.S. Coast Guard.

 

Baofeng Energy Awards Contracts to KBR For Chinese Methanol-to-Olefins Project

Beijing—
Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group Co. (Baofeng Energy) has
selected KBR’s proprietary cracker technology for its new
methanol-to-olefins (MTO) project to be built in Ningxia,
China (PCN, 10 Aug 2020, p 1).
Under the contracts, KBR will provide process technology
licensing and process design packages for Baofeng Energy’s
500,000-t/y coal-to-olefins facility and its 500,000-t/y
C2-C5 comprehensive utilization project.
Once complete, the complex will be the “largest” singletrain
MTO plant in the world, KBR noted. Value of the
contracts and a project schedule were not given.
“KBR will use a combination of its best-in-class SCORE
steam cracking and MTO recovery technologies to achieve
Baofeng Energy’s project objectives of highest yields and
lowest capital investment,” said KBR.
“The SCORE steam cracking unit will convert the ethane
and propane feedstock into ethylene and propylene,
which are later separated and further purified in the MTO
recovery section to ensure the quality needed to produce
polymer-grade ethylene and propylene.”
Johnson Matthey was recently chosen to be the licensor
and supplier of associated engineering, technical review,
commissioning assistance, catalyst and equipment supply
for a new methanol synthesis unit for the project.

 

DRPIC Picks LyondellBasell Technologies For New PP and HDPE Plants in Oman

Duqm—
LyondellBasell announced that Duqm Refinery and Petrochemical
Industries Co. (DRPIC) has chosen its polypropylene
(PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) technologies
for a new facility to be built in Al Duqm, Oman.
LyondellBasell will supply its Spheripol process technology
for the 280,000-t/y PP plant and its Hostalen ACP
process technology for the 480,000-t/y HDPE unit. No
other details were given.
“The Spheripol and Hostalen technology licenses forms
part of 12 technology license packages awarded by DRPIC
to international technology providers, advancing the frontend
engineering and design [FEED] progress toward
achieving shareholders’ final investment decision in 2021,”
said DRPIC Chief Executive Dr. Salim Al Huthaili.
In June 2019, DRPIC said it awarded a FEED contract
to Wood for a planned petrochemical facility in the Special
Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (PCN, 17 June 2019, p
1).
The facility, the second phase of DRPIC’s integrated refinery
and petrochemical complex, will include a mixedfeed
steam cracker with a production capacity of 1.6-
million t/y of ethylene, production units for hydrogen, syngas,
methanol, and other petrochemicals and associated
facilities. Completion was expected in the third quarter of
2020. An update was not available.
DRPIC is a 50-50 joint venture of Oman Oil Co. and
Kuwait Petroleum International.

 

Kazakhstan Petrochemical to Commission Its ‘First’ PP Facility in 2nd Half of ’21

Atyrau—
Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries (KPI) expects to
commission the country’s “first” polypropylene (PP) plant
in August 2021, according to the company’s website.
The new 500,000-t/y PP facility is being built within the
“first” Integrated Gas-Chemical Complex Construction Project
in the Atyrau region (PCN, 21 Oct 2019, p 4).
Estimated to cost $2.6-billion, the majority of the
plant’s PP output will be exported to Western and Central
Europe, Turkey, China and a few post-Soviet countries,
reported Caspian News. Tengizchevroil, operator of the
Tengiz oil field, will supply raw material to the facility.
KPI is owned 99% by state-owned United Chemical Co.
and 1% by Kazakhstan investment group ALMEX.

 

Turkmengaz Reaches Full Production Of PE and PP at Its Kiyanly Complex

Kiyanly—
Turkmenistan’s Turkmengaz has achieved full production
rates of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) at its
Kiyanly gas chemical complex in the Gyanly settlement in
the Turkmenbashi district of Turkmenistan (PCN, 22 Oct
2018, p 1).
The $3.4-billion facility, which was commissioned in October
2018, has a production capacity of 381,000 t/y of PE
and 81,000 t/y of PP.
A consortium of Hyundai Engineering, Toyo Engineering
and LG International was responsible for the engineering,
procurement and construction for the project.
Along with the plant reaching full capacity, Turkmengaz
increased exports of polymer products during January
through July 2020.

 

Mitsubishi Forms Alliance with Refinverse In Efforts to Pursue a Circular Economy

Tokyo—
Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. (MCC), as part of its efforts to
pursue a circular economy, has entered into a capital and
business alliance with Refinverse, operator of an industrial
waste collection, treatment and recycling business.
Refinverse, which started out collecting and transporting
construction-related waste for treatment, has built an
integrated system extending from waste treatment to production
of resin, thereby supplying a diverse range of recycled
resources.
The alliance will enable MCC to combine Refinverse’s
know-how regarding all aspects of industrial waste with its
own technologies and knowledge to promote appropriate
recycling and effective use of waste.
It will also allow MCC to further its understanding of
final disposal methods for its products and leverage that
understanding to design materials that are more environmentally
friendly, MCC explained.
Refinverse has granted stock to MCC through thirdparty
allotment to raise capital, and the two companies
have signed an outsourcing agreement.
Accordingly, on 1 Apr. 2020, MCC established a Circular
Economy Dept. to promote the proposal and commercialization
of solutions relating to the circular economy and
proactively pursuing tie-ups with external parties including
customers, academic institutions and start-ups to contribute
to the creation of a sustainable society.

 

Repsol to Convert Tarragona Facility To Produce Specialized Polymers

Tarragona—Repsol
said it will invest €32-million in a project that involves
adapting one of its existing polypropylene units at its industrial
complex in Tarragona, Spain, to manufacture
polymers with high resistance to impact.
The plant, which will be converted by installing a second
reactor, will be the “first” of its kind in the Iberian
Peninsula, Repsol noted.
It will produce highly specialized polymers with “great”
added value for the automotive sector due to their “extraordinary”
resistance to impacts, “positively” affecting
safety. Operations are scheduled to begin in 2021.
“This new range of polymers has a lower density than
other alternative materials, contributing to decreasing the
total weight of the vehicles and, thus, reducing emissions
and extending their autonomy,” said the company.

 

Industries Qatar Gets Board Approval To Acquire 25% Interest in QAFCO

Doha—The board
of directors of Industries Qatar (IQ) has approved IQ’s proposed
purchase of the remaining 25% stake in Qatar Fertiliser
Co. (QAFCO) from Qatar Petroleum (QP) for $1-
billion, making IQ the sole owner.
QAFCO, registered in Mesaieed, Qatar, produces approximately
3.8-million t/y of ammonia and around 5.7-
million to 5.8-million t/y of urea.
The transaction is subject to shareholders’ approval, as
well as other regulatory and customary approvals. An expected
completion date was not given.
IQ has scheduled a virtual Extra Ordinary General Assembly
meeting on 13 Sept. 2020 to get approval from its
shareholders for the transaction.
“The purchase of QP’s stake in QAFCO is consistent
with IQ’s strategy to build its presence and create value
across the downstream sector,” IQ noted.
“This transaction specifically enhances the shareholder
value by transforming IQ into a 100% owner of the world’s
largest single site urea producer and expanding its footprints
in a well-established fertilizer business, with a
proven track record of operational excellence and market
positioning, along with resilient cash flow generation capabilities
spurred by synergistic opportunities.”
Also, as part of the same transaction, the board of directors
approved QAFCO’s purchase of QP’s 40% stake in
Qatar Melamine Co. (QMC), effective 1 July 2020. QMC
has a design capacity of 60,000 t/y of melamine.
QP, which owns 51% of IQ, recently acquired the 25%
interest in QAFCO from Yara for $1-billion (PCN, 16 Mar
2020, p 1).

 

People on the Move

Reliance Industries Ltd.—Sanjiv Singh, previously
chairman of Indian Oil Corp., has joined Reliance Industries
as group president of the company’s oil-to-chemicals
business (PCN, 6 July 2020, p 2).
Ingevity Corp.—John C. Fortson has been named
president and chief executive, effective 1 Sept. 2020, and
will join the board of directors. He succeeds Richard Kelson,
who has been serving as interim president and chief
executive since earlier this year (PCN, 24 Feb 2020, p 2).

 

Sasa, Invista Finalize License Agreement For Sasa’s Planned Turkish PTA Plant

Adana—Sasa
Polyester said it has signed a license and technical service
agreement with Invista, an affiliate of Koch Industries, for
a new purified terephthalic acid (PTA) facility to be built in
Adana, Turkey (PCN, 18 May 2020, p 2).
The $935-million project includes a new 1.5-million t/y
PTA plant based on Invista Performance Technologies’ P8
process technology. A schedule for the project was not
given; however, according to a local news report, completion
is expected in 2022.
In addition, Sasa said negotiations regarding the Yumurtalik
terrain are also continuing.
Earlier this year, Sasa announced that its Environmental
Impact Assessment application requesting land
allocation for new petrochemical facilities in the Yumurtalik
district had been approved.
The projects, which include the PTA plant, also involve
the production of monoethylene glycol, polyethylene, polypropylene,
polyvinyl chloride, superabsorbent polymers
and polyester chips, as well as construction of a port.

 

Topsoe Joins Sustainable Fuels Project; Will Contribute Technology Know-How

Copenhagen—
Haldor Topsoe said it recently became a partner in an
“ambitious” sustainable fuels project to develop a “groundbreaking”
hydrogen and sustainable fuel facility based on
electrolysis in Copenhagen, Sweden.
The project is expected to be executed in three stages,
with completion planned by 2030.
The first stage, which could be operational by 2023, will
comprise a 10-megawatt electrolysis plant producing renewable
hydrogen.
By 2027, the stage two facility, equipped with a 250-
megawatt electrolysis plant, will combine the production of
renewable hydrogen with capture of carbon dioxide (CO2)
from combustion of municipal waste or biomass to produce
renewable methanol.
Stage three will upgrade the electrolysis plant’s capacity
to 1.3 gigawatt and capture additional CO2.
“For sustainable fuels to become competitive with fossil
fuels, technologies must be matured and ultimately become
available and proven on an industrial scale,” said Topsoe
Chief Executive Roeland Baan.
“Partnerships like this are the way to achieve that.
Topsoe contributes to this transition with the necessary
carbon emission reduction technologies, particularly within
efficient hydrogen production from solid oxide cell electrolysis
(SOEC) and proven technologies to produce sustainable
fuels like jet fuel, ammonia and methanol, which
are in focus in this project.”
The partners, which cover the whole value chain for renewable
hydrogen and sustainable fuels, include A.P.
Moller – Maersk, Orsted, Copenhagen Airports, DSV Panalpina,
DFDS, SAS, Nel and Everfuel.

 

Evonik to Grow Catalysts Business With Acquisition of Porocel Group

Houston—Evonik
announced it is buying the Porocel Group for $210-million
in order to accelerate the growth of its catalysts business.
Based in Houston, Texas, Porocel will give Evonik access
to “highly-efficient” rejuvenation of desulfurization
catalysts, Evonik noted. In addition, Porocel has available
production capacity technology, enabling Evonik to speed
up expansion of its existing business with fixed-bed catalysts.
Rejuvenation reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more
than 50% compared with the production of new desulfurization
catalysts and facilitates a circular economy. The
transaction is expected to close by the end of this year, subject
to approval by the relevant authorities.
“This acquisition is the next logical step in the strategic
development of our portfolio,” said Christian Kullmann,
chairman of the executive board of Evonik.
“Our focus is on stable and high-margin specialty
chemicals. We are systemically expanding the share of our
specialty businesses – and that at an attractive valuation.”

 

Tringen and NewGen Sign MoU to Study Feasibility of Green Hydrogen for NH3

Point Lisas—
Trinidad Nitrogen Co. (Tringen) and NewGen Energy Ltd.
have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to
conduct a feasibility study for the use of carbon-neutral
and green hydrogen in Tringen’s ammonia production facilities,
reported the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian citing a
joint release from the two companies.
Currently, all hydrogen used in ammonia production in
Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) is generated solely from the
steam methane reforming of natural gas.
The NewGen project would generate hydrogen from a
non-hydrocarbon source—via the process of the electrolysis
of a comparable amount of water that an existing ammonia
or methanol plant is currently using on the Point Lisas
Estate.
Waste heat from the country’s power plants would also
be used to produce the hydrogen and is expected to improve
the energy efficiency of T&T’s existing power generation
sector. The proposed project, currently estimated to
cost approximately $300-million, is expected to start up in
2023.
NewGen is in the process of identifying and exploring
commercially available electrolysis technologies to choose
the optimum technology for its hydrogen production unit.

 

Zhejiang Satellite Orders Four VLECs To Be Built in Korea by HHI & SHI

Seoul—Zhejiang
Satellite Petrochemical, through several subsidiaries in
Hong Kong, has ordered four very large ethane carriers
(VLECs) from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Samsung
Heavy Industries (SHI), both of South Korea, according
to several industry sources.
Pangtian (Hong Kong) Co. and Pangxin (Hong Kong)
Co. each ordered one ship from HHI, while Xinren (Hong
Kong) Co. and Xinxiu (Hong Kong) Co. each ordered one
ship from SHI. The total value of the four vessels is $441-
million.
The ships from HHI and SHI are scheduled for delivery
starting from the second quarter of 2022.

 

Evonik Plans Debottlenecking Efforts To Grow Its C4 Production Network

Marl—Evonik
said it is investing around €15-million in its C4 production
network in Marl, Germany, to increase local production
capacity for isobutene derivatives by over 50%.
The project, which will be achieved through targeted
debottlenecking measures, will increase capacity of tertbutanol,
di-isobutene and 3,5,5-trimethylhexanal with 96%
purity.
Logistics will also be further expanded to offer more
flexibility of supply to its customers in terms of quantities
requested and delivery times. Completion of the project is
expected by December 2021.
“The background to the investment in the performance
intermediates business line is the ongoing development of
so-called petrochemical specialties,” Evonik noted.
“These supplement the well-known classics, such as
MTBE [methyl tertiary butyl ether], 1,3-butadiene or
DINP [diisononyl phthalate] and make a significant contribution
to meeting the requirement of 100% material use
of all raw material flows and thus to our sustainability
strategy.”

 

Aramco Establishes New Organization To Optimize the Company’s Portfolio

Dhahran—
Saudi Aramco has established an integrated Corporate
Development organization to support rapid and effective
decision-making on the company’s portfolio and corporate
development activities.
The organization, which will become operational starting
13 Sept. 2020, is mandated to create value, assess existing
assets and secure greater access to growth markets
and technologies through portfolio optimization and strategic
alignment.
It is expected to strengthen Aramco’s resilience, agility
and ability to respond to changing market dynamics, the
company noted.
“We continue to leverage our capabilities in assessing
our existing portfolio, identifying new opportunities and
adapting to a rapidly evolving global landscape,” said
Aramco President and Chief Executive Amin H. Nasser.
“The Corporate Development organization will focus on
growth opportunities as we further sharpen and
strengthen our strategic focus to optimize our portfolio,
and, in doing so, maximize value for our shareholders.”
The new organization will be led by Aramco Senior Vice
President Abdulaziz M. Al-Gudaimi.

 

Meghmani Begins Commercial Production Of Hydrogen Peroxide at Dahej Complex

Dahej—
Meghmani Finechem Ltd. (MFL) has started commercial
production of its new integrated hydrogen peroxide plant
at its existing chlor-alkali and derivatives complex in Dahej,
Gujarat, India, reported a local news source.
The 60,000-t/y hydrogen peroxide facility required a total
investment of Rs 180 crore.
Late last year, TechnipFMC announced it had signed
its “first” Epicerol technology license agreement with MFL
for the production of epichlorohydrin (ECH) from glycerin
at the Dahej complex (PCN, 4 Nov 2019, p 4).
TechnipFMC earlier said the 50,000-t/y ECH plant was
expected to start up in 2021. According to the local source,
the project is now expected to be commissioned by the
fourth quarter of fiscal year 2022.
MFL is a subsidiary of Meghmani Organics Ltd.

 

Commission Chooses Linde as Member Of European Clean Hydrogen Alliance

Brussels—
Linde announced that it has been selected by the European
Commission (EC) as a new member of the European Clean
Hydrogen Alliance.
The EC founded the alliance this past March, as part of
the new industrial strategy for Europe. It aims to support
the scaling up of production and demand for renewable and
low-carbon hydrogen, coordinate action, and provide a
broad forum to engage civil society. It brings together top
European industrial companies, representatives from politics,
and civil society.
Linde will contribute its long-standing expertise in hydrogen
mobility, production, processing and distribution,
as well as its “leading” position in the clean hydrogen industry,
Linde noted.

 

Petronas Chemicals & LG Chem Ink Deal To Construct New NBL Facility at PIC

Johor—
Petronas Chemicals Group (PCG) and LG Chem have
signed an agreement to build a nitrile butadiene latex
(NBL) manufacturing plant at the Pengerang Integrated
Complex (PIC) in Johor, Malaysia.
The new plant will have a production capacity of
200,000 t/y of NBL. Construction is scheduled to begin
next year, with production expected to start in 2023. Cost
of the project was not disclosed.
“This collaboration further strengthens the pursuit of
our growth agenda, having acquired a silicone player last
year,” said Datuk Sazali, chief executive and managing
director of PCG. “With more specialty chemicals in our
portfolio, we are moving into segments with higher growth
potential.”

Sibur Announces Start of Construction On New Amur Gas Chemical Complex

Svobodny—
Sibur said it held an official ceremony to mark the start of
construction of its Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC) in
Svobodny, Russia (PCN, 10 Aug 2020, p 4).
The project would process ethane fraction from Gazprom’s
Amur Gas Processing Plant (AGPP) for the production
of 1.5-million t/y of ethylene, and the further production
of 2.3-million t/y of polyethylene and 400,000 t/y of
polypropylene. Construction is expected to be completed in
2024, with commissioning expected in 2025.
The AGCC will be launched in sync with the gradual
ramp up of the AGPP to its full capacity.
Tecnimont SpA, a subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont, was
selected as leader of a consortium for the development of
the AGCC.
Under the contract, valued at approximately €1.2-
billion, Tecnimont, MT Russia LLC, Sinopec Engineering
Inc. and Sinopec Engineering Group Co. will provide engineering,
procurement and site services.
AGCC, once in operation, will give a “major boost” to
the growth of non-commodity exports, as AGCC’s polymer
production capacity is 1.35 times higher than total polymer
exports in 2019, Sibur noted.

 

LTHE Enters MoU with NTPC to Build CO2-to-Methanol Demo Plant in India

Mumbai—L&T
Hydrocarbon Engineering (LTHE), a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), signed a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) with NTPC Ltd. to build a carbon
dioxide (CO2)-to-methanol facility in NTPC Power Station
in India.
Under the MoU, LTHE will be responsible for the engineering,
procurement and construction management of the
demonstration plant. Value of the contract and a completion
date were not given.
The facility will comprise of three sub-units—CO2 capture
from flue gas, hydrogen production by electrolysis of
water and catalytic conversion of CO2 and hydrogen to
methanol.
The partners will also further collaborate to accelerate
the development and subsequently commercialize CO2-tomethanol
plants.
“This development towards establishing CO2-tomethanol
plants in an important step towards India’s
commitment to combat climate change,” said Subramanian
Sarma, whole time director and senior executive vice
president of energy at L&T.

 

Braskem America Launches New PP Designed as Replacement for PET

Philadelphia—
Braskem America has introduced its new Inspire polypropylene
(PP) grade designed to replace polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) in consumer packaging.
The new grade has optical properties that come close to
PET, with “improved” thermal properties over PET and
traditional random copolymer PP, the company explained.
Inspire PP is also suitable for thermoformed applications,
which demand a great balance of clarity and heat
resistance, such as store and restaurant pre-prepared and
ready-to-heat meals.
This past June, Braskem completed construction on its
new 450,000-t/y Delta PP production facility in La Porte,
Texas (PCN, 29 June 2020, p 1).
The plant has the capability to produce the entire PP
portfolio, including homopolymer, impact copolymer and
random copolymers. Initial production test runs began last
month with the first full-scale commercial production activity
expected in the third quarter of this year.

 

Idemitsu Kosan Ending JV with BASF For the Production and Sale of BDO

Tokyo—Idemitsu
Kosan has decided to terminate its joint venture agreement
with BASF regarding the production and sales of 1,4-
butanediol (BDO) by BASF Idemitsu Co., and withdraw
from the BDO business.
BASF Idemitsu, located at Idemitsu’s Chiba complex in
Japan, has a production capacity of 25,000 t/y of BDO.
Operations will end in December 2020. The joint venture
is owned 67% by BASF and 33% by Idemitsu.
BASF will take over BASF Idemitsu’s BDO business
and continue supplying customers in Japan going forward.
“The business environment has deteriorated in recent
years due to a decline in domestic demand and an oversupply
caused by the expansion of facilities in Asia,” Idemitsu
Kosan noted. “After considering our future strategy, we
concluded that it would be difficult to continue the business
going forward.”

 

PTT Global Chem Completes Purchase Of 41.5% Interest in Dynachisso Thai

Bangkok—PTT
Global Chemical (GC) said it recently concluded the acquisition
of a 41.5% stake in Dynachisso Thai Co. from Dynachem
(Hong Kong) Ltd. (PCN, 13 July 2020, p 3).
Located in the Amata Industrial Estate in Chonburi
Province, Dynachisso Thai has an installed capacity of
30,000 t/y of polypropylene (PP) compounds. Value of the
transaction was not disclosed.
GC earlier said the acquisition of Dynachisso Thai
would advance its PP compound engineering plastic business,
and help it meet the needs of customers in both regional
and global markets, especially Thailand, China and
Southeast Asia.

 

Repsol and Acteco Plan Project to Boost Recycled Polyolefins Capacity in Spain

Alicante—
Repsol and waste management firm Acteco will develop a
project to increase the production capacity of high-quality
recycled polyolefins at Acteco’s plant in Ibi, Alicante,
Spain.
The recycled products from the facility will be included
in the polyolefins of the Repsol Reciclex range, designed for
high-value applications and those with high technical requirements,
Repsol noted. Cost and a schedule for the project
were not given.
The partnership with Acteco is one of more than 200
circular economy initiatives that Repsol has launched to
contribute to its carbon intensity reduction objectives. It
will benefit from Acteco’s experience in the collection, processing
and mechanical recycling of plastics.
“This is a strategic alliance that allows us to collaborate
in boosting the circular economy and solutions for decarbonization,
to reach our commitments regarding recycled
plastics and offer our customers a complete range of highquality
circular polyolefins that will allow them to increase
the amount of recycled materials in their products,” said
Repsol Chemicals Executive Director Jose Luis Bernal.

 

ADNOC Makes ‘Significant’ Progress On $3.5-Bn Crude Flexibility Project

Ruwais—Abu
Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) announced it has made
“significant” progress on its $3.5-billion Crude Flexibility
Project (CFP), its ongoing upgrade of refining capabilities
in Ruwais, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The CFP will allow ADNOC to process up to 420,000
bbl/sd of heavier and sourer grades of crude oil, as part of
the 840,000-bbl/sd refinery in Ruwais. Completion is expected
in mid-2022.
The project, announced in 2018, is a core driver of ADNOC
Downstream’s 2030 smart growth strategy, ADNOC
noted. The CFP upgrade initiative will increase the value
ADNOC derives from every barrel of oil, both by boosting
refining margins and by leaving more high-value Murban
crude available for export.
“ADNOC continues to deliver on the expansion of its
downstream business in the UAE, which will see the Ruwais
industrial hub transformed into a globally competitive
chemicals cluster, leveraging the UAE’s close geographic
proximity to global growth markets, access to competitive
feedstocks, streamlined utilities and services offer, as well
as Abu Dhabi’s attractive fiscal and regulatory environment,”
the company said.

 

Bahri Subsidiary Orders Chemical Tankers From Hyundai MIPO Dockyard in Japan

Riyadh—
National Chemical Carriers Co., a subsidiary of the National
Shipping Co. of Saudi Arabia (Bahri), has signed a
contract with Hyundai MIPO Dockyard Co. for new chemical
tankers.
The order, valued at $410-million, involves the construction
of 10 chemical tankers, each with a capacity of
49,999 dwt. The ships are expected to be delivered in
groups, beginning the first quarter of 2022 until the first
quarter of 2023.
Hyundai MIPO Dockyard is a subsidiary of Korea Shipbuilding
& Offshore Engineering Co.

 

Aramco to Drop Out of Partnership For Chinese Refinery, PC Complex

Beijing—Saudi
Aramco has suspended plans to invest in building a refining
and petrochemical complex in China with Norinco
Group and Panjin Sincen, due to the uncertain market outlook,
reported Bloomberg citing people familiar with the
matter.
The estimated $10-billion project, to be built in Panjin,
will include a 300,000-b/d refinery, a 1.5-million-t/y ethylene
cracker and a 1.3-million-t/y paraxylene unit (PCN, 25
Feb 2019, p 1). Operations are expected to begin in 2024.
In February 2019, Aramco signed an agreement with
Norinco and Panjin Sincen to form a new joint venture
company to develop the project.
The company, Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Co., was to
be owned 35% by Aramco, 36% by Norinco and 29% by
Panjin Sincen. The Chinese partners are expected to proceed
with the project.
Aramco earlier agreed to supply up to 70% of the crude
feedstock for the complex.

 

Ameropa and OQT Enter Off-take Deal For Some of OMIFCO’s Urea Output

Brasília—OQ
Trading (OQT) and Ameropa have entered into a threeyear
off-take agreement for a portion of granular urea from
Oman India Fertiliser Co.’s (OMIFCO) fertilizer facility in
Oman.
“This ground-breaking deal with OQT . . . further solidifies
our role as the leading urea trading company in the
world and helps us gain additional market share in strategic
regions,” Ameropa noted, adding that its first vessel
completed loading on 2 Aug. 2020 with 49,500 tons of
granular urea and is on its way to Brazil.
The world-scale, two-train ammonia/urea plant of
OMIFCO is located at the Sur Industrial Estate in the Sultanate
of Oman. It has the capacity to produce a total of
3,500 t/d of ammonia and a total of 5,060 t/d of urea.
OMIFCO is owned 50% by Oman Oil (OQ), 25% by Indian
Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd. and 25% by
Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd. OQT is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of OQ.

 

People on the Move

American Chemistry Council—Joshua Baca has
been named vice president of plastics, succeeding Steve
Russell, who retired earlier this year. Baca is presently
senior vice president of public affairs at the American Beverage
Assn.
Bechtel—Justin Siberell has been appointed president
of the Europe and Middle East regions. He was most recently
in the U.S. Foreign Service as the U.S. ambassador
to the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Aker Solutions—Kjetel Digre has become chief executive
officer.
Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund—Scott Rook,
currently chief operating officer, has been appointed president
and chief executive to replace Mark Davis, who is retiring
in 2021.
Odfjell SE—Oistein Jensen has been appointed as the
company’s first chief sustainability officer. He is currently
chief of staff, a position that will be eliminated.

 

GC Adjusting Its Business Strategies To Turn ‘Crisis into Opportunities’

Bangkok—PTT
Global Chemical (GC) said it is adjusting its business
strategies to turn “crisis into opportunities” by implementing
strategic steps into its business operations in response
to the COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuating oil prices and the
“trade war.”
GC will increase competitiveness through operational
excellence, increasing feedstock flexibility, and the development
of the High Value Product business.
It will grow externally through its mergers and acquisitions
strategy for new businesses to support high value
businesses, such as High Performance Polymers & Composites
and Coating & Adhesives by turning the COVID-19
pandemic into an opportunity to negotiate purchases and
secure more attractive prices.
Also, the company plans to elevate sustainability in its
business by implementing a climate strategy and clear targets
to cut gas emissions as follows: a reduction in greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions by 20% by 2030, and a reduction
in GHG emissions intensity by 52% by 2050.
Presently, GC is focusing on extending operating results
and reducing GHG emissions through the supply
chain, for example, reducing traffic by promoting a workfrom-
home policy among employees.
GC is also integrating the principles of the circular
economy into its business by exploring new ways of doing
business by using technology to develop and improve
manufacturing processes that reduce the use of natural
resources and maximize circular usage.
The company plans to develop eco-friendly products
that promote sustainability and reduce the use of resources
ensuring that products are long-lasting. It has set a firm
target to increase the proportion of performance products
and green chemicals to 30% from 10% currently by 2030.
Finally, GC is partnering with all associates in the
value chain to continue implementing socially responsible
projects that use resources efficiently and reduce the
amount of waste by transforming them into value-added
products.

 

Lanxess Launches Adiprene Green MDI Polyether Prepolymers Line

Cologne—Lanxess
announced the launch of Adiprene Green, a new range of
diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) polyether prepolymers
containing renewable, bio-based raw materials.
Adiprene Green products are suitable as a replacement
for existing fossil-based polyether prepolymers to manufacture
“durable” polyurethane elastomers, Lanxess noted.
Depending on the system, a reduction of carbon dioxide
between 20% to 30% is possible compared to traditional
prepolymers due to the use of polyether polyols based on
starch, the company noted. The percentage of bio-based
raw materials varies between 30% to 90% depending on
the targeted system hardness.
“At Lanxess, we have a clear sustainability strategy,”
said Dr. Markus Eckert, head of the Lanxess Urethane
Systems Business Unit.
“With the goal to be climate neutral until 2040, we are
building on our established and successful commitment to
climate protection. The first major projects have already
been launched. By using our new Adiprene Green products,
customers can benefit from our journey to climate
neutrality.”

 

NEDO Selects Ube & Nagoya University For Advanced Separation Technology

Tokyo—Ube
Industries and Nagoya University have been commissioned
by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development
Organization (NEDO) to develop advanced separation
technology for composite waste plastics.
The commissioned technology will enable the separation
of composite plastics, such as multilayer films for
packaging, into their constituent components, Ube noted.
It will potentially enable a low-energy and low-cost separation
process and will “substantially” conserve resources
and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The partners submitted a proposal to NEDO, after
NEDO issued a public call for projects to develop chemical
recycling technology that allows waste plastics to be efficiently
used as chemical raw materials. The project is to
be completed by 19 Mar. 2021.
Researchers will examine the types of waste that the
technology can be used for and conduct life cycle assessments
for application of the treatment process.
“The Ube Group is aiming to achieve an 80% reduction
of GHG emissions by 2050, as part of its mandate to engage
in corporate activities that are in harmony with nature,
as outlined in the Ube Group Environmental Vision
2050,” Ube noted.

 

Mitsui O.S.K. Completes ‘LNG Phecda,’ Third of Four Vessels for Yamal LNG

Tokyo—Mitsui
O.S.K. Lines (MOL) said construction has been completed
on “LNG Phecda,” the third out of four liquefied natural
gas (LNG) carriers jointly ordered by MOL and China Cosco
Shipping Corp. (PCN, 3 July 2017, p 2).
The 174,000-cu m LNG vessels will serve the Yamal
LNG project in Russia, which was completed in 2018 (PCN,
3 Dec 2018, p 3).
Yamal LNG, owned 50.1% by Novatek, 20% by China
National Petroleum Corp., 20% by Total and 9.9% by
China’s Silk Road Fund, has three liquefaction trains with
a total nameplate capacity of 16.5-million t/y.
The first two vessels, “LNG Dubhe” and “LNG Merak,”
were delivered in November 2019 and January 2020, respectively.
The last tanker is scheduled to be delivered
this year.

 

DuPont Clean Technologies Wins Contract To Supply Hengyi with Alkylation Unit

Muara—
Hengyi Industries has awarded a contract to DuPont Clean
Technologies for the licensing and engineering of a Stratco
alkylation unit at Hengyi’s refinery and petrochemical
complex in Pulau Muara Besar, Brunei.
The 800,000-t/y alkylation unit will enable Hengyi to
generate low-sulfur, high-octane, low-Rvp alkylate with
zero olefins that meets the criteria of the China VI standard.
Start-up is planned in 2023. Value of the contract
was not given.
The Stratco technology is a sulfuric acid, catalyzed
process that converts low-value, straight-chain olefins
(propylene, butylene and amylene) into alkylate.
Hengyi’s Pulau Muara Besar refinery and petrochemical
plant has the capacity to refine 8-million t/y of crude
oil, DuPont noted.

 

Braskem & Chemetry Sign Agreement To Build Brazilian EDC Demo Plant

São Paulo—
Braskem and Chemetry, a company focused on developing
lower energy technologies for the chemical industry, have
entered into an agreement to build and operate an ethylene
dichloride (EDC) demonstration unit in Brazil.
The plant, to be built at Braskem’s Maceio chlor-alkali
facility in Alagoas State, Brazil, will use Chemetry’s
eShuttle EDC technology.
The eShuttle process uses a “unique” metal halide ion
process to produce high-purity EDC without generating
chlorine gas, Chemetry noted. The process “significantly”
reduces electrical power consumption and production costs
compared to the latest generation chlor-alkali processes.
Chemetry’s technology uses the same feedstocks as conventional
processes and produces the same products. It
also offers EDC producers the ability to increase production
within the same cellroom footprint and power requirements.
“Through this collaboration with Braskem, along with
our engineering scale-up partnership with TechnipFMC,
we will validate the commercial viability of the . . . technology,”
said Chemetry Chief Executive Dr. Ryan Gilliam.
“This will well position the company and technology to
meet the growing need for new EDC capacity.”
In 2016, TechnipFMC (formerly Technip), signed an exclusive
cooperation agreement with Chemetry for the licensing
and engineering of Chemetry’s eShuttle technology
for EDC production (PCN, 19-26 Dec 2016, p 3).
Last year, TechnipFMC and Chemetry entered into a
similar agreement for Chemetry’s eShuttle technology for
the production of propylene oxide (PCN, 25 Nov-2 Dec
2019, p 1).

 

Odfjell’s Bow Explorer Begins Sea Trial; Fleet Renewal Program in Final Stages

Bergen—Bow
Explorer, expected to enter the Odfjell fleet later this year,
has set sail for sea trials, marking the final chapter of the
company’s fleet renewal program (PCN, 18 Nov 2019, p 4).
Built by Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai,
China, Bow Explorer is one of two final 38,000-dwt
stainless steel tankers “soon” ready to enter Odfjell’s fleet,
Odfjell noted.
The fleet renewal program was initiated in 2016. Since
then, Odfjell has added 30 new chemical tankers. The
ships have the most recent design and technology, but the
individual sizes, tanks and features vary.

 

Fluor JV Completes and Hands Over MAB2 Facilities to KNPC in Kuwait

Kuwait City—
Fluor announced that its joint venture with Daewoo Engineering
& Construction and Hyundai Heavy Industries has
achieved final provisional turnover of the facilities for Kuwait
National Petroleum Co.’s (KNPC) Mina Abdullah
Package 2 (MAB2) Clean Fuels Project in Kuwait (PCN, 10
Apr 2017, p 4).
The Clean Fuels Project is being executed on the three
KNPC-owned and operated refineries in Kuwait. As part
of the program, KNPC plans to retire existing processing
facilities at the Shuaiba Refinery and perform a major upgrade
and expansion of the MAB and Mina Al-Ahmadi refineries
to integrate the refining system into one complex
with full conversion operations.
Following commissioning, the two refineries will have a
total refining capacity of 800,000 b/d.
MAB2 is comprised of a world-scale hydrogen plant
(steam reformers), sulfur block (sour water stripper, amine
regeneration unit and sulfur recovery unit) and utilities,
off-sites and non-process buildings. It also covers extensive
modifications to the existing MAB refinery units.
The Clean Fuels Project was originally expected to be
complete in 2017.

 

IRSG’s Latest Rubber Report Available

Singapore—
The International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) announced
that its April-June 2020 edition of the Rubber Industry
Report has been published.
The Secretariat of the IRSG publishes data on production,
consumption, trade and prices—covering both natural
rubber and synthetic rubber—on a quarterly basis in its
flagship documents, the Rubber Statistical Bulletin and
the Rubber Industry Report.
Annual subscriptions and single copies can be purchased
by non-members at www.rubberstudy.com.

EC Approves OMV’s Planned Acquisition Of Additional 39% Interest in Borealis

Brussels—The
European Commission (EC) has approved, under the European
Union Merger Regulation, OMV’s planned purchase
of an additional 39% stake in Borealis from Mubadala Investment
Co. (PCN, 3 Aug 2020, p 3).
OMV currently holds a 36% interest in Borealis, with
Mubadala holding the remaining 64%. Once the acquisition
is complete, OMV will own a 75% stake and Mubadala
will hold a 25% stake in Borealis. The transaction is expected
to close by the end of this year.
OMV has agreed to pay Mubadala $2.34-billion at closing
of the transaction and $2.34-billion no later than 31
Dec. 2021, at a market interest rate from closing.
The commission concluded that the proposed transaction
would raise no competition concerns given that Borealis
is already jointly controlled by OMV and because of the
limited horizontal and vertical overlaps between the activities
of the two companies.

 

Bolder Industries Holds Groundbreaking For Maryville BolderBlack Expansion

Maryville—
Bolder Industries, a manufacturer of recovered carbon
black and other petrochemicals from end-of-life tires, has
broken ground on a second train to produce BolderBlack, a
carbon black alternative, in Maryville, Missouri (PCN, 1-8
June 2020, p 2).
BolderBlack, produced from 100% post-consumer or
post-industrial tires and rubber scrap, replaces petroleumderived
carbon black. The production process uses about
90% less water and emits around 90% fewer greenhouse
gases than traditional carbon black.
The second BolderBlack train, expected to cost $14-
million, will increase production to 60 t/d from 24 t/d currently.
A scheduled completion date was not given.
Thomas Swan & Co. was recently appointed as the key
North American distributor partner for BolderBlack.

 

ZPC to Begin Trial Runs in 4th Quarter At Second Phase of Zhoushan Complex

Shanghai—
Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical Co. (ZPC), a subsidiary of
Rongsheng Petrochemical, is expected to commence trial
runs in the fourth quarter of this year at the second phase
of its refining complex in China, according to Argus Media.
PCN earlier reported that the project, located in Zhoushan,
would include a production capacity of 2.8-million t/y
of ethylene, 6.6-million t/y of aromatics and 20-million t/y
of crude oil in the second phase (PCN, 29 June 2020, p 1).
The first phase of the project, which started up late last
year, included a production capacity of 1.4-million-t/y ethylene,
5.2-million t/y of aromatics and 20-million t/y of
crude oil.
ZPC is owned by Rongsheng (51%), Juhua Investment
(20%), Tongkun Investment (20%), and Zhoushan Marine
Comprehensive Development and Investment Co. (9%).

 

Odebrecht Initiates Private Sale to Divest Up to Its Full Equity Share in Braskem

São Paulo—
Braskem said it has received notification from Odebrecht
SA, its controlling shareholder, that Odebrecht is preparing
to structure a process for the private sale of up to its
total equity ownership in Braskem.
Odebrecht, which owns a 38.3% stake in Braskem, including
50.1% of the voting shares, is selling its stake in
order to fulfill commitments assumed before Odebrecht
Group’s bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy creditors (PCN,
24 June 2019, p 3).
In June 2019, Odebrecht SA announced that it, together
with its parent companies and certain subsidiaries, filed
for court-supervised reorganization with the Judicial District
of the Capital of São Paulo State in Brazil.
The reorganization filing involved R$51-billion in
claims, excluding loans between the group’s companies and
first priority claims.

 

Phillips 66 to Commission New Fracs At Its Sweeny Hub in Old Ocean

Houston—Phillips 66,
in a conference call discussing its second quarter 2020 financial
results, said it will begin commissioning fracs 2
and 3 at its Sweeny Hub in Old Ocean, Texas (PCN, 18 Jun
2018, p 3).
The Sweeny Hub currently has 100,000 b/d of fractionation
capacity. Fracs 2 and 3, which will add a total of
300,000 t/y of fractionation capacity, will start being commissioning
in the third quarter of 2020 and begin operations
in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Also at the Sweeny Hub, Phillips 66 Partners recently
completed a storage expansion at Clemens Caverns. The
project increased natural gas liquids storage capacity to
16.5-million bbls from 9-million bbls currently.
Phillips 66 Partners is currently constructing the C2G
Pipeline, a 16-inch ethane pipeline that will connect Clemens
Caverns to petrochemical facilities in Gregory, Texas,
near Corpus Christi. Completion is scheduled for mid-
2021.

 

Sinopec Combines Guangdong Refineries; Creates Zhongke Refining and Chemical

Zhanjiang—
Sinopec last month merged two subsidiary refineries in
Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China, and named the
combined entity Zhongke Refining and Chemical Co.,
Reuters reported.
The merged companies include the newly launched
Zhongke refinery complex and the neighboring Dongxing
Petrochemical (PCN, 22 June 2020, p 4).
Zhongke Refining and Chemical has 300,000 b/d of
crude oil capacity and is expected to start up a new
800,000-t/y ethylene complex next month, the report said.
The Dongxing Petrochemical plant operates a 100,000-
b/d crude oil unit.

 

Shell Rumored to Be Eyeing 50% Interest In Nayara’s Planned Vadinar PC Project

Mumbai—
Royal Dutch Shell is expected to acquire a 50% stake in
Nayara Energy’s new petrochemical project planned in
Vadinar, Gujarat, India, reported Reuters citing sources
familiar with the matter.
The petrochemical complex, which will be located at the
site of Nayara’s 20-million-t/y Vadinar refinery, will include
a 1.8-million-t/y ethylene cracker and downstream
petrochemical units.
It will also include an expansion of the refinery by
520,000 b/d. The project is expected to take five years to
complete and cost a total of around $17.39-billion, according
to the report.
Shell and Nayara recently signed a memorandum of
understanding, and late last year discussed creating an
equally owned joint venture for building the project, one of
the sources said.
Last year, PCN reported that the project, which will
mark Nayara’s entry into the petrochemical sector, would
include a 450,000-t/y propylene recovery unit, a 450,000-t/y
Unipol polypropylene plant, a 200,000-t/y methyl tertiary
butyl ether unit and associated off-sites and utility facilities
(PCN, 21 Oct 2019, p 1).
Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions was awarded a contract
to provide project management consultancy services
for the complex.

 

Sealed Air Invests in Plastic Energy Global; Signs Deal to Collaborate on Technology

Charlotte—
Packaging solutions company Sealed Air said it has made
an equity investment in Plastic Energy Global, parent
company of Plastic Energy, a developer of advanced recycling
technology.
In addition, Sealed Air has signed a collaboration
agreement with Plastic Energy to spearhead technology
advancements to enhance circularity of plastics.
Plastic Energy has a technology platform that enables
the diversion of waste plastic away from landfills, with the
goal of processing 300,000 tons of plastic by 2025.
The technology transforms post-consumer plastic waste
into new recycled oil that can be used in the manufacturing
of packaging, including protective packaging for food.
“We’re excited to join forces with Plastic Energy to innovate
faster and accelerate the development of new technology
that eliminates waste and ensures a circular economy
for plastics,” said Sealed Air President and Chief Executive
Ted Doheny.
“This collaboration will help us meet our 2025 sustainability
pledge and lead the way in transforming our industry.”
Established in 2012, Plastic Energy Global has two operations
in Spain and projects under development in Western
Europe and Asia, with a vision for 50 new facilities
over the next 10 years.

 

BPCL Delays PDPP, Polyols Projects Due to India’s Travel Restrictions

Kochi—Bharat Petroleum
Corp. Ltd. (BPCL) has indefinitely postponed commissioning
of its new propylene derivatives project, and construction
of a planned polyols facility in Kochi, India, due to the
country’s bar on international travel, Argus Media reported.
The Propylene Derivatives Petrochemical Project, which
was due to start up between April and September of this
year, includes the production of acrylic acid acrylates and
oxo alcohols (PCN, 8 Oct 2018, p 1).
The project is mechanically complete, but cannot be
commissioned until the European technology licensors can
be physically present during commissioning. It is expected
to take three months from the start of foreign travel to
commission the plant, said the report quoting BPCL.
BPCL’s polyols project, which is still in the design
stage, will include units for propylene oxide, propylene glycol,
polyols, ethylene oxide/monoethylene glycol, ethylene
recovery and cumene (PCN, 3 Feb 2020, p 1).
Early this year, BPCL awarded Fluor a project management
consultancy services contract for the polyols project.
Value of the contract was not disclosed.

 

ABB Launches Analytics and AI Software To Help Producers Optimize Operations

Zurich—
ABB said it has launched its new ABB Ability Genix Industrial
Analytics and AI Suite, a scalable advanced analytics
platform with pre-built, “easy-to-use” applications
and services, to help producers optimize operations in demanding
market conditions.
ABB Ability Genix collects, contextualizes and converts
operational, engineering and information technology data
into actionable insights that help industries improve operations,
optimize asset management and streamline business
processes safely and sustainably, the company noted.
The new solution is composed of a data analytics platform
and applications, supplemented by ABB services, that
help customers decide which assets, processes and risk profiles
can be improved, and assists customers in designing
and applying those analytics.
Featuring a library of applications, customers can subscribe
to a variety of analytics on demand, as business
needs dictate, speeding up the traditional process of requesting
and scheduling support from suppliers.
“We have designed this modular and flexible suite so
that customers at different stages in their digitalization
journey can adopt ABB Ability Genix to accelerate business
outcomes while protecting existing investments,” said Rajesh
Ramachandran, chief digital officer for ABB Industrial
Automation.

 

People on the Move

Motiva Enterprises—Georganne Hodges was recently
appointed executive vice president of supply, trading and
logistics to succeed Todd Fredin, who has retired. Hodges
was previously chief financial officer and executive vice
president of finance, supply chain management and information
technology.
The Plaza Group—Jose Flores has been named executive
vice president of the petrochemical marketing company.
He was most recently vice president of basic chemicals.

 

IVL’s Recently Struck Ethylene Cracker Could Take a ‘Few’ Months to Recover

Westlake—
Indorama Ventures Ltd. (IVL) said that its Lake Charles
ethylene cracker, which was hit by lightning on 1 Aug.
2020, might take a “few” months to recover (PCN, 10 Aug
2020, p 1).
The incident, which happened at IVL’s Indorama Ventures
Olefins LLC facility, resulted in the plant going offline.
Damage assessment is being done and the company
said it doesn’t see any impact on downstream production,
as spot ethylene is covered to ensure uninterrupted feedstock
supply.
The ethylene cracker began commercial operations earlier
this year after being completely refurbished with additional
debottlenecking, increasing ethylene capacity to
440,000 t/y.
Integrated with the U.S. Gulf Coast ethylene pipeline
infrastructure, the cracker is “strategically” positioned for
long-term captive supply to the Indorama Ventures Oxide
and Glycols facility in Clear Lake, Texas, and the integrated
ethylene oxide and propylene oxide assets acquired
from Huntsman in Port Neches, Texas, IVL earlier said.

 

India Considers Anti-Dumping Duty On PET Resin Imports from China

New Delhi—India’s
commerce and industry ministry has suggested a provisional
anti-dumping duty on polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) from China, the Economic Times reported.
Reliance Industries and IVL Dhunseri Petrochem Industries
earlier filed an application claiming injury resulting
from the alleged dumping.
“Having initiated and conducted the investigation into
dumping, injury and casual link in terms of the provisions
laid down under the anti-dumping rules, the authority is of
the view that imposition of provisional duty is required to
offset dumping and injury, pending completion of the investigation,”
said the report quoting the Directorate General
of Trade Remedies.
The investigation began on 1 Oct. 2019. The finance
ministry makes the final decision on imposing duties.

 

Vinmar Selects Agilis Chemicals to Help Implement Its Digitalization Strategy

Houston—
Vinmar International, a global marketing and distribution
company for petrochemicals, announced it is partnering
with technology firm Agilis Chemicals to implement key
pillars of Vinmar’s digitalization strategy.
Agilis has agreed to design, develop and deploy digital
solutions to meet Vinmar’s business needs. No other details
were given.
“With a modern commerce solution like Agilis, Vinmar
will streamline operations further, increase efficiency and
improve engagement among internal and external stakeholders,
while maintaining the highest data privacy and
security standards,” Vinmar noted.
“The chemical distribution market is only at the beginning
stages of a digital transformation journey, and we are
happy to be joining Vinmar to help them execute on their
digital roadmap,” said Agilis Chief Executive and Founder
Jay Bhatia.

 

ET Places Frac VII into Service in 1st Q; Lone Star Expansion Near Completion

Houston—
Energy Transfer (ET) said it placed its seventh natural gas
liquids (NGL) fractionation facility (Frac VII) into service
in the first quarter of this year at its Lone Star NGL subsidiary
in Mont Belvieu, Texas (PCN, 12-19 Aug 2019, p 4).
Frac VII has 150,000 b/d of capacity and is fully subscribed
by multiple long-term contracts. All seven of the
company’s NGL fractionators are now running at full capacity.
ET is currently building an eighth NGL fractionator
with a capacity of 150,000 b/d, which will bring the company’s
total fractionation capacity at Mont Belvieu to over
1-billion b/d. Operations are expected to begin in the second
quarter of 2021.
The Mont Belvieu facility has connectivity to over 35
petrochemical plants, refineries, fractionators and thirdparty
pipelines.
In addition, ET announced it is in the final stages of
construction on its 24-inch, 352-mile Lone Star Express
expansion. It will add over 400,000 b/d of NGL pipeline
capacity from the Permian Basin to the Lone Star Express
30-inch pipeline south of Fort Worth, Texas. It is expected
to be in service in the fourth quarter of this year.

 

LG to Commercialize Upcycling Process To Turn Used ABS into White Plastic

Seoul—LG
Chem plans to commercialize an upcycling technology that
converts waste acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) into
white plastic for value-added application, according to
Pulse News.
“The company confirmed possibility for commercial production
of the recycled ABS after completing development
in June, and is now focusing on marketing,” said the report
citing Kim Chang-sul, head of the product planning team
at LG.

 

Cameron LNG Starts Commercial Operation Of Third Train at Liquefaction Facility

Houston—
McDermott International announced that Train 3 of the
Cameron LNG liquefaction project in Hackberry, La., has
begun commercial operations (PCN, 25 May 2020, p 3).
McDermott and its joint venture partner, Chiyoda International,
provided the engineering, procurement and
construction for the project, which includes three liquefaction
trains with a projected export capacity of more than
12-million t/y of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Cameron LNG is owned by Sempra LNG, Total SE,
Mitsui & Co. and Japan LNG Investment, a company
jointly owned by Mitsubishi Corp. and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki
Kaisha.

 

SRF Commissions New BOPET Line

Budapest—SRF
Ltd. announced that its SRF Europe Kft subsidiary has
begun operations at a new biaxially oriented polyethylene
terephthalate (BOPET) film line in Jaszfenyszaru, Hungary.
The approximately €80-million facility, approved in
2018, is capable of producing 40,000 t/y of BOPET film.
According to SRF’s website, this is the company’s “first”
packaging films plant in Europe.

 

Topsoe & BASF Enter Partnership to Offer Optimization Solutions to NH3 Producers

Lyngby—
Haldor Topsoe and BASF have agreed to collaborate to offer
ammonia (NH3) producers new optimization possibilities
with ClearView connected services (PCN, 20 May
2019, p 4).
The partners will combine Topsoe’s ClearView Ammonia
connected service with BASF’s simulation tool, OASE
connect, which processes near real-time data from BASF
carbon dioxide removal sections. This will enable Clear-
View Ammonia to give customers complete insight into the
status and optimization potential of their ammonia plant
operations.
“This agreement is a great step forward for ClearView,
enabling us to offer a complete connected services solution
that adds even more value for ammonia producers,” said
Topsoe Connected Services Director Michael Fjording.
Launched last year, ClearView is a complete connected
service that offers plant owners “improved asset utilization,
energy savings and less unplanned downtime,” Topsoe
noted. Based on a stream of comprehensive data from
the plant, modelling and analytical software continually
suggest optimization opportunities and proactively alerts
plant personnel of operational issues.

 

BASF Strengthens R&D in Asia-Pacific With Purchase of Solvay’s PA Business

Singapore—
BASF said it has enhanced its research and development
(R&D) capabilities in Asia-Pacific with the recent acquisition
of Solvay’s polyamide (PA) business (PCN, 10 Feb
2020, p 1).
BASF’s existing portfolio was broadened with new technologies,
technical expertise, and capabilities for advanced
materials and part testing.
The company is planning to integrate the R&D centers
from Solvay into its existing R&D facilities in Shanghai,
China, and Seoul, South Korea.
“Pursuing innovation in new products and applications
is our goal,” noted Andy Postlethwaite, senior vice president
of performance materials, Asia-Pacific. “We will leverage
the extensive know-how of the combined business to
develop advanced customer-oriented material solutions, as
well as to drive more projects with our customers.
“Our offering will be further supported by additional
production capacity and a more extensive product portfolio,
which includes high-temperature grades.”
BASF acquired Solvay’s PA business this past February
for €1.3-billion on a cash and debt-free basis.

 

Clariant Develops New Dark Colorants That Eliminate Need for Carbon Black

Milan—
Clariant has developed a range of deep, dark colors using
its CESA-IR technology, that eliminate the need for carbon
black typically used to make black and other dark colors,
making dark plastic materials more recyclable.
The typical use of carbon black pigments in dark colors
makes them undetectable by the near-infrared (NIR) sensors
used in automated polymer sorting systems at recycling
centers.
“In most automatic sortation systems, infrared light is
beamed onto plastic materials and, because different polymers
reflect that light differently, the system can sort the
different materials,” Clariant explained.
“Unfortunately, the carbon black pigments . . . absorb
all or most of the NIR light shone at them and, as a result,
the sensors cannot even see the black packaging, much less
sort one polymer from another.”
Late last year, the company introduced CESA-IR, a
masterbatch range that makes black plastics visible to NIR
radiation, but designers wanted more choices than pure
black.
To address this need, Clariant undertook a project to
develop dark colors without the use of carbon black. It has
initially created “a dark umber, a deep velvety green, and a
regal dark blue,” the company noted. All three are very
saturated so they are almost black, but the colors come
through.
Development is progressing in polyethylene terephthalate,
high-density polyethylene and polypropylene in both
virgin and post-consumer recycled forms.

 

Ningxia Baofeng Picks JM Technology For Single-Train Methanol Facility

Beijing—Johnson
Matthey (JM) said that its technology has again been selected
by Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group for a third methanol
synthesis plant at their coal-to-olefins complex in
Ningxia Province, China, which, once complete, will be the
“largest” single-train methanol facility in the world.
The project, with a planned capacity of 7,200 t/d of
methanol, follows the recent commissioning of a 6,600-t/d
methanol unit at the complex (PCN, 29 June 2020, p 1).
Value of the contract and an expected completion date
were not disclosed.
Under the agreement, JM will be the licensor and supplier
of associated engineering, technical review, commissioning
assistance, catalyst and equipment supply.
The methanol plant will be fed with synthesis gas and
will utilize JM’s radial steam raising converters in a patented
Series Loop, together with JM catalysts, to produce
stabilized methanol for use in the production of olefins.
“The plant will provide enhanced energy efficiency,
along with low OPEX [operating expense], CAPEX [capital
expenditures] and emissions,” JM noted.

 

IndianOil Gets Board Nod to Implement Integrated PX/PTA Complex in Paradip

New Delhi—
The board of Indian Oil Corp. (IndianOil) has given its approval
for the company to set up a paraxylene (PX)/purified
terephthalic acid (PTA) project to be integrated with IndianOil’s
Paradip refinery in Odisha, India.
The complex, expected to cost around Rs 13,805 crore,
will include the production of 800,000 t/y of PX and 1.2-
million t/y of PTA. Completion is planned by early 2024.
IndianOil is currently building an estimated Rs 4,221
crore ethylene glycol (EG) plant at Paradip, based on technology
from Scientific Design, which will have 357,000 t/y
of capacity (PCN, 4 Feb 2019, p 1). Operations will begin
towards the end of 2021.
PTA from the new complex will be used as feedstock in
the EG plant.

 

Iran Opens 2 New Methanol Facilities, Including Catalysts Production Plant

Tehran—
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani recently inaugurated
three new petrochemical projects in the country, including
two methanol plants and a facility for catalysts production,
according to several local media reports.
The projects, which required an investment of $1.57-
billion, involve the 7,000-t/d Kaveh methanol plant and the
5,000-t/d Kimia Pars methanol unit in Bushehr, and a
catalyst facility in Lorestan.
In a video conference held during the inauguration,
Rouhani said his administration has come up with plans to
reduce exports of crude oil and natural gas, and plans to
produce more petrochemical products instead, reported
Tasnim News Agency.

 

CPChem and QP Postpone Making FID On U.S. Gulf Coast Petrochem Project

Houston—
Phillips 66 announced that Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.
(CPChem), in which Phillips 66 has an equity investment,
and Qatar Petroleum (QP) have deferred final investment
decision on a project to develop a new petrochemical facility
on the U.S. Gulf Coast (PCN, 15 July 2019, p 1).
The estimated $8-billion U.S. Gulf Coast II petrochemical
project (USGCII) would include a 2-million-t/y ethylene
cracker and two 1-million-t/y high-density polyethylene
units. A specific location has not been chosen.
The partners originally expected a FID on the facility
no later than 2021, with start-up targeted for 2024. A new
schedule was not available.
CPChem, which would hold a 51% share in the project,
would provide project management and oversight and be
responsible for the operation and management of the plant.
QP would hold the remaining 49% stake.
“CPChem is closely monitoring economic developments,”
said Phillips 66 in its second quarter 2020 financial
results.

 

Hengli Petrochem Starts Up Fifth Line For PTA Production at Its Dalian Site

Dalian—Hengli
Petrochemical announced the start-up of its fifth purified
terephthalic acid (PTA) line at its site on Changxing Island,
Dalian, China (PCN, 16 Mar 2020, p 2).
The 2.5-million-t/y PTA line, which utilizes Invista’s
advantaged PTA technology, increases PTA capacity at the
site to a total of 11.6-million t/y, making Hengli the “largest”
PTA producing site in the world, Hengli noted.
The company operates four other PTA lines at the site
that are based on Invista’s technology. The fourth line was
started up this past January.
“The successful start-up of Hengli’s fifth PTA line yet
again highlights the quick ramp-up capability of PTA
plants utilizing our technology,” noted Adam Sackett, vice
president for PTA at Invista Performance Technologies.
“Fast project execution, trouble-free and stable operation
at low variable cost, enables our licensees to achieve a
good return on their PTA investment.”

 

IVL’s Westlake Ethylene Cracker Offline After Lightning Strike Trips Facility

Westlake—
Indorama Ventures Ltd. (IVL), in a notification to the
Stock Exchange of Thailand, said that its ethylene cracker
in Westlake, La., was hit by lightning on 1 Aug. 2020 and
the plant is currently offline.
The incident happened at the company’s Indorama Ventures
Olefins LLC facility, which has a production capacity
of 440,000 t/y of ethylene.
The lightning strike caused a plant trip and subsequent
flaring. The plant is currently being assessed.
“There is no danger to the site, employees or surrounding
community,” the company noted.

 

Air Products to Provide AP-X Technology For QP’s North Field East LNG Project

Doha—Air
Products has been chosen to provide its proprietary AP-X
natural gas liquefaction process technology and equipment
to Qatargas for the first phase of Qatar Petroleum’s (QP)
North Field East liquefied natural gas (LNG) expansion
project in Ras Laffan, Qatar (PCN, 1 Oct 2018, p 3).
The project, scheduled to begin operations in 2025, includes
four “mega” LNG trains, each with a production capacity
of 7.8-million t/y of LNG, Air Products noted.
“The proven AP-X process is an elegant solution that
enables significantly higher LNG production, without requiring
individual equipment items to be significantly larger,
and provides an efficient and flexible operation over a
wide range of production capacities,” it added.
QP earlier said the project would also include 4,000 t/d
of ethane, 260,000 b/d of condensate, 11,000 t/d of liquefied
petroleum gas and about 20 t/d of pure helium.
Ethane from the North Field LNG project, as well as existing
gas projects, will feed a new world-scale petrochemical
complex QP is planning at Ras Laffan with Chevron
Phillips Chemical Co. (PCN, 1 July 2019, p 1).
Last year, QP and Chevron Phillips Chemical signed an
agreement to pursue the development, construction and
operation of the petrochemicals facility.
The project would include a 1.9-million-t/y ethane
cracker, as well as two high-density polyethylene units
with a combined capacity of 1.68-million t/y. Start-up is
planned in late 2025.

 

Nouryon Raising MCA Capacity at Delfzijl; Plans to Free up Capacity for Chlorine

Delfzijl—
Nouryon said it has been investing in technology and efficiency
improvements to increase monochloroacetic acid
(MCA) production capacity at its site in Delfzijl, the Netherlands.
The expansion, scheduled for completion by the end of
this year, will help satisfy market growth, as well as the
company’s own increased consumption of MCA since its
recent acquisition of J.M. Huber’s carboxymethyl cellulose
business (PCN, 6 July 2020, p 3).
In addition, Nouryon has initiated a study to free up
more capacity for chlorine, the key raw material for MCA.

 

NextChem & GranBio Partner to License GranBio’s Cellulosic Ethanol Technology

Brasília—
NextChem, a subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont, and Brazilian
industrial biotechnology firm GranBio, have signed a strategic
partnership agreement for licensing GranBio’s patented
2G Ethanol technology for the production of cellulosic
ethanol.
The technology converts lignocellulosic, non-food biomass
to renewable, low carbon intensity biofuels. It has
already been implemented at GranBio’s plant in Sao Miguel
dos Campos, Alagoas, Brazil.
The partnership combines GranBio’s technology and
knowledge in second generation biomass and biofuels with
NextChem’s engineering expertise, EPC (engineering, procurement
and construction) capabilities and global presence,
to offer integrated services, feasibility studies, integration
projects, engineering and construction of manufacturing
facilities around the world.

 

BASF Acquires Assets, Land from Sinopec To Boost Chinese Alkoxylates Capacity

Shanghai—
BASF said it purchased Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical
Co.’s assets, land and buildings related to alkoxylates production
in Jinshan, China, to support growing demand in
Asia Pacific.
The newly acquired assets, adjoined with BASF’s site,
will help double BASF’s local alkoxylates capacity from the
end of 2020.
“We are seeing a rising demand for high-quality alkoxylates
in the Asia Pacific market, especially in China,” noted
Dr. Jianwen Mao, vice president, Business Management
Greater China, Home Care, Industrial & Institutional, and
Industrial Formulators, Care Chemicals at BASF Asia Pacific.
“This strategic expansion will double our alkoxylates
capacities in Jinshan and increase our overall capacity in
Asia Pacific. We will focus on maximizing synergies between
the existing and new operations and supporting the
growth of our customers and the market.”

 

Omega Partners III Completes Purchase Of Oiltanking Joliet Terminal in Illinois

Chicago—
Omega Partners III, through its Omega Partners Illinois
subsidiary, has finalized the acquisition of Oiltanking
North America’s Oiltanking Joliet terminal in Channahon,
Ill. (PCN, 15 June 2020, p 4).
The Joliet terminal, which is mainly dedicated to the
storage of specialty chemicals, has a capacity of approximately
281,000 bbls. It includes connections for rail, tank
truck and barge transport.
Omega Partners III owns and operates U.S.-based bulk
liquid petroleum terminals in Illinois, Florida, Georgia,
South Carolina, Nevada and Kentucky.

 

People on the Move

AmSty—Dr. Randy Pogue, who has been serving as interim
chief executive since this past April, has been named
president and chief executive to succeed Brad Crocker
(PCN, 16 Mar 2020, p 2). Pogue was previously senior vice
president of feedstocks, styrene and corporate services.
Bechtel—Paul Marsden has been appointed president
of the company’s Oil, Gas & Chemicals business, effective 8
Sept. 2020, to succeed Alasdair Cathcart, who is stepping
down after 31 years at Bechtel. Since 2018, Marsden has
been senior project manager for the company’s Pennsylvania
Chemicals Project.
Univar Solutions—Jennifer McIntyre will assume the
position of senior vice president, chief streamline officer
and head of North American operations.
Brian Herington has been named senior vice president,
chief commercial officer and head of North American
chemical distribution.
Nick Powell will take on the role of senior vice president,
president of EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)/
APAC (Asia Pacific) and global head of consumer and
industrial solutions.
With these new appointments, Mark Fisher has stepped
down as the company’s president of U.S. and Canada to
pursue other opportunities.

 

Ineos Styrolution, Recycling Technologies Sign JDA for Recycling of PS in Europe

London—
Ineos Styrolution and Recycling Technologies, a specialist
plastic recycling technology provider, have signed a joint
development agreement (JDA) to further advance the development
of recycling of polystyrene (PS) in Europe.
Recycling Technologies has already completed a detailed
research and trial process with Ineos, which included
scientific research and processing of PS on Recycling
Technologies’ Mark II test reactor producing “excellent”
results, the companies noted.
The partners will now further advance this depolymerization
solution based on Recycling Technologies’ fluidized
bed technology, currently used for mixed plastics, to adapt
it for the commercial recycling of PS.
“This partnership creates the basis for a more circular
economy in polystyrene, allowing its users to achieve their
challenging recycling targets set by all their stakeholders,”
said Adrian Griffiths, chief executive and founder of Recycling
Technologies.

 

ADNOC L&S, Wanhua Chemical Form JV For Shipping LPG and Other Products

Abu Dhabi—
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) announced that its
ADNOC L&S shipping and maritime subsidiary has
formed a joint venture with Wanhua Chemical Group to
transport liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cargoes and other
petroleum products.
The new company, AW Shipping Ltd., is based in the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will own and operate a
fleet of very large gas carriers and modern product tankers.
It will be responsible for shipping the LPG and other
petroleum products, sourced from the ADNOC Group and
global suppliers, to Wanhua Group’s manufacturing sites
in China and worldwide.
The joint venture follows a 10-year LPG supply contract
signed between ADNOC and Wanhua in November 2018
(PCN, 19-26 Nov. 2018, p 2).
“This creative win-win partnership strengthens our
growing relationship and will deliver greater value and
efficiency for both our organizations,” said UAE Minister of
Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Group
Chief Executive Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber.
“Importantly, the joint venture further solidifies ADNOC
L&S’ position as the largest, fully integrated logistics
and shipping company in the UAE and paves the way for
the transportation of greater LPG volumes in China, in
line with market demand.”

 

Metafrax to Invest in Production Plants For Paraformaldehyde, Formaldehyde

Moscow—
Metafrax announced plans to invest RUB 5-billion in new
plants for the production of paraformaldehyde and formaldehyde
in Gubakha, Russia, and has signed a memorandum
of understanding with Altex-Stroy for construction of
the units.
The project will include a 30,000-t/y paraformaldehyde
plant, based on technology from GEA Process Engineering,
and a 180,000-t/y formaldehyde facility that will utilize
Dynea’s technology. Operations are scheduled to begin at
the end of 2021.

 

DOE Lets Grant to Univ. of Louisiana To Develop CO2-to-Ethylene Process

Lafayette—The
U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) has awarded a $1-million
grant to an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the
Univ. of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) to develop a
process to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into ethylene.
The technology under development at the university
produces ethylene by breaking down CO2 with low pulses
of electricity, UL Lafayette noted.
“If we can produce ethylene by using electricity coming
from renewable resources, then we could, theoretically,
reduce carbon dioxide production by 200% because we are
not producing it. We are consuming it,” explained Dr. Xiao-
Dong Zhou, executive director of UL Lafayette’s Institute
for Materials Research and Innovation and the Stuller endowed
chair of chemical engineering.

 

IVL Enters into Definitive Agreement To Buy Polish PET Recycling Facility

Warsaw—
Indorama Ventures Ltd. (IVL) has signed a definitive
agreement to purchase Industrie Maurizio Peruzzo Polowat
spolka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia (IMP Polowat),
a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling plant in
Poland.
The acquisition includes two production sites located in
Bielsko-Biala and Leczyca, close to Krakow and Warsaw,
respectively. The sites have a combined capacity of 23,000
tons of recycled PET (rPET) flakes and 4,000 tons of rPET
pellets.
Subject to regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected
to close in the third quarter of this year. Value of
the deal was not given.
“This acquisition is consistent with IVL’s ambitious target
in scaling its recycling capacity to reach 750,000 tons
by 2025,” IVL noted.
“It also adds an attractive recycling platform for IVL in
Eastern Europe, and will open up new opportunities to
meet the increasing rPET demand for more sustainable
packaging solutions.”
IVL, which has an integrated PET plant in Wloclawek,
said that IMP Polowat will bring synergies and a circular
business model to its Polish operations.

 

Versalis and Forever Plast Ink Agreement To Produce PS from Recycled Packaging

Rome—
Eni’s Versalis and Forever Plast SpA, an Italian company
in the recovery and recycling of post-consumer plastic in
Europe, have signed an agreement to develop and market a
new range of solid polystyrene (PS) products made from
recycled packaging.
The new Versalis Revive PS – Series Forever products,
PS-based compounds that contain up to 75% recycled solid
PS, are able to meet the requirements of multiple applications
such as thermal insulation, non-food packaging and
household items.
Versalis is already producing and marketing Versalis
Revive EPS (expandable PS) and Versalis Revive PE (polyethylene).
The recycled PS comes from separate household waste
collection, including yogurt cups and disposable dishes that
will be supplied by the COREPLA network, the National
Consortium for the Collection, Recycling and Recovery of
Plastic Packaging.

 

Sibur and Sinopec Sign Shareholder Deal For Amur Gas Chem Complex in Russia

Moscow—
Sibur Holding and Sinopec recently signed a shareholder
agreement with respect to Sibur’s planned Amur Gas
Chemical Complex (AGCC) in Svobodny, Russia (PCN, 11
May 2020, p 1).
AGCC, the downstream expansion of Gazprom’s Amur
Gas Processing Plant (AGPP) being built in Svobodny,
would process ethane fraction from AGPP for the production
of 1.5-million t/y of ethylene, which would be further
transformed into polyethylene grades. The project, currently
under review by regulatory authorities, is planned
to be completed within 2024.
If the project is implemented, Sinopec is expected to
have a 40% share in the AGCC.
Tecnimont SpA, a subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont, has
been selected as leader of a consortium for the development
of AGCC.
Under the contract, valued at around €1.2-billion, Tecnimont,
MT Russia LLC, Sinopec Engineering Inc. and
Sinopec Engineering Group Co. will provide engineering,
procurement and site services.

 

Vinmar Forms Partnership with Agilis To Realize Its Digitalization Strategy

Houston—
Vinmar International, a global marketing and distribution
firm for petrochemical products, is partnering with Agilis
Chemicals, a technology company, to help implement its
digitalization strategy.
“We work closely with our petrochemical suppliers to
develop tailored business solutions and marketing programs
that work for them,” said Vishal Goradia, senior vice
president at Vinmar.
Agilis has agreed to design, develop and deploy digital
solutions to meet Vinmar’s business needs, allowing Vinmar
to streamline operations further, increase efficiency
and improve engagement among internal and external
stakeholders, while maintaining the highest data privacy
and security standards, Vinmar noted.
“Vinmar has a set of complex business challenges, and
we are excited about working with them on implementing
an elegant, technologically-advanced commerce solution,”
said Agilis Founder and Chief Executive Jay Bhatia.
“The chemical distribution market is only at the beginning
stages of a digital transformation journey, and we are
happy to be joining Vinmar to help them execute on their
digital roadmap,” Bhatia added.

 

BP Announces New 10-Year Strategy To Become Integrated Energy Firm

London—BP has
announced a new strategy for the next decade that will
help it achieve its net zero ambition and pivot it from an
international oil company to an integrated energy company
(PCN, 17 Feb 2020, p 4).
Within 10 years, the company aims to have increased
its low carbon investment 10-fold to around $5-billion a
year, building out an integrated portfolio of low carbon
technologies, including renewables, bioenergy and early
positions in hydrogen and carbon capture and storage.
By 2030, it aims to have developed around 50 gigawatts
of net renewable generating capacity – a 20-fold increase
from 2019 – and to have doubled its consumer interactions
to 20-million a day.
Over the same period, BP expects emissions from its
operations and those associated with the carbon in its upstream
oil and gas production to be lower by 30-35% and
35-40%, respectively.
“Energy markets are fundamentally changing, shifting
towards low carbon, driven by societal expectations, technology
and changes in consumer preferences,” said BP
Chairman Helge Lung. “And in these transforming markets,
BP can compete and create value, based on our skills,
experience and relationships.
“We are confident that the decisions we have taken and
the strategy we are setting out . . . are right for BP, for our
shareholders, and for wider society.”
BP’s board has also introduced a new distribution policy,
part of its new financial frame, that comprises two elements:
• a “resilient” dividend of 5.25 cents per share per
quarter, with an intention that this level will remain
fixed, subject to the board’s decision each
quarter; and
• a commitment to return at least 60% of surplus
cash flow to shareholders via share buybacks once
net debt is reduced to $35-billion and subject to
maintaining a “strong” investment grade credit rating.
“I want to acknowledge the impact the reset dividend
will have on many – whether individual retail investors or
large holders,” said BP Chief Executive Bernard Looney.
“However, it is a decision that we wholeheartedly believe is
in the long-term interest of our stakeholders.”

Air Liquide Agrees to Purchase & Operate World’s ‘Biggest’ Oxygen Production Site

Secunda—
Air Liquide and Sasol have signed an exclusive negotiation
agreement for Air Liquide to acquire and operate the “biggest”
oxygen production site in the world in Secunda,
South Africa.
In addition to an air separation unit (ASU) Air Liquide
already operates at the site, it would operate the 16 ASUs,
with an installed capacity of 42,000 t/d. Air Liquide originally
built and sold the 16 ASUs to Sasol.
Air Liquide intends to launch a multi-year plan to modernize
the facilities at an initial investment of around
€440-million. Final agreements are expected to be negotiated
within the “next months,” subject to approval by relevant
authorities, said Air Liquide.
Modernizing the ASUs, in coordination with Sasol,
would increase the safety, reliability and efficiency of the
units, and would allow a targeted reduction of 30% to 40%
in carbon dioxide emissions arising from the oxygen production
by 2030, Air Liquide noted.
“We have embarked on a journey to reposition Sasol of
the future as a more resilient and sustainable enterprise,”
said Sasol President and Chief Executive Fleetwood
Grobler.
“In the short-term, a number of measures [have] been
developed and one of these measures is the acceleration of
our asset divestment program to streamline our portfolio
by focusing on core assets.
“While this transaction is in line with this review and
has important commercial benefits, there are very clear
and compelling strategic objectives — one of the most significant
being the pursuit of decarbonization not only for
the ASU operations, but for the whole of Sasol’s Secunda
operations.”

 

Ashland Inks Definitive Deal to Sell Maleic Anhydride Business to AOC

Wilmington—
Ashland Global Holdings announced it has entered into a
definitive agreement to divest its maleic anhydride business
to AOC Materials for $100-million.
The maleic anhydride business has a manufacturing facility
in Neal, W. Va. The transaction is scheduled to close
prior to the end of 2020, subject to customary regulatory
approvals and closing conditions.
Ashland previously excluded the business from the sale
of its composites business and a butanediol manufacturing
plant in Marl, Germany, to Ineos Enterprises (PCN, 9 Sept
2019, p 1).
“Today’s announcement furthers Ashland’s strategic focus
to streamline our portfolio and to focus on specialty
ingredients and improved margins,” said Ashland Chairman
and Chief Executive Guillermo Novo.
“The maleic business and its respective employees have
made important contributions to Ashland, and AOC will
take a strategic view of the business to drive growth and
continue their success.”

 

FG Gets Okay to Continue Activities On Its St. James Ethylene Project

St. James—A federal
court in Washington, D.C., has approved an agreement
between the federal government, FG LA LLC and
plaintiffs suing to stop FG from building a world-scale ethylene
complex in St. James Parish, La., that allows FG to
continue with planned activities (PCN, 13 Jan 2020, p 2).
The estimated $9.4-billion complex, known as The Sunshine
Project, will be built in two phases and will include
the production of ethylene, propylene, high-density polyethylene
(HDPE), linear low-density PE, ethylene glycol
(EG), polypropylene and a utility plant in the first phase.
In the second phase, the project will include a second
ethylene cracker and utility plant, as well as the production
of low-density PE, HDPE and EG. An expected completion
date is not available.
FG had adjusted its schedule to postpone construction
of its contractor dock until at least February 2021, prior to
the preliminary injunction being filed. At the same time,
plaintiffs agreed to dismiss their motion for preliminary
injunction and established an orderly schedule for resolution
of the pending lawsuit.
“FG has always taken great care to protect and not disturb
the known burial area,” said Janile Parks, director of
community and government relations for FG. “For example,
the Buena Vista burial site has been fenced off and
protected since remains were discovered.
“FG has always taken great care to honor all of its
commitments regarding wetlands. As part of this agreement,
FG will flag sensitive areas and provide monthly
activity reports to the plaintiffs.”

 

Hanwha Submits Bid for 50% Interest In Sasol’s Lake Charles Ethane Plant

Westlake—
Hanwha Solutions, a newly formed company with the
merger of Hanwha Chemical, Hanwha Q Cells and Hanwha
Advanced Materials, participated in a tender for a
50% stake in Sasol’s Lake Charles ethane cracking center
(ECC) in Louisiana, according to several Korean new reports.
The 1.5-million-t/y ethane cracker, which began operations
in 2019, is part of a project that includes units for the
production of ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol, low-density
polyethylene (LDPE), linear LDPE, ethoxylates, and Guerbet
and Ziegler alcohol units (PCN, 27 July 2020, p 1).
“Sasol had invested more than 10-trillion won in the
ECC, but decided to sell the facilities as its financial conditions
deteriorated due to the economic downturn and a
plunge in oil prices,” reported BusinessKorea.
Hanwha Group, whose petrochemical business currently
focuses on naphtha cracking centers, formed a consortium
with Daishin Private Equity to take part in the
tender.
The transaction is estimated to cost between 2-trillion
won and 4-trillion won, said the Korea Herald citing industry
sources.

 

KIPIC Makes Progress on Planned Petrochemical Complex in Kuwait

Al Zour—Kuwait
Integrated Petroleum Industries Co. (KIPIC) has completed
the front-end engineering design (FEED) for its
planned $10-billion petrochemical complex to be built near
the Al-Zour refinery in Kuwait, reported Zawya, citing the
Kuwait News Agency.
The Petrochemical Refinery Integration Project, which
will be developed as part of the Al Zour complex, will have
the capacity to produce 330,000 t/y of polymer-grade propylene
using refinery by-product streams (PCN, 18 Nov
2019, p 1).
“We have completed FEED and this will allow us to
avoid any delay in the timetable for the execution of the
project,” said the report quoting KIPIC Project Manager
Abdullah Al-Osaimi.
Expected to be completed by the end of 2026, the project
would produce olefins, aromatics, polypropylene, gasoline
and other fuels.

 

SK Enters into Agreement to Acquire Baker Hughes’ Polymers Business

New York—Funds
advised by SK Capital Partners, a private investment firm,
has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the specialty
polymers business of Baker Hughes, for an undisclosed
amount.
The business, which has manufacturing operations in
Barnsdall, Okla., produces specialty low molecular weight
olefin polymers, including a range of differentiated functional
polymers and premium, high melting point polyethylene
waxes. The transaction is expected to be finalized in
the second half of 2020.
“SK has extensive corporate carveout expertise and we
look forward to partnering with management to transform
the business into a world-class independent specialty
chemical company with an intense focus on operational
excellence,” said Jonathan Borell, a managing director at
SK Capital.
“As an independent company, the specialty polymers
business will be able to build upon and enhance its reputation
as a reliable provider of innovative and high-quality
polymers.”

 

Hexion and D&R Cooperate to Produce Silane Polymer at Commercial Scale

Columbus—
Hexion has decided to collaborate with D&R Dispersions
and Resins, based in Poland, to produce silane resins at
commercial scale using Hexion’s VeoVa silane technology.
The patented technology “enables the creation of costeffective,
high-performance, moisture-curable resins,” Hexion
noted. The system is free of isocyanates and provides
the ability to balance hardness and flexibility, pot life and
cure speed.
“We see this new and unique technology as a real
breakthrough in the resin industry, and we are honored to
work with Hexion to make this resin available to the coatings
industry,” said Arkadiusz Kowalczyk, vice president of
D&R Dispersions and Resins.
“We are continuously exploring alternative monomeric
raw materials and technologies; this collaboration allows
us to create truly innovative and sustainable binder solutions
for the coatings industry.”

 

Samsung Wins Contract for Second Phase Of Sarawak PetChem’s Methanol Plant

Sarawak—
Samsung Engineering Co. said it has received a $55.5-
million contract from Sarawak PetChem to conduct the
second phase of its planned methanol facility in Malaysia,
Yonhap News Agency reported.
The 5,000-t/d methanol project, to be built in Bintulu,
will be based on Air Liquide E&C’s Lurgi MegaMethanol
technology (PCN, 8 Apr 2019, p 1). Operations are planned
to begin in 2023.
Samsung and Air Liquide E&C entered into a partnership
to carry out the front-end engineering design (FEED)
study for the project in April 2019. At the time, Air Liquide
said the FEED contract would be exclusively converted
to a licensor, engineering, procurement, construction
and commissioning contract at the end of the year,
subject to a final decision.

 

BASF Receives EC Approval to Divest Its EB Business to Lone Star Funds

Brussels—The
European Commission (EC) has approved, under the European
Union Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control
of BASF’s construction chemicals (EB) business in
Germany by Lone Star Funds of the U.S.
The EB business produces and distributes chemical
based admixtures and construction systems in the European
Economic Area. Value of the transaction and an expected
completion date were not given.

 

Celanese Compounding Center of Excellence To Be Established in Europe at Forli Site

Forli—
Celanese is establishing a European Compounding Center
of Excellence at its Forli manufacturing facility in Italy;
and plans to consolidate compounding operations from
other company sites in Europe to the Forli site.
“Forli is a viable choice for this model, not only due to
having the largest existing infrastructure and capabilities
for specialty compounding, but also because of its physical
layout, which allows for future expansion, paired with existing
knowledge and expertise of the company’s extensive
engineering polymers portfolio,” Celanese explained.
Compounding production operations will be consolidated
from sites in Kaiserslautern and Wehr, Germany,
and Ferrara Marconi, Italy. Celanese plans to transfer
respective engineered materials product items to Forli, depending
on customer needs and logistical considerations.
The consolidation and transfer are expected to be completed
in the next 12 to 24 months.

 

People on the Move

Bechtel Group—Craig Albert has been appointed
president and chief operating officer to succeed Jack
Futcher, who plans to retire at the end of the year. Currently
president of the infrastructure business unit, Albert
will also chair Bechtel’s operating committee.
Futcher will serve as the company’s vice chairman until
his retirement and then afterwards as a non-executive director
of the company’s board. The appointments are effective
8 Sept. 2020.

 

Rubis Terminal Purchasing TEPSA, A Bulk Liquid Storage Operator

Madrid—Rubis Terminal,
a joint venture of Rubis and I Squared Capital, said
it has signed an agreement to acquire TEPSA, a “leading”
bulk liquid storage operator based in Spain.
Controlled by Petrofrance, TEPSA operates four coastal
terminals located in Barcelona, Bilbao, Tarragona and Valencia
with 912,000 cu m of storage capacity dedicated to
chemical, biofuel and petroleum products.
The sale agreement was signed on 21 July 2020, with a
planned completion upon approval from the Spanish administrative
and antitrust authorities, Rubis noted. Once
finalized, the size of Rubis Terminal will increase by approximately
30%.
“This is a strategic transaction for Rubis Terminal, creating
a platform to capture product flows in the Mediterranean
region, as well as to explore an entrance into highgrowth
markets in Latin America,” said Rubis.
“In addition to diversifying Rubis Terminal’s geographic
footprint, this acquisition also increases the relative weight
of the growing chemical sector, where commercial synergies
are expected with Rubis Terminal’s existing positions
in France and in the Amsterdam/Rotterdam/Antwerp
area.”

 

OMV Sets Additional Climate Targets, Plans to Reach Net-Zero Emissions

Vienna—OMV,
having already reached its 2025 carbon intensity targets
last year, has set a new climate target to reach net-zero
greenhouse gas emissions in its operations by 2050 or
sooner.
The goal is planned to be achieved through energy efficiency
measures, new technologies such as carbon capture,
carbon storage/utilization and hydrogen, as well as renewable
electricity and portfolio optimization measures.
By 2025, a reduction of at least 60% for upstream and
at least 20% for refining will be achieved, the company
noted, while carbon intensity groupwide (excluding Borealis)
is to be reduced by at least 30%.
Between 2020 and 2025, OMV intends to cut its carbon
dioxide-equivalent emissions in operated assets by at least
1-million tons, and low/zero-carbon products is envisaged
to make up at least 60% of the company’s product portfolio
by 2025.
With OMV’s planned acquisition of an additional stake
in Borealis, expected to be finalized later this year, OMV
said it is transforming its product portfolio towards a
higher share of non-energy products and repositioning itself
for a low-carbon future (PCN, 30 Mar 2020, p 2).
OMV and Borealis aim to be a “leader” in the circular
plastics economy, and will invest €1-billion in “innovative”
solutions by 2025, OMV noted.
The company also plans to use its equity oil in petrochemical
and chemical production and applying circular
plastics economy solutions, will increase the share of alternative
feedstocks for its products and will focus on hydrogen
technologies to identify large-scale commercial applications
for the future.
Earlier this year, OMV and Mubadala Investment entered
into a deal, in which OMV will acquire an additional
39% interest in Borealis. OMV currently owns a 36%
stake. After completion of the transaction, OMW will hold
a 75% share and Mubadala hold a 25% stake.

 

Enterprise’s Eleventh NGL Fractionator Expected to Start Up in Third Quarter

Houston—
Enterprise Products Partners, in its financial results for
the three months ended 30 June 2020, said that its eleventh
natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionator in the Mont
Belvieu, Texas, area, is scheduled to begin initial service in
the third quarter of 2020 (PCN, 5 Nov 2018, p 2).
Once operational, the new 150,000-b/d fractionator will
increase Enterprise’s NGL fractionation capacity to 1-
million b/d in the Mont Belvieu area, and around 1.5-
million b/d companywide, Enterprise earlier said.
The project had originally been expected to be completed
in the second quarter of 2020.
“While we are encouraged by efforts to reopen the
global economy, the pace and the scope of reopening is uncertain
at this time and may extend well into 2021,” said A.
J. “Jim” Teague, co-chief executive of Enterprise’s general
partner.
“In addition, the energy industry is going through a period
of significant financial restructuring that has been
accelerated by the impacts of the pandemic. With our integrated
system and business diversification, we believe Enterprise
is well positioned to navigate this period.”

 

Brightmark Calling for Post-Use Plastics To Power Advanced Recycling Plants

Sacramento—
Brightmark is seeking post use-plastics (one through
seven) from municipalities, companies and organizations
across the Eastern U.S. to be used in its advanced recycling
facilities it plans to build nationwide (PCN, 20 Apr
2020, p 3).
The company’s advanced renewal technology takes single-
stream, post-use plastics and converts them into naphtha,
ultra-low sulfur diesel and wax, and is also capable of
creating the building blocks for new plastics.
“Our first advanced recycling plant, located in Northeast
Indiana, is now in testing and will be operating at
production-scale early next year,” the company noted.
“”We are now in the final phases of determining the locations
of our next recycling facilities in Florida, Georgia,
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, or Texas.
We plan to have at least two sites shovel-ready by 2021.”
Interested suppliers must be located in the Eastern
U.S. and must be able to consistently provide Brightmark
with a minimum of 1,000 t/y of plastic waste.
Suppliers must be contracted with Brightmark by 15
Nov. 2020 to be included in this round. Visit their website
at www.brightmark.com for more details.

 

Total Selling Lindsey Refinery to Prax

London—Total
has signed an agreement to sell its Lindsey refinery and
associated logistic assets in the UK, as well as related
rights and obligations, to the Prax Group.
The refinery, located in Immingham, England, has a
production capacity of 5.4-million t/y. The transaction, for
which a value was not given, is expected to be closed by the
end of 2020, once conditions of the sale have been satisfied.
“This transaction is in line with our forward-looking
strategy for Total’s European refining base, which involves
focusing our investments on integrated refining and petrochemical
platforms,” said Bernard Pinatel, president of
Total Refining & Chemicals.

 

SABIC Inks PPA with Iberdrola to Build Renewable Energy Plant at Cartagena

Madrid—
SABIC and Iberdrola have entered into a power purchase
sale agreement (PPA), in which Iberdrola will build and
operate the world’s “largest” onsite self-consumption photovoltaic
plant at SABIC’s Cartagena complex in Spain.
Through the PPA, Iberdrola will supply the complex
with green electricity for the next 25 years. It will be the
“first” large-scale chemical production facility that operates
with 100% renewable electricity, Iberdrola noted.
With an investment of around €70-million, the new renewable
installation will have an installed capacity of 100
megawatts and will be made up of 263,000 solar modules.
An expected completion date was not given.
“The commissioning of the solar plant will mean access
to 100% polycarbonate solutions produced with renewable
electricity for SABIC’s clients in markets that include the
automotive and construction sectors, thus responding to
their demand for more sustainable products for a world to
achieve carbon neutrality,” said Iberdrola.
“The new photovoltaic plant will offer an annual reduction
of 80,000 tons in indirect CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions,
and reinforces our support and contribution to
broader climate change initiatives, such as Europe 2030
and our alignment with the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals, where we can have the biggest impact,”
stated Bob Maughon, European vice president for
Technology & Innovation at SABIC.

 

Tristar Begins Construction on Additional Storage Tanks at JAFZA Chem Terminal

Dubai—
Tristar said it has started building 10 new chemical storage
tanks for its chemical terminal in Jebel Ali Free Zone
(JAFZA) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The terminal, taken over from Shell in 2019, currently
has nine above ground storage tanks with a capacity of
5,505 cu m, a jetty with three pipeline connections to the
tanks, a truck loading gantry and a drumming facility.
With the new tanks, storage capacity at the terminal
will increase to 25,000 cu m.
“The upgraded facility will be a turnkey and fully integrated
distribution center that has the ability to handle
bulk imports and packed chemical products at high volumes,”
noted Tristar Group Chief Executive Eugene
Mayne.
Under terms of the agreement, Shell will remain a customer.

 

PGN Considers Entering Petchem Market; May Convert Natgas to Methanol, DME

Jakarta—
Indonesia’s PGN is planning to tap into the petrochemical
market and is looking to convert natural gas into methanol
and dimethyl ether (DME), helping to reduce the country’s
reliance on imports of fossil fuels, the Jakarta Post reported.
PGN, along with Indonesian refiner Kilang Pertamina
Indonesia, will complete a feasibility on the project between
2022 and 2023. The project could be operational by
2025 at the earliest.
The project would be limited to 5% to 10%, or a maximum
of 15%, of PGN’s portfolio, since it is not its main
business, said the report citing PGN President Director
Suko Hartono.

 

Sibur Begins Using Rail Transportation To Export Polymer Products to China

Moscow—Sibur
recently diversified its export supplies of polyethylene and
polypropylene to China by using Russia’s rail transportation
infrastructure.
Until this year, Sibur mainly relied on sea transportation
to ship its polymer products to China. Citing China’s
One Belt, One Road initiative, the company said products
from its Tobolsk and Tomsk sites are now also supplied to
Chongqing and Chengdu by rail.
“Shipments by rail allow Sibur to deliver products to
customers in just 10 days compared to 30 days required for
shipments by sea, while also helping to mitigate the risks
of negative macro developments and expand our customer
base in the central and western regions of China,” the
company noted.

 

Huntsman & Azelis Expand Partnership For Distribution of Advanced Materials

Austin—
Huntsman’s Advanced Materials business has agreed to
expand its Pan-American business relationship with its
distribution partner, Azelis Americas CASE in the U.S.
and Azelis Canada.
With the agreement, Azelis will lead the distribution
arm of the Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants & Elastomers
(CASE) business for Advanced Materials, both in the U.S.
and Canada.
The distribution agreement includes all of Huntsman’s
legacy CASE business and the CVC Thermoset Specialties
product lines, which it acquired from Emerald Performance
Materials in April 2020 (PCN, 25 May 2020, p 3).
Formal agreements are expected to be completed in the
“coming weeks” and Azelis will be fully prepared to service
the expanded territory by 1 Oct. 2020, Huntsman noted.

ADNOC and ADQ to Form Joint Venture For Projects at Ruwais Derivatives Park

Ruwais—
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) and ADQ signed a
joint venture agreement to create a new investment platform
to fund and oversee the development of industrial
projects within the planned Ruwais Derivatives Park in
the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Under the agreement, the parties will conduct a comprehensive
feasibility study to further develop potential
anchor chemicals projects and expects to announce the results
of the study before the end of the year.
Subject to required approvals, the joint venture will be
incorporated in Abu Dhabi Global Markets with both companies
jointly determining the joint venture’s management
team and board. ADNOC will hold a 60% stake, with ADQ
holding the remaining 40%.
“The range, scale and caliber of resources ADNOC and
ADQ each bring to this new chemicals investment platform
underscore Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading global destination
for international investors and industrial partners,”
said UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology
and ADNOC Group Chief Executive Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al
Jaber.
“In line with ADNOC’s commitment to smart, responsible
investment in the current market environment, as well
as our unwavering focus on stretching the margin of every
barrel of oil produced, our partnership with ADQ will expand
on existing efforts to maximize the value of our assets
in Ruwais, to kickstart the development of the UAE’s
downstream derivatives sector, support the transformation
of Ruwais into a global hub for industry and attract additional
foreign direct investment.”
ADNOC earlier said the park would act as a prime catalyst
for the next stage of its petrochemical transformation
by inviting partners to invest in and produce new products
and solutions from the growing range of feedstocks that are
available in Ruwais (PCN, 24-31 Dec 2018, p 3).

 

Sasol Again Delays Beneficial Operation Of Its New Lake Charles LDPE Unit

Lake Charles—
Sasol said beneficial operation (BO) of its new low-density
polyethylene (LDPE) plant, the last remaining unit to come
online at its Lake Charles Chemicals Project (LCCP), has
been further delayed (PCN, 29 June 2020, p 2).
The 420,000-t/y LDPE unit, which was damaged during
a fire in January 2020, has had ongoing repair work done
and is expected to reach BO before the end of October
2020.
“Some challenges were experienced in the completion of
the restoration process, resulting in a slight delay to the
previous market guidance of a BO date before September
2020,” the company noted.
The LCCP also includes a 1.5-million-t/y ethane
cracker, a 470,000-t/y linear LDPE plant, a 100,000-t/y
ethoxylates facility, Guerbet and Ziegler alcohol units and
a combined 300,000-t/y ethylene oxide and 250,000-t/y ethylene
glycol plant, all which have reached BO.

 

QGPC Selects LyondellBasell Technology For New Polypropylene Plant in China

Beijing—
Quanzhou Grand Pacific Chemical Co. (QGPC), a whollyowned
subsidiary of Grand Pacific Petrochemical Corp.
(GPPC) of Taiwan, has chosen LyondellBasell’s Spheripol
technology for a new 450,000-t/y polypropylene (PP) facility
to be built in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China.
“With the selection of LyondellBasell’s polypropylene
technology, we see us in a position to respond best to customers’
needs to deliver benchmark polypropylene products
on a competitive basis based on the selected Spheripol
technology,” said Pin-Cheng Yang, chairman of QGPC and
GPPC.
This past March, PCN reported that GPPC expected to
spend $1.67-billion to build a propane dehydrogenation
(PDH) unit and PP project in Quanzhou (PCN, 9 Mar 2020,
p 1).
The PDH unit would have a production capacity of 1-
million t/y of propylene, while the PP plant would have a
total of 900,000 t/y of production capacity. The first phase
is expected to begin production in 2023.
According to GPPC’s website, QGPC was established in
2020 mainly to produce propylene by PDH, PP and hydrogen
in Fujian Province.

 

Socar & BP Receive Approval to Form JV Company for Planned PC Complex

Aliaga—Socar
and BP have received Turkish Competition Council approval
to form a new joint venture company to build and
operate the proposed Mercury petrochemical complex in
Aliaga, Turkey, reported AzerNews citing local media reports.
The complex, expected to cost about $1.8-billion, would
include the production of 1.25-million t/y of purified
terephthalic acid, based on BP’s proprietary technology,
840,000 t/y of paraxylene and 340,000 t/y of benzene (PCN,
20 Apr 2020, p 1).
Construction was originally planned to begin this year;
however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its affects on
oil prices, the partners have postponed the project implementation
until 2021.

 

Acron Boosting Ammonia Production At Its Ammonia-4 Facility in Russia

Moscow—Acron
Group has begun an expansion of its Ammonia-4 unit in
Veliky Novgorod, Russia, to increase ammonia output to
2,500 t/d (PCN, 10 Dec 2018, p 3).
The $34-million project, announced in 2018, is scheduled
to begin operations in late 2020. Start-up had originally
been scheduled for mid-2020.
A new heat exchange reformer, which will be based on
Haldor Topsoe technology, has been installed at the site. It
will consume up to 20% of the gas feedstock and “significantly”
increase the productivity of the conversion department,
Acron noted.

 

Celanese Agrees to Sell 45% Interest In Polyplastics to JV Partner Daicel

Tokyo—Celanese
has reached a definitive agreement to sell its 45% stake in
Polyplastics to its joint venture partner Daicel for $1.575-
billion, making Daicel sole owner.
The transaction is expected to be finalized in the second
half of this fiscal year, subject to necessary regulatory approvals
and customary closing conditions.
“We plan to use this opportunity to monetize a historically
passive investment and allocate significant capital to
higher growth businesses within Celanese,” said Celanese
Chairman and Chief Executive Lori Ryerkerk.
“This definitive agreement with Daicel is an intentional
departure from a legacy relationship to a contemporary
approach, which will drive future growth and greater customer
development and expansion opportunities,” Celanese
noted.
“Celanese will continue to compete with Polyplastics
(Daicel) in markets and regions where there is overlapping
product lines.”

 

CCEP Investing in CuRe Technology To Convert Plastic Waste into rPET

London—Coca-
Cola European Partners (CCEP) said it has decided to invest
in CuRe Technology, a recycling start-up that transforms
difficult to recycle plastic waste to high-quality recycled
polyethylene terephthalate (rPET).
CuRe will initially apply its end-to-end partial depolymerization
recycling process to convert opaque and difficult
to recycle food grade PET to rPET that can be used again
for food and drink packaging in one continuous process on
the same site.
Funding from CCEP, through its innovation investment
fund, CCEP Ventures, will allow CuRe to accelerate its
technology from pilot plant to commercial readiness. Once
commercialized, CCEP will receive the majority of the output
from a CuRe licensed, new-build plant.
The investment is part of CCEP’s ambition, in partnership
with The Coca-Cola Co. in Western Europe, to eliminate
virgin oil-based PET from its bottles within the next
decade, CCEP noted.
CCEP and Coca-Cola have pledged that by 2025, Coca-
Cola will collect a can or bottle for every one it sells and
ensure that all its packaging is 100% recyclable. It has
committed to using at least 50% rPET by 2023.
“Polyester is one of the world’s most reversible plastics
and should not go to waste,” said CuRe Technology Chief
Commercial Officer Josse Kunst.

 

Total SA Becomes European Company; Listed as Total SE on Stock Markets

Paris—Total SA
announced it has become a European company, following
its registration with the Trade and Companies Register of
Nanterre, and is now listed as Total SE on stock markets
trading its shares and American Depositary Shares.
The registration as a European company, which occurred
on 16 July 2020, was approved at the company’s
shareholder’s meeting on 29 May 2020, and follows negotiations
with employees’ representatives in 25 countries of
the European Economic Area.
Total’s ISIN codes and mnemonics remain unchanged,
the company noted.

 

PTTGCA Selects Mountaineer to Provide Storage, Transportation for PC Complex

Belmont—
PTTGC America (PTTGCA) has executed an agreement
with Mountaineer NGL Storage for the development of a
natural gas liquids (NGLs) storage facility to provide storage
and transportation services for PTTGCA’s proposed
petrochemical complex in Belmont County, Ohio (PCN, 20
July 2020, p 1).
The $250-million facility, which will be the “first” underground
NGL storage site in the “heart” of the Marcellus
and Utica shale formation, will be located in Dilles Bottom
on a site owned and operated by Mountaineer, PTTGCA
noted. A pipeline will be built to connect the storage facility
to the petrochemical complex.
The project will be developed in two phases and will include
multiple caverns. Each cavern will have the capacity
to store around 500,000 bbls of NGLs, including propane,
butane, ethane and ethylene.
Mountaineer has already obtained the required permits
to begin construction of the first phase, which will include
1.5-million bbls of storage capacity and will take two to
three years to complete.
An additional 1.5-million bbls of storage capacity is
planned in a second phase. Additional expansion capabilities
are available, subject to market demand.

 

SK Capital Decides to Invest in Techmer To Allow Techmer to Grow Its Business

Clinton—An
affiliate of New York-based private investment firm SK
Capital Partners has decided to acquire a majority interest
in Techmer PM and invest in the growth of the company.
Based in Clinton, Tenn., Techmer is a materials design
company specializing in modifying and fine-tuning the
properties of technical polymers. It operates six manufacturing
plants in the U.S. and one in Mexico.
SK will recapitalize Techmer in partnership with
Techmer Chairman and Chief Executive John Manuck,
who will continue to retain a “significant” ownership stake
in the company, Techmer noted. Specific terms of the deal
were not disclosed.
“Techmer is taking this step with SK to satisfy growing
demands from brand owners and international clients who
want to see the company expand its footprint to allow it to
better serve customers no matter where they are in the
world,” noted Manuck.

 

HRC Using Honeywell’s Chlorsorb Process In Its Revamped CCR Platforming Unit

Seremban—
Hengyuan Refining Co. (HRC) has begun using Honeywell
UOP’s modular Chlorsorb technology in its revamped UOP
CCR Platforming unit in Port Dickson, Malaysia.
The Chlorsorb unit is the “first” retrofit in the world involving
such a modular unit into an existing CCR Platforming
unit, Honeywell noted. The project will help HRC
comply with new clean air regulations.
Chlorsorb technology achieves up to 99% chloride removal
efficiency, eliminates the need for caustic scrubbing,
and reduces operating cost of a CCR Platforming unit,
stated Honeywell.
HRC, formerly known as Shell Refining Co., produces
naphtha, liquefied petroleum gas, mixed aromatics, gasoline,
gas oil, jet kerosene and fuel oil components.

 

Siemens, Bentley Systems to Develop Digital Twin for CAP’s PC Complex

Jakarta—Siemens
announced that it, along with Bentley Systems, has been
selected to build the “first” petrochemical digital twin in
Indonesia for Chandra Asri Petrochemical’s (CAP) integrated
petrochemical complex in Cilegon.
Development and implementation of the project will
take place in phases, from 2020 to 2025. FKA Global, the
systems integration partner, will provide digitalization
services, maintenance and further enhancement of the solution
after it is implemented. Cost of the project was unavailable.
“The digital twin of Chandra Asri’s integrated petrochemical
complex in Cilegon City will show and visualize
digitalized data about the plant assets and the engineering
data,” Siemens noted. “Therefore, analog plant data are
transformed into an automated digital twin framework.
This reduces risk of error.
“The information will henceforth be accessible through
one integrated digital platform, ensuring data accuracy,
consistency and integrity, as well as ease-of-maintenance.”
According to CAP’s website, it operates the country’s
only naphtha cracker plant, which includes the production
of olefins, polyolefins, pygas and mixed C4.
CAP is planning to double capacity in the next five
years, increasing production capacity to 8-million t/y from
4-million t/y (PCN, 27 Jan 2020, p 2).

 

Pennsylvania Governor Wolf Signs Bill To Offer Tax Credits for PC Projects

Pittsburgh—
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has signed into law a
new tax incentive bill, which would provide tax credits for
new petrochemical plants that use dry natural gas produced
in Pennsylvania, according to several local news reports.
Under the new House Bill 732, the Local Resource
Manufacturing Tax Credit Legislation, companies would be
eligible for tax credits if they agree to invest a minimum of
$400-million in the new petrochemical project, employ at
least 800 local workers, and pay prevailing wages and
benefits to all construction workers.
The new plants will be required to use carbon capture
and sequestration technologies to reduce their impact on
the climate.
“Attracting and retaining natural gas synthesis manufacturing
should be a priority of policymakers at the state
and federal level to ensure this prosperity occurs in our
commonwealth, as opposed to a competitor state or country,”
said the Pennsylvania Business Report quoting David
Taylor, president and chief executive of the Pennsylvania
Manufacturers’ Assn.
“These types of investments drive long-term and sustained
tax revenue with exponential growth, as additional
downstream companies and associated industries cluster to
create a manufacturing hub.”

 

NextChem and LanzaTech Sign Agreement To Advance Circular Ethanol Production

Rome—
NextChem and LanzaTech have entered into an agreement
to license a new ‘waste-to-ethanol’ process line to accelerate
the transition to an inclusive circular bioeconomy.
The basic process involves the chemical conversion of
hydrogen and carbon contained in plasmix (non-recyclable
waste from plastics separate collection) and refuse derived
fuel, from which a circular gas is obtained to be used as a
base to produce various chemical products.
Using LanzaTech’s biological syngas fermentation
technology, ethanol is produced by bacteria, transforming
the gas at low temperature and low pressure, improving its
overall sustainability.
NextChem will exclusively license the new technology
in Italy and, on a project basis, in some international markets.
It has already developed circular hydrogen and circular
methanol production technologies.
“We are expanding our technology portfolio from a strategic
perspective: our circular district model and our wasteto-
chemicals technology platform are the answers both to
the problem of reliance on foreign supplies of chemical
products, and to the recovery of currently non-recyclable
waste fractions, and to the problem of decarbonization,”
noted Pierroberto Folgiero, chief executive of NextChem
and Maire Tecnimont.
“NextChem aims to provide the market with technological
solutions to completely replace traditional fossil-based
chemistry with biochemistry and waste chemistry. We
want to rebuild coal chemistry, excluding coal entirely; an
extremely ambitious goal, which today has become possible.”

 

Hengli Starts up Stratco Alkylation Unit At Its New Refinery Complex in China

Dalian—
DuPont Clean Technologies announced the “successful”
start-up and performance test of a new Stratco alkylation
unit at Hengli Petrochemical’s refinery complex in Changxing
Island Harbor Industrial Zone, China.
Licensed by DuPont, the 300,000-t/y unit enables
Hengli to produce high-quality alkylate from a 100% isobutylene
feed stream. It uses the latest innovative patented
XP2 technology by DuPont in the Stratco Contactor reactor.
The Stratco alkylation technology is a sulfuric acid,
catalyzed process that converts low-value, straight-chain
olefins into high-value, alkylate.

 

Green Petrochem Expanding Facilities To Meet Growing Demand in the UAE

Sharjah—
Green Petrochem, a provider of products and solutions for
the petroleum and petrochemical industries, announced
plans to increase storage capacity in the Hamriyah Free
Zone, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to meet the growing
demand for its services, TradeArabia reported.
With a current total refining capacity of 2.1-million
bbl/yr, the company offers a range of refined products, including
naphtha, kerosene, gasoil, fuel oil and specialty
solvents, and other specialty chemicals.
According to the report, Green Petrochem also has
plans to expand into the U.S. market. No other details
were given.

 

Air Liquide Building New Oxygen Unit To Accommodate Renewable Energy

Moerdijk—Air Liquide
announced it is investing in the “first” world-scale air
separation unit (ASU) for oxygen production with an energy
storage system that will help facilitate more renewable energy
on the electricity grid in the Netherlands.
The €125-million plant, to be located in the Port of Moerdijk,
will utilize 10% less electricity, and will have a production
capacity of 2,200 t/d of oxygen. Operations are
scheduled to begin in 2022.
The new ASU will produce oxygen, nitrogen and argon
for industrial, food and medical markets. It will be connected
to the company’s extensive pipeline network.
“Fighting climate change is central to the mission of Air
Liquide and we are developing a wide range of solutions,”
said Francois Jackow, executive vice president of the company
and a member of the executive committee.
“This investment in a strategic industrial basin, with a
first-of-its kind innovation, illustrates our capacity to modernize
industry with solutions to support a renewable energy
compatible grid.”

 

Total Inks Project Financing Agreement For New Mozambique LNG in S. Africa

Paris—Total
has signed a $14.9-billion senior debt financing agreement
for the planned Mozambique LNG liquefied natural gas
project on the Afungi Peninsula in northern Mozambique,
South Africa (PCN, 7 Oct 2019, p 3).
The $20-billion project includes the development of the
Golfinho and Atum natural gas fields located in Offshore
Area 1 concession, and the construction of a two-train liquefaction
plant with a total capacity of 13.1-million t/y.
The project financing, the “biggest ever in Africa,” Total
noted, includes direct and covered loans from eight export
credit agencies, 19 commercial bank facilities, and a loan
from the African Development Bank.
The Export-Import Bank of the U.S., which provided
$4.7-billion in financing, said the project would support an
estimated 16,700 American jobs over the five-year construction
period.
Total E&P Mozambique Area 1, a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Total, operates Mozambique LNG with a 26.5%
participating interest, alongside ENH Rovuma Area Um
(15%), Mitsui E&P Mozambique Area 1 (20%), ONGC
Videsh Rovuma (10%), Beas Rovuma Energy Mozambique
(10%), BPRL Ventures Mozambique (10%) and PTTEP Mozambique
Area 1 (8.5%).

 

ExxonMobil Researching New Material That Could Capture Over 90% of CO2

Irving—
Scientists from ExxonMobil, University of California,
Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
have discovered a new material that could capture more
than 90% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from industrial
sources.
The patent-pending materials, known as tetraaminefunctionalized
metal organic frameworks, capture CO2
emissions up to six times more effectively than conventional
amine-based carbon capture technology, ExxonMobil
noted. Using less energy, the material has the potential to
reduce the cost of the technology and ultimately support
commercial applications.
“By manipulating the structure of the metal organic
framework material, the team . . . demonstrated the ability
to condense a surface area the size of a football field, into
just one gram of mass — about the same as a paperclip —
that acts as a sponge for CO2,” ExxonMobil explained.
Additional research and development will be needed to
progress the technology to a larger scale pilot plant and
eventually to industrial scale.

 

ToAZ Resumes Using River-Sea Vessels To Deliver Urea from Togliatti Facility

Moscow—
Togliattiazot (ToAZ) has resumed shipping urea by riversea
vessels from its Togliatti site in Russia to customers in
southern regions of the country.
In 2015, the company suspended shipments of urea by
river-sea vessels. A decision to resume such shipments
was made to increase commercial efficiency, in line with
the corporate development strategy until 2025, which was
adopted last year.
ToAZ may also use harbors in the south of Russia for
urea transportation, if it increases its pool of customers
and ensures demand for river/sea transportation to such
destination, the company noted.
“The new logistics channel is also of utmost importance
for the future, since Togliattiazot is currently building its
third urea plant,” said Danil Podoplekin, sales director.
In 2018, ToAZ awarded a contract to Casale for construction
of the third urea plant with a capacity of 2,200 t/d
(PCN, 7 Jan 2019, p 3). Completion is expected in 2021.

 

BASF & VCS Ink Agreement to Develop Aliphatic Isocyanate Isotainer Depot

Memphis—
BASF and Vertrauen Chemie Solutions (VCS) have signed
an agreement for a new storage location for manufacturing
material of BASF’s dispersions and resins business, as well
as a finished goods distribution center in Memphis, Tenn.
VCS, which specializes in toll blending, compounding
and packaging solutions for chemical and industrial markets,
will be responsible for development of the project.
“The additional storage and repackaging services provided
by VCS will improve our aliphatic isocyanate supply
chain and deliver additional benefits to our customers,”
said Vuk Milojkovic, business director, automotive and
industrial coatings, BASF Dispersion and Resins, North
America.

DGR Picks Clariant’s Catofin Catalyst For Second PDH Plant in Dongguan

Shanghai—
Clariant has been awarded a contract from Dongguan
Grand Resource Technology (DGR) to provide its Catofin
catalyst for a second propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit
in Dongguan, China (PCN, 20 Feb 2017, p1).
The new 600,000-t/y PDH plant will increase propylene
capacity to 1.2-million t/y and is expected to be commissioned
in 2022. Clariant supplied its catalyst for the first
plant, which successfully started up last year, Clariant
noted. Value of the contract was not available.
“We are honored to have been selected by DGR for this
second propylene project,” said Stefan Heuser, senior vice
president and general manager at Clariant Catalysts.
“Continuous catalyst innovation, together with ongoing
advancements in Lummus Technology’s process, demonstrate
why Catofin is one of the most productive and reliable
solutions on the market.”
The catalyst provides “reliable” operation at high onstream
conditions (typically above 98%) and enables production
“significantly” beyond design capacity (up to 110%
on average), Clariant noted.

 

RIL’s Plan to Sell Stake in O2C Business To Saudi Aramco Has ‘Not Progressed’

Mumbai—
Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) said that due to unforeseen
circumstances in the energy market and the COVID-19
situation, plans to divest a 20% stake in its Oil to Chemicals
(OTC) Division to Saudi Aramco have “not progressed”
as per its original timeline.
The O2C Division, which has an enterprise value of
$750-billion, includes the refining, petrochemicals and fuels
marketing businesses of RIL (PCN, 26 Aug 2019, p 3).
“Our equity requirements have already been met,”
noted RIL Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani.
“Nevertheless, we at Reliance value our over twodecade
long relationship with Saudi Aramco and are committed
to a long-term partnership.
“We will approach NCLT [National Company Law Tribunal]
with our proposal to spin off our O2C business into
a separate subsidiary to facilitate this partnership opportunity.
We expect to complete this process by early 2021.”

 

Yuntianhua to Acquire Majority Stake In Chinese Ammonia Producer Dawei

Shanghai—
China’s Yunnan Yuntianhua Co. plans to purchase a
93.89% interest in Yunnan Dawei Ammonia Co. from Yunnan
Coal Chemical Industry Group for $134-million, reported
a local media source citing a company filing with
the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
As part of the transaction, Yuntianhua will pay off
Dawei’s $59-million debt to Yunnan Coal Chemical Industry
Group. An expected closing date was not given.
Dawei mainly produces liquid ammonia, sodium carbonate
and sulfur.

 

Daelim Decides to Withdraw as Partner In Ohio Petchem Project with PTTGCA

Belmont—
Daelim Chemical USA has decided to drop out as equity
partner in a proposed joint venture ethane cracker project
with PTTGC America (PTTGCA) in Belmont County, Ohio
(PCN, 15 June 2020, p 1).
The world-scale, multi-billion dollar complex would include
a 1.5-million-t/y ethane cracker for the production of
ethylene, linear low-density polyethylene (PE) and highdensity
PE, based on technologies from Technip and Ineos.
The companies last month announced they would delay
making a final investment decision on the complex by six
to nine months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent
oil price volatility.
“The Ohio petrochemical facility continues to be a top
priority for PTTGC America,” said PTTGCA President and
Chief Executive Toasaporn Boonyapipat. “We are in the
process of seeking a new partner, whilst working toward a
final investment decision.”

 

EC Fines Celanese, Orbia and Clariant For Plotting to Lower Ethylene Value

Brussels—The
European Commission (EC) said it has fined Celanese, Orbia
and Clariant for breaching European Union (EU) antitrust
rules by taking part in a cartel and colluding to lower
the value of ethylene, to the detriment of suppliers.
Unlike in most cartels, where companies conspire to
raise their sales prices, the companies coordinated their
price negotiation strategies before and during bilateral
Monthly Contract Price (MCP) settlement negotiations
with ethylene sellers to push the MCP down to their advantage.
They also exchanged price-related information,
practices which are prohibited by EU competition rules.
Westlake, which confirmed that one of its subsidiaries
was also involved in the anti-competitive practices, was not
fined as it revealed the cartel to the Commission and fully
cooperated with the related investigation.
Celanese, Orbia and Clariant agreed to pay a total of
€260-million to settle the case.

 

Enterprise Co-Loads NGLs & Olefins On Same Vessel for the ‘First’ Time

Houston—
Enterprise Products Partners announced it has successfully
loaded combination cargoes of natural gas liquids
(NGLs) and olefins on the same vessel for the “first” time
at its Houston Ship Channel terminals.
This month, Enterprise completed the simultaneous
loading of propane and polymer-grade propylene into separate
compartments on a VLGC (very large gas carrier) at
the Houston Ship Channel terminal, as well as the simultaneous
loading of ethane and ethylene on a vessel at its
Morgan’s Point facility in Texas.
“Both vessels were the first export cargoes of their kind
from the U.S.,” Enterprise noted.

 

EC OKs Orlen’s Acquisition of Lotos Subject to Commitments by Orlen

Brussels—The
European Commission (EC) has approved the acquisition
of Grupa Lotos by PKN Orlen, subject to full compliance
with a commitments package offered by Orlen (PCN, 9 Mar
2020, p 3).
Last August, Orlen, Lotos and the Polish State Treasury,
which holds 53.19% of the voting rights of Lotos,
signed an agreement defining the framework structure of
the planned transaction.
Following an in-depth investigation into the acquisition,
the commission had concerns that the transaction, as
initially notified, would have harmed competition. To address
the EC’s concerns, Orlen offered a set of commitments,
including divestitures.
The commission determined that the commitments
package would enable the purchasers of the divested businesses,
as well as other competitors, to compete effectively
with the merged entity in the relevant markets.
Value of the transaction and an expected completion
date were not disclosed.

 

Nova Declares Force Majeure at Joffre On Butene Linear Low-Density PE

Joffre—Nova
Chemicals confirmed reports that it has declared force majeure
on all butene linear low-density polyethylene
(LLDPE) at its Joffre facility in Alberta, Canada.
“Over the past several days, we have experienced mechanical
failures beyond our reasonable control at our two
butene linear low-density polyethylene reactors in Joffre,”
said Jennifer Nanz, director of corporate communications.
“As the result of the repair timing and current inventory
levels, we have declared force majeure on all butene
LLDPE. This event does not affect any of our other polyethylene
products.
“We are committed to safely resolving these issues as
quickly as possible. However, we do not yet know the expected
length of the force majeure.
“There were no injuries or impact to the environment as
a result of this event,” she noted.

 

Thyssenkrupp, BASF Expand Cooperation On STAR Dehydrogenation Technology

Essen—
Thyssenkrupp and BASF have signed a joint development
agreement to widen their cooperation on Thyssenkrupp’s
proprietary Steam Active Reforming (STAR) dehydrogenation
technology.
The STAR process produces propylene from propane
feedstocks, or isobutylene from isobutane feedstocks, using
an “exceptionally stable” catalyst, Thyssenkrupp noted.
To “significantly” increase the resource and energy efficiency
of the process through targeted improvements in
catalyst and plant design, ThyssenKrupp will focus on
process development, while BASF will focus on catalyst
development, Thyssenkrupp explained.
In the future, plant operators can benefit from lower investment
and operating costs, as well as lower carbon dioxide
emissions.
“With our combined know-how we can further reduce
consumption of energy and resources,” said Uwe Boltersdorf,
chief sales officer of Thyssenkrupp’s Chemical & Process
Technologies business unit.

 

NEDO Selects Japanese Group to Develop Technologies to Produce PX from CO2

Tokyo—The
New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization
(NEDO) said it has chosen a group of Japanese
companies for its project to develop the world’s “most advanced”
technology for the production of paraxylene (PX)
from carbon dioxide (CO2).
The group, which includes Mitsubishi Corp., the University
of Toyama, Chiyoda Corp., Nippon Steel Engineering
Co., Nippon Steel Corp. and HighChem Co., will improve
the innovative catalyst to produce PX from CO2, develop
a way to mass-produce the catalyst, and develop the
process while studying its feasibility, including its overall
efficiency and CO2 reduction effect, the group explained.
“Global demand for paraxylene is approximately 49-
million t/y,” the group noted. “Assuming that the feedstock
for paraxylene of the current demand level is entirely converted
from fossil fuels to CO2, theoretically 160-million
tons of CO2 could be fixed in the paraxylene per year.”
The project is scheduled to run from fiscal year 2020 to
2023. The contract is valued at ¥1.99-billion.

 

LanzaTech Utilizing TechnipFMC’s Hummingbird Technology for SAF

Atlanta—
LanzaTech has selected TechnipFMC’s Hummingbird
ethanol-to-ethylene technology to be used in a key application
which, when combined with LanzaTech’s Alcohol-to-
Jet technology, can be used to manufacture sustainable
aviation fuel (SAF).
LanzaJet, LanzaTech’s spin-off sustainable aviation
fuel company, will use the technologies in its commercial
demonstration-scale integrated biorefinery at LanzaTech’s
Freedom Pines site in Soperton, Ga.
Hummingbird technology is based on a simple low-cost
process for dehydrating ethanol to ethylene. Its proprietary
catalyst results in a lower temperature, higher pressure,
and more selective process compared to traditional
ethanol dehydration processes that use alumina-based
catalysts, TechnipFMC noted.
For TechnipFMC, this is the “first” commercial-scale
application of the technology.

 

People on the Move

McDermott International—Tareq Kawash has become
senior vice president for the Europe, Middle East and
Africa region. He had been senior vice president for the
Europe, Africa, Russia and Caspian region, which has been
combined with the Middle East North Africa region.
Saudi Industrial Investment Group—Abdul Rahman
Saleh Al-Ismail has been appointed chief executive,
effective 1 Jan. 2021. He is currently a member of the
board of directors.
Olin Corp.—Scott M. Sutton, currently president and
chief executive of Prince International, and a member of
Olin’s board of directors, has been named president and
chief executive of Olin. He will succeed John E. Fischer,
who has been named executive chairman. Both appointments
are effective 1 Sept. 2020.
Sutton is expected to be appointed chairman of the
board immediately following Olin’s 2021 annual meeting of
shareholders, at which time Fischer is expected to retire.

 

MISC & Zhejiang Satellite Ink Deals For Six Korean Newbuild VLECs

Kuala Lumpur—
MISC Berhad has entered into purchase agreements with
six indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of Zhejiang Satellite
Petrochemical (Satellite) for six newbuild very large ethane
carriers (VLECs) to be built in South Korea.
The 98,000-cu m VLECs, costing about $726-million,
will be built by Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyundai
Heavy Industries. They will construct three vessels each.
At the same time, MISC, through its vessel-owning entity,
Portovenere and Lerici (Singapore) Pte., has entered
into 15-year time charter parties with Satellite for the time
charter of the tankers for operations in international waters.
The charters are expected to begin in the fourth
quarter of 2020.
“A new chapter is in the making as we make our entry
into the global ethane market with these six VLECs and a
new alliance in China,” said MISC President and Group
Chief Executive Yee Yang Chien.
“Today, by entering into this agreement, Satellite and
MISC have just started a new venture, in which the two
parties will build a global logistics supply chain for chemicals
together,” said Satellite Chairman and President Yang
Weidong. “This supply chain is going to safeguard the
world-leading ethylene cracker that is being built by Satellite.”
The 1.25-million-t/y ethylene facility, estimated to cost
$4.2-billion, is being set up in Lianyungang, China (PCN, 2
Sept 2019, p 2).
PCN earlier reported that construction on the project
was expected to begin in September 2019 and take about
one year to complete.

 

Aramco Launching New Operating Model To Enhance Its Downstream Operations

Dhahran—
Saudi Aramco announced it is reorganizing its downstream
business to support and enhance integration across the
hydrocarbon value chain and better position the company
to drive financial performance, value creation and global
growth.
The downstream operating model will consist of four
commercial business units: Fuels (refining, trading, retail
and lubes); Chemicals; Power, and Pipelines, Distribution
& Terminals.
The units will be supported by three corporate functions:
Manufacturing; Strategy & Marketing and Affiliates
Affairs. The reorganization is expected to be complete by
the end of the year.
“This reorganization is yet another step in Aramco’s
strategy to develop a global integrated downstream business
that enhances our competitiveness by maximizing our
value capture across the hydrocarbon value chain,” said
Abdulaziz M. Al Gudaimi, senior vice president of Aramco
Downstream.

 

Polynt-Reichhold Makes Decision to Build New Maleic Anhydride Plant in the U.S.

Morris—
Polynt-Reichhold Group said it has decided to build a new
greenfield maleic anhydride unit at its site in Morris, Ill.,
the group’s “largest” site for unsaturated polyester resins.
The 50,000-t/y facility will serve the company’s consumption
for composites and other maleic derivatives already
produced in Europe and Asia. Cost of the project
and a schedule were not given.
The site benefits from cost-efficient logistics through its
access to a rail spur and a dock for barges on the Illinois
River, and has space for expansion.
“For maleic anhydride, we evaluated options for purchasing
an existing plant, but this proved to not be feasible,”
noted Polynt-Reichhold Group President and Chief
Executive Rosario Valido. “Therefore, we decided to go
ahead and build our own . . . plant.”
The group is also evaluating its integration strategy for
phthalic anhydride. It is considering integration with existing
operations or construction of a new greenfield unit.
A final decision is expected before the end of the year.
“For phthalic anhydride, we are in an earlier stage and
different options are still on the table,” said Valido. “We
are committed to progress in integrating intermediates and
resins. An investment in phthalic anhydride will strengthen
our competitive position in the Americas, while leveraging
our proprietary technologies and deep experience operating
intermediates facilities in Europe and Asia.”

 

Kem One & Polyloop Enter Partnership To Develop PVC Recycling Solutions

Balan—Kem
One and Polyloop, a start-up specializing in the development
of compact recycling units, have partnered to develop
new solutions for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) recycling.
A pilot plant will be located at Kem One’s site in Balan,
France, where Polyloop will continue to work on its selective
dissolution and precipitation process, intended to recycle
PVC composite materials, such as technical textiles. It
will perform tests on end-of-life materials and manufacturing
scrap.
Polyloop will utilize Kem One’s analytical skills, expertise
in the various types of PVC and their applications, and
knowledge of the markets.
The aim is to eventually design a small, decentralized
modular recycling unit that can be integrated into a factory.
PVC compounds obtained from the process could
then be reused on the same site by manufacturers and
transformers.

 

Cariflex Boosting Polyisoprene Capacity

Paulinia—
Cariflex said it will build a new large-scale polyisoprene
latex plant at its facility in Paulinia, Brazil, to meet the
current strong demand for medical protective equipment.
The project, estimated to cost approximately $50-
million, will be identical to the current unit at the site and
will double isoprene latex capacity there. Operations are
expected to begin in the first quarter of 2021.
Daelim Industrial recently acquired the Cariflex isoprene
rubber business from Kraton for $530-million (PCN,
16 Mar 2020, p 3).

 

Stepan Agrees to Purchase Clariant’s Mexican Surfactant Business, Assets

Santa Clara—
Stepan Co., through its Mexican subsidiaries, has entered
into an agreement to acquire Clariant’s anionic surfactant
business and associated sulfation equipment in Santa
Clara, Mexico.
The transaction, for which financial details were not
disclosed, is expected to close in the third quarter of this
year, subject to regulatory approvals and satisfaction of
certain other requirements.
“The purchase of Clariant’s surfactant business in Mexico
will enhance our ability to support our customers’
growth in the Mexican consumer and functional markets
for surfactants,” said F. Quinn Stepan, Jr., chairman, president
and chief executive of Stepan.
“We plan to transition manufacturing from Clariant’s
Santa Clara site to Stepan’s Mexican sites located in
Ecatepec and Matamoros over the coming months.”

 

NextDecade Optimizing RGLNG Project To Reduce Its Environmental Impacts

Houston—
NextDecade Corp. announced it is optimizing its Rio
Grande LNG (RGLNG) project to reduce carbon dioxide
equivalent (CO2e) emissions and reduce the environmental
impacts of the project (PCN, 24 Feb 2020, p 4).
The original front-end engineering and design was
based on six LNG trains, each capable of producing 4.5-
million t/y of LNG for export. The technologies originally
selected have since evolved over the five-year permitting
period; the LNG trains are now “more efficient” and will
produce more LNG with lower total CO2e emissions.
“Multiple optimizations have been identified that will
lead to the delivery of a world-class LNG project capable of
producing 27-million t/y with just five LNG trains instead
of six,” the company noted. Train 6 will be vacated.
The benefits of these optimizations include approximately
21% lower CO2e emissions; a shortened construction
timeline for the project; reduced facility footprint, and
an expected reduction in traffic on roadways.
In the first quarter of this year, NextDecade sold its
100% stake in Rio Bravo Pipeline Co. to Enbridge.
Enbridge was to assume all responsibility for the Rio
Bravo Pipeline, while NextDecade would continue to be
responsible for the Rio Grande LNG export facility.
NextDecade has retained rights to the natural gas firm
transportation capacity on the pipeline for at least 20 years
to supply the LNG export facility.

 

KBR Awarded Contract from Kutch For Indian Nitrobenzene Project

New Delhi—Kutch
Specialities Pvt. Ltd. has chosen KBR to supply its proprietary
Plink adiabatic nitrobenzene solutions for a new nitrobenzene
project in India.
Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide basic
and detailed engineering design, equipment, and related
advisory services to Kutch for its grassroots facility. No
other details were given.
“KBR’s proven process, patented equipment design, and
material selection ensure plant availability and reliability
to produce a high-purity nitrobenzene with a focus on high
energy efficiency and environmental sustainability,” KBR
noted.

 

Loop Provides Updates on Operations; Spartanburg Start-Up to be Delayed

Montreal—Loop
Industries, in its fourth quarter consolidated financial results
of fiscal 2020, provided updates on its business developments.
On 11 May 2020, Loop restarted full operations at its
pilot plant in Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada, which is being
used for the development of its depolymerization technology
for the production of sustainable polyethylene
terephthalate.
Operations had been reduced in late March 2020 to
comply with the Quebec provincial government’s order to
minimize all non-priority services and activities until 13
Apr. 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (PCN,
30 Mar 2020, p 1).
Over the period, Loop’s team in Canada continued to
optimize its technology and make engineering design improvements,
reducing both capital and operating costs,
Loop noted.
In Spartanburg, S.C., Loop, and its joint venture partner,
Indorama Ventures, are building a 40,000-t/y facility
to commercialize the depolymerization technology. The
company is engaging Worley as construction contractor.
Loop expects commissioning of the Spartanburg plant
to be delayed by about three to six months, assuming there
are no further delays.
“In order to move forward expeditiously with the . . . facility
and its overall commercialization plans, and in light
of the continuing improvements which have been achieved,
we have expressed our desire to and are exploring joint
venture structures and financing alternatives to increase
our equity participation in the project,” said Loop.
“Indorama has reiterated to the joint venture its commitment
to maintaining an investment in the . . . project,
which is strategically important to support the sustainability
objectives of its customers. Discussions on the joint
venture structure and financing are on-going.”

KNM and ADAP Capital to Establish JV For Oil, Gas & PC Projects in Sarawak

Sarawak—
KNM Process Systems and ADAP Capital have entered
into an agreement to set up a joint venture company to
undertake oil, gas and petrochemical projects in Sarawak,
Malaysia.
Under the agreement, KNW would hold a 51% stake in
the new company, while ADAP would hold the remaining
49% interest. The agreement is valid for 12 months from
the date of execution and may be extended for another period,
subject to written approval by both parties.
The parties will partner on engineering, procurement
and construction contracts for oil, gas and petrochemical
plants; the manufacture and supply of process equipment,
tanks, piping and structures for oil, gas and petrochemical
plants, and, subject to feasibility and a separate agreement,
they may build, own and operate strategic projects.

 

Linde Starts Up New Hydrogen, CO Plant To Supply Celanese, Customers in Texas

Houston—
Linde announced it has begun operations at a new “stateof-
the-art” carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen facility in
Clear Lake, Texas, and an air separation unit (ASU) in La
Porte, Texas, to supply Celanese and other customers
(PCN, 27 Feb 2017, p 2).
The plants will supply oxygen, nitrogen and high-purity
CO to Celanese, under a previously announced long-term
agreement with Praxair, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Linde, and hydrogen to other customers via Linde’s U.S.
Gulf Coast pipeline system.
The new ASU is also connected to Linde’s nitrogen and
oxygen pipeline network, enabling “safe and reliable” supply
to Celanese and other customers in the area. Linde
noted.

 

Air Products & ACWA Power Join Neom For Green NH3 Facility in Saudi Arabia

Neom—Air
Products, ACWA Power and Neom have signed an agreement
for a world-scale green hydrogen-based ammonia production
facility in the northwest corner of Saudi Arabia.
The $5-billion plant, to be located in Neom’s industrial
cluster, a new model for sustainable living, will produce
1.2-million-t/y of green ammonia for export to global markets.
The project, to be equally owned by the three partners,
is scheduled to come on stream in 2025.
The project will include the integration of over four gigawatts
of renewable power from solar, wind and storage;
the production of 650 t/d of hydrogen by electrolysis using
Thyssenkrupp technology; the production of nitrogen by air
separation utilizing Air Products technology, and the production
of green ammonia using Haldor Topsoe technology.
Air Products will be the exclusive off-taker of the ammonia
and plans to transport it around the world to be dissociated
to produce green hydrogen for the transportation
sector.

 

Dastur and Lummus to Evaluate Feasibility Of Petcoke Gasification at BPCL Refinery

Kochi—
Dastur International, along with two affiliates, and Lummus
Technology have been chosen to study the feasibility
of petcoke gasification and the production of value-added
petrochemicals and clean fuel products at Bharat Petroleum
Corp. Ltd.’s (BPCL) Kochi refinery in India.
Funded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency
(USTDA), the study will evaluate various options to arrive
at the most appropriate and techno-economically viable
project blueprint and technology design for the gasification
of petcoke produced at BPCL Kochi.
The study is part of the USTDA’s mission to promote
the development of sustainable infrastructure projects and
foster economic growth in partner countries like India.
“Refinery capacity and output is rapidly growing in India,”
said Murali Madhavan, executive director of BPCL
Kochi. “With the increasing use of heavier and sour crudes,
sustainable utilization of petcoke from refineries is a
concern.
“This project promises to reduce emissions by turning
petcoke into a feedstock for producing value-added clean
energy products based on gasification. We are excited to
partner with Dastur and Lummus, given their proven experience
and expertise in the area of gasification, clean
energy and related low-carbon technologies.”

 

Maroon Group Concludes Purchase Of Chemicals Distributor Holland

Avon—Maroon
Group announced that it has acquired Holland Chemicals,
a distributor of specialty chemicals and ingredients headquartered
in Illinois, for an undisclosed amount.
Now part of Maroon, Holland will continue to focus on
its core markets, while leveraging Maroon’s North American
footprint, broad product offering, operational infrastructure,
and digital capabilities, Maroon noted. Holland’s
management team will continue to actively manage
the business on a day-to-day basis.
“The business further strengthens our presence in several
core end-markets and geographies, and adds depth to
our technical and formulary teams,” said Maroon Chief
Executive Terry Hill.

 

Chemours Closing First Chemical Site

Pascagoula—
Chemours announced that it will shut down its First
Chemical site in Pascagoula, Miss., by the end of 2020.
“As a result of a business review, we determined that
aniline business is not core to our future strategy and we
have made the difficult decision to exit the business and
cease production at the site by the end of this year,” the
company said it a statement.
“We value every employee and the customers they
serve, and we will support them through this time of transition.
We will entertain options for productive reuse of
the site.”

 

Clariant, Ineratec to Develop Technologies For Producing Renewable Chems & Fuels

Munich—
Clariant and Ineratec, a spin-off of the Karlsruhe Institute
of Technology, have entered into a partnership to develop
and commercialize novel technologies for the production of
renewable chemicals and fuels.
Clariant will provide its extensive catalysis expertise
and broad portfolio of syngas conditioning and upgrading
catalysts to support Ineratec’s gas-to-liquids technology.
Ineratec’s entire chemical process is realized in transportable
container units. The process combines hydrogen
generated from renewable power, with greenhouse gases
such as carbon dioxide (CO2), to form CO2-neutral synthetic
hydrocarbons and fuels.
Clariant will supply its HyProGen R-70 catalyst to produce
renewable syngas via reverse water-gas-shift; its
MegaMax methanol catalyst, which generates renewable
methanol, and its METH 134 catalyst for the production of
renewable synthetic natural gas.
“The microstructured core of the modular Ineratec reactors
provides a large surface for heat and mass transport,”
Clariant noted. “Highly exothermic reactions, such as
methanol synthesis or CO2 hydrogenation, can be operated
efficiently and safely in compact container-sized plants.
This enables outstanding reactor productivity, with high
conversion per reactor pass.”

 

Sulzer Supplying Mass Transfer Technology For Dangote’s Refinery and PC Complex

Lekki—
Dangote Group has selected Sulzer Chemtech’s mass transfer
technology for its integrated oil refinery and petrochemical
complex in Lekki Free Trade Zone near Lagos,
Nigeria (PCN, 18 Mar 2019, p 1).
The grassroots refinery will have the capability to process
650,000 b/d of crude oil and is expected to be operational
by the end of 2022.
“The plant will not only help Nigeria meet its own fuel
demand and become self-sufficient, but will also add Nigeria
to the list of top global exporters of gasoline, diesel,
aviation jet fuel, as well as other petrochemicals and petroleum-
based products, such as polypropylene,” Sulzer noted.
PCN earlier reported that the project includes a fertilizer
plant consisting of two trains, each with a capacity of
1.5-million t/y of ammonia and urea, which was expected to
start up last year, as well as a petrochemical plant and a
subsea pipeline.

 

Birla Carbon Restructuring Company To Transition to Global Organization

Mumbai—
Carbon black producer Birla Carbon announced it will
transition to a global functional organization from one
which previously operated in five global geographic regions
having responsibility for all business operations.
The global restructuring will allow Birla Carbon to focus
on customers, innovation and operations, the company
noted.
Along with the organizational changes, John Davidson,
president of the Europe and Africa region, will become
chief sales and marketing officer; Sanjeev Sood, president
of the South Asia region has been named chief manufacturing
officer for Asia, and Dale Clark will become chief
manufacturing officer for Americas, Europe and Africa. He
is currently chief technology officer.

 

The Recycling Partnership Touts Launch Of Coalition for PP Recovery, Recycling

Arlington—
The Recycling Partnership announced the launch of its
Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, an industry collaboration
to improve polypropylene (PP) recovery and recycling
in the U.S. and further develop the end-market of highquality
recycled PP.
Part of The Recycling Partnership’s Pathway to Circularity
Initiative, the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition is
supported by funders representing all segments of the material’s
value chain, including founding members Braskem,
Keurig Dr Pepper, and the Walmart Foundation.
Other inaugural members include LyondellBasell, the
American Chemistry Council, Danone North America, EFS
Plastics, KW Plastics, Procter & Gamble, St. Joseph Plastics
and Winpak. The coalition has set an initial funding
target of $35-million over five years and is seeking additional
supporters.
The coalition’s first action is to open a Request for Proposals
for Material Recovery Facilities to apply for financial
grants to enable improved sorting of PP and widen
acceptance through consumer education programs.
“Together we can stimulate a systemwide shift to increase
the capture of polypropylene and demand for recycled
content,” said Keefe Harrison, chief executive of The
Recycling Partnership. “We encourage all companies that
use polypropylene to be part of the solution.
“The Polypropylene Recycling Coalition’s work to improve
and increase the recovery of polypropylene will support
jobs, preserve natural resources, and help build a circular
economy in the United States.”
For more details on the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition,
visit recyclingpartnership.org/polypropylene-coalition.

 

People on the Move

Nova Chemicals—Luis Sierra has been appointed
president and chief executive, effective 1 Aug. 2020, to succeed
Todd Karran, who is retiring. Sierra was most recently
chief executive of BP’s aromatic chemicals business.
Agilyx—Tim Stedman, who has been serving as senior
vice president of strategy and corporate development at
Trinseo, has been named chief executive, effective 17 Aug.
2020. He will replace Joe Vaillancourt, who will assume
the role of president of Cyclyx International, a recently
launched affiliate of Agilyx (PCN, 6 July 2020, p 4).
Peter Norris, chairman of Virgin Group, has assumed
the position of chairman at Agilyx. He has served on the
board of Agilyx since 2014.
MOL Group—Gabriel Szabo has been named executive
vice president of Group Downstream, effective 15 July
2020, succeeding Ferenc Horvath, who will become special
envoy to the chairman.
BP—Simon Yang has been appointed president of
China operations to replace Yang Xiaoping. He was previously
president of the company’s Asian acetyls business.
Evonik—Sanjeev Taneja, most recently president and
managing director of Evonik India, has become head of
Evonik’s catalysts business line. He succeeds Steffen Hasenzahl,
who has been named managing director of Evonik
Creavis GmbH.
Togliattiazot—Petr Ordzhonikidze was recently
elected chairman of the board.

 

New SOCMA Census Indicates Optimism Among Specialty Chemical Companies

Arlington—
The Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates
(SOCMA) said that findings from its inaugural Specialty
Chemicals Industry Census indicate that specialty chemical
companies remain “bullish” despite the uncertain landscape.
“Through the census, we captured demographic and operations
data that not only points to sustained business
confidence, but also builds upon SOCMA’s industry intelligence
repository, providing more clarity and insight than
you would get from peer-to-peer discussions,” said Paul
Hirsh, senior vice president of Industry Development &
Partnerships.
“This data establishes key benchmarks that are critical
to companies as they reassess their business plans and
reevaluate outlooks for the remainder of 2020.”
SOCMA developed the census in collaboration with
Vault Consulting. The resulting data will be disseminated
through SOCMA’s ChemSectors program, a tailored information
network for analysis and trends impacting the
value chain.
Key findings of the 2020 census include: approximately
93% of respondents anticipate an increase in revenue
growth, and 83% expect an increase in capacity in the next
three years; over 67% have capital expansion plans in
place; nearly 35% of companies view sustainability in the
context of business continuity, and around 61.5% train
employees in-house, with 38.6% using both in-house and
external sources.
The census also showed that markets driving revenue
growth within the next three years include: performance
materials (81%), agrochemicals (49%) and APIs/excipients
(47%).
“Despite the pandemic and other crucial factors impacting
the specialty and fine chemical sector in 2020, the
SOCMA census reinforces the significance of the specialty
chemicals industry to economic growth, both on the national
and international stages,” noted SOCMA President
and Chief Executive Jennifer Abril.

 

Air Products & Thyssenkrupp Sign Deal For Plants to Produce Green Hydrogen

Harrisburg—
Air Products and Thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers
have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to set up
world-scale water electrolysis facilities to generate green
hydrogen.
The companies will collaborate exclusively in key regions
using their complementary technology, engineering
and project execution expertise to develop the projects.
Air Products will build, own and operate the plants,
while Thyssenkrupp will deliver its technology and supply
specific engineering, equipment and technical services for
the electrolysis units.
“We are proud to cooperate with Air Products in making
value chains for fuels, chemicals and industry feedstocks
sustainable,” said Denis Krude, chief executive at
Thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers.
“Matching the need for low-CAPEX, low-OPEX, reliable
technology and solid project execution to make the worldscale
green hydrogen projects feasible, Air Products and
Thyssenkrupp are committed to deploying economic green
hydrogen plants in the gigawatt size,” Air Products noted.

 

Borealis ‘Significantly’ Boosting Share Of Renewable Energy at Porvoo Site

Porvoo—Borealis
said it will “significantly” increase the share of renewable
energy used for its operations in Porvoo, Finland, under
two new long-term power purchase agreements with Ilmatar
Energy, a Finnish wind farm operator and developer.
The agreements, made jointly with Neste, Borealis’
long-term partner in Porvoo, is for the supply of over 20
megawatts of wind power from Ilmatar over the next decade.
This will enable Borealis to increase its share of renewable
power in its overall electricity consumption at the
facility to 13%.
The deal also brings Borealis closer to its goal of sourcing
at least 50% of Borealis Group’s electricity consumption
from renewable sources for its Hydrocarbon & Energy
and Polyolefins businesses by 2030.
Delivery of electricity by Ilmatar is expected to begin
around mid-2022.

 

Dow Signs Definitive Agreement to Sell Rail Assets from Six N. American Sites

Midland—
Dow has signed a definitive agreement with Watco Companies
to divest its rail infrastructure assets and related
equipment at six major sites in North America in a transaction
valued at over $310-million.
The assets being sold are located at Dow’s sites in
Plaquemine and St. Charles, La.; Freeport and Seadrift,
Texas; and Ft. Saskatchewan and Prentiss in Alberta,
Canada. Subject to customary closing conditions, the
transaction is expected to be finalized in the fourth quarter
of this year.
Dow and Watco will enter into initial long-term service
agreements to provide “reliable and cost-advantaged” services
for existing Dow businesses at the sites, Dow noted.
“Today’s announcement is part of an on-going review of
our ownership of non-product producing assets and is
driven by our commitment to apply a best-owner mindset
to everything we do,” said Dow Chairman and Chief Executive
Jim Fitterling.

 

GC Enters Agreement with Dynachem For 41.5% Stake in Dynachisso Thai

Bangkok—PTT
Global Chemical (GC) signed a shareholders agreement
with Dynachem (Hong Kong) Ltd. for a 41.5% interest in
Dynachisso Thai Co. to advance the polypropylene (PP)
compound engineering plastic business.
Dynachisso Thai, located in the Amata Industrial Estate
in Chonburi Province, Thailand, has an installed capacity
of 30,000 t/y of PP compounds. The transaction is
expected to be finalized in the third quarter of 2020.
“The collaboration with Dynachisso Thai to produce PP
compounds serving various industry platforms will rapidly
enhance GC Group’s market expansion in the automotive
and E&E industries,” said GC President Patiparn Sukorndhaman.
“Furthermore, this collaboration will result in having
high-value products for PP resins and fully meet the needs
of customers in both regional and global markets, especially
in Thailand, China and SEA [Southeast Asia].”

 

Hanwha Total Using Smart Management At Its Integrated PC Complex in Daesan

Daesan—
Hanwha Total Petrochemical Co., a 50-50 joint venture of
Hanwha General Chemicals Co. and Total S.A., has deployed
a “big-data” system for smart petrochemical processing
at its integrated refining and petrochemical complex
in Daesan, South Korea, according to Pulse News.
The new Asset Information Portal system contains information
on more than 300,000 units at the complex, including
design blueprints, qualifications and maintenance
history.
Employees now have access to a wide range of information
on a single portal site, which is expected to “significantly”
increase safety and operational efficiency, said the
report citing Hanwha Total. The system is expected to
save 32,000 working hours and reduce costs by $1.84-
million per year.

 

ANOPC Awards Contract to TechnipFMC For Egyptian Hydrocracking Complex

Assiut—
TechnipFMC has been awarded an engineering, procurement
and construction contract by Assiut National Oil
Processing Co. (ANOPC) to build a new hydrocracking
complex for the Assiut refinery in Egypt.
The complex will convert lower-value petroleum products
from Assiut Oil Refining Co.’s nearby refinery into
about 2.8-million t/y of cleaner products, including Euro 5
diesel, noted TechnipFMC. Also included in the project are
other process units, interconnecting, offsites and utilities.
The contract, valued at over $1-billion, includes a vacuum
distillation unit, diesel hydrocracking unit, delayed
coker unit, distillate hydrotreating unit, as well as a hydrogen
production plant using TechnipFMC’s steam reforming
technology.
TechnipFMC was also responsible for the front-end engineering
design of the project.

 

Nouryon Opens New North America Integrated Services Office in Texas

Houston—Nouryon
has opened a new integrated services office in Houston,
Texas, for its North America business.
About 50 employees will initially be located in the office,
covering logistics, customer service, engineering, procurement,
manufacturing support and sustainability. A
total of over 100 employees will move there.
The company has three major chemical production sites
and employs nearly 700 people in the Houston area.

 

Alberta Announces New Grant Program To Attract Petrochemical Investments

Alberta—The
Alberta government said it is launching the Alberta Petrochemicals
Incentive Program to bring multibillion-dollar
investments to petrochemical projects throughout Alberta
to help strengthen and diversify the province’s economy
and create new jobs.
Compared to previous government petrochemical programs,
the new incentive program, part of Alberta’s Recovery
Plan, will cut “red tape” and increase certainty and
flexibility for investors. The government will no longer
select winners and losers through a private evaluation
process.
Key features include: a 10-year program, during which
eligible projects must be built and operational; every project
that meets the program’s criteria will receive funding
once built and operational; instead of royalty credits,
grants will be issued after projects are operational, and the
government will make the funds available throughout the
program’s duration once the facilities are in service, in order
to align with typical business investment cycles.
The government will work with industry over the summer
to finalize the program guidelines. Further details
about eligibility, process, governance and reporting requirements
will be available when the program is officially
launched in early fall 2020.
“While Alberta is already a Canadian leader in petrochemicals
manufacturing, the sky is the limit for this sector’s
benefits to our province,” noted Dale Nally, associate
minister of natural gas and electricity.
“Over the last 10 years, petrochemical investment in
the United States reached $250-billion, more than 10 times
what was invested in Canada. With our affordable 300-
year supply of natural gas, technically skilled and educated
workforce, and respected innovation and research sectors,
Alberta is ready to seize the opportunity to become a global
destination for petrochemical manufacturing, benefiting all
Albertans.”

BP Agrees to Sell to Ineos Its Global Petrochemicals Business for $5-BN

London—BP announced
an agreement to divest its petrochemicals business
to Ineos for a total consideration of $5-billion, subject
to customary adjustments.
The petrochemicals business is focused on two main
businesses, aromatics and acetyls. Combined, the businesses
have interests in 14 manufacturing plants in Asia,
Europe and the U.S., and last year produced 9.7-million
tons of petrochemicals.
The sale agreement includes the whole of BP’s aromatics
and acetyls businesses, including assets, technology and
licenses, as well as related assets. Subject to regulatory
and other approvals, the transaction is expected to be finalized
by the end of this year.
BP’s petrochemicals business currently employs over
1,700 staff worldwide, which are expected to transfer to
Ineos upon completion of the sale.
“This is another significant step as we steadily work to
reinvent BP,” said BP Chief Executive Bernard Looney.
“These businesses are leaders in their sectors, with worldclass
technologies, plants and people. In recent years they
have improved performance to produce highly competitive
returns and now have the potential for growth and expansion
into the circular economy.”
BP’s aromatics business produces paraxylene and purified
terephthalic acid (PTA). Its largest manufacturing
plants are in China, the U.S. and Belgium, and it licenses
its PTA production technology worldwide.
The acetyls business produces acetic acid and derivatives.
It has a diverse base with manufacturing facilities
in the U.S., the UK, China, Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia.
The sale includes related interests, such as the chemical
recycling technology BP Infinia and BP’s stake in acetylated
wood developer Tricoya.
BP has petrochemical assets at Gelsenkirchen and Mulheim,
Germany, which are highly integrated with its refinery
there and are not included in the sale.
In connection with the transaction, Ineos has an option
to acquire a research complex from BP at Naperville, Ill.,
for an additional consideration or to enter into a lease or
other arrangement for the same.
With this announcement, BP has met its $15-billion
target for agreed divestments a full year ahead of schedule,
demonstrating the range and quality of options available to
it, noted Brian Gilvary, chief financial officer at BP.

 

Iran Launches New Polyethylene Plant At Miandoab Petrochemical Complex

Tehran—
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani officially launched a
new polyethylene (PE) facility at the Miandoab petrochemical
complex in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran.
The 175,000-t/y plant will produce high-density PE, linear-
and low-density PE using 140,000 t/y of ethylene via
the West Ethylene Pipeline. Cost of the project was not
given.

 

McDermott Divests Lummus Technology To Chatterjee Group & Rhone Capital

Houston—
McDermott has finalized the sale of Lummus Technology
to a joint partnership between Haldia Petrochemicals, a
flagship company of The Chatterjee Group, and Rhone
Capital (PCN, 16 Mar 2020, p 1).
As previously agreed upon, Chatterjee and Rhone acquired
Lummus for a base purchase price of $2.725-billion
from subsidiaries of McDermott.
“This new and notable chapter starts with Lummus being
a standalone company, as we will be the only major
process technology licensor that is independent and privately
held,” noted Leon de Bruyn, president and chief executive
of Lummus Technology.
The sale was part of McDermott’s comprehensive restructuring
process, which is now complete and includes a
newly constituted board of directors.
“We will continue executing on our significant backlog,
with a new capital structure to match and support the
strength of our operating business, and we emerge wellpositioned
for long-term growth and success, even amid
this period of global uncertainty,” said McDermott President
and Chief Executive David Dickson.
“We look forward to continued delivery on customer
projects. Finally, we congratulate our Lummus colleagues,
and look forward to continuing our working partnership
with Lummus as we move into the future,” Dickson added.

 

Air Products Begins Supplying Huntsman With Gases from New Geismar Facility

Geismar—Air
Products announced that its new steam methane reformer
(SMR) and cold box in Geismar, La., is on stream and supplying
Huntsman’s neighboring operations with hydrogen,
carbon monoxide (CO) and steam (PCN, 9 Apr 2018, p 2).
The plant, owned and operated by Air Products under a
long-term agreement, produces around 6.5-million standard
cu ft/d of CO, 50-million standard cu ft/d of hydrogen
and up to 50,000 lbs/hr of steam. It is capable of being expanded
to support additional demand in the future.
Air Products’ SMR is also connected to its Gulf Coast
hydrogen pipeline and network system, which is the
“world’s largest” hydrogen plant and pipeline network system,
Air Products noted.
“The facility is state-of-the-art and offers high reliability
and sustainability, with enhanced energy efficiency and
reduced emissions,” noted Dr. Samir J. Serhan, chief operating
officer at Air Products.

 

Enterprise Agrees to Supply Marubeni With Propylene from PDH 2 Facility

Houston—
Enterprise Products Partners said that one of its affiliates
has entered into a long-term agreement with Marubeni for
the supply of polymer-grade propylene (PGP) from Enterprise’s
second propane dehydrogenation plant (PDH 2),
under construction in Texas (PCN, 30 Sept 2019, p 2).
PDH 2, being built at Enterprise’s complex near Mont
Belvieu, will have the capacity to upgrade 35,000 b/d of
propane into 1.65-billion lbs/yr of PGP. Based on Honeywell
UOP’s Oleflex process, the facility is expected to begin
service in the second quarter of 2023.
Once complete, Enterprise will have the capacity to produce
a total of up to 11-billion lbs/yr of PGP, making it the
“largest” PGP complex in the world, the partnership noted.
“We are very pleased to expand our relationship with
one of the world’s premier providers of olefins logistics services
for the petrochemical industry,” said A.J. “Jim”
Teague, co-chief executive of Enterprise’s general partner.
“Reliable production of PGP from our new PDH 2 facility
complements our current export business with Marubeni
and extends our integrated midstream network to
meet the needs of their customers around the globe.”

 

Odfjell Concludes Project at Antwerp To Expand Chem Storage Terminal

Antwerp—Noord
Natie Odfjell Antwerp Terminal (NNOAT), a subsidiary of
Odfjell, has increased storage capacity for the European
chemical market at the Port of Antwerp, Belgium.
The company has added seven new tanks with a total
storage capacity of 12,700 cu m and, with its ongoing expansion
program, plans to increase current capacity by
130,000 cu m. A 45,000-cu m tank pit is planned for mid-
2022.
“NNOAT is a leader in the European Chemical storage
market with its capacity of 390,000 cu m and 236 tanks
divided over 16 interconnected tank pits,” Odfjell noted.
“The extensive mooring capacity of 2,500 meters at the
terminal allows for simultaneous handling of several vessels
and barges.”

 

Eni and NextChem Extend Partnership For New Circular Gas Production Unit

Rome—Eni
and NextChem have expanded their existing partnership
to include construction of a new circular gas production
plant in Taranto, Italy (PCN, 17 June 2019, p 2).
The partnership will conduct research for the project,
which will be in addition to ongoing engineering studies for
a waste-to-hydrogen plant in Venice, Italy, and a waste-tomethanol
facility at Eni’s refinery in Livorno, Italy.
The three plants will be based on NextChem’s technology
for the chemical recycling of plastic waste (plasmix)
and dry waste (see related story, page 4).
Gas from the Taranto unit will be refined and produced
through two separate channels: hydrogen, which can be
used by the Eni refinery to assist the fuel hydrodesulphurization
process; gas with a high carbon monoxide content
that can be used by the steel mill both in blast furnace
processes and the new Direct Reduced Iron technologies.
NextChem is working on the industrial application of
the project, and an Eni-NextChem joint team will assess
the technical and economic feasibility and plants’ streams.

 

Perdaman Inks HoA With Saipem, Clough For EPC Work on Karratha Urea Project

Canberra—
Perdaman Industries has signed a binding heads of agreement
(HoA) with a 50-50 joint venture of Saipem and
Clough for the engineering, procurement and construction
of its urea facility in Karratha, Australia (PCN, 8 Apr
2019, p 2).
The $4.5-billion project will produce 2-million t/y of
urea using natural gas from Woodside under a 20-year
supply agreement. Construction is expected to take three
years to complete.
Haldor Topsoe will supply its SynCor technology for the
ammonia plant, while the urea unit will use Stamicarbon’s
Launch Melt pool condenser design.
Perdaman earlier said construction was expected to begin
in late 2019 or early 2020. An updated schedule was
not available.
Approximately 2,000 jobs will be created during the
construction phase and, once complete, the plant will provide
200 permanent jobs.

 

Carbios Launches Construction on Plant To Demo Enzymatic Recycling Process

Lyon—Carbios
said construction has begun on a new industrial demonstration
facility near Lyon, France, for Carbios’ enzymatic
recycling process for plastics (PCN, 20 Apr 2020, p 2).
The technology uses proprietary enzymes to recycle
waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics into
monomers ready for repolymerization into PET with the
same technical and physical properties as virgin PET.
TechnipFMC was recently awarded a contract to provide
advisory, engineering, procurement and construction
supervision services for the project. The first phase of operations
is expected to begin in the second quarter 2021.
The plant will validate the technical, environmental
and economic performance of Carbios’ technology. It will
also produce batches of monomers for technical and regulatory
validation of recycled PET by future licensees.

 

People on the Move

Ineos Styrolution—Rob Buntinx has been appointed
president, Asia-Pacific. He is currently president of
Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Alexander Gluck, president of Americas, has been
named president, EMEA, to succeed Buntinx.
Greg Fordyce will replace Gluck as president of Americas.
He is currently vice president of supply, Americas.
All three appointments are effective 1 Aug. 2020.
Indian Oil Corp. (IndianOil)—Shrikant Madhav
Vaidya, most recently director of refineries on the IndianOil
board, has become chairman to succeed Sanjiv
Singh. Concurrently, Vaidya will serve as chairman of
Chennai Petroleum, a refining subsidiary of IndianOil and
Indian Oiltanking Ltd. In addition, Vaidya will take over
as chairman of the board of Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals,
and will be director on the board of Petronet
LNG.
GAIL—E.S. Ranganathan has become director of marketing.
He was previously managing director of Indraprashtha
Gas and executive director of corporate operations
and management at GAIL.

 

Borealis & Partners Ink MoU for Project To Capture, Utilize CO2 as a Resource

Vienna—
Borealis, OMV, Lafarge Zementwerke and Verbund have
signed a memorandum of understanding for the joint planning
and construction of a full-scale plant to capture carbon
dioxide (CO2) and process it into synthetic fuels, plastics
and other chemicals.
The aim of the project, ‘Carbon2ProductAustria,’ is to
create a cross sectorial value chain and operate a full-scale
facility by 2030, which will eventually capture nearly all of
the 700,000 t/y of emitted CO2 at Lafarge’s cement plant in
Mannersdorf, Austria, and use the CO2 as a resource.
The captured CO2 will be converted by OMV to renewable
based hydrocarbons, which in turn can be used to produce
the renewable based fuels or be utilized by Borealis as
a feedstock to manufacture value-add plastics.
The partners are currently evaluating and developing a
joint strategy to implement the project. Based on the results
of the evaluation, a cluster of industrial pilot plants
could be technically developed and realized in the Eastern
part of Austria until 2023.
“Climate protection requires innovation and cooperation,”
said Rainer Seele, chief executive and chairman of
the executive board of OMV. “With this project we aim to
do both, and it shows that economic viability and climate
protection go hand in hand based on new technologies.
“CO2 is not just a greenhouse gas that we have to reduce.
It is also a valuable raw material from which we can
produce synthetic fuels and feedstock for the chemical industry.”

 

Nova Develops New Resin Technology For Biaxially Oriented PE Market

Calgary—Nova
Chemicals, in pursuit of a plastics circular economy, has
developed a new high-density resin technology for the biaxially
oriented polyethylene (BOPE) market.
HD-BOPE technology enables the manufacture of all-
PE, recyclable multilayer film structures with “significantly”
improved physical performance compared to blown
film, the company noted. The technology can be used in
food packaging, heavy duty bags, e-commerce and other
demanding applications.
“Brand owners and consumers are looking for easy-torecycle
packaging that prevents contamination and extends
the shelf life of their products,” said Alan Schrob,
consumer and industrial films group manager at Nova.
“Our HD-BOPE technology provides an additional
building block for converters to make recyclable multilayer
films that perform as well as traditional mixed-material
structures.”

 

Nouryon Buys J.M. Huber’s CMC Assets

Amsterdam—
Nouryon has completed the acquisition of the carboxymethyl
cellulose (CMC) business of J.M. Huber Corp. for
an undisclosed amount (PCN, 3 Feb 2020, p 3).
The newly-purchased business manufacturers a complete
line of CMC grades and serves customers in over 80
countries. It includes a manufacturing plant and advanced
research and development facility in Aanekoski, Finland,
as well as 248 employees, which will be transferred to
Nouryon.

 

R Plus Japan to Invest in Anellotech’s Plas-TCat Plastics Recycling Process

New York—
Anellotech announced that R Plus Japan Ltd., a newlyformed
Japanese joint venture company, will invest in the
development of its “cutting-edge” Plas-TCat plastics recycling
technology (PCN, 16 Dec 2019, p 3).
The technology uses a one-step thermal-catalytic process
to convert single-use plastics directly into basic chemicals,
such as benzene, toluene, xylenes, ethylene and propylene,
which can then be used to make new plastics. The
process efficiency has the potential to “significantly” reduce
carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption.
“With the engagement of various industries throughout
the value chain, from raw materials manufacturers, and
packaging suppliers to beverage companies, the newly established
R Plus Japan, together with Anellotech, will advance
the development and commercialization of this ecoefficient
plastic recycling technology by 2027,” said Anellotech.
R Plus Japan is a joint venture of Suntory Monozukuri
Expert Ltd., Toyobo Co., Rengo Co., Toyo Seikan Group
Holdings Ltd., J&T Recycling Corp., Asahi Group Holdings
Ltd., Iwatani Corp., Dai Nippon Printing Co., Toppan
Printing Co., Fuji Seal International Inc., Hokkaican Co.
and Yoshino Kogyosho Co.

 

Equinor Announces Project in the UK To Produce Hydrogen from Nat Gas

London—Equinor
said it is leading a project to develop one of the “world’s
first” at-scale facilities to produce clean hydrogen from
natural gas in combination with carbon capture and storage
in the UK.
The project, Hydrogen to Humber Saltend (H2H Saltend),
will be located at Saltend Chemicals Park near Hull.
It will initially comprise of a 600 MW auto thermal reformer
with carbon capture, enabling customers in the
park to completely switch over to hydrogen, and the power
plant to move to a 30% hydrogen to natural gas blend.
As a result, emissions from the park will be reduced by
nearly 900,000 t/y of carbon dioxide. H2H Saltend can be
expanded in later phases to serve other industrial users in
the park and across the Humber, contributing to the cluster
reaching net zero by 2040.
Equinor and its partners expect a final investment decision
during 2023 with possible first production by 2026.

 

Saudi Polymers Closing PS Facility

Jubail—National
Petrochemical Co. (Petrochem) of Saudi Arabia, in a notice
to Tadawul, announced that its subsidiary, Saudi Polymers
Co., has decided to suspend polystyrene (PS) production at
its facility in Saudi Arabia.
The decision was made due to the difficulty of achieving
profits in light of the global PS market situation, Petrochem
noted. PS production represented less than 2% of
the total production of the project during the past two
years.
Saudi Polymers, located in Jubail, also manufactures
polyethylene, polypropylene and 1-hexene products. It is
jointly owned by Petrochem and Arabian Chevron Phillips
Petrochemical Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chevron
Phillips Chemical Co.

 

Agilyx Creates New Subsidiary Company For Post-Use Plastic Feed Management

Concord—
Agilyx announced it is leveraging its existing post-use plastic
feedstock management system to create a new subsidiary
company, Cyclyx International.
The goal of Cyclyx is to “dramatically” increase the recyclability
of post-use plastics with a priority for fully circular
pathways, as well as assisting in the development of
new supply chains that will collect and reprocess larger
volumes of post-use plastics than current systems can support,
Agilyx explained.
Last year, Agilyx formed a partnership with General
Electric (GE), through its Licensing and Research divisions,
to develop artificial intelligence, machine learning
and predictive modeling and optimization tools that utilize
Agilyx’s extensive data and domain knowledge to “significantly”
increase plastic recycling rates for all post-use plastics
and create new recycling pathways.
The Cyclyx platform has been developed to be an industry
consortium comprised of partners across the value
chain, enabling Agilyx and GE to have a broader impact
across industry sectors with its plastic recycling solutions.
“We initially developed Cyclyx to help source plastic
feedstocks appropriate for facilities we are currently developing
on three different continents,” said Agilyx Chief Executive
Joe Vaillancourt.
“We quickly discovered that our process was greatly
needed by others in the advanced recycling, as well as mechanical
recycling industries. As a result, we have created
Cyclyx so that Agilyx and many other companies can work
together to help bridge that gap.”

 

PolyOne Gets Clariant Masterbatch; Announces Name Change to Avient

Cleveland—
PolyOne has completed the acquisition of Clariant’s color
masterbatch businesses at a combined net purchase price
of $1.44-billion (PCN, 23-30 Dec 2019, p 3).
The transaction includes Clariant’s global color masterbatches
business and Clariant Chemicals India’s color and
additive masterbatches business.
The acquired business includes 46 manufacturing operations
and technology centers in 29 countries and around
3,500 employees.
In addition, PolyOne announced that it has changed its
name and will now be called Avient. The assets from Clariant
will become part of Avient’s color, additives and inks
segment.

 

Eni, Versalis and COREPLA Decide To Jointly Recover Mixed Plastics

Milan—Eni, Versalis
and the National Consortium for the Collection, Recycling
and Recovery of Plastic Packaging (COREPLA) have
signed an agreement to combine their expertise to collect
and recycle plastic packaging, with a particular focus on
“plasmix.”
Plasmix, mixed post-consumer plastics that are not
suitable for mechanical recycling, now mainly ends up in
cement plants, where it replaces fossil fuels, while some is
used for energy recovery and the rest sent to landfills.
The agreement aims to launch a study plan that will
exploit all the plasmix fractions available in the COREPLA
chain. The partners will pool their respective expertise in
the fields of gasification and chemical recycling by means
of pyrolysis.
Versalis is currently designing a “first” chemical recycling
plant in Mantua, Italy, using pyrolysis technology,
and is also spearheading various mechanical recycling initiatives.
Additionally, Eni and COREPLA signed an agreement
to establish the feasibility of recovering end-of-life plastics
at the facilities that Eni is planning for the biorefinery in
Porto Marghera, Italy, and the Livorno, Italy, refinery, for
the production of hydrogen and methanol obtained through
gasification, respectively (see related story, page 2).

 

Dow & Atlas Renewable Sign Agreement For Solar Energy Supply to Aratu Site

São Paulo—
Dow has signed a large-scale solar energy contract with
Atlas Renewable Energy to supply Dow’s Aratu petrochemical
production site in Brazil.
Under the agreement, Atlas will develop, build and operate
the Jacaranda solar plant in Juazeiro, Brazil. The
facility is expected to supply over 440 GWh/yr that will
mainly be used to serve Dow under a 15-year contract.
Offtake will begin in the first half of 2021.
The Jacaranda plant will avoid an approximate 35,000
t/y of carbon dioxide emissions based on the GHG (green
house gases) Protocol, and is aligned with Dow’s Global
Emissions Inventory.
This contract to secure renewable power capacity contributes
to achieving one of Dow’s 2025 Sustainability
Goals—a commitment to obtain 750 MW of its power demand
from renewable sources by 2025.

Braskem Completes New 450,000-T/Y PP Production Facility in La Porte

La Porte—Braskem
has concluded construction on its new 450,000-t/y
Delta polypropylene (PP) production facility in La Porte,
Texas (PCN, 8 Apr 2019, p 3).
The plant, which is currently being commissioned, has
the capability to produce the entire PP portfolio, including
homopolymer, impact copolymer and random copolymers.
Initial production test runs are planned to begin in the
next month with the first full-scale commercial production
activity currently expected in the third quarter of 2020.
“Braskem will position the new facility’s domestic production
capabilities to replace imported polypropylene volumes,
which are currently addressing the shortfall in the
United States’ domestic market,” said Braskem America
Chief Executive Mark Nikolich.
“Commercial production activity at the facility, in conjunction
with our new global export hub in Charleston,
South Carolina, will also directly support Braskem’s global
export capability to its clients throughout North America,
South America, Europe and Asia” (see related story, pg. 3).
Despite the impacts of COVID-19, Braskem is “wellpositioned”
to start up the new “world-class” PP production
line in the current market, noted Alexandre Elias, vice
president, Polypropylene North America at Braskem.

 

ZPC Selects Axens’ Catalysts for Phase 2 Ethylene Plant at Zhoushan Complex

Shanghai—
Zhejiang Petroleum and Chemical Corp. (ZPC) has chosen
Axens’ selective hydrogenation catalysts for a new ethylene
cracker in the second phase of ZPC’s integrated refining
and petrochemical complex in Zhoushan City, China (PCN,
6 Jan 2020, p 1).
The two-train ethylene facility will increase ZPC’s total
ethylene capacity to 4.2-million t/y. When completed, the
plant will be the “largest” steam cracker in China, Axens
noted. Cost and a schedule for the project were not given.
Axens will supply catalysts for the methylacetylene and
propadiene, and phenylacetylene hydrogenation units, as
well as the catalysts for the pygas first and second stage
units.
ZPC recently started up the first phase of the project,
which included a production capacity of 20-million t/y of
crude oil, 5.2-million t/y of aromatics and 1.4-million t/y of
ethylene.
Along with the expanded ethylene capacity, the second
phase will include an additional 20-million t/y of crude oil
and 6.6-million t/y of aromatics.

 

Ningxia Baofeng ‘Successfully’ Starts Up New Methanol Unit in Ningxia Province

Beijing—
Johnson Matthey (JM) announced that Ningxia Baofeng
Energy Group has “successfully” commissioned a new
methanol plant at Ningxia Baofeng’s 600,000-t/y coal-toolefins
complex in Ningxia Province, China.
The 6,600-t/d methanol unit, based on technology from
JM, utilizes syngas feedstock and combines advanced JM
catalysts to produce stabilized methanol, which is used to
produce olefins in a downstream facility.
“This project has incorporated processing technologies
from the most advanced international and domestic coal-tochemical
units,” said Liu Yuanguan, president of Baofeng
Energy.
“The unit is the largest methanol plant for a single
train with comprehensive advantages of high synthesis
and energy efficiency and low OPEX and emissions, benefiting
both our society and providing long-term value.”

 

Agilyx, TechnipFMC Agree to Partner On Process for High-Purity Styrene

Portland—Agilyx
and TechnipFMC have agreed to an exclusive collaboration
to develop a process to purify Agilyx’s styrene oil to highpurity
styrene.
Following over a year of evaluation, the collaboration
will leverage the expertise of each company enabling a new
production path of styrene via post-use polystyrene (PS)
products. The recycled styrene is expected to retain all the
properties and functionality of traditionally manufactured
styrene.
The developed purification process will bolt on to Agilyx’s
existing depolymerization technology and accelerate
the presence of recycled styrene and recycled PS in the
market, Agilyx noted.
“Demand for recycled content is increasing globally
driven by legislation, as well as sustainability goals by major
brand owners,” said Agilyx Chief Executive Joe Vaillancourt.
“We are excited to work with TechnipFMC, a company
focused on advancing sustainable technologies and
increasing plastic recovery.”

 

Invista’s ADN Retrofit Project in Texas bScheduled to Come Online Next Year

Victoria—
Invista said that construction on its adiponitrile (ADN)
upgrade project at its site in Victoria, Texas, is scheduled
for completion in early 2021 (PCN, 28 May 2018, p 2).
One of the modified process areas is nearing completion
and the company expects all pre-turnaround construction
will be concluded later this year. Final tie-ins are to be
installed during a regularly scheduled maintenance outage
in early 2021 with additional ADN coming online at that
time.
Invista earlier said the project would cost $250-million
and would include deploying the company’s most advanced
ADN technology.

 

Sasol Achieves Beneficial Operations At Lake Charles Alcohols Facilities

Lake Charles—
Sasol announced that it reached beneficial operations at its
Guerbet and Ziegler alcohol units, part of its Lake Charles
Chemicals Project (LCCP) in Louisiana (PCN, 22 June
2020, p 4).
The LCCP also includes a 1.5-million-t/y ethane
cracker, a 470,000-t/y linear low-density polyethylene
plant, a 100,000-t/y ethoxylates unit and a combined
300,000-t/y ethylene oxide and 250,000-t/y ethylene glycol
unit, all which have already been completed.
A 420,000-t/y low-density polyethylene plant, the last
remaining unit to come online, is on track to reach beneficial
operations by the end of September 2020.
“The beneficial operations of these LCCP facilities progresses
Sasol’s seven-unit U.S. Gulf Coast mega project to
the cusp of completion,” said Sasol President and Chief
Executive Fleetwood Grobler.
The 30,000-t/y Guerbet unit, the “largest” in the world,
is the company’s second Guerbet alcohol plant. The other
unit is located in Brunsbuttel, Germany.
The LCCP Ziegler unit is an extension of an existing
Ziegler plant in Lake Charles and is the “largest” of its
kind in the world, adding nameplate capacity of 173,000 t/y
of alcohol and 32,000 t/y of alumina.

 

Eastman Produces New Copolyester With Up to 50% Recycled Content

Kingsport—
Eastman has introduced Tritan Renew, a new copolyester
made with up to 50% recycled content derived from plastic
waste.
“Tritan Renew is a significant step forward for Eastman
as the first product to market using molecular recycling
made possible by Eastman’s Advanced Circular Recycling
technologies,” said Mark Costa, chairman of the board and
chief executive of Eastman.
“We have made considerable progress over the past
year to create sustainable solutions that convert millions of
pounds of waste into new materials.”
Eastman’s recycling technologies reduce consumption of
fossil fuel and have a “significantly” lower carbon footprint
than production processes for products made from fossil
fuel-based raw materials, the company noted.

 

Azelis’ Megafarma to Distribute Celanese Emulsion Polymers Products in Mexico

Mexico City—
Megafarma, an Azelis company, has entered into a nonexclusive
distribution agreement with Celanese to distribute
its emulsion polymers in Mexico.
The agreement includes Celanese’s Resyn, Tufcor, Vinac,
Dur-O-Set, Avicor, Celvolit, EcoVAE and Flexbond
products.
“Celanese and Azelis have a terrific working relationship,”
said Dan Gruber, managing director, new business
development, Azelis Americas CASE.
“We have partnered together for many years in the U.S.
and Canada CASE [coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers]
market. Expanding this relationship to Mexico is
a great opportunity for both of us. The emulsion polymer
technology from Celanese is best in class and we look forward
to growing the CASE business in Mexico.”
Azelis acquired Magafarma earlier this year to expand
into the Latin American CASE market.

 

Celanese Extends Contract with Chengzhi To Supply Feedstock for Acetic Acid Unit

Nanjing—
Celanese (Nanjing) Chemical Co. recently extended its
long-term feedstock contract with Nanjing Chengzhi Clean
Energy Co. (Chengzhi) for the supply of carbon monoxide
to Celanese’s acetic acid plant in Nanjing, China.
Located in the Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park, the
acetic acid facility has 1.2-million t/y of production capacity.
Details of the contract were not disclosed.
“Chengzhi has been a valued partner of Celanese for
many years, and this extension will continue to provide
Celanese with a flexible and reliable supply of carbon monoxide
supporting the acetyl chain in the region,” said John
Fotheringham, senior vice president of acetyls at Celanese.
“I am delighted that our close cooperation with Chengzhi
has enabled Celanese to lower its manufacturing cost
in China, while enhancing our operational flexibility in
support of our long-term growth strategy.”

 

SK Innovation, Jeju Clean Energy Agree To Cooperate in Upcycling Technology

Seoul—SK
Innovation Co. and Jeju Clean Energy have entered into a
contract to partner in developing upcycling technology to
produce pyrolysis oil from plastic waste, Pulse News reported.
The pyrolysis oil is intended to be used as feedstock in
SK’s refining and petrochemical processing units at its Ulsan
complex in South Korea. No further details were
available.

 

DSM Launches Trosar UHMWPE

Geleen—DSM, in line
with the growing demand for materials solutions that deliver
higher strength and durability, has introduced
Trosar, a new material grade of ultra-high molecularweight
polyethylene (UHMWPE).
“While, in the past, UHMWPE materials such as DSM’s
Dyneema were used for select, highly demanding applications,
an increasingly wide range of manufacturers are now
looking to leverage the unique chemical and mechanical
properties of these materials for a broader range of applications,”
said DSM.
“Trosar will address this market need and make the use
of UHMWPE more accessible than ever.”

 

People on the Move

Ineos Styrolution—Kevin McQuade, who has served
as chief executive since 2015, has been appointed chairman,
effective 1 July 2020. He will be succeeded by Steve
Harrington, who is currently president of global styrene
monomer and Asia-Pacific.
Evonik—Andreas Fischer has been named chief innovation
officer, effective 1 July 2020, to succeed Ulrich Kusthardt,
who is retiring. Fischer has been a member of the
board of management of Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH
since 2019.
PlasticsEurope—Dr. Markus Steilemann, chief executive
of Covestro, has been named president of PlasticsEurope,
the association of plastics manufacturers in Europe.
He succeeds Dow Chemical’s Javier Constante.

 

Dow Announces New Sustainability Targets To Tackle Plastic Waste, GHG Emissions

Midland—
Dow has set new targets to stop plastic waste, reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and drive toward a circular
economy.
The new commitments, which align to build upon its
2025 sustainability goals, include:
• Protect the Climate: By 2030, Dow will cut its net
annual carbon emissions by 5-million tons, or 15%
from its 2020 baseline. It also intends to be carbon
neutral by 2050, in alignment with the Paris Agreement.
Dow is committed to implementing and advancing
technologies to manufacture products using
fewer resources.
• Stop the Waste: By 2030, Dow will help “stop the
waste” by enabling 1-million tons of plastic to be
collected, reused or recycled through its direct actions
and partnerships. It is investing and collaborating
in key technologies and infrastructure to
significantly increase global recycling.
• Close the Loop: By 2035, Dow will help “close the
loop” by having 100% of its products that are sold
into packaging applications be reusable or recyclable.
In addition, the company confirmed it has entered into
new renewable power agreements for its manufacturing
plants in Argentina, Brazil, Texas and Kentucky. The
agreements are expected to result in a reduction of more
than 225,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Dow also announced a new line of mechanically recycled
plastic resins for flexible and rigid plastic packaging
applications, which have the potential to reduce carbon
and energy footprints of applications by up to 20-30%.
“Reducing the impact of climate change and eliminating
plastic waste are societal challenges that are closely
linked,” said Mary Draves, vice president and chief sustainability
officer at Dow.
“As a producer of technologies that are essential to a
low carbon economy, we are developing and investing in
new production processes that are low-emission and optimally
efficient. And we are now looking at waste as a resource
that will enable us to continue to innovate sustainable
materials.”

 

Eastman, IMCD Distribution Agreement To Include Specialty Plastics in EMEA

Rotterdam—
Eastman Chemical B.V. will expand and reinforce its strategic
partnership with IMCD Group for the distribution of
Eastman’s specialty plastics in EMEA (Europe, Middle
East and Africa).
Under the expanded agreement, which begins 1 Aug.
2020, IMCD will start supplying the EMEA market with
Eastman’s specialty polymers and compounds, including
Eastman Tritan copolyester, Eastar copolyesters, DuraStar
polymers and Eastman Treva engineering bioplastic,
among others.
IMCD currently distributes the products in Spain and
Portugal. Under the new deal it will supply Algeria, Austria,
Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, the
Czech Republic, Demark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia,
Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Ukraine and the UK.

 

Braskem Growing Export Center Network With U.S. Logistics & Distribution Unit

Columbia—
Braskem announced it will expand its export center network
with the opening of a new logistics and distribution
unit on the U.S. East Coast in the Port of Charleston,
South Carolina.
The facility, with 204,000 t/y of export capacity, will offer
packing and storage services to support the company’s
polypropylene (PP) production plants in the U.S., especially
its Delta PP plant in La Porte, Texas (see related
story, page 1).
Construction on the export unit is expected to be concluded
in the third quarter of this year. Cost of the project
was not given.

 

Nouryon Completes Capacity Expansion For Organic Peroxides at Itupeva Site

São Paulo—
Nouryon has more than doubled production capacity for
organic peroxides at its plant in Itupeva, São Paulo, Brazil
(PCN, 18 Feb 2019, p 3).
The project will add capacity for products including
methyl ethyl ketone peroxides, as well as dibenzyl peroxide
pastes and waxes. Cost of the project and capacity were
not disclosed.
“This investment in Itupeva has transformed our site
into a state-of-the-art production facility and gives our
composites customers greater supply reliability across our
entire organic peroxides product portfolio,” said Alain
Rynwalt, vice president of polymer catalysts.

 

Total & Sonatrach Renew Agreement For LNG Supply to French Market

Paris—Total and
Sonatrach have renewed their partnership in liquefied
natural gas (LNG) and have extended existing supply contracts
for an additional three years to provide Algerian
LNG to France.
Under the agreement, Sonatrach will supply 2-million
t/y of LNG, primarily through an LNG terminal at Fos
Cavaou, France. The agreement also includes the subcharter
of an LNG tanker of Total by Sonatrach.
“This agreement is part of the long history of cooperation
between Total and Sonatrach,” said Laurent Vivier,
president of gas at Total. “Thanks to the quality of our
relationship, we were able to conclude it in an extremely
volatile market environment.”

 

Hitachi Chemical Plans Name Change

Tokyo—Hitachi
Chemical Co., a consolidated subsidiary of Showa Denko
(SDK), has decided to change its name to Showa Denko
Materials Co., effective 1 Oct. 2020.
The new name represents Hitachi’s determination to
open a new chapter as a consolidated subsidiary of SDK,
noted SDK.
Hitachi and SDK have agreed to offer their customers
and society “optimum solutions” by combining Showa
Denko Group’s wide-ranging material technology with Hitachi’s
material design technology, utilizing characteristics
of raw materials, ability to evaluate functions, and ability
to design functions leading to process technology, including
module segmentation, SDK explained.

 

Outlook for ’20 One of ‘Poorest’ in Decades, Says ACC in its Mid-Year 2020 Outlook

Washington—
The American Chemistry Council (ACC), in its Mid-Year
2020 Chemical Industry Situation and Outlook, said data
suggests that the global recession may have bottomed out,
yet the 2020 outlook is one of the “poorest” in decades.
According to ACC’s projections, production volumes,
shipments and capital spending will drop due to economic
and business disruption caused by COVID-19. A rebound
in 2021 is projected; however, significant uncertainty remains.
Global gross domestic product (GDP) will contract 4.6%
this year before expanding 5.3% in 2021; while global industrial
production will contract 3.8% in 2020 before increasing
by 5.3% next year.
In the U.S., GDP will decline by 6% in 2020 before expanding
by 4.1% in 2021. Consumer spending will drop
6.4% in 2020, then rise 4.6% in 2021. Unemployment will
fall steadily to below 5% by 2023.
“U.S. industrial activity started the year on a weak note
even before COVID-19-related supply disruptions emerged
in February,” said ACC Chief Economist Kevin Swift. “After
suffering the sharpest pullback on record in April,
many industrial sectors are showing signs of recovery. Industrial
production is set to fall 10.5% in 2020 before increasing
by 3.1% in 2021,” he noted.
“As key end-use and export markets struggle, U.S.
chemical volumes will contract as well,” stated Martha
Moore, senior director of policy analysis and economics at
ACC.
“Chemical volumes will fall 9.3% this year, while shipments
will decline by 13.5%. In 2021, volumes will rebound
12.3% and shipments will increase by 14.5%. Capital
spending will fall 17.6% to $29-billion in 2020, then
increase by 15.7% to $33.5-billion in 2021.”
After seven consecutive years of gains, U.S. chemical
industry employment is set to drop by nearly 20,000 in
2020. Pre-COVID levels are not expected until 2024.
Total U.S. chemicals trade will decrease by 16.4% in
2020, to $199-billion, and U.S. chemical exports will decline
“sharply,” dropping by 14.5% this year before rising
10.9% in 2021. “The industry will maintain its net exporter
position: By 2025, net exports of chemicals will
reach $37-billion.
U.S. chemical imports will fall 19.1% in 2020 and then
grow by 11.9% in 2021. Full recovery is expected in late
2022 or 2023.
To view the full outlook, please visit ACC’s website at
www.americanchemistry.com.

 

Braskem to Purchase Renewable Energy For Use in Industrial Units in Brazil

São Paulo—
Braskem has entered into a long-term solar power purchase
agreement with Canadian Solar, which assures the
supply of renewable energy for 20 years to Braskem’s industrial
plants in Brazil.
The deal will enable the construction of a solar power
plant in Minas Gerais, Brazil, with an installed capacity of
152 MWp (mega watt peak). Construction is scheduled to
start next year. A completion date was not disclosed.
With the agreement, the company estimates the avoidance
of 500 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over two
decades.
Earlier this year, Braskem formed a partnership with
Voltalia for the purchase of solar power over the next 20
years, which will enable construction of the Serra do Mel
solar complex in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, with nominal
capacity of 270 MW.
In 2018, the company signed an agreement with EDF
Renewable to buy wind power for a period of 20 years with
an estimated reduction in CO2 emissions of 325,000 tons.
“The world industry is completely transforming from
the technological and environment standpoints,” said
Braskem Energy Director Gustavo Checcucci.
“We have a target to continue making progress in expanding
our renewable energy portfolio, reinforcing our
role as a national reference in the topic.”

 

Stepan Chooses Azelis as Distributor For All Surfactants in Scandinavia

Stockholm—
Stepan has entered into a new distribution agreement with
Azelis, in which Azelis will take over the distribution activities
for Stepan’s full surfactants products portfolio in
Scandinavia.
The new distribution agreement is in line with Stepan’s
global strategy to consolidate its distribution network, Azelis
noted. The long-lasting and “fruitful” relationship in
other EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) regions was
a reason for Stepan to now entrust Azelis with the distribution
of its surfactants in the new region.
In addition, Azelis showed “excellent” market presence,
knowledge and technical development skills to optimally
serve and expand Stepan’s customer base in Scandinavia.

Aramco Finalizes Purchase of 70% Interest In SABIC from Public Investment Fund

Riyadh—
Saudi Aramco has completed the acquisition of a 70% stake
in SABIC from the Public Investment Fund (PIF) for a total
purchase price of $69.1-billion (PCN, 27 Apr 2020, p 4).
“This is a significant milestone for three of Saudi Arabia’s
most important entities,” said Yasir Othman Al-
Rumayyan, governor of PIF.
“It provides capital for PIF’s long-term investment
strategy as it drives the economic transformation and
growth of Saudi Arabia, further benefiting the people of
our country; it supports Aramco’s continued growth in
downstream and enhances its international footprint; and
it provides SABIC a new strategic energy industry focused
shareholder with the ability to support growth projects.”
A Corporate Collaboration and Integration Committee
has been established to make recommendations on collaboration
and integration matters expected to create value for
SABIC and for the Aramco Group as a whole.
The committee will be chaired by the SABIC chief executive
and will include two other members from SABIC
and three members from Aramco.
As majority shareholder of SABIC, Aramco has the
right to elect the majority of SABIC’s directors.

 

IndianOil Building Panipat PP Facility; Plans to Nearly Double PP Capacity

Panipat—Indian
Oil Corp. (IndianOil) is building a new polypropylene (PP)
plant in Panipat, Haryana State, India.
The facility will have 450,000 t/y of PP capacity and will
utilize LyondellBasell’s Spheripol technology. Cost of the
project and an expected completion date were not given.
IndianOil currently has a total of 1.3-million t/y of PP
capacity from existing plants at its Panipat and Paradip
sites, also based on LyondellBasell’s Spheripol technology,
and aims to almost double PP production capacity in the
next five years.

 

Clariant Develops Phthalate-Free Olefin Polymerization Catalysts

Munich—Clariant
announced it is launching its new next-generation, phthalate-
free PolyMax 600 series performance catalysts for
polypropylene (PP), developed in partnership with McDermott’s
Lummus Novolen technology.
The PolyMax 600 series catalysts “significantly” boosts
plant productivity, while at the same time improving
polymer properties. It is expected to result in an economic
benefit of over $8-million a year due to higher catalyst productivity,
said Clariant citing a “major” PP producer.
“The improved performance is due to a new proprietary
technology that increases catalyst activity up to 25% compared
to phthalate-based catalysts,” Clariant noted.
The catalysts are designed to suit a broad range of
process requirements in applications ranging from food
packaging to engineered automotive parts.

 

Invista Announces Start of Construction On New ADN Plant at SCIP in China

Shanghai—
Invista Nylon Chemicals (China) Co. has begun construction
on its new adiponitrile (ADN) facility at the Shanghai
Chemical Industry Park (SCIP) in Shanghai, China (PCN,
27 Apr 2020, p 2).
The project, costing over $1-billion, involves a 400,000-
t/y ADN plant based on Invista’s “most-advanced, energy
efficient” ADN technology, the company noted. Start-up is
expected in 2022.
When complete, the unit will be integrated with Invista’s
existing hexamethylene diamine (HMD) plant and
polymer facilities to directly supply domestic customers.
Invista currently has a 215,000-t/y HMD facility and a
150,000-t/y nylon 6,6 plant at the site.
“The growing demand for high-quality nylon products
in China and the Asia-Pacific region, and the continued
optimization of the business environment in Shanghai
have given us the confidence to continue investment here,”
noted Invista Chairman and Chief Executive Jeff Gentry.

 

Lotte Enters PTA Supply Deal with Hanwha; Will Convert PTA Plant to PIA Production

Seoul—
Lotte Chemical and Hanwha General Chemical have entered
into an agreement, in which Hanwha will supply
450,000 t/y of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) to Lotte,
effective next month.
In order to meet its supply obligation, Hanwha will restart
PTA production at its No. 2 plant in Ulsan, S. Korea,
which has been idle. Hanwha owns Korea’s “largest” PTA
facility with a capacity of 2-million t/y, Lotte noted.
Lotte will transform its 600,000-t/y PTA facility in Ulsan
to produce purified isophthalic acid (PIA), beginning
this July. It has 520,000 t/y of PIA production capacity.
“This agreement is a case to expand profitability and
business competitiveness through the voluntary cooperation
of the two companies, who are competitors in the petrochemical
industry, and it is meaningful in that they
came together for the bigger goal of developing the domestic
chemical industry,” said Lotte.

 

KBR and L&T Hydrocarbon Sign MoU To Team Up on Refinery, PC Projects

Houston—KBR
has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with
L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering to work together on refinery
and petrochemical projects.
Under the MoU, the parties will collaborate to develop
business opportunities for which KBR will license proprietary
technology and engineering services and L&T will be
the engineering, procurement and construction provider.
L&T will exclusively bid for projects globally, with specific
focus in India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and
Africa, involving KBR’s solid acid alkylation technology,
solvent de-asphalting technology and catalytic olefins
technology.

 

Dow, Shell Agree to Develop Technology To Electrify Ethylene Steam Crackers

Midland—Dow
and Shell have signed a joint development agreement to
accelerate technology to electrify ethylene steam crackers.
“As the energy grid becomes increasingly renewables
led, using renewable electricity to heat steam cracker furnaces
could become one of the routes to decarbonize the
chemicals industry,” Dow noted. “The challenge is to develop
a technologically and economically feasible solution.”
The partnership has innovation project teams in Amsterdam,
Terneuzen, the Netherlands, and Texas, which
are already working on designing and scaling ‘e-cracker’
technologies.
They will work in the coming years to first prove out
process technology innovations in laboratory and pilot operations
and to then scale to commercial crackers.
“Significant technological breakthroughs are needed to
reduce our industry’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions,
which will require companies to step out of their
comfort zones and work together to achieve bold and ambitious
new goals,” said Keith Cleason, vice president of Dow
Olefins, Aromatics and Alternatives.
“This new work with Dow has the potential to contribute
to the reduction of carbon emissions from the manufacture
of chemicals and to Shell’s ambition of becoming a netzero
emissions energy business by 2050 or sooner,” noted
Thomas Casparie, executive vice president of Shell’s global
chemicals business.

 

Technoleasing Selects JM Technology For New Russian Methanol Facility

Moscow—Johnson
Matthey (JM) has been awarded a contract by Technoleasing
to provide its combined reforming methanol technology
for a new methanol plant in Skovorodino, Russia.
The 3,000-t/d methanol unit will be based on JM’s Advanced
Series Loop technology, which utilizes an “innovative
synthesis loop arrangement together with existing reactor
technology to achieve a significant improvement in
natural gas efficiency,” JM explained.
The project, for which cost and a schedule were not
given, is subject to a final investment decision.
JM’s contract also includes the associated engineering,
proprietary equipment and catalyst supply.
“Our new . . . technology will provide energy efficiency
and significant economic benefits in gas consumption per
ton of methanol over conventional loops for the Amur facility
for many years to come,” said JM Managing Director
John Gordon.

 

SDK Nearly Doubles Production Capacity For VE and EM at Subsidiary in China

Shanghai—
Showa Denko (SDK) has expanded production lines for
vinyl ester resin (VE) and synthetic resin emulsion (EM) at
its Shanghai Showa Highpolymer Co. subsidiary in China
to about twice as much as the previous capacity.
“We will continue providing the growing Chinese market
with products and services of high social value, thereby
expanding our business in China and establishing our
functional chemicals business as a Koseiha business,” SDK
noted.
The company describes a Koseiha business as one that
can maintain profitability and stability at high levels over
a long period.

 

MOL to Invest in Northwest Innovation; Will Supply Ships for Methanol Plant

Kalama—
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has decided to invest in Northwest
Innovation Works (NWIW), which plans to build a
methanol facility in Kalama, Wash., and will provide and
operate purpose-built next-generation ships to serve the
new plant (PCN, 14 May 2018, p 1).
The project, estimated to cost over $2-billion, will convert
regionally-sourced natural gas into about 3.6-million
t/y of methanol for export to Asia as feedstock for olefins.
“Currently, our regulators are working on an expedited,
cooperative, multi-jurisdictional process to conclude regulatory
review,” a company spokesman told PCN. “Following
that, once permitting is finalized, we would make a
final investment decision and move to construction, which
should take roughly 36 months to complete.”
Methanol produced by NWIW will displace more carbon-
intensive, coal-based methanol, resulting in greenhouse
gas (GHG) reductions globally, NWIW noted. In addition,
NWIW will offset 100% of its GHG emissions from
both direct and indirect sources within Washington state.
NWIW earlier expected the project to be completed in
2019; however, in late 2017, the company’s shoreline permit
was reversed because of complaints from several conservative
groups about the GHG emissions from the proposed
plant. The permit was restored in 2018.

 

People on the Move

Equate—Naser Aldousari, currently senior vice president
of the company, has been appointed chief executive,
effective 1 Oct. 2020. He will succeed Dr. Ramesh
Ramachandran, who will be retiring, effective 30 Sept.
2020.
Sudhir Shenoy will replace Aldousari as senior vice
president of Equate, effective 1 Oct. 2020. He was previously
country president and chief executive of Dow Chemical
International Pvt. Ltd. (Dow India).
BASF SE—Dr. Kurt Bock has been elected as the new
chairman of the supervisory board to succeed Dr. Jurgen
Hambrecht. The term runs until the end of the Annual
Shareholders’ Meeting in 2024.
Petronas—Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz,
currently executive vice president and group chief financial
officer, has been appointed president and group chief executive,
effective 1 July 2020. He will replace Tan Sri Wan
Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, who is the leaving the company to
become chairman of Malaysia Airlines.
SABIC—Khalid Al-Dabbagh has been named chairman
of the board. He is currently senior vice president of finance,
strategy and development at Saudi Aramco.
OCI NV—Nassef Sawiris, currently chief executive,
will assume the position of executive chairman of the board
of directors. He will be succeeded by Ahmed El-Hoshy, who
is currently chief operating officer. The appointments are
effective 1 Aug. 2020.
Air Products—Imtiaz Mahtab has been appointed
president of Air Products Middle East, Egypt and Turkey,
and was also named chief executive of Air Products Qudra.
He has been serving as managing director of the Middle
East, Africa, CIS, Central Asia and APAC regions for Sky-
Power Global, and has held several senior leadership positions
within Air Liquid over a span of 20 years.

 

German LNG Terminal & RWE to Explore Opportunities to Develop Green Hydrogen

Essen—
German LNG Terminal GmbH and RWE have signed a
memorandum of understanding to jointly explore green
hydrogen opportunities via German LNG’s planned liquefied
natural gas (LNG) terminal in Brunsbuttel, Germany
(PCN, 22 Jan 2018, p 2).
German LNG is a joint venture formed by Vopak LNG
Holding BV, Oiltanking GmbH and Gasunie LNG Holding
BV to build, own and operate the terminal.
“RWE’s interest in jointly exploring the import of hydrogen
in Brunsbuttel proves the strategic importance of
the site and the project,” said Rolf Brouwer, managing director
of German LNG Terminal. “Hydrogen produced
from renewable energy sources is in line with Germany’s
goal to become climate-neutral by 2050.”
In Sept. 2018, German LNG and RWE signed a longterm
agreement for a considerable part of the planned terminal’s
LNG import capacity.
The parties are currently in the final phase of negotiating
fully binding legal contracts for the LNG imports and
expect to be finished by the end of 2020, which will put
German LNG in a position to reach a positive investment
decision. An expected completion date was not given.

 

India May Impose Anti-Dumping Duties On PS Imports from Several Countries

New Delhi—
India’s Designated Authority has recommended imposing
anti-dumping duties on imports of polystyrene (PS) of all
types, except expandable PS, from Iran, Malaysia, Singapore,
Chinese Taipei, United Arab Emirates and the U.S.
(PCN, 22 July 2019, p 3).
Last July, the authority announced it would launch an
investigation, initiated by Ineos Styrolution and Supreme
Petrochem, into injury from the imports.
The authority has completed the review and concludes
that the PS has been exported to India from the subject
countries below its associated normal value, thus resulting
in dumping.
It also determined that the domestic industry has suffered
material injury, due to the dumping of the product
under consideration, and that the imposition of definitive
anti-dumping duties is necessary to offset dumping and
injury.

 

Domo to Suspend BOPA Production Beginning This Summer at Leuna

Leuna—Domo
Chemicals said it plans to stop and close its third biaxially
oriented polyamide (BOPA) films line at its site in Leuna,
Germany, effective this August, as a result of permanent
global overcapacity of nylon films.
“In these extraordinary circumstances of high business
volatility, we have opted to continue to focus on quality and
flexibility through cautious and smart asset management,
rather than reacting with short-term volume strategies,”
said Attilio Annoni, managing director at Domo Film Solutions.
Domo will continue to operate its BOPA and cast nonoriented
polyamide plants in Cesano Maderno, Italy, in
order to serve the market without impacts to customers
and suppliers.

 

TechnipFMC and Clariant to Collaborate On Catalyst for Acrylonitrile Production

Boston—
TechnipFMC and Clariant Catalysts announced that they
have entered into a joint development agreement for the
demonstration and commercialization of Clairant’s new
“state-of-the-art” AcryloMax propylene ammoxidation catalyst
for the production of acrylonitrile.
The collaboration will bring together Technip Energies’
expertise in fluid bed technologies and process development
with Clariant’s experience and knowledge in the development,
manufacturing and supply of catalysts for the
petrochemical industry.
A large demonstration reactor will “soon” be commissioned
at Technip Energies’ research center in Weymouth,
Mass., to test the technology, the companies noted.
“We are delighted to work with TechnipFMC and to
contribute our expertise in ammoxidation,” said Stefan
Heuser, senior vice president and general manager at
Clariant Catalysts.
“For producers of acrylonitrile, this combination of catalyst
and process technology know-how will open the door to
exciting new opportunities.”

 

Enterprise Increases Ethylene Exports At Its JV Terminal in Morgan’s Point

Houston—
Enterprise Products Partners said that its 50-50 joint venture
ethylene export terminal with Navigator Holdings at
Morgan’s Point, Texas, has exceeded design interim loading
capacity and expects to export over 175-mllion lbs for
the month of June (PCN, 23 Mar 2020, p 3).
This past January, the partners began operations at the
terminal, which has the capacity to load around 2.2-billion
lbs/yr of ethylene. A refrigerated storage tank for 66-
million lbs of ethylene is also being built on-site to increase
the capability to load ethylene up to a rate of 2.2-million
lbs/hr by the end of 2020.
Enterprise also expects to complete three additional
connections by the end of the year, linking its system to a
majority of ethylene production capacity in Texas.
“To meet the growing demand for petrochemical products,
Enterprise built the world’s first fully open access
global hub for polymer grade propylene; now, we have developed
the first global hub for ethylene,” noted A.J. “Jim”
Teague, co-chief executive of Enterprise’s general partner.
“These hubs are transforming how ethylene and propylene
markets transact and will create a true marketplace
for the world’s primary petrochemical producers, consumers
and traders. These hubs provide the essentials for an
efficient market: reliable supplies, price transparency and
access to domestic and global markets.”

 

Lordegan Starts Up Ammonia Unit

Tehran—Lordegan
Petrochemical Co., a subsidiary of Iranian Investment Petrochemical
Group, has begun operation of a new ammonia
plant in Lordegan City, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province,
Iran, reported Shana.
The unit has the capacity to produce 677,000 t/y of ammonia,
which will mainly be used for the production of
about 1-million t/y of urea, beginning next month.
“With the full opening of this petrochemical plant, 600
people will be directly employed and 2,000 people will be
hired indirectly,” said the report quoting Mohsen Mahmoudi,
chief executive of Lordegan Petrochemical.

 

Sasol Provides Update on Operations; Details Future ‘Sasol 2.0’ Business

Sandton—Sasol
has provided an update on its response to oil price volatility
and the COVID-19 pandemic, as lockdown restrictions
are being eased in South Africa and elsewhere (PCN, 27
Apr 2020, p 2).
This past April, Sasol announced a 25% reduction in
production rates at Secunda Synfuels Operations (SSO)
and a phased suspension of production at its Natref refinery,
both in South Africa, due to a reduction in demand
because of COVID-19.
The company has been ramping up production at SSO,
since restrictions were eased on 1 June 2020, and production
is expected to restart at the Natref refinery by the end
of this month.
At Sasolburg, the ammonia, chlorvinyl and nitric acid
plants, which had also been suspended in April 2020,
started up last month.
In Ras Laffan, Qatar, Train 1 at Oryx GTL’s gas-toliquids
complex came back into operation at the beginning
of this month. Train 2 is expected to be back in production
in the second quarter of financial year 2021, following the
extended planned shutdown of the plant.
The Lake Charles Chemicals Project in Louisiana is
also progressing with the Ziegler unit achieving beneficial
operation on 16 June 2020. The Guerbet unit’s beneficial
operation is “imminent,” Sasol noted.
“Remediation work on the low-density polyethylene unit
is progressing according to plan and we expect to bring this
unit into production before the end of the third quarter of
calendar year 2020.”
The company also gave details on the future Sasol
business, “Sasol 2.0,” which will be focused on two core
businesses, chemicals and energy.
The chemicals business will focus on its specialty
chemicals activities, where it has differentiated capabilities
and “strong” market positions that can be expanded over
time.
Sasol’s energy business will comprise the Southern African
value chain and associated assets, and will pursue
greenhouse gas emission reduction, through focus on gas
as a key feedstock and renewables as a secondary energy
source.
“A focused and robust review of the business, and the
associated workforce structures, is underway and a detailed
update will be provided to stakeholders alongside
the full year results,” the company noted.
As a result of Sasol 2.0, the company has decided to discontinue
all oil growth activities in West Africa.

 

Sinopec Begins Operations at $6.2-Bn Integrated Refinery and PC Complex

Zhanjiang—
Sinopec has started up its new $6.2-billion integrated refinery
and petrochemical complex in Zhanjiang, China,
Reuters reported.
The complex comprises a 200,000-b/d crude oil refinery
and an 800,000-t/y ethylene plant (PCN, 18 May 2020, p 3).
It will help meet both domestic and international demand.
Sinopec recently put Sinopec Zhongke Refinery Port
into operation. Part of the integrated complex, it features
eight terminals, including a 300,00-ton crude oil berth,
100,000-ton oil berth and supporting facilities, providing a
total capacity of 34-million t/y.

 

Kima Completes Fertilizer Project With Start-Up of New Urea Plant

Aswan—Egyptian
Chemical Industries (Kima) has begun operation of the
urea portion of its ammonia-urea complex in Aswan,
Egypt, marking completion of the project (PCN, 5 Aug
2019, p 3).
The complex consists of a 1,200-t/d ammonia unit, using
KBR’s Purifier ammonia technology, and a urea melt unit
and urea granulation unit, both with 1,575 t/d of capacity,
based on Stamicarbon’s Pool Reactor technology and
Granulation Design. Ammonia production began last year.
“With this project, Stamicarbon now has 10 urea plants
licensed and in operation in Egypt and the next one is already
being designed,” Stamicarbon noted without providing
details.

 

Quantafuel, Gront Punkt Norge Sign Deal For Supply of Plastic Waste for Recycling

Skive—
Gront Punkt Norge has agreed to supply Quantafuel with
up to 10,000 tons of plastic waste to be chemically recycled
into feedstock for BASF (PCN, 14 Oct 2019, p 3).
Quantafuel has a full-scale, plastic-to-fuel plant in
Skive, Demark, which uses its innovative technology to
process unrecyclable plastic from local producers to produce
hydrocarbons.
Last year, BASF announced it would invest €20-million
into Quantafuel to further develop the technology, consisting
of an integrated process of pyrolysis and purification,
towards optimizing the output for use as a feedstock in
chemical production.
BASF will feed the raw material into the Verbund production
at its Ludwigshafen site in Germany.

BP Takes Action to Reduce Spending; Will Eliminate Close to 10,000 Jobs

London—BP announced
steps it is taking to reduce spending, as the widespread
economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has
affected its net debt.
“The oil price has plunged well below the level we need
to turn a profit,” noted BP Chief Executive Bernard
Looney. “We are spending much, much more than we
make – I am talking millions of dollars, every day. And as
a result, our net debt rose by $6-billion in the first quarter.”
Among the actions being taken, BP will now initiate a
process that will see close to 10,000 people leaving BP,
most of them by the end of this year and a majority of them
in office-based jobs.
In addition to “substantial” severance packages, the
company will help people launch new careers, sharpen
their job-seeking skills, and provide laptops and support by
building BP’s alumni network, and more.
BP is also working to bring down its capital expenditure
by 25% this year, a reduction of around $3-billion, and cut
operating costs by $2.5-billion in 2021.

 

Orbia Suspends Efforts to Examine Options for Vestolit Vinyl Business

Mexico City—
Orbia Advance Corp. announced that in light of the
COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the global economy
and capital markets, it has decided to pause efforts relating
to a possible divestiture or other strategic alternative
with regard to its polymer solutions business group, Vestolit
(PCN, 20 Jan 2020, p 1).
“The company is prepared to wait for the right environment
to maximize shareholder value in any transaction
involving its Vestolit business,” Orbia noted.
This past January, Orbia, formally known as Mexichem,
said it was studying options for the vinyl business,
in line with its long-term strategy.

 

JM to Cut Approximately 2,500 Jobs As Part of New Cost Savings Target

London—Johnson
Matthey (JM) estimates that around 2,500 jobs will be lost,
globally, as the company targets further annualized cost
savings needed to remain competitive.
“COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges to
the world and Johnson Matthey,” noted JM Chief Executive
Robert MacLeod.
“We have delivered nearly £120-million of our previously
announced cost savings. However, we recognize the
need to be even more efficient in order to maintain our
competitiveness and, in addition, some of our end markets
have been affected by COVID-19. Therefore, we are targeting
additional annualized cost savings of at least £80-
million by the end of 2022/23.
“We regret that this will lead to some job losses . . . over
the three-year period,” he added.

 

PTTGCA Provides Update on Timeline For Proposed Ethane Cracker Project

Belmont—
PTTGC America (PTTGCA) expects to make a final investment
decision in six to nine months on its proposed
joint venture ethane cracker project with Daelim in Belmont
County, Ohio (PCN, 9 Mar 2020, p 2).
The world-scale, multi-billion complex would include a
1.5-million-t/y ethane cracker for the production of ethylene,
linear low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene,
based on technologies from Technip and Ineos.
“While the pandemic has prevented us from moving as
quickly as we would like within our previous timeline, our
best estimate is for a final investment decision by the end
of this year or in the first quarter of next year,” said
PTTGCA President and Chief Executive Toasaporn Boonyapipat.
Responding to project speculation, PTTGCA said it is
still progressing with the project and at no point put the
project on indefinite hold.
This past March, the company said it expected to make
a final investment decision in the first half of this year.

 

Pertamina & CPC Sign HoA to Develop Integrated PC Complex in Indonesia

Jakarta—
Pertamina and CPC of Taiwan have entered into a heads of
agreement (HoA) to develop an $8-billion integrated petrochemical
complex in Indonesia (PCN, 22 Oct 2018, p 3).
The project, to be built at Pertamina’s Balongan refinery,
will involve a naphtha cracker for the production of
around 1-million t/y of ethylene. Operations are targeted
to begin in 2026.
The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding
for the project in 2018, followed by the signing of
the framework agreement and joint feasibility studies since
mid-2019.
Pertamina is committed to creating a “strong” petrochemical
industry in Indonesia, so that it can meet domestic
needs and help reduce imports of petrochemical products,
noted Pertamina President Director Nicke Widyawati.

 

Indorama Acquires 100% Equity Stake In Brazilian PET Recycling Facility

Brasília—
Indorama Ventures (IVL), through its indirect subsidiary
Indorama Ventures Polimeros, has purchased a 100% equity
interest in AG Resinas, a polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) recycling facility in Brazil.
The recycling plant, located in Juiz de Fora, processes
post-consumer PET into recycled PET flakes and pellets
with a combined capacity of about 9,000 t/y. It is located
near a large supply of recovered PET bottles, IVL noted.
“This acquisition is strategically in line with IVL’s longterm
sustainability objectives and will complement IVL’s
PET business in Brazil and provide a unique opportunity
to create an immediate recycling presence with further
expansion opportunity,” said IVL.

 

Celanese Enters Tri-Party Agreement For Acetic Acid Route to Acrylic Acid

Beijing—
Celanese (Nanjing) Chemical Co., a subsidiary of Celanese
Corp., has entered into a tri-party agreement with Southwest
Institute of Chemical Co. (SWCHEM) and Yankuang
Lunan Chemical Co. (Lunan) to build a pilot scale-up unit
to test industrial-scale production of acrylic acid from acetic
acid in China.
Celanese and SWCHEM are jointly developing an innovative
technology for the production of acrylic acid with the
process of acetic acid formaldehyde condensation, based on
Celanese’s original proprietary research in this field.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lunan will be responsible
for building the industrial-scale pilot plant in
Teng Zhou. Financial details were not disclosed.
“I am delighted that the collaboration between Celanese
and SWCHEM has enabled us to reach such a critical
milestone in the development of this new technology to
produce acrylic acid from acetic acid,” said John Fotheringham,
senior vice president of Celanese’s acetyls business.
“This could create additional demand for acetic acid,
while also improving the supply options for acrylic acid
consumers.”

 

Former IISRP Executive McGraw Passes After 40-Year Career in Rubber Industry

Houston—
James (Jim) McGraw, former chief executive and managing
director of the International Institute of Synthetic
Rubber Producers (IISRP), passed away on 8 June 2020,
after a 40-year career in the synthetic rubber industry.
McGraw began his career in 1975 at American Synthetic
Rubber Corp. (ASRC) where he served for 23 years
in various positions.
He served the IISRP for 36 years, both as an IISRP
chair and active committee member, while employed by
ASRC, and subsequently as both deputy and managing
director and chief executive for over 17 years.
In 2015, he began his transition to retirement and was
advisor to the IISRP executive committee. He was succeeded
by Juan Ramon Salinas, the current chief executive
and managing director of IISRP.
“We are deeply saddened by his loss,” said Salinas.
“Jim was a visionary leader, who had a true passion for the
rubber industry and an exceptional commitment to our
members. His energy, drive and leadership will be
missed.”

 

BASF Decides to Cease Operations in Erie At Process Catalysts Manufacturing Unit

Erie—BASF
announced it will shut down its process catalysts manufacturing
facility next year in Erie, Penn.
The majority of production operations will discontinue
by the end of 2020; however, the facility will continue to
fulfill confirmed customer requests through the first quarter
of 2021. Final decommissioning and demolition work
are anticipated through mid-2022.
“Despite significant investments to improve assets,
long-term profitable operations are no longer possible in
Erie,” the company noted. “The decision to exit operations
in Erie is based on longer-term business considerations
and customer needs.”

 

Altivia Affiliate Purchases KMCO, Associated Ethoxylation Facilities

Houston—Altivia
Oxide Chemicals, an affiliate of Altivia Petrochemicals, has
completed the acquisition of KMCO and its associated
chemical ethoxylation manufacturing assets in Crosby,
Texas, for an undisclosed amount.
The facilities include 31 reaction and distillation trains
with capacity for ethylene and propylene oxide reactions,
as well as a broad range of organic reactions, including
polymerization, neutralization and condensation.
Altivia is planning a $25-million process safety and control
systems upgrade to the plants and will begin production
in two new oxide reactors by the end of 2020.
“The market for oxylation tolling and custom manufacturing
services will now have available a state-of-the-art
facility in the U.S. Gulf Coast,” noted Altivia Chief Executive
J. Michael Jusbasche.

 

Hyundai Engineering, Partner Ink Deal To Invest in Police Polymers Project

Police—Hyundai
Engineering and Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban
Development Corp. have signed an agreement with Grupa
Azoty and Grupa Lotos to invest in a planned polypropylene
(PP) plant in Poland, reported Yonhap News Agency.
PDH Polska, a special purpose vehicle of Grupa Azoty,
is planning to build a propane dehydrogenation (PDH)
unit, based on Honeywell UOP’s Oleflex PDH technology,
for the production of 400,000 t/y of polymer-grade propylene,
as well as a 400,000-t/y PP facility that will use W. R.
Grace & Co.’s Unipol PP process technology (PCN, 20 May
2019, p 1).
Commercial operation of the approximately €1.5-billion
project was earlier estimated to begin in 2022. An updated
schedule was not available.

 

INA Begins Trial Production on $81-Mn Propane/Propylene Splitter in Croatia

Zagreb—
Croatian oil and gas firm INA has started trial production
at a new $81-million propane/propylene splitter facility at
its Rijeka refinery in Croatia, reported SeeNews.
The splitter, with a capacity of 84,000 t/y of propylene,
is expected to boost the company’s competitiveness by expanding
its product portfolio.
“In June, we expect the first commercial quantities of
propylene, which will create new value for the whole company,”
said the report quoting Sandor Fasimon, head of
INA’s management board.

 

People on the Move

Evonik Corp.—Bonnie Tully has become president, effective
1 June 2020, succeeding John Rolando, who decided
to retire. Tully was most recently chief financial officer for
North America at Evonik.
Tatneft—Azat Bikmurzin has been appointed director
of Tatneft’s petrochemical complex. He was previously director
general of Nizhnekamskneftekhim.
Indorama Ventures Pcl—Srinivasan Prabhushankar
has assumed the position of chief executive of the recycling
segment, effective 1 June 2020. He had been senior vice
president of Indorama Ventures Xylenes & PTA.

 

Gazprom Signs Several Key Contracts For Russian Gas Processing Complex

Moscow—
Gazprom said it has signed supply contracts and an engineering,
procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a
natural gas processing and liquefaction project planned
with RusGazDobycha near Ust-Luga, Russia (PCN, 25 May
2020, p 2).
The project, to be operated by RusKhimAlyans, a joint
venture company formed by the partners, will process 45-
billion cu m/yr of gas and produce 13-million t/y of liquefied
natural gas, as well as ethane fraction, liquefied petroleum
gases and pentane-hexane fraction.
Baltic Chemical, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rus-
GazDobycha, is setting up a new gas chemical facility that
will be technologically interconnected with the gas processing
complex.
The chemical facility will include two ethane cracking
plants with a capacity of 1.4-million t/y of ethylene each, as
well as six polyethylene reactor lines, each designed to
have a capacity of 500,000 t/y. Completion is expected in
2024.
Under the new contracts, Gazprom and RusKhimAlyans
have agreed to the 20-year supply of feed gas and sales
gas, securing raw materials for the long term.
Gazprom will supply the ethane-containing natural gas
to RusKhimAlyans, who in turn will supply ethane fraction
to Baltic for further processing at the gas chemical facility.
In addition, RusKhimAlyans has awarded the EPC contract
for the gas processing complex to Nipigaz. Under a
separate contract signed last year, Nipigaz has already
completed a set of engineering surveys and developed basic
technical solutions.

 

Mitsui Chemicals Launches Operations At New European PP Compounds JV

Limburg—
Mitsui Chemicals and Prime Polymer have begun operations
at Mitsui Prime Advanced Composites Europe (ACE),
a new joint venture polypropylene (PP) compounds business
established with Mitsui & Co. in the Netherlands
(PCN, 4 June 2018, p 2).
Located within Chemelot Industrial Park in Limburg,
ACE has the capacity to produce 30,000 t/y of PP compounds.
It is Mitsui Chemicals Group’s “first” PP compounding
site in Europe, Mitsui Chemicals noted.
ACE is owned 75% by Mitsui Chemicals, 15% by Mitsui
& Co. and 10% by Prime Polymer, a joint venture owned by
Mitsui Chemicals (65%) and Idemitsu Kosan (35%).

 

Arkema Completes Sale to SK Global Of Functional Polyolefins Business

Paris—Arkema
has finalized the divestment of its functional polyolefins
business to SK Global Chemical at an enterprise value of
€335-million (PCN, 30 Mar 2020, p 1).
Part of the polymethyl methacrylate business unit,
functional polyolefins comprises ethylene copolymers and
terpolymers.
The divestment is fully in line with Arkema’s strategy
to become a pure player in specialty materials by 2024,
centered around three “complementary and highly innovative”
segments of adhesive solutions, advanced materials
and coating solutions, Arkema noted.

 

Ingevity Plans Cost-Reduction Initiative In Response to Lower Product Demand

Columbia—
Ingevity announced a cost-reduction initiative to realign its
cost structure in response to reduced demand for some of
its products as a result of the coronavirus.
The company will reduce and restructure headcount
through an early retirement initiative and other employment
reductions; streamline manufacturing processes, including
the temporary furlough of certain production employees;
decrease outside spending on consultants and services,
and reduce certain benefits for salaried employees.
“We’re working from a platform of financial strength,
and we’re working to control what we can control in a tumultuous
environment,” said Rick Kelson, chairman of the
board, interim president and chief executive.
“These steps – in combination with the focused execution
by our businesses – in the long run will make Ingevity
a more efficient, and more profitable company coming out
of the current economic downturn.”

 

Omega Partners Inks Deal to Purchase Oiltanking Joliet Terminal in the U.S.

Chicago—
Omega Partners III, through its Omega Partners Illinois
subsidiary, has signed an agreement with Oiltanking
North America for the acquisition of the Oiltanking Joliet
terminal in Channahon, Ill.
Mainly dedicated to the storage of specialty chemicals,
the terminal has a capacity of around 281,000 bbls. It has
connections for rail, tank truck and barge transport.
The transaction, for which a value was not given, is
subject to customary external approvals, as well as transitional
processes at the operations, which are scheduled for
completion during the third quarter of 2020.
“As part of Oiltanking’s Strategy 2025, the organization
is continuously evaluating and optimizing its global terminal
portfolio,” Oiltanking noted. “Notwithstanding its efforts
to further expand its business in the U.S., Oiltanking
North America has decided to sell the Joliet terminal due
to its location and scale in the context of the overall network.”

 

APLA Reschedules 40th Annual Meeting

São Paulo—
The Latin American Petrochemical and Chemical Assn.
(APLA) has rescheduled its 40th Latin American Petrochemical
Annual Meeting, originally planned to be held
this November in São Paulo, Brazil.
The meeting is now scheduled from 6-9 Nov. 2021 at the
Sheraton WTC in São Paulo. This year, between 7-10 November,
APLA will be holding the conferences, which were
planned virtually.

 

Muntajat Being Integrated into QP

Doha—Qatar Petroleum
(QP) announced its decision to integrate Qatar
Chemical and Petrochemical Marketing and Distribution
Co. (Muntajat) into QP, as part of QP’s ongoing efforts to
strengthen its global competitive position in the downstream
sector.
During the integration process, Muntajat will continue
to deliver its commitments and contractual obligations to
all its customers without interruption. Completion is expected
within the next few months.

 

QXTD Selects Dow, JM’s LP Oxo Process For INA Manufacturing Plant in China

Zibo City—
Zibo Qixiang Tengda Chemical Co. (QXTD) has chosen LP
Oxo technology, jointly developed by Dow and Johnson
Matthey (JM), to produce isononyl alcohol (INA) at its new
manufacturing facility in China.
The plant, to be built at QXTD’s integrated petrochemical
complex in Zibo City, will produce 200,000 t/y of INA.
Operations are expected to begin in 2023.
“This technology requires a smaller manufacturing
footprint and less energy consumption compared to typical
INA production processes, without a loss in efficiency and
throughput,” said Donna Babcock, global business director
for Dow’s industrial solutions business segment.
“This will be our 56th license of LP Oxo technology in
partnership with Dow, building on our current portfolio
with our new INA process,” noted John Gordon, managing
director for JM.
“We are committed to bringing value to QXTD and look
forward to working with them through the design phase
and commissioning of this innovative technology.”

 

Braskem Chooses Port of Charleston For New Global Export Hub Facility

Charleston—
Braskem has selected the Port of Charleston in South Carolina
as the location of a new global export hub to provide
packaging, warehousing and shipping services to its international
customers.
The hub, which will support Braskem’s U.S. polypropylene
(PP) production plants, will have the capacity to
enable shipments of up to 450-million lbs/yr of PP and specialty
polymers. The design and development phase is well
underway and completion is expected by the third quarter
of this year.
The company will continue to leverage its existing international
export capabilities out of Houston, Texas, and
will maintain the Houston facility following the opening of
the new hub.
Braskem is partnering with the Port of Charleston and
warehouse provider Frontier Logistics, which will construct,
lease and provide services to Braskem under a fiveyear
agreement.
“With excellent access to national rail and highway networks,
this important new logistics and distribution facility
. . . significantly enhances Braskem America’s international
export capability,” noted Braskem America Chief
Executive Mark Nikolich.

 

Avantium Lets FEED Contract to Worley For Proposed FDCA Facility in Delfzijl

Delfzijl—
Worley has been awarded a front-end engineering design
(FEED) contract by Avantium for a 100% plant-based furandicarboxylic
acid (FDCA) unit planned at the Chemie
Park Delfzijl in the Netherlands (PCN, 13 Jan 2020, p 4).
The 5,000-t/y facility, which would be located near
Avantium’s plant-based monoethylene glycol demonstration
plant, will produce FDCA using the company’s YXY
plant-to-plastics technology.
Worley expects to complete the FEED phase at the end
of this year, enabling Avantium to take a final investment
decision for construction of the project at the end of 2020.
Start-up in scheduled for 2023.
FDCA is a building block for many chemicals and plastics,
such as the next-generation plastic material polyethylene
furanoate (PEF).
“PEF is a novel, fully recyclable, bio-based polymer with
improved barrier performance and thermal properties,”
Worley noted. “It has the potential to make a significant
impact on the packaging, textile and film industries.”

 

Ascend Enters Agreement to Purchase Assets of NCM & Tehe in Changshu

Shanghai—
Polyamide 66 resin producer Ascend Performance Materials
said it has signed an agreement to acquire the assets of
NCM (Changshu) Co. and Tehe Engineering Plastic
(Suzhou) Co., located in the Changshu Yushan High-Tech
Industrial Park in China.
The acquisition, Ascend’s “first” in China, gives Ascend
a flexible footprint for growth in the region, the company
noted. Ascend expects to take final ownership this August.
Ascend’s master plan includes an expansion of compounding
assets at the site, along with a global research
and development center with a focus on existing applications
in the automotive, electrical and electronics, and consumer
and industrial areas, among others.

 

Braskem, Petrobras Extend Agreement For Naphtha Supply to Braskem Units

São Paulo—
Braskem and Petrobras have entered into an agreement, in
which Petrobras will continue to supply naphtha to
Braskem’s industrial units in Bahia and Rio Grande do
Sul, Brazil, for about five years.
The agreement calls for the supply of a minimum of
650,000 t/y of naphtha, with Petrobras having the option to
supply an additional volume of up to 2.8-million t/y. The
new contract will take effect when the current agreement
expires.
In addition, to guarantee access to the naphtha logistics
system in Rio Grande do Sul, Braskem also renewed a
storage agreement with Petrobras and a transport and
storage agreement with Petrobras Transporte.

 

 

Weilian Chemical Using BP’s Technology For New PTA Unit to be Built in China

Beijing—
Weilian Chemical, a subsidiary of Dongying United Petrochemical
Co., has entered into an agreement with BP for
the license of BP’s technology for a new purified
terephthalic acid (PTA) plant to be constructed in China’s
Dongying Port Economic Development Zone.
The facility will utilize BP’s latest generation technology,
bpPTAg5, for the production of 2.5-million t/y of PTA.
The design phase is underway and is expected to be completed
during the first half of this year. First production is
anticipated by the second quarter of 2022.
“Adding a PTA production facility is an important step
for our company to accelerate industrial transformation,
while improving quality and efficiency,” said Li Zhanchen,
chairman of Dongying United Petrochemical Co.
“We are delighted to work together with BP, providing
us with leading technology and services. With BP’s support,
we believe our PTA project will start up successfully,
showcasing the fruitful cooperation between us.”

 

Encina Awards EPC Contract to Worley For BTX Facility Planned in the U.S.

Houston—
Worley has been selected by Encina Development Group to
provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC)
services for Encina’s new benzene-toluene-xylene (BTX)
processing plant to be built at one of several potential sites
in the U.S. (PCN, 30 Apr 2018, p 4).
The facility, which will be the company’s “first” commercial-
scale plant, will use a process developed by Encina
that extracts BTX from plastic waste through catalytic pyrolysis.
Construction is expected to start in the fourth
quarter and take 18 months to complete. Planned capacity
was not given.
Encina originally planned to build the project in Wyoming;
however, last year decided it would use plastic waste
as feedstock rather than refining coal into chemicals. The
change in plans delayed the company’s groundbreaking
timeline in order to handle the additional engineering
work. It also reduced construction time by about six
months.
“The plant is the first of many planned facilities across
the world – with future sites in Europe, Asia, Latin America
and Africa,” Worley noted.

 

Braskem Cuts Ethylene, PP Production; Reduces Planned Investments for 2020

São Paulo—
Braskem announced measures it has taken in view of the
progression of the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on
the company’s operations, including a reduction in ethylene
and polypropylene (PP) production, and cuts in
planned investments.
Specifically, in Brazil, ethylene production was reduced
to about 65% of its total capacity, while in the U.S. PP production
was cut to around 85% of its total capacity.
In addition, the company said it has lowered its
planned investments for 2020 to $600-million from $721-
million.

 

Manali Restarts Production at All Plants After Earlier Lockdown by Government

Chennai—
Manali Petrochemicals announced the restart of both facilities
(Plant 1 and Plant 2) in Manali, Chennai, India, of
which operations were suspended this past March due to a
complete lockdown by the central and state governments to
help fight against COVID-19 (PCN, 20 Apr 2020, p 1).
Last month, the company resumed propylene oxide (PO)
production at Plant 1 and restarted propylene glycol production
at both units.
Manali has now restarted PO production in Plant 2 and
resumed production of polyols and other products in both
facilities. The plants will be operated based on market
conditions, the company noted.

 

Neste and Covestro Partner to Promote Renewable Raw Materials in Plastics

Espoo—Neste
and Covestro have agreed to a strategic cooperation in
Europe to promote the use of sustainable raw materials in
plastics production.
Over the short term, Neste will supply Covestro with
raw materials produced with Neste’s renewable hydrocarbons
with the aim to replace several thousand tons of fossil
raw materials in the production of polycarbonates.
Neste produces its renewable hydrocarbons entirely
from renewable raw materials, such as waste and residue
oil and fats. Neste’s product is suitable for existing infrastructures
and enables customers to produce more sustainable
products using their existing processes.
The companies plan to later expand the scope of their
partnership, also with regard to other types of polymers.
They are inviting other stakeholders along the value
chains to cooperate.
“We are fully committed to working with many partners
to manage the transition to a circular economy, the great
overall social project of the coming years and decades,” said
Covestro Chief Executive Dr. Markus Steilemann. “To this
end, we are also cooperating with upstream partners, such
as Neste, to meet our own raw material requirements from
renewable sources to an even greater extent.”

 

Pertamina & Aramco No Longer Partnering To Develop Cilacap Refinery in Indonesia

Jakarta—
Pertamina will develop its Cilacap refinery in Central
Java, Indonesia, independently, dropping plans of a joint
venture with Saudi Aramco, reported Reuters citing Pertamina.
In 2017, Pertamina and Aramco signed a joint venture
development agreement to jointly own, upgrade and operate
the refinery (PCN, 2 Jan 2017, p 3).
Part of Pertamina’s Refinery Development Master Plan,
the project involves expanding the refinery to 400,000 b/d
from 348,000 b/d. It will also include the production of basic
petrochemicals and refined products, among others.
Operations are planned to begin in 2025.
Pertamina will look for a new partner, while moving
forward with the project.

 

Celanese Seeking Anti-Dumping Duties On UHMWPE from S. Korea into EU

Brussels—
Celanese said it has filed a petition with the European
Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade requesting
anti-dumping duties on imports of ultra-high molecular
weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) from Korea Petrochemical
Industry Co. (KPIC) of South Korea into the European
Union.
“After successfully filing an anti-dumping case in the
U.S., which the U.S. authorities voted unanimously to continue
an investigation into, and in order to further ensure
Celanese is able to operate in fair and sustainable industry
conditions globally, we were compelled to also file an antidumping
case against KPIC in Europe to address their destructive
pricing practices in that region, which have
caused Celanese’s UHMWPE business to suffer significantly
over the last several years, since KPIC began selling
in the region,” said Tom Kelly, senior vice president of engineered
materials at Celanese.
This past March, Celanese filed a petition with the U.S.
Dept. of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade
Commission seeking anti-dumping duties on imports of
UHMWPE from KPIC (PCN, 23 Mar 2020, p 3).

 

Agilyx Collaborating with Oregon Metro To Pilot PS Foam Collection Program

Portland—
Agilyx announced a collaboration with Oregon Metro, a
regional government group, to pilot a polystyrene (PS)
foam collection program for the purpose of recycling the
foam back to new material using Agilyx’s technology.
The PS foam will be aggregated at the Metro South
Transfer Station in Oregon. Agilyx will preprocess the collected
expanded PS foam and ship it to Regenyx’s advanced
recycling facility in Tigard, Ore.
“The pilot program will provide residents of greater
Portland an opportunity to participate in the circular economy
for plastics by enabling end-of-life plastics to be converted
back to new plastics and diversion from the landfills,”
noted Agilyx.
New PS products produced using the recycled EPS at
Regenyx have up to a 70% lower carbon footprint when
compared to virgin plastics, it added.
Regenyx is a joint venture between Agilyx and Americas
Styrenics.

 

Toho Titanium Lets Chiyoda Contract For New PP Catalysts Plant in Japan

Tokyo—Chiyoda
Corp. has been awarded an engineering, procurement and
construction contract by Toho Titanium Co. for a new polypropylene
(PP) catalysts production facility to be built at
Toho’s Chigasaki site in Japan (PCN, 6-13 Apr 2020, p 4).
Estimated to cost around ¥7.3-billion, the project involves
expanding capacity for the company’s THC (Toho
High Efficiency Catalyst) catalysts that are used for the
polymerization of propylene monomer into PP. Completion
is expected at the end of August 2022.
Toho recently said construction would begin in May
2020, with commercial operations scheduled to start in November
2022.

 

Recovered Carbon Black Producer Bolder Plans Investments, Names Distributor

Boulder—
Bolder Industries, manufacturer of recovered carbon black
(rCB) and other petrochemicals from end-of-life tires, said
that based on the success of its pilot programs it has increased
investment in technical expertise, physical laboratory
space, and its leadership team.
“The Maryville, Missouri, Bolder Industries plant fully
commercialized the solution, accepting end-of-life tires at
the gate and extracting steel, BolderBlack [Bolder’s rCB
brand], gas and petrochemicals with a 98% recovery rate
and a net-positive energy facility,” the company explained.
The net effect is around a 90% reduction of environmental
impact across the board when considering greenhouse
gas emissions, electricity, and water usage, and at a
lower price, Bolder noted.
“We have been able to prove our uptime, quality, consistency,
operational costs, and sales of all products over the
past 18 months at full commercial scale,” said Bolder Chief
Technology Officer Nate Murphy.
BolderBlack has been used in over 300 products ranging
from tires to construction materials to waste containers.
Nearly anything that is black plastic or rubber can
use BolderBlack as a sustainable alternative to virgin carbon
black.
Separately, Bolder has appointed Swan Chemical, a
subsidiary of Thomas Swan & Co., as the key North
American distribution partner for BolderBlack.

 

People on the Move

BP America—David C. Lawler has been named
chairman and president, effective 1 July 2020, to replace
Susan Dio, who is retiring. Lawler is currently chief executive
of BPX Energy.
Borealis—Erik van Praet has become vice president,
Innovation & Technology, succeeding Maurits van Tol, who
decided to leave the company. Van Praet was most recently
director of strategy and portfolio.
Air Products—Dr. Samir J. Serhan, who has been
serving as executive vice president of the company, has
been appointed chief operating officer.
Encina Development Group—Carlo Badiola was recently
named senior vice president of Engineering & Technology.
He had been serving as director of Engineering &
Technology since 2017.

 

A ‘Difficult’ Year Lies Ahead for Germany Despite Production Increase, Says VCI

Frankfurt—In
the first quarter 2020, Germany’s chemical production increased
by 3.2% against the previous quarter and grew by
0.9% over the first quarter 2019; however, a “difficult” year
lies ahead for the German chemical-pharmaceutical industry,
according to the latest quarterly report by the German
chemical industry association VCI.
The industry did not yet feel the full force of the corona
pandemic during the first quarter of 2020, mainly because
of the strong demand for pharmaceuticals, various hygiene
products and packaging materials. The industry was
spared setbacks still in March.
“All the same, a severe recession is expected,” said VCI
citing a membership survey. “A decline in orders, disrupted
supply chains and the lack of transport capacities
are causing problems for companies.”
In January and February 2020, the pandemic initially
only impacted business with Asia, since the Chinese economy
was shrinking due to the lockdown. From March onwards,
the pandemic slowed economic growth and the demand
for chemicals globally. Many parts of the European
economy came to a standstill, the report explained.
For the year 2020 as a whole, VCI said it anticipates a
significant drop in production and sales for the industry in
Germany.
This year is going to be a “difficult” year for the chemical-
pharmaceutical industry, noted VCI President Christian
Kullmann. “Companies will strongly feel the effects of
the corona crisis in the coming months.”
Of the VCI members, 75% are expecting a sales decline
in Europe. “Therefore, not only our industry, but the entire
German economy urgently needs an investment and
growth program – instead of new burdens. Furthermore,
we need genuine and holistic sustainability strategies and
not projects that are solely oriented to the ecological component.”
The complete report is available on VCI’s website at
www.vci.de.

 

BASF Grants License to Red Avenue To Produce, Sell Compostable PBAT

Shanghai—
BASF and Red Avenue New Materials Group signed a joint
agreement that grants Red Avenue the license to produce
and sell certified compostable aliphatic aromatic copolyester
(PBAT) in China using BASF’s process technology.
Red Avenue will build a new 60,000-t/y PBAT plant in
Shanghai and allow BASF access to raw material from the
facility, which BASF will sell as ecoflex. Production will
begin in 2022.
“Our successful biopolyester ecoflex and the innovative
ecovio are already giving us significant participation in
this growing market,” said Olivier Ubrich, head of BASF’s
global business unit specialty polymers. “The additional
available PBAT capacities will substantially strengthen
our position.
“Due to Red Avenue’s commitment and network to develop
the Chinese market, their strategically interesting
location and their long-lasting good relationship with
BASF, we have identified Red Avenue as our preferred
partner.”
According to the companies, the global market for certified
compostable and bio-based plastics is expected to grow
by 15% per year.

 

Covestro Announces Concrete Actions To Accelerate to a Circular Economy

Leverkusen—
Covestro plans to accelerate change to a circular economy
through the gradual implementation of numerous concrete
steps and projects, which will align its entire production
and product range, as well as all areas in the long-term,
and promote recycling.
Specifically, the company intends to convert its production
facilities worldwide to alternative raw materials and
renewable energy.
Products are to be increasingly tailored to be recycled
later and aligned even more closely with UN sustainability
goals. Over 20 projects are focusing on researching new
ways for better recycling.
In addition, Covestro wants to cooperate with partners
in all areas of the value creation cycle and also take advantage
of new business opportunities of mutual interest.
Furthermore, the company said it will source a “considerable”
part of its electricity for its plants in Germany,
starting in 2025, from a wind farm in the North Sea.
“Produce, consume, throw away – single use leads to a
dead end, business and society urgently need to rethink,”
noted Covestro Chief Executive Dr. Markus Steilemann.
“Our industry and our company can and wants to support
this transformation. Because plastics are used practically
everywhere and are the key to solving many pressing
challenges. Helping to master them is Covestro’s main
concern to make the world a brighter place.”

 

Orion Engineered Carbons Breaks Ground On Modern Logistics Center in Cologne

Cologne—
Orion Engineered Carbons announced it is building a new,
modern logistics center at its largest manufacturing plant
in Cologne, Germany.
“We produce 160,000 metric tons and more than 100
differentiated grades of carbon black at this facility each
year, which must be treated and handled very carefully,”
said Dr. Sandra Niewiem, senior vice president, specialty
carbon black and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa)
region.
“The new, modern distribution center will enable us to
further grow our business in a location where we have deep
roots.”
Construction will start in the “next few weeks,” with
handover and commissioning scheduled for this December,
the company noted.

 

CNPC’s Dalian Refinery May Shut Down

Beijing—At
China’s recent annual National Parliament Conference,
Chen Xiangqun, a vice governor of northeastern Liaoning
Province, appealed to the central government to shut down
China National Petrochemical Corp.’s (CNPC) Dalian refinery,
according to Reuters.
The 410,000-b/d refinery, CNPC’s “biggest” and “one of
the oldest” refineries in the country, has had several accident
in the past decade, including an oil spill, explosion
and fire, causing safety and pollution concerns, the report
explained.
“I sincerely appealed [to] the industrial ministry and
state-owned assets supervision and administration commission
to coordinate with CNPC to shut down the Dalian
refinery as soon as possible,” said the report quoting Chen.

 

‘Power-to-Methanol Antwerp’ Established For Sustainable Methanol Demo Project

Antwerp—
The Port of Antwerp, together with industrial and business
partners, has set up a formal consortium, ‘Power-to-
Methanol Antwerp BV,’ to advance the planned power-tomethanol
demonstration plant in Belgium (PCN, 11 May
2020, p 1).
The consortium, comprising Port of Antwerp, Inovyn,
Engie, Fluxys, Indaver, Oiltanking and the Flemish Environmental
Holding Co. (Vlaamse Milieuholding or VMH),
plans to build an 8,000-t/y industrial scale demonstration
unit at Inovyn’s Lillo, Belgium, complex.
The facility would be the “first-of-its-kind” for Belgium,
with the methanol produced being used by chemical companies
in the Port of Antwerp cluster, Inovyn earlier noted.
Construction is scheduled to start in 2022, with completion
expected the same year.
In addition to providing a site for the project, Inovyn
will supply hydrogen along with its chemical and electrolysis
expertise; Engie will utilize its knowledge of the electricity
market; Fluxys bring infrastructure experience and
expertise in certification of green gases; Indaver will provide
expertise on carbon dioxide capture; Oiltanking will
advise on the logistical aspects of methanol production and
storage, and VMH will provide part of the financing.
“The formal continuation of the ‘power-to-methanol’
project . . . confirms the conviction of this group of crossindustrial
players to pursue our cooperation,” said a
spokesperson for the industrial partners.
“The project shows in a very practical and innovative
way the importance of industrial symbiosis, as part of the
energy transition pathway.”

 

Hyosung in Final Stage of Validating New Polymer Packaging Material

Seoul—Hyosung
Chemical is in the final phase of verifying commercial production
of a new polymer packaging material, according to
local news reports.
The new material, a mixture of ethylene vinyl alcohol
(EVOH) and polyketones, has improved humidity resistance,
flexibility and price competitiveness.
“By combining the excellent chemical and mechanical
properties of polyketone with the high gas blocking of
EVOH, we have achieved the best synergy effect,” said the
Aju Daily quoting Kwak Soon-jong, researcher at the Korea
Institute of Science and Technology’s photoelectronic
hybrids research center.

 

Lactips Raises €13-Mn in New Capital For Product Development, Facilities

Tours—French
company Lactips, producer of the “first” soluble bioplastic,
said it has raised €13-million in new capital, which will
enable it to ramp up its product development and industrial
facilities.
The company designs, develops and markets innovative
and natural plastics based on a natural raw material with
zero environmental impact. With this key round of financing,
Lactips will accelerate the industrialization of its plastic
pellets and films to offer a wider selection of fully biodegradable
and recyclable biosourced packaging.
Lactips is building a new plant in Gier Valley, France,
which will open in 2021, with the new production lines
gradually ramping up. No other details were given.
The industrial project is being supported by Bpifrance’s
SPI (Societe de Projet Industriel) fund, and by Diamond
Edge Ventures, the investment arm of Mitsubishi Chemical
Holdings Corp.
“This 13 million euros fundraising is structural and
strategic at the same time, thanks to these two new shareholders,”
said Marie-Helene Gramatikoff, chief executive
and co-founder of Lactips.
“More than ever, our industries need new solutions to
respond to future economic challenges tied to the goal of
reducing the environmental impact of plastics.”

 

CIPET Adds ‘Petrochemicals’ to Name; Will Devote Itself to Entire PC Sector

New Delhi—The
Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology
(CIPET) has changed its name to Central Institute of Petrochemicals
Engineering & Technology.
Until now, CIPET has been contributing towards the
growth of the plastics industry through a combined program
of education and research.
CIPET will now be in a position to fully dedicate itself
to the growth of the whole petrochemical sector with a focus
on academics, skilling, technology support and research,
according to Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers
Sadananda Gowda.