Bayer inaugurates regional Innovation hub Asia Pacific at the Polymer R&D center in Shanghai

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Bayer MaterialScience, polymers and high-performance plastic maker, has officially inaugurated its regional innovation hub Asia Pacific at the Polymer Research & Development Center (PRDC) in Shanghai, China, as per GV.

The hub offers a state-of-the-art facility for its polyurethane, polycarbonates and coatings businesses, where saff will work with customers to develop novel ideas for the use of high-performance plastics, foams and coatings in key sectors such as mobility, construction, IT and renewable energy.

"Our vision is for it to become indispensable in terms of competencies, projects and products. We are aiming to reach a global innovation footprint for Bayer and its partners by exporting China-made technology to the rest of the world by 2020," said Patrick Thomas, CEO of Bayer MaterialScience.

The innovation hub will employ more than 200 staff and provide support to R&D facilities in Korea, Taiwan, India and Japan. It is expected to represent a full range of R&D expertise. It will also be supported by a strong network of production sites in Asia Pacific with major production sites in Shanghai, Map Ta Phut (Thailand) and Niihama (Japan).

Asia Pacific is among the strongest growth regions for Bayer MaterialScience and accounted for EUR 3.15 billion sales in 2012. This growth is mainly driven by increasing demand from infrastructure projects and domestic demand for cars, electronic consumer goods and new housing from an affluent emerging middle class. Greater urbanization further drives construction and mobility demands. At the same time, the ever increasing demand for energy prompts governments to look at sustainable energy generating technologies, among them energy from renewable resources such as wind and solar energy.

As MRC informed previously, Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) has bought the polycarbonate sheet business of Arkema Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of the French firm Arkema Group. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to BMS, the transaction includes the acquisition of Arkema’s Tuffak brand, which is used in such markets as aerospace, transportation and heavy equipment.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- A second worker has died from an explosion at a Williams Partners gas plant in Geismar, La, reported Tulsa World.

Scott Thrower, 47, of St. Amant, La. died from injuries sustained in Thursday morning’s explosion, a Louisiana State Police spokesman said. Thrower was admitted to the hospital Thursday with severe burns from the explosion at the natural gas products plan, owned by Tulsa-based Williams Partners.

Williams president and CEO Alan Armstrong and Geismar plant manager Larry Bayer held a press conference Friday near the site of the explosion and said that they are still unsure what caused the deadly explosion and massive fire at the natural gas liquids processing facility.

Two of those workers are Williams employees and the other four are contracted employees. The rest of the 77 people injured in the blast have been treated and released.

Plant technician and Williams employee Zachary Green, 29, died in the blast and Armstrong and Bayer said they have reached out to Green’s family. All 839 employees working at the plant at the time are accounted for.

The explosion occurred in the plant’s prophylene fractionation area, Bayer said. Williams still hasn’t been allowed back into the area to investigate the exact cause of the explosion.

As MRC reported earlier, there were no early detections of dangerous levels of VOC - that's volatile organic compound - but out of an abundance of caution both the company and the DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) were doing testing not only at the plant site but miles away from the plant site following the direction of the plume.

The Geismar, La. plant is a natural gas liquids cracker that processes olefins used in the petrochemical industry. Williams Partners produces approximately 1.3 billion pounds of ethylene and 90 million pounds of polymer grade prophylene from the plant.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Chinese Yisheng Petrochemical has shut a purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant owing to weak demand conditions, said Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Japan informed that the plant was shut on June 13, 2013. The specific duration of the closure could not be ascertained. Located in Hainan province, China, the plant has a production capacity of 2 million mt/year.

As MRC informed earlier, Yisheng Petrochemicals' new 2 mln tpa plant in Hainan started up in the end 2012. The Chinese company has completed its machinery purchases for the new plant, as per Platts. Two machine trains with PTA capacity of 1 mln tpa has been sourced from Germany's MAN Turbo. Each train comprises an air compressor, a steam turbine, an expander and a motor/generator.

Yisheng Petrochemical is jointly owned by polyester giants Zhejiang Hengyi Group and Zhejiang RongSheng Group.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP (Chevron Phillips Chemical) announced it will expand its ethylene production by 200 million pounds by adding a tenth furnace to ethylene unit 33 at its Sweeny complex in Old Ocean, Texas, said the producer.

The Company recently received consent to begin construction from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The new furnace will achieve lower emissions and incorporate Best Available Control Technology (BACT). Construction is targeted to commence within the next quarter, with an anticipated startup in 2014.

"This furnace addition will provide additional ethylene supply to meet the growing global demand to better serve our customers and provide additional supply prior to starting up our proposed U.S. Gulf Coast Petrochemicals Project in 2017," said Dave Smith, olefins & natural gas liquids vice president for Chevron Phillips Chemical. Chevron Phillips Chemical’s U.S. Gulf Coast Petrochemicals Project continues to be on track to build an ethane cracker at its Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, Texas and two polyethylene units in Old Ocean.

While the additional furnace will not add to the nameplate capacity of the facility, the increased operating factor should result in net increase of 200 million pounds of ethylene availability to provide additional operational flexibility and reliability.

The Sweeny complex is one of the world’s largest single-site ethylene facilities and is capable of producing greater than 11 million pounds of ethylene per day, or roughly 4.1 billion pounds annually. "This project and the proposed addition of the adjacent polyethylene units emphasize the importance of Sweeny in the company’s portfolio," said Wayne McDowell, Sweeny complex manager. "We are thrilled to produce quality products safely and reliably on an even larger scale."

As MRC wrote before, Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.is exploring ways to expand in the Middle East, including building a new plant. The U.S. partnership would consider setting up a site on its own or in a joint venture, and the "entire" region is under consideration.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Federal and state authorities have filed a joint lawsuit against ExxonMobil over the March spill of thousands of barrels of heavy crude into a residential neighbourhood in Arkansas, said Upstreamonline.

The US Justice Department said it is seeking civil penalties under federal law against the supermajor related to the spill of some 5000 barrels of oil, which occurred when the 95,000-barrel-per-day Pegasus line ruptured months ago.

The State of Arkansas is also seeking civil penalties for alleged violations of state pollution laws.

Clean-up has continued and the Pegasus line has been shut since the major spill in late March, when heavy oil spewed into the lawns and driveways of 22 homes in the suburban town of Mayflower, forcing evacuations.

Arkansas is also awaiting judgement on ExxonMobil's liability for damages related to the spill.

An ExxonMobil spokesman told that the company has not been formally served with the lawsuit and had net yet reviewed the allegations.

Some residents have sued the company as well.

Pipeline regulators recently granted ExxonMobil time to conduct a second round of testing on the ruptured portion of the nearly 70-year-old line to determine what caused the malfunction. The pipeline runs from Illinois to Texas.

The spill occurred near Lake Conway, a popular recreational area. The oil killed dozens of birds mammals and reptiles, and hundreds more were captured and cleaned of oil.

Mayflower is located about 25 miles north-west of Little Rock, the state capital.

ExxonMobil is the largest non-government owned company in the energy industry and produces about 3 percent of the world's oil and about 2% of the world's energy.
MRC