BASF to participate in public consultation on flame retardant under REACH authorization

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF to participate in public consultation on flame retardant under REACH authorization, said the producer in its press release.

BASF opposes the authorization of a prolonged use of the flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). The use of HBCD – a flame retardant primarily used for polystyrene-based insulating foams and textiles – will be banned as of August 21, 2015 under the European Union’s REACH chemicals legislation unless it is expressly authorized for an applicant. Furthermore, HBCD is listed as a persistent organic pollutant (POP) by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The European Chemicals Agency ( ECHA) has launched a public consultation on the application by a consortium that is requesting to continue using HBCD. BASF will argue that authorization is unnecessary. "A safer and better alternative to HBCD is available and already successfully introduced,” said Giorgio Greening, Senior Vice President of BASF’s global business unit for polystyrene foams. “There is therefore no good reason to deviate from the original deadline for replacing HBCD."

Over the past years, a new polymeric flame retardant (PolyFR) with a superior environmental profile has been developed, tested and approved as an alternative to HBCD.

Extensive tests with expandable polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) containing PolyFR have shown that the foam properties are equal to those of material containing HBCD. This has allowed a fast track certification of insulation boards for building applications by the responsible authorities. Demand for flame retardant EPS in Europe could already be met by EPS containing PolyFR in the second half of 2014 . In May this year, BASF announced that it would switch all grades of Styrodur XPS rigid foam and EPS products Styropor and Neopor in Europe to PolyFR by the end of 2014. A growing number of other producers are also using PolyFR as a substitute for HBCD.

BASF is the leading chemical company. It produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries. BASF had sales of about EUR74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- KraussMaffei started producing innovative plastic packaging for premium quality cosmetics and perfume using a CXZ 160 – 380/180 hybrid, said the producer in its press release.

With sales of nearly 170 million euros in the last fiscal year and almost 1,000 employees, Groupe Texen is one of the major companies in this market segment. The company manufactures injection-molded plastic packaging and screw-cap closures at eight locations in Europe, North America and Latin America.

"Texen was looking for a partner who could deliver an injection molding machine with outstanding application flexibility." In this respect, the requirements of the performance specifications were extremely demanding. "We have integrated all kinds of process engineering, which likely cannot be found in France or even in the market as a whole in this form," explains Jacques Socquet, President of the subsidiary of the KraussMaffei Group in France.

CX machine with extensive equipment and automation

Consequently, Texen acquired a CX Hybrid with 1,600 kN of clamping force featuring an extensive equipment package. The CX Hybrid series combines the benefits of a fully hydraulic clamping unit with those of electrically driven injection units. This series is characterized by low energy consumption and high power density. Each shaft of the injection unit is electrically driven separately so that the mold can be opened and the ejector activated, even during the plasticizing phase. Shot weights up to about 140 g of polystyrene can be produced with the large injection unit. The machine is also designed for the injection of multi-component parts using a sandwiching technique and is equipped for molds in index implementation.

As MRC wrote before, Two leading pipe manufacturers from Russia have recently chosen KraussMaffei Berstorff as a systems supplier for premium-quality technology and invested in PO pipe extrusion systems. Isoljazionny Trubny Zawod (ITZ) is seeking to enter into a long-term partnership with KraussMaffei Berstorff. Polyplastic Group is already a satisfied KraussMaffei Berstorff customer and, consequently, has placed a follow-up order.

The KraussMaffei Group is a global leader in the plastics and rubber processing industries. The company covers all areas of injection molding machinery, extrusion technology and reaction process machinery, which gives it a unique selling point in the industry.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Petronas Chemicals Group (PCG) has restarted a polyethylene (PE) plant, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Malaysia informed that the plant restarted on June 16, 2014. The plant was shut for a maintenance turnaround.

Located in Kerteh, Malaysia, the plant has a production capacity of 240,000 mt/year.

As MRC reported earlier, PCG and German chemical giant BASF began construction of a RM1.63 billion integrated aroma ingredient plant in Kuantan in April 2014. The partners are also to invest in downstream production, including L-menthol-ingredient in numerous products in oral care, body care, flavourings and pharmaceutical products, as well as a plant for citronellol - used for a fresh long-lasting rose fragrance and an indispensable component for many fresh-floral compounds.

Petronas, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia. The Group is engaged in a wide spectrum of petroleum activities, including upstream exploration and production of oil and gas to downstream oil refining; marketing and distribution of petroleum products; trading; gas processing and liquefaction; gas transmission pipeline network operations; marketing of liquefied natural gas; petrochemical manufacturing and marketing; shipping; automotive engineering; and property investment.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Global monoethylene glycol (MEG) production is likely cross 28.74 mln tons by 2017. In 2011, the world production of MEG grew by over 1 mln tons, crossing the 20.65 mln ton mark, reported Plastemart with reference to Merchant Research & Consulting.

In the same year, Asia accounted for more than 44% of the world's total MEG production volume. It was followed by the Middle East with a market share of over 32%.

Saudi Arabia was the dominant MEG producing country in the world; it accounted for 24.12% of the world's total MEG production in 2011. Other top MEG producing countries included China, Taiwan, the USA and Canada. Shell, Sinopec, Nan Ya Plastics Corp, Honam Petrochemical Corp, Reliance Industries, MEGlobal, BASF and Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co are among the dominant companies in the world MEG market.

The worldwide MEG production volume is poised for healthy growth in the years ahead, driven by the increasing overall demand and also new capacity additions worldwide.

We remind that, as MRC wrote before, Sinopec Hubei Chemical Fertilizer started a new MEG plant in China on February 8, 2014. Initially the plant was scheduled to start commercial production in late 2013. Located at Zhejiang in Hubei province of China, the plant has a production capacity of 200,000 mt/year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Ufaorgsintez owned by "United Petrochemical Company" (UPC), announced an increase in the contract prices of polypropylene (PP), effective from 16, June, according to ICIS-MRC Price Report.

The company raised its contract PP prices by Rb300-500/tonne, compared with the level of 1, June.
Contract prices of homopolymer PP increased by Rb500/tonne, prices for extrusion PP random copolymers grew by Rb300/tonne.

Contract prices of low density polyethylene (LDPE) remained steady.

Ufaorgsintez OAO manufactures organic synthesis products in Russia and Europe. Its products include ethylene, propylene, ethanol, cumol, ethyl benzol, phenol, acetone, copolymer rubber, polyolefines, polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene items, thinners, and dilutants. The plant's annual polypropylene (PP) production capacity is 100,000 tonnes. Ufaorgsintez's overall output of polyethylene (PE) and PP totalled 37,000 tonnes and 53,800 tonnes, respectively, over the first five months of 2014.

Ufaorgsintez OAO was founded in 1956 and is based in Ufa, Russia. As of January 22, 2010, Ufaorgsintez OAO operates as a subsidiary of Bashneft Joint Stock Oil Company. "United Petrochemical Company" (UPC) owns 87.76% of Ufaorgsintez"s registered capital. Bashneft sold Ufaorgsintez's stake to UPC in May 2013.
MRC