SIBUR launches production of new PP grades

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SIBUR has added ten polypropylene (PP) grades to its product mix, reported the company in its press release.

Unique to the company's grade range and developed for the purpose of import substitution, these grades have different uses, and their quality is in line with the best foreign counterparts.

PP H085 CF grade is utilised in non-oriented multi-layer packaging CPP films manufactured by BIAXPLEN, SIBUR's subsidiary. CPP films are used for lamination, packaging bakery, noodle and cosmetic products.

PP H033 FF grade is utilised to produce raffia, a mono-axially oriented film thread. The grade's specific composition offers a number of advantages over the basic PP grades, both in terms of the process (e. g., reduced waste and higher output) and the quality of finished products. It improves mechanical properties of the film thread resulting in a more effective textile processing of raffia into soft packaging.

PP H032 TF grade is used in thermoforming. Its unique composition with innovative additives helps to boost output, improve end-user performance of finished products and optimise polymer processing, eliminating the need for special additives to the general purpose grade.

The company has also launched the production of PP R003 EX grade used to manufacture PPR80 pressure pipes and fittings. Its special stabilising composition ensures a longer product life cycle at high temperatures.

SIBUR has also developed new products for the injection moulding segment, launching six special PP grades. The composition of PP H251 IM, PP H351 IM and PP H451 IM special grades ensures a high transparency of finished products, while that of PP H252 IM, PP H352 IM, PP H452 IM grades optimises the production process and improves physical, mechanical and optical properties.

"The expanded PP grade offering is in line with the strategy of SIBUR's Tomsk-based BIAXPLEN and NPP Neftekhimiya to penetrate the market's special grades niche", says Sergey Komyshan, SIBUR's Managing Director.

Out of all plastics, polypropylene ranks third in the world by volume of consumption after polyethylene and PVC and is widely used across an array of industries, including automotive, housing and utilities, and consumer goods (packaging, film, furniture, tableware).

As MRC informed previously, in May 2013, SIBUR began integrated equipment testing at the propylene storage facility and trial production of the first polypropylene line at the company’s Tobolsk-Polymer complex, which later was officially opened on 15 October 2013.

SIBUR is a uniquely positioned vertically integrated gas processing and petrochemicals company. SIBUR owns and operates Russia’s largest gas processing business in terms of associated petroleum gas processing volumes, and is a leader in the Russian petrochemicals industry.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, has opened its new 10 million INR Roha, India Mining Lab complex, located in the Western Indian state of Maharashtra, repoted the company on its site.

The new Clariant lab offers the capabilities of evaluating the performance of Clariant Mining Solutions chemistry, designed specifically to suit the unique requirements of Indian ores and address the challenges operators face in the recovery of fine mineral grains at various grades.

"Roha is a strategic site for Clariant’s operations in India, and our recent investments are a testimony of this commitment," said Dr. Deepak Parikh, vice-chairman and managing director for Clariant India. "This new laboratory will accelerate our business growth and support research and development to cater to the evolving customer demands locally. It further reflects Clariant’s commitment to support India’s mining growth."

The new Clariant Mining Solutions Lab is capable of receiving the run of mine (ROM) ore from mining operations throughout India to cost-effectively evaluate the performance of Clariant chemical agents developed to boost mineral grade and recovery. The lab is well equipped with all the standard equipment required in the performance evaluation of Clariant’s chemical agents, including a Feed Preparation (Size Reduction Equipment), Floation Cells and Drying & final Product Preparation.

As MRC wrote previously, Clariant has recently announced a significant investment to expand its plant in Casablanca, Morocco and increase its global footprint with the production of polymers and chemical blends for the African and Middle East mining industry. This new investment will also include the opening of a Clariant Mining Solutions laboratory where the focus will be on supporting the phosphate industry in flotation, fertilizer additives and process chemicals. The lab will enable Clariant Mining Solutions to better support the growing customer base and the market growth of the company in the region.

Clariant is an internationally active specialty chemical company, based in Muttenz near Basel. The group owns over 100 companies worldwide. Clariant is divided into eleven business units: Additives; Catalysis & Energy; Emulsions, Detergents & Intermediates; Functional Materials; Industrial & Consumer Specialties; Leather Services; Masterbatches; Oil & Mining Services; Paper Specialties; Pigments; Textile Chemicals.

Clariant Mining is a leading provider of flotation chemicals and explosion emulsifiers to the global mining industry. Clariant Mining's strong and growing team of technical experts operates around the globe and is dedicated to providing world-class specialty chemical solutions that add value to customers' mining operations.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Chinese state oil and gas giant PetroChina plans to spend more than 10 billion yuan (USD1.6 billion) on shale gas this year, said Upstreamonline.

PetroChina's decision to triple its shale gas spending from expenditures on the unconventional fuel over the past few years comes just months after Sinopec lifted hopes that China is near a breakthrough by announcing a commercial find.

PetroChina has also lifted its 2015 shale gas output target to 2.6 billion cubic metres, up from the previous 1.5 Bcm, according to a company official and a government source cited by the news wire. That would represent only about 2.3% of China's total natural gas output of around 113 Bcm last year.

"PetroChina wants to play catch-up after Sinopec's success," one government source told Reuters.

Since around 2010, PetroChina has spent about 3 billion yuan (USD482.39 million) total on pilot shale drilling, according to the news wire. The state giant, which makes up around 70% of China's total natural gas output, has so far largely focused on growing its conventional oil and gas portfolio.

PetroChina will reportedly focus on two pilot zones: Weiyuan-Changning in south-west Sichuan basin and Zhaotong in Yunnan province.

"PetroChina has over the past four years improved understanding of the shale resources and achieved some technological breakthroughs," said Mao Zefeng, joint company secretary of PetroChina. "We're stepping up shale gas development this year," he said.

Sinopec's shale work has been concentrated in the Fuling area of Chongqing municipality in south-west China, also part of the Sichuan basin, one of the most promising geological zones for the unconventional fuel. Sinopec has drilled nearly 30 pilot shale gas wells in the Fuling area.

The main challenge for both Sinopec and PetroChina is to cut the drilling cost per well to under 50 million yuan (USD8 million), half the current hefty rates averaging around 80 million - 100 million yuan, experts say. The government has set shale gas production targets at 6.5 Bcm for 2015 and at 60-100 Bcm for 2020.

As MRC reported before, this summer, Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies and The Dow Chemical announced that PetroChina Guangdong Petrochemical Company, a subsidiary of PetroChina selected LP Oxo technology to produce 2-ethylhexanol, normal butanol and iso butyraldehyde in its major petrochemical complex in Jieyang, Guangdong, China. The new LP Oxo unit, with a capacity of 85,000 metric tons of 2-ethylhexanol, 235,000 metric tons of normal butanol and 33,000 metric tons of iso-butyraldehyde on a yearly basis, will adopt JM Davy and Dow's LP Oxo SELECTOR 10 Technology with advanced liquid phase hydrogenation which features a high conversion of propylene to alcohols, low capital investment and easy operation.

PetroChina Company Limited, is a Chinese oil and gas company and is the listed arm of state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation, headquartered in Dongcheng District, Beijing. It is China's biggest oil producer.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Eastman Chemical Company, a global specialty chemical company, received the EDANA INDEX14 Innovation in Raw Material Award for its Eastman Cyphrex microfibers, as per the company's press release.

Launched in 2013, the new and groundbreaking Eastman Cyphrex microfibers platform, enables nonwovens solutions unlike anything else on the market. It has become a novel resource for media and downstream component manufacturers.

"We are honored to receive this recognition from a leading international association such as EDANA," said Tim N. Dell, vice president, innovation, marketing, sales and pricing, Eastman Chemical Company. "We are continuously investing in growing our application development expertise to address customer needs with market-changing products that offer an entirely new level of performance."

Eastman Cyphrex microfibers offer a unique combination of capability in variation of size, shape and material, a high level of uniformity and consistency, and ease of wetlaid processing. This combination opens new possibilities to nonwovens formulators and their customers in achieving an expanded reach of desired properties with a high degree of precision and consistency.

Earlier this year, Eastman enhanced its platform capability with a new 4.5-micron PET fiber, demonstrating the company’s capability of changing size. Manufacturers can use this unique fiber to pinpoint permeability and pore size and to improve media uniformity.

Customers have the potential to use Eastman Cyphrex microfibers in such markets as air and liquid filtration; specialty papers; and battery separators.

As MRC wrote previously, earlier this year, Eastman Chemical Company, a global specialty chemical company, enhanced its medical packaging portfolio with Eastalite copolyester, the company’s first opaque offering, which is styrene-free and can be a sustainable alternative to high-impact polystyrene (HIPS).

Eastman (headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA) is a global specialty chemical company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With a portfolio of specialty businesses, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. Its market-driven approaches take advantage of world-class technology platforms and leading positions in attractive end-markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell will announce first-quarter financial results before the U.S. market opens Tuesday, April 29, to be followed by a conference call to discuss results at 11 a.m., said The Wall Street Journal.

As MRC wrote before, LyondellBasell said it had pulled out of talks to sell its Berre refinery in southeastern France to Monaco-based Sotragem, adding that the bid offered no guarantee that the mothballed site would restart.

LyondellBasell Industries NV is a manufacturing company. The Company produces chemicals, fuels, and polymers used for packaging, clean fuels, durable textiles, medical applications, construction materials, and automotive parts. LyondellBasell Industries operates globally and is headquartered in the Netherlands. LyondellBasell is also a leading licensor of polypropylene and polyethylene technologies. The more than 250 polyolefin process licenses granted by LyondellBasell are twice that of any other polyolefin technology licensor.
MRC