Hong Kong Petrochemical to shut PS plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Hong Kong Petrochemical is in plans to shut a polystyrene (PS) plant, reported Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Hong Kong informed that the plant is planned to be shut on February 10, 2014for maintenance turnaround. It is likely to remain off-stream for around 10 days.

Located in Yuen Long Industrial Estate, Hong Kong, the plant has a high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) and general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) capacity of 70,000 mt/year each.

As MRC wrote before, PS Japan Corp is in plans to shut its PS plant for maintenance. The company operates two PS lines at Chiba in Japan with production capacities of 200,000 mt/year and 45,000 mt/year, respectively. The company is likely to undertake a maintenance turnaround at the smaller plant in March 2014. The shutdown is expected to remain period of around one month.

Besides, Japanese petrochemical producer - Taiyo Vinyl Corp., a subsidiary of Tosoh Group, is in plans to shut its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant for maintenance in July 2014 for a period of about one month. Located at Osaka in Japan, the PVC plant has a production capacity of 170,000 mt/year.
MRC

Wine bottle closures to be made using Braskem green plastic in the United States

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Braskem, the leading producer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas and the world's leading biopolymer producer, will launch the unprecedented use of green plastic in wine bottle closures made by Nomacorc, the leading U.S. company in the segment, said Braskem in its press release.

Called Select Bio, the closures are 100% recyclable and feature the same oxygen management performance as the conventional line, while also preventing deterioration and waste caused by processes such as oxidation and reduction. In this case, the green plastic works as an efficient drop-in replacement for cork, a material provided by special trees that can take up to decades to grow.

Braskem's "I'm greenTM Polyethylene" is made from ethylene derived from sugarcane ethanol. Its main advantage is that it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, since it sequesters carbon dioxide during its production process. It also features the same properties as traditional polyethylene, which means that manufacturers do not have to change their machinery and that it can be recycled. To help consumers recognize the green plastic, Braskem created the "I'm greenTM" seal, which guarantees the renewable origin of the packaging.

"Braskem is a strong organization with a history of creating reliable, sustainable polymer materials for leading manufacturers around the world," said Olav Aagaard, Nomacorc's principal scientist. "By using Braskem's sugarcane based green polyethylene, we can confidently offer to our customers a carbon neutral wine closure which will not only be consistent and optimal for their wines, but now also allows them to create a more sustainable packaging solution."

As MRC wrote before, Tecnaro , which specializes in biocompounds, signed a contract with Braskem for a new line of Green PE applications.

Braskem is Brazilian main producer of polyethylene and polypropylene. In addition with ongoing plants located in both petrochemical complexes, in April 2008 Braskem opened a 300,000 metric ton polypropylene plant in the city of Paulinia (Sao Paulo).
MRC

PVC imports to Belarus grew by 10.6% in January-November 2013

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of unmixed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to Belarus rose by 10.6% over the first eleven months of 2013. Such a serious surge in demand was caused by the growth in the domestic consumption and exports of finished products made from PVC, according to MRC analysts.

Stronger demand for finished products made from PVC in the domestic and foreign markets has allowed Belarusian converters to increase consumption. PVC imports to the local market rose to 40,700 tonnes from January to November 2013 from 36,800 tonnes over the same period in 2012.

The main PVC suppliers to Belarus were producers from Germany and Poland last year. PVC imports from Russia and Ukraine also increased significantly in the last two months.

Exports of shaped and linear articles made from PVC grew by 3.6% over the stated period and totalled about 25,100 tonnes.
MRC

Imports of polyolefins to Belarus dropped by 5% in January-November 2013

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The overall imports of polyolefins - polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) - to Belarus dropped by 5% over the first eleven months of 2013, according to MRC analysts.

After the September peak, PE and PP imports into Belarus began to decline gradually. Seasonal factors and national currency devaluation only added to lower imports. The overall PE and PP imports to Belarus decreased to 97,700 tonnes and 74,000 tonnes, respectively, down by 3% and 7% from 2012.

The structure of imports over the said period looks the following way.

Imports of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) fell in November 2013 to 3,800 tonnes from 4,300 tonnes in October. LDPE and LLDPE imports into Belarus totalled 41,400 tonnes over the first eleven months of 2013, down by 24.5% from 2012. Producers of Russia and Saudi Arabia are the main suppliers of these PE grades.

Imports of high density polyethylene (HDPE) dropped in November 2013 to 3,900 tonnes from 4,700 tonnes in October. The overall HDPE imports rose to 56,300 tonnes from January to November 2013, up by 13.6% from 2012.

Imports of homopolymer of propylene (homopolymer PP) and copolymers of propylene to Belarus totalled in November 2013 5,200 tonnes and 1,600 tonnes, respectively. Imports of these products decreased over the stated period to 54,100 tonnes and 19,900 tonnes, respectively, whereas in 2012 these figures were 58,900 tonnes and 20,800 tonnes, respectively.
MRC

Imports of PET to Kazakhstan decreased by 2% in 2013

MOSCOW (MRC) - Imports of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to Kazakhstan declined slightly in 2013.
Total imports of PET to Kazakhstan was 51,800 tonnes, down 2% from the level in 2012, according to MRC analysts.
Traditionally China remained the main supplier to the Kazakhstan market.

Despite a slight decline in imports in 2013, the share of Chinese PET increased in the total imports of PET to the country, surpassing position of Korean PET. Imports of Chinese PET increased to 37,000 tonnes in 2013,up 9% from the level in 2012. Imports of Korean PET fell by 12.4% and totalled 14,600 tonnes.

Some traders said demand for PET remained at the level of the previous years; there were no noticeable disruptions in the PET shipments in 2013.

The delivery of Russian PET is expected to rise this year on the back of the expansion of capacities in Russia. SIBUR announced its plans to increase PET exports to Kazakhstan from Polief, based in Blagoveshchensk.
MRC