JAC to start new aromatics plant in Singapore

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Singapore's Jurong Aromatics Corp expects to start its new aromatics plant at Jurong island in August, reported Apic-online with reference to a source close to the company.

The schedule is slightly delayed from an earlier plan of H2 July.

The plant will have capacity to produce 800,000 mt/year of paraxylene, 400,000 mt/year of benzene and 200,000 mt/year of orthoxylene.

"The company is likely to start test run in August and may be able to produce on-spec cargoes within August," the source said.

BP has a USD10 billion deal to supply JAC with condensate and offtake some of the new plant's production. Other companies with offtake deals include Vinmar, SK Energy, Glencore and Jiangsu Sanfangxiang.

JAC's shareholders are SK International Investment Singapore (30%), Sanhai (25%), Houston-based Arovin (10.5%), Glencore International (10%), Shefford Investments (9.5%), UVM Investment (5.1%), Singapore's EDB Investments (5%) and India-based Essar Projects (4.9%).

As MRC informed previously, South Korea's Samsung Total Petrochemicals is set to expand oil product sales to the domestic and export markets once it starts production of gasoil and jet fuel from its new Daesan aromatics plant later this year. The new plant will enable the petrochemical firm to produce gasoil for the very first time, from a 150,000 bpd condensate splitter primarily designed to supply feedstock for aromatics production. Capacity at the Samsung Total plant will comprise 1.05 mln mt of gasoil and 1.45 mln mt of jet fuel annually from its new aromatics plant that will start production as early as July this year.

Samsung Total is a 50-50 joint venture between South Korea's Samsung Group and the French chemical group Total.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PolyOne GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers, a global leader in high-performance, custom-formulated thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) solutions, has announced that its Versaflex CE 3620 material meets all ISO 10993-10:2010 testing requirements with no signs of irritation, as per the company's press release.

These results provide confidence to designers creating innovative products for the wearable consumer electronics segment.

"Our pro-active work in achieving compliance for our material helps leading consumer brands gain a competitive edge by indicating that their products are made with materials tested and approved for skin sensitivity," said Charles Page, director, global marketing, PolyOne GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers. "Additionally, brand owners can accelerate time to market with this innovative material, which meets the pace of the consumer electronics market."

Recent industry recalls and consumer concerns in the wearable electronics market have heightened the need for materials that do not cause irritation when in contact with the skin. Several Versaflex CE materials have been used in wearable electronics applications without irritation for a number of years, and the recent ISO testing results underscore this track record.

The Versaflex CE family of TPEs provides consumer electronics brands new solutions for unique design, performance and aesthetics. Key performance characteristics include: haptics, such as a silky smooth feel; strong chemical and UV light resistance for long-term durability; and vibration-damping qualities to enhance device performance and end user comfort.

As MRC informed earlier, in February 2014, PolyOne Corporation announced the addition of new capabilities to its OnColor HC Plus portfolio. These expanded offerings add medical-grade LDPE, nylon, PEBA, PS and PVC to the globally available palette of specialty healthcare colorants, and are pre-certified to meet or exceed biocompatibility requirements for ISO 10993 and/or USP Class VI protocols.

PolyOne Corporation, with 2013 revenues of USD3.8 billion, is a global provider of specialized polymer materials, services, and solutions. PolyOne is a provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions with operations in specialty polymer formulations, color and additive systems, polymer distribution and specialty vinyl resins.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Consumption of polycarbonate (PC) rose from January to May 2014 by 8% year on year and totalled 43,700 tonnes, according to MRC ScanPlast.

This increase was mainly caused by the expansion of extrusion grade PC segment. It is the most dynamic and promising sector in the Russian market and accounts of about 80% of the total market.

Agriculture (building of greenhouses) and construction (curtain walling systems, decoration elements) are
the main areas of consumption of finished goods made from this material.

Demand has two seasonal peaks in this sector. The first lasts from April to May on the back of increased production of honeycomb PC sheets for agricultural needs. The second surge in buying activity occurs in September and October and is caused by stronger demand for monolithic (mostly) and honeycomb PC sheets from the construction sector.

Stronger demand for extrusion PC grades for the production of honeycomb PC sheets for the construction of greenhouses over the first five months of 2014 played the main role in the expansion of the PC market.

Market players reported a slight shortage of material for sheet extrusion during the period of the strongest demand in the market (mid-May). This particularly affected converters that use domestic material (Kazanorgsintez). Some of them were forced to use Asian material or imported PC from Saudi Arabia. Extrusion grade PC is not usually imported to Russia from these regions, because its quality does not stand competition with Russian material.

mrpclast.com

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Kazanorgsintez (part of TAIF group), Russia's largest producer of polyethylene (PE) and one of the largest Russian manufacturers of petrochemical products, shut down its production of low density polyethylene (LDPE) for a few days, reported MRC analysts.

Kazanorgsintz completely stopped its LDPE production because of a shortage of ethylene. According to unofficial information, the outage at the plant will last until 1 July 2014.

Kazanorgsintez (TAIF Group) is one of the largest chemical companies in Russia. The company produces more than 40% of all Russian polyethylene (PE) and also produces PE pipes. The company is the largest Russian producer of pipe grade high density polyethylene (HDPE). The plant operates ethylene complex with capacity of 640,000 tonnes per year. The plant's annual HDPE production capacity is 530,000 tonnes, while its LDPE capacity is 217,000 tonnes.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wacker, the Munich-based chemical company, has extended its distribution partnerships with the Dutch chemical distributor IMCD and the German NRC Group for its HDK pyrogenic silica products in Germany, as per the company's statement.

Effective August 1, 2014, the IMCD-Group-affiliated chemical distributor IMCD Germany and the Georg Nordmann Holding AG’s affiliated Nordmann, Rassmann GmbH will replace previous distribution partner Brenntag Germany.

IMCD already is a WACKER partner for several market segments in Western and Eastern Europe as well as in South Africa, India, Australia, and New Zealand. Effective August 1, 2014, IMCD will extend its current WACKER product portfolio to include HDK pyrogenic silica products in Germany for personal care, nutrition, plastics, sealants, adhesives, and silicone elastomer applications.

Wacker will also extend its partnership with current distributor Nordmann, Rassmann GmbH. The Hamburg-based company already distributes silicone products, including HDK pyrogenic silica, for coatings in Germany. Effective
August 1, 2014, Nordmann, Rassmann will be able to widen its German portfolio for pharmaceutical applications. In addition to silicones, the company will also supply HDK pyrogenic silica to the pharma industry in Germany.

As MRC reported earlier, in 2013, Wacker Chemie AG officially launched its new production plant for ethylene-vinyl-acetate copolymer (EVA) dispersions at its Ulsan site in South Korea. The additional 40,000 tonnes from the second reactor line increases the site's EVA-dispersion capacity to a total of 90,000 tonnes per year. The production capacity of the site, thus, almost doubled, making the plant complex one of the biggest of its kind in South Korea.

Wacker Chemie AG is a worldwide operating company in the chemical business, founded 1914. The company is controlled by the Wacker-family holding more than 50 percent of the shares. The corporation is operating more than 25 production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The product range includes silicone rubbers, polymer products like ethylene vinyl acetate redispersible polymer powder, chemical materials, polysilicon and wafers for semiconductor industry.
MRC