ExxonMobil expands Exceed XP performance polymers portfolio

MOSCOW (MRC) -- ExxonMobil is expanding its Exceed XP portfolio with the introduction of new grades that deliver exceptional performance advantages for resin converters and end-users in applications that include films for soft-shrink and food lamination packaging and greenhouses, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

These grades, Exceed XP 6026 and Exceed XP 6056, provide outstanding processability with enhanced toughness, flex-crack resistance, sealability, balanced shrink performance, and good optical properties. For converters, the high melt strength of these polymers promotes greater bubble stability and improved output.

Exceed XP allows converters to cost-effectively fabricate films for extreme protection and preservation in a range of applications that include:

Soft-shrink packaging film with the controlled holding force and toughness for high integrity wrap, overwrap and bundle packaging solutions that help brand owners protect delicate and irregularly-shaped products from manufacturer to end-use. This includes food products like pizza, meat and cheese; delicate products including bathroom and kitchen tissues; and, irregularly-shaped products such as office supplies, stationery items, and air filters. Using Exceed XP, converters can enhance their business through new opportunities, more stable operations, and simplified formulations. They can use existing extrusion equipment, including monolayer lines, for a market which previously required investment in new machinery.

Food packaging films, including pouches and bags with the extreme toughness and sealing performance that enable brand owners to protect frozen or dry foods, meat and cheese products from production to consumption. The melt strength and toughness of Exceed XP provide film downgauging opportunities while performance is maintained. The performance and processing capabilities of these Exceed XP grades allow converters to simplify product inventories, which can lower costs.

We remind that, as MRC informed previously, in mid-February 2016, US petrochemical producer ExxonMobil Chemical completed the start up process of its 820,000 m tpa ethylene complex in Beaumont, Texas. The Beaumont complex has two equal-sized steam cracking units with total combined ethylene capacity of 820,000 mtpa. "Operations are normal and we anticipate no impact to production," spokesman Todd Spitler said in confirming market reports of a successful restart. The unit shut January 21 after an area wide power outage. The startup process started within a week of the outage. The Beaumont cracker has an ethylene capacity of 900,000 tonnes/year.

ExxonMobil is the largest non-government owned company in the energy industry and produces about 3% of the world's oil and about 2% of the world's energy.

MRC

PTS and FPL ink technical collaboration for high-tech compounds

MOSCOW (MRC) -- A new technical collaboration and licensing agreement between two compounding companies, Formulated Polymers Limited (FPL) in Chennai, India and Polymer Technology & Services LLC (PTS) in Murfreesboro, TN, USA, will expand the availability of PTS compounds in Asia, particularly South East Asia, as per PTS press release.

The agreement was signed in April by FPL Joint Managing Director Sekar Venkateswaran and PTS President Tom Hooper. PTS compounds are already manufactured in China.

"With this collaboration, FPL will have the capability to offer processors supplying the electrical and electronics industry in India and across South-East Asia an expanded range of Underwriters Laboratory-approved flame retardant products," says Hooper. "This is an important step in our strategy at PTS to reach those processors around the world demanding high performance UL-compliant flame retardant compounds." PTS now has its own or licensed manufacturing operations in the USA, Europe, China, and India.

Founded in 1992, PTS specializes in the supply of innovative flame retardant compounds - all featuring UL Yellow Cards - based on polycarbonate (branded as TRISTAR), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), PC-based blends, and ABS. These compounds are already used around the world, most frequently in electrical devices, by many key players in the field. Under the agreement with FPL, PTS will transfer its technology for over 40 UL certified products.

FPL was established in 1993, with a strong focus on development of application-specific engineering plastic compounds. Since then, it has developed over 400 compounds based on a wide range of polymers. These are branded as Formpoly. With these products, FPL is already supplying several important OEMs. "Collaboration with PTS makes a lot of sense for these OEMs, since they will now have a wider choice of materials from a single, local, source," says Hooper. "In fact, some of them even encouraged it."

Both FPL and PTS also have technical collaboration agreements with Eurostar Engineering Plastics in Fosses, France, under which they produce and distribute Eurostar’s range of STARFLAM flame retardant polyamides; this encompasses over 120 UL-certified products.

We also remind that, as MRC reported earlier, one of India's leading manufacturers of colour & additive masterbatches and compounds - Plastiblends India Limited, plans to expand its manufacturing capacity by setting up a production plant in Gujarat. In 2015, the company identified land near Palsana, Surat to setup new manufacturing unit. The expansion will be funded mainly through internal accruals. Plastiblends also acquired part of the land and started construction of manufacturing facility which will be commissioned in phased manner. Currently, Plastiblends, a part of Kolsite Group of Companies, has manufacturing facilities at Daman and Roorkee (Uttarakhand).
MRC

Korean LG Chem to boost Daesan ethylene output by 22% in 3 years

MOSCOW (MRC) -- South Korea's LG Chem plans to increase the ethylene production capacity of its naphtha-fed steam cracker at Daesan by 230,000 mt/year, or 22%, to 1.27 million mt/year in the next three years, the company said Monday, reported Apic-online.

To achieve that, the company will spend Won 287 billion (USD251.9 million) on the expansion by 2019, it said, thereby boosting its overall ethylene capacity to 2.43 million mt/year.

Also, LG Chem said it will convert one of two polystyrene production lines to produce acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene over first-half 2017.

As such, the company's ABS capacity will increase 30,000 mt/year to 880,000 mt/year, while PS production will fall 50,000 mt/year to 50,000 mt/year.

We remind that, as MRC wrote before, South Korea's LG Chem is in plans to take its polyethylene (PE) plant off-stream for a maintenance turnaround in the second half of October 2016. Located at Daesan in South Korea, the plant has a production capacity of 170,000 mt/year.

LG Chem Ltd., often referred to as LG Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. According to ICIS report, it is 15th biggest chemical company in the world in 2011. It has eight domestic factories and global network of 29 business locations in 15 countries. LG Chem is a manufacturer, supplier, and exporter of petrochemical goods, IT&E Materials and Energy Solutions.
MRC

Clariant and Shinkong collaborate further to promote non-halogenated flame retardants for broader applications

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, will broaden its collaboration with Engineering Plastics division of Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corp. to promote Clariant's non-halogenated flame retardants to a host of applications in China, as per the company's press release.

Shinkong Engineering Plastics belongs to Taiwan’s top 3 enterprise, Shinkong Group. As a leading supplier of plastics, it serves various industries including electronics, home appliances and automotive etc. Its halogen-free compounds based on Clariant's flame retardants are experiencing rising demand as more and more OEM manufacturers in the electronics and electrical appliances industry eliminate components with bromine and PVC from their products because of tightening environmental regulations.

"The collaboration with Shinkong will certainly help Clariant broaden its distribution horizon for non-halogenated flame retardants. Leveraging Shinkong's extensive portfolio of leading customers within the segments of home appliances, automotive, electronics and electrical parts, Clariant's flame retardants will find new room for application expansion, especially in China," explains Darren Soo, Head of Sales Greater China, Clariant Business Unit Additives.

Clariant's halogen-free flame retardant Exolit OP was first introduced to Shinkong 13 years ago for innovative polyester compound development. After its commercialization in 2005, Shinkong was the first company in the Greater China region to promote halogen-free PBT compounds. Exolit OP 1240 has been used by Shinkong ever since.

Clariant's Exolit OP phosphinate flame retardants offer high thermal stability and best in class CTI (Comparative Tracking Index) performance. Applications range from high temperature polyamides for lead-free soldering via engineering thermoplastics and thermoplastic elastomers for wire and cables to thermoset epoxy adhesives for printed wiring boards. With tailor-made formulations for a variety of polymers fully available for commercial products, the Exolit OP series offers good versatility for a host of applications, such as computer cooling fans, connectors and other electrical parts.

Clariant and Shinkong will jointly promote halogen-free flame retardant solutions in PBT and PA66, both commonly used in computer components, during the forthcoming K-fair plastics exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany on October 19-26. Show visitors will have the chance to learn about flame retardants' capabilities and profiles in full details.

Besides their joint promotion efforts on PBT and PA compounds, the two companies may also extend their collaboration further to include TPE-E compounds for extrusion wire and cable and injection parts in the future. The two companies' shared vision on sustainability has also widened their scope of future cooperation to include new areas such as flame retardant application for electric cars and their charging facilities.

As MRC reported earlier, this week, Clariant announced the official opening of its new polypropylene (PP) catalyst production facility in Louisville, KY, USA. The new plant, developed and implemented in cooperation with CB&I, makes the Louisville site Clariant's largest US production hub for catalysts and marks a further investment by Clariant to accelerate growth in North America.

Clariant AG is a Swiss chemical company and a world leader in the production of specialty chemicals for the textile, printing, mining and metallurgical industries. It is engaged in processing crude oil products in pigments, plastics and paints.
MRC

Zhong Tian He Chuang starts up new coal-based petchem complex in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China's Zhong Tian He Chuang (part of Sinopec) started commercial operations at its new coal-based petrochemical complex in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, on October 20, a source close to the company said Friday, reported Apic-online.

The new complex includes a 120,000 mt/year low density polyethylene (LDPE) plant, a 250,000 mt/year pipe grade LDPE unit, a 300,000 mt/year linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) unit and a 350,000 mt/year polypropylene (PP) plant.

The company had in late September, started methanol production from its coal-to-olefins unit.

As MRC informed before, in late June 2016, Rosneft and China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group) signed a Framework Agreement on joint pre-feasibility study of the project related to the construction and operation of a gas processing and petrochemical complex in East Siberia. The agreement signed in furtherance of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in petrochemical projects, provides to select a technology for natural gas processing from its components to polymers.

Besides, Russian petrochemical company Sibur is in talks with shareholder Sinopec about investing in a planned gas chemical plant in Russia's Far East.

Zhong Tian He Chuang Energy is a joint venture between Sinopec and China Coal Group.
MRC