Takreer selects wet air oxidation system by Siemens for refinery spent caustic treatment

(process-worldwide) -- Siemens Industry Automation Division is providing Takreer (Abu Dhabi Oil Refining) with a Zimpro wet air oxidation (WAO) system to treat refinery spent caustic as part of the company's expansion of its refinery in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, UAE. The expansion project is scheduled to be complete by late 2013.

The refinery expansion project will increase crude oil refining capacity by 417,000 barrels per day using the latest advanced technology for downstream processing units to produce higher quality products and to comply with UAE and international environmental standards.

One of the advanced technologies that will help Takreer meet environmental regulations, the WAO system will treat odorous sulfides and produce biodegradable effluent for discharge to the facility's effluent treatment plant.

Wet oxidation is the oxidation of soluble or suspended components in an aqueous environment, using oxygen as the oxidizing agent. When air is used as the source of oxygen, the process is referred to as wet air oxidation (WAO). The process will oxidize odorous reduced sulfur species such as sulfides and mercaptides. WAO can pretreat difficult wastewater streams like refinery spent caustic, making them amenable for discharge to a conventional biological treatment plant for polishing.

MRC

Perstorp increases prices for polyols and 2-EHA

(perstorp) -- Leading specialty chemicals company Perstorp will increase price for Trimethylolpropane (TMP) and Neopentyl Glycol (Neo) with effect from 1 March 2012 or as existing contracts permit.

Effective March 1st, 2012 or as existing contracts permit Perstorp will increase the price for Trimethylolpropane (TMP) and Neopentyl Glycol (Neo) by EUR 150/MT in Europe and by USD 200/MT on all other markets.Prices are being increased due to higher cost of operation related to raw material, energy and logistics.

Perstorp increases price for Specialty chemicals company Perstorp will increase price for 2-Ethylhexanoic Acid (2-EHA) 1 March, 2012, or as existing contracts permit.

Effective March 1, 2012, or as existing contracts permit, Perstorp will also increase the price for 2-Ethylhexanoic Acid in Europe by 120 EUR/MT in the USA, Canada & Mexico by USD0.07/lb, in South & Central America USD150/MT, in Asia, Africa & Middle East USD150/MT.

Price increase is driven by increased prices on raw materials.

MRC

Perstorp to extend its distribution

(plasteurope) -- Specialty chemicals manufacturer Perstorp, Sweden has extended its distribution agreement with Nordmann, Rassmann (NRC, Hamburg / Germany) to cover a wider range of products including polyalcohols, caprolactones, specialty polymers and coalescing agents. Alongside plastics and thermoplastic elastomers (TPUs), the products are sold to the adhesives, resins and coatings sectors.

At the same time, the Swedish company has extended its long-standing distribution pact with Hamburg-based Worlee-Chemie for aliphatic isocyanates used by the coatings, construction and adhesives industries.

MRC

Dutch AkzoNobel swings to EUR68mln loss in Q4

(news.yahoo) -- Akzo Nobel NV, the world's largest maker of paints and coatings, has reported EUR68 million (USD89 million) loss for the fourth quarter due to rising commodity costs and a one-time charge.

The loss compares to profit of euro162 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Sales rose 4.7 percent to EUR3.79 billion.
Akzo Nobel's paint arm, which supplies Walmart, was badly hit by rising costs of titanium dioxide, a key paint pigment. The company's coatings and chemicals arms saw relatively mild declines in operating profit, also due to rising raw materials costs.

The company also bought back more than half a billion euros of its own bond debt to refinance at lower interest rates, taking a charge of EUR67 million.

MRC

Tessenderlo swings to loss on fertilizer demand drop

(reuters) -- Belgian chemicals and plastics group Tessenderlo swung to an unexpected fourth-quarter net loss due to a sharp drop in demand for fertilizers in recession-hit southern Europe and tight raw material supplies at its gelatin unit.

Its shares fell as much as 8.8 percent on Thursday, making them the weakest performers on the Euronext Brussels Midcap Index.

Tessenderlo said it had experienced a sharp decline in demand for potassium sulfate fertilizers in the Mediterranean region and that margins came under pressure due to higher raw material costs.

That offset a rise in profit at its Kerley unit which makes chemicals for the agriculture and mining industries.

Economic output data on Wednesday highlighted the gap between the wealthy nations of northern Europe and those of the poorer south which includes countries such as Greece and Italy at the heart of the region's debt crisis.

The Gelatin and Akiolis unit, whose main customers are the food and pharmaceuticals industries, posted lower sales due to tighter raw materials availability.

The group net loss was 8.6 million euros (USD11.2 million) compared with a forecast net profit of 1.43 million in a Reuters poll of analysts.

Tessenderlo said it was cautious about 2012, which would be a year of transition.

Recurring operating profit for the fourth quarter was 1 million euros (USD1.31 million), below the 7.28 million expected in the Reuters poll of four analysts.

It was also below an earlier outlook, when the group forecast fourth-quarter operating results in line with the same period last year, which would have been EUR4.4mln at recurring operating profit level.

MRC