PET consumption in Russia down by 3.6% in January

MOSCOW (MRC) -- January estimated consumption of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) dropped by 3.6% in Russia from December 2015, according to MRC ScanPlast report.


The estimated consumption fell by 10% in January year on year. Demand traditionally subsides in January because of long holidays and days-off. January estimated consumption of PET decreased to 40,000 tonnes.

It is worth noting that Senezh plant reduced its production in January because of an outage. The plant's output was 4,500 tonnes of PE chips in the first month of the year. In December 2015, the plant produced 5,800 tonnes of PET. Alco-Naphtha's PET output rose to 7,500 tonnes from 6,800 tonnes in December. SIBUR-PETF and Polief operated steadily and produced the same amount as in the last months of 2015.

Imports of PET chips also subsided significantly in January. Imports fell by 53% from December to 2,630 tonnes. Shipments from China slumped by 48% (to 1,700 tonnes in January). Imports of Yisheng Petrochemical's YS-W01 grade fell substantially (by 70% from 2,000 tonnes in December to 600 tonnes in January).

MRC

Versalis and Genomatica produce bio-rubber with bio-butadiene from sugars

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Versalis (Eni), a European producer in the polymers and elastomers industry, and Genomatica, a leader in bioengineering solutions, have announced that they have successfully advanced to pilot-scale production of bio-butadiene (bio-BDE) from fully renewable feedstock, reported GV.

Versalis used this bio-BDE to make bio-rubber, specifically, bio-polybutadiene (bio-BR). These accomplishments represent a remarkable milestone for the rubber industry, by enabling an improved technological and sustainability footprint; and to the broader industry for butadiene, one of the most widely-used chemicals in the world, with over 10 million tons produced per year.

The success of this innovative undertaking results from a newly-developed process for the on-purpose production of butadiene which uses various types of sugars as feedstock, rather than the traditional use of hydrocarbon feedstocks. The project started with the establishment of a technology joint venture between Versalis and Genomatica in early 2013. The joint venture-with Versalis having the majority stake-has developed a complete process to make bio-BDE and plans to license the resulting technology.

The joint venture uses the proven and complementary strengths of both companies. Versalis and Genomatica together determined that 1,3-butanediol (1,3-BDO) was the most suitable intermediate to produce bio-BDE. Genomatica applied its ”whole-process’ systems approach to bioengineering to develop a microorganism that produces 1,3-BDO in a way that enables cost-efficient, scalable fermentation, recovery and subsequent process operations. Versalis leverages its industrial process engineering and catalysis capabilities, plus expertise in overall polymer production, to purify the 1,3-BDO, dehydrate it and then purify the resulting butadiene. Versalis has produced several kilograms of butadiene from 1,3-BDO made in 200 liter fermenters at their research centres at Novara and Mantova, and then made bio-polybutadiene, at the Ravenna R&D centre, using both anionic and Ziegler-Natta catalysis.

Initial testing of the bio-BDE and bio-BR demonstrates good compatibility with industry standards. Versalis is continuing to test the bio-BDE within its other proprietary rubber and plastics downstream technologies such as SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber), SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene rubber) and ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene-styrene).

The accomplishments demonstrates the common vision of the partners on the potential of this project: access to on-purpose butadiene from renewables will establish a competitive advantage and will ensure a strategic raw material from alternative feedstock, contributing at the same time to drive a greater sustainability profile for downstream applications in the plastics and rubber businesses.

We remind that, as MRC wrote before, Eni started exploring the sale of its chemical division Versalis, three months after the unit returned to profit. The Italian oil company is working with Barclays on a potential sale of Versalis, which may fetch as much as 1 billion euros (USD1.1 billion).

Eni is an Italian multinational oil and gas company headquartered in Rome. It has operations in in 79 countries, and is currently Italy's largest industrial company with a market capitalization of 68 billion euros (USD 90 billion), as of August 14, 2013. The Italian government owns a 30.3% golden share in the company, 3.93% held through the state Treasury and 26.37% held through the Cassa depositi e prestiti. Another 39.40% of the shares are held by BNP Paribas.
MRC

Huntsman helps Forestali create composite material for leather goods industry

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Italian company Industrie Chimiche Forestali S.p.A has developed a composite material for the leather goods industry using a special grade of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) from Huntsman, as per GV.

The composite material, which features a durable layer of TPU, is called Tintoretto and is designed to improve the structural integrity of high-end leather goods such as designer handbags and belts.

Forestali is a producer of adhesives for the leather goods market as well as for footwear, sailing and furniture applications. The company also manufactures a wide range of impregnated fabrics and textiles. After spotting a gap in the leather goods market, Forestali contacted Huntsman - one of its long-term suppliers. Forestali wanted Huntsman’s help to develop a durable material that could be wrapped in leather to form structural components for bags, for example, weight-bearing handles and shoulder straps. Specifically, Forestali wanted Huntsman’s advice on a polyurethane-based solution that could be used to coat a non-woven polyester and create inserts that were strong and robust but also incredibly flexible and soft to touch.

Huntsman’s first step was to recommend the use of a polyester-based TPU from its Irogran family of products. Originally developed for hot melt calendaring applications, the Irogran grade in question is also suitable for multilayer extruding. Offering very good batch-to-batch consistency, the recommended TPU is low in colour and can be easily pigmented. It is also compatible with a variety of adhesives based on natural and synthetic lattices, says the manufacturer.

Satisfied with Huntsman’s suggestion and supported by the chemical company’s technical team, Forestali developed Tintoretto. The end result is a material that is easy to produce and can be cut in any direction without compromising dimensional stability. Thanks to the mechanical properties of Irogran TPU, Tintoretto is also resistant to humidity, heat and cold and can withstand repeated mechanical actions such as bending.

As MRC reported earlier, in October 2014, Huntsman completed the acquisition of the Performance Additives and Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) businesses of Rockwood Holdings, Inc. In February 2015, Huntsman unveiled plans to reduce its TiO2 capacity by approximately 100,000 tons, representing 13% of Huntsman's European TiO2 capacity. The plan was aimed to generate approximately USD35 million of annual savings.

Forestali uses a range of manufacturing processes to create its coated textiles from impregnation to hot melt sizing, powder sizing and co-extrusion. Alongside impregnated fabrics, Forestali also manufactures adhesives for flexible packaging and upholstered furniture applications.

Huntsman Corporation is a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals. Huntsman's operating companies manufacture products for a variety of global industries, including chemicals, plastics, automotive, aviation, textiles, footwear, paints and coatings, construction, technology, agriculture, health care, detergent, personal care, furniture, appliances and packaging.
MRC

PTTGC took off-stream HDPE units in Thailand for maintenance

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Thailand's PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) has shut two of three high density polyethylene (HDPE) units for a maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Thailand informed that the company has taken off-stream its two major HDPE units last week. It is expected to remain under a maintenance turnaround for a period of around 30 days.

The shutdown of the third small unit could not be ascertained.

Located at Map Ta Phut in Thailand, the HDPE plant consisting three units has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year, 500,000 mt/year and 140,000 mt/year.

We remind that, as MRC informed previously, PTTGC is studying several options for supplying sufficient raw material to its petrochemical plants, including imports of oil feedstocks after declines in global crude prices in 2015. The move is part of a plan to cope with a potential drop in domestic natural gas supply after Thailand's government put bidding for new oil and gas concessions on hold, chief executive Supattanapong Punmeechaow told reporters in March 2015.

PTT Global Chemical is a leading player in the petrochemical industry and owns several petrochemical facilities with a combined capacity of 8.45 million tonnes a year.
MRC

Axens to provide technology to Taiwan-Japan Oxo Chemical Industries

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Axens said on Tuesday that Taiwan-Japan Oxo Chemical Industries (TJOCI) will use Axens’ technologies and catalysts in its isononyl alcohol (INA) production plant, said Your Industry news.

In February 2015, CPC Corp. (Taipei), KH Neochem (KHNC; Tokyo) and Mega International Commercial Bank (MICB) signed an agreement setting up a joint-venture for the production of value-added petrochemical products. Under this agreement, TJOCI will invest NTD13.7 billion (USD413.6 million) to build an INA production plant at Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The plant is scheduled to begin commercial operations in 2019 with its initial annual production capacity of high value-added petrochemical products set at 180,000 tons of INA.

The INA is mainly used to produce diisononyl phthalate (DINP) which is a plasticizer. Thanks to its high level of performances, DINP is widely used for the manufacture of automotive parts, electric wires and cables as well as conducting materials. Demand for DINP, and hence also for INA, is expected to grow every year in the foreseeable future.This project is the largest single investment ever held by Japanese and Taiwanese companies in the petrochemical area in Taiwan.

As part of this project, Axens will provide a whole chain of technologies including MTBE and Dimersol-XTM technologies to ensure octenes production utilized for the synthesis of the INA via hydroformylation.

As MRC informed earlier, Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Co. Ltd. (HPDC) has let a contract to Axens SA, Rueil-Malmaison, France, to provide a suite of processing units and technologies for a grassroots crude-to-paraxylene complex under construction at its integrated refining and petrochemical project in Hengli Petrochemical Industrial Park (HPIP) on Changxing Island in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China.

Axens is an international provider of advanced technologies, catalysts, adsorbents and services. The main scope of Axens' business is focused on the conversion of oil, coal, natural gas and biomass to clean fuels as well as production and purification of major petrochemical intermediates. Axens’ global offer is based on: highly trained human resources, modern production facilities and extensive commercial feedback from plants using our processes and catalysts all around the world.
MRC