Styrolution launches a new production facility in South Korea

(Chemmanager) -- Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, announced the start-up of its Luran S plant located in Ulsan, South Korea.

Luran S belongs to Styrolution's specialties portfolio, which is well-known for its innovation, quality and customizability. It is the brand name for Styrolution's styrene acrylonitrile copolymers that have been impact-modified with acrylic ester rubber, acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA). It is used in outdoor applications in various industries including automotive, electrical & electronics, building & construction, as well as sports & leisure.

The new plant has a capacity of 43,000 mt per year, complementing current ASA capacity in Europe and North America, enabling Styrolution to offer customers in the Asia-Pacific region greater security of supply and shorter lead times.

The Styrolution Group GmbH is a global provider of styrenics , headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. The company is a joint venture between BASF (50%) and INEOS (50%), were merged into the main styrene operations of the two partners. Its main focus is on the production of monomer, polystyrene, styrenic specialties, and ABS. The company offers styrene plastics for a variety of everyday products from different industries , such as automotive, electronics, construction, household, leisure, packaging, medicine and health.
MRC

A major decline in polymers imports from Asia is expected in August

MOSCOW (MRC) – Due to the APEC summit Russian Railways has temporarily restricted goods train movement from the eastern part of Russia to Siberia and beyond. The restriction of railway traffic will affect polymers supply from Asia, report MRC analysts.

Due to the congestion of infrastructure, Russian Railways restricted goods train movement from the eastern part of Russia to Siberia and beyond during the summit and its preparation period. At present traders that receive goods from Asia have to apply for shipments by rail 10 days prior to the following month. Freight traffic is also severely restricted.

Such serious freight restrictions might significantly affect the Russian market of large polymers since the share of imports of some polymers through the eastern marine border is quite substantial.

Approximately 15% of the total PE import volumes are shipped through Vostochny port and the port of Vladivostok. They are mostly pipe PE100 and injection moulding PE from Asia. However, film HDPE shipments through the eastern region have considerably grown recently.

In polypropylene supply this index makes about 10% and largely accounts for South Korean PP-homo and random copolymer. In PVC supply, a share of imports from Asia through Eastern Russia is rather low. Basic import flows of resin from Asia come through Kazakhstan (Chinese acetylene PVC).

PS and styrenic plastics import volumes through the eastern border make about 36%, basically it is EPS. The largest share of import volumes through eastern Russian borders accounts for PET. PET index reaches 67%.

The business APEC summit will take place in Vladivostok on September, 7-8, 2012. The Heads of states and governments of APEC Forum will take part in Vladivostok summit 2012.
MRC

Dow launches a new film plant in Thailand

(hydrocarbonprocessing) -- Dow Chemical said on Wednesday that it has begun production of polyolefin encapsulant films in Thailand. The new films are aimed to be used in photovoltaic solar panels.

"Market demand for these innovative encapsulant films remains very strong, and this new production capacity will enable us to meet the needs of this fast-growing sector," said Jerry Pritchett, global business director for the performance plastics’ photovoltaic business.

The Map Ta Phut, Thailand site will allow Dow to double global production capacity immediately, the company said.

Dow is also constructing a third manufacturing site for this film in Schkopau, Germany, which will also bring additional capacity.

Thailand is home to Dow’s largest manufacturing operations in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the company.

The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational chemical corporation. As of 2007, it is the second-largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue (after BASF) and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization (after BASF and DuPont). Dow is a large producer of plastics, including polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, and synthetic rubber.
MRC

Sadara awards contract to Tecnicas Reunidas in Jubail Industrial City


(plastemart) -- Sadara Chemical Company (Sadara) has awarded Tecnicas Reunidas (TR) the Chem-III project, contract for part of the chemical complex being built in Jubail Industrial City II, Saudi Arabia. Sadara is a joint venture between Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) and The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), and is the world's largest chemical complex ever built in a single phase.

The project awarded to Tecnicas Reunidas includes the ethylene oxide, propylene glycol, polyols, ethanol amines, ethylene amines, butyl glycol ether plants and the auxiliary and control facilities necessary for their operation. TR will perform detailed engineering, procurement and supply of the equipment and materials, construction of the plants and the support during commissioning of the units. The plants are scheduled to come onstream in 2015.
MRC

Lukoil to use new technology for petrochemical production in Russia

(hydrocarbonprocessing) -- Honeywell’s UOP has been selected by Russia's Lukoil to provide technology to produce high-quality gasoline blending components, propylene and other petrochemicals at its facility in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. In addition to technology licensing, UOP and a number of its affiliates will provide engineering design, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, staff training and technical service for the project, the company said.

“With legislation in the Russian Federation calling for improved gasoline quality, as well as the region's rising petrochemicals demand, UOP is pleased to offer technology solutions that work together to meet those needs,” said Pete Piotrowski, senior vice president and general manager of Honeywell's UOP process technology and equipment business unit.

The suite of Honeywell's UOP technology will be used in a new integrated fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) complex, the second such complex to be licensed by Lukoil at the Nizhny Novgorod facility.

The new units, expected to start up in 2015, will produce more than 1 million tpy of gasoline blending components and more than 170,000 tpy of propylene.

Lukoil is Russia's second largest oil company and its second largest producer of oil. Lukoil carries out exploration and production of oil and gas in Russia and as of 2008 thirty other countries, amongst others Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Colombia, Venezuela, Belgium, and Saudi Arabia.
The company runs 4 main oil refineries in Russia with a combined refining capacity of approximately 44.1 million tones, two "mini-refineries" and also refineries outside Russia.
MRC