Evonik hikes capacity for biodegradable polymers in the US and Europe

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Evonik is expanding its production facilities in Birmingham (Alabama, USA) and Darmstadt (Germany), said the company on its press-release.

This will create additional capacity for the production of biodegradable polymers marketed globally under the brand names RESOMER and RESOMER SELECT. These poly-lactic-glycolic-acid (PLGA) copolymers are primarily used to manufacture bioresorbable medical devices and controlled-release formulations for parenteral drug delivery.

"We expect the global demand for biodegradable polymers to continue to grow in the coming years," explains Paul Spencer, Head of Biomaterials at Evonik’s Health Care Business Line. "With this in mind, we are currently investing to increase the capacity of our production facilities in order to serve our global customer base."

The expansion will involve construction of a new building adjacent to Evonik’s existing facility in Birmingham. Besides greater production capacity, the project will also result in new production clean rooms and a laboratory for polymer contract research projects. Commissioning is slated for late 2018.

The expanded plant in Birmingham is the second investment to serve the growing market demand after the inauguration of the new manufacturing site in Darmstadt two years ago. The Darmstadt unit capacity will also be increased with the opening of a new production line. "By serving the market from two state-of-the-art locations, Evonik strengthens its role as a reliable partner for its customers and underpin its commitment to this market" adds Spencer.

Moreover, Evonik will open an applied technology laboratory in Darmstadt at the end of the year to support its customers in the medical device field. Its first facility of this kind was completed in 2015 in Shanghai (China). At these laboratories, customers receive prompt support for product development and training in the use of Evonik products.

As MRC informed earlier, Evonik Resource Efficiency will invest in a capacity expansion of its performance foams business at its production site in Darmstadt, Germany.

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Chevron, the US oil and gas group, is focusing on expanding in high growth sectors such as petrochemicals, additives, and lubricants, reported MarketRealist.

By 2018, the company expects to increase the capital employed in its Chemicals and Lubricants segment to 42%, compared to 35% in 2015.

Chevron is also focusing on the integration of refining and petrochemical complexes at various sites to increase operational synergies and benefits, as well as expand its petrochemical capacity and spread with some of its major ongoing projects.

Chevron’s carboxylate addition project, located in Singapore and expected to be completed in 2017, is expected to double its worldwide lubricant capacity.

Chevron’s other petrochemical project, which includes the construction of ethylene and polyethylene (PE) facilities in Texas, is approximately 80% complete. The project is expected to start up by 2017.

As MRC informed before, in December 2015, Chevron announced steep cuts in its spending on production and exploration, as it set out a plan to cut capital expenditure in 2016 by 24%.

Chevron is the second-largest US oil group by production and market capitalisation, after ExxonMobil. Chevron Phillips Chemical (part of Chevron), headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas (north of Houston), US,l is one of the world’s top producers of olefins and polyolefins and a leading supplier of aromatics, alpha olefins, styrenics, specialty chemicals, piping, and proprietary plastics. Chevron and Phillips 66 each own 50% of Chevron Phillips Chemical.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Chevron Corporation announced that its wholly-owned subsidiaries have entered into a sales and purchase agreement with Star Energy Consortium to sell Chevron’s Indonesian and Philippines Geothermal assets, said the company on its website.

"These assets deliver reliable energy to support the needs of Asia-Pacific’s growing economies," said Jay Johnson, executive vice president, Upstream, Chevron Corporation. "This sale is aligned with our strategy to maximize the value of our global upstream businesses through effective portfolio management."

In Indonesia, Chevron subsidiaries operate the Darajat and Salak geothermal fields in West Java. In the Philippines, company subsidiaries have a 40 percent equity interest in the Philippine Geothermal Production Company, Inc., which operates the Tiwi and Mak-Ban geothermal power plants in Southern Luzon.

As MRC informed earlier, in July 2016, USD36.8bn expansion of the Tengiz oilfield in Kazakhstan, the largest investment by private sector oil companies this decade, has been given the go-ahead by Chevron of the US, bucking the trend of delays and cancellations resulting from the slump in crude prices since mid-2014.

Chevron Corporation is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies. Through its subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide, the company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemicals and additives; generates power; and develops and deploys technologies that enhance business value in every aspect of the company's operations. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- General Electric Company and Toyo Engineering Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding for a joint project to explore digital solutions for the fertilizer and petrochemicals industry, as per Plastemart.

Under the MOU, GE and Toyo will jointly work to evaluate, define and confirm the technical and economic feasibility of the deploying of GE Predix, a unique cloud-based platform built for industry, and Asset Performance Management (APM) software, to implement specific solutions for pre-FEED, FEED, EPC, commissioning, operation and maintenance phases of fertilizer and petrochemicals facilities.

"GE has a strong track record in providing asset reliability solutions across the Oil & Gas segments around the world, through advanced sensors, combination of data driven and physic based analytics, and troubleshooting expertise," the company said in a press release. "Toyo brings its complementary expertise on processes and plant operations as EPC contractor of fertilizer and petrochemicals plants and as Licensor of Urea synthesis and granulation technologies."

As MRC informed before, in 2014, Toyo Engineering Corporation was awarded a contract for a Steam Cracker Complex (SCC) project in Malaysia by PRPC Refinery and Cracker Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary under the Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) group. The SCC will be part of PETRONAS’ Refinery and Petrochemicals Integrated Development (RAPID) project in Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia. The contract has been awarded on a lump sum turn-key basis and is scheduled for completion by mid-2019.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo, a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, and its affiliate companies in Europe has announced price increases for all natural polycarbonate (PC) grades, as per the company's press release.

Effective immediately, or as existing contract terms allow, contract and spot prices for the product listed below will increase as follows:

- CALIBRE polycarbonate resins - by EUR220 per metric ton.

As MRC wrote before, Trinseo last increased PC prices in late September 2016, as follows:

- CALIBRE PC resins by - EUR200 per metric ton.

As MRC informed before, in December 2016, Trinseo also raised prices for all polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile styrene copolymer (SAN) grades. Effective as of 1 December 2016, or as existing contract terms allow, the December contract and spot prices for the product listed below rose as follows:

- STYRON general purpose polystyrene grades (GPPS), STYRON and STYRON A-TECH high impact polystyrene grades (HIPS) - by EUR170 per metric ton;
- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR100 per metric ton;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR100 per metric ton.

Trinseo is a global materials solutions provider and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders, and synthetic rubber. We are focused on delivering innovative and sustainable solution to help our customers create products that touch lives every day - products that are intrinsic to how we live our lives - across a wide range of end-markets, including automotive, consumer electronics, appliances, medical devices, lighting, electrical, carpet, paper and board, building and construction, and tires. Trinseo had approximately USD4.0 billion in revenue in 2015, with 18 manufacturing sites around the world, and more than 2,200 employees.
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