Nuberg awarded EPC contract for caustic soda plant project in Egypt

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Egyptian Petrochemicals Company has selected the Noida-based Nuberg Engineering Ltd, an EPC (engineering, procurement & construction) company for specialty chemicals, as a single-point solution company, from concept to commissioning, for caustic soda-chlorine plant in Alexandria, Egypt, as per Pastemart.

The project envisions setting up a turnkey project having production capacity of 228 tonnes per day (TPD) with a provision to expand it to 342 TPD in future. The plant will be based on new generation state-of-the-art bipolar membrane cell technology (Bi-Chlor) from Ineos Technologies, UK, which is widely used by caustic soda manufacturers for its best in class power consumption, longevity, low capex/opex and environmental considerations.

The plant will produce caustic soda, chlorine, hydrogen and other chlorine derivatives. Chlorine produced will be used as a raw material in existing EDC (ethylene dichloride) & VCM (vinyl chloride monomer) plant for PVC (polyvinyl chloride) production.

"We are thankful to Egyptian Petrochemicals Company for entrusting our turnkey project engineering capabilities and our EPC services and solutions for its caustic soda plant. We are excited to partner with Ineos Technologies once again, strengthening our relationship with them even further," commented A K Tyagi, managing director, Nuberg. Chemist Gaber A Hassan, chairman, Egyptian Petrochemicals Company, said, "The caustic soda plant is of great importance to our company in specific and to the petrochemical sector in general. I would like to highlight that this project is among the chain of projects that will be executed by our company in near and far future to promote the petrochemical field in Egypt. I would like to congratulate Nuberg on being awarded this order and I am confident that Nuberg has the experience and the expertise to execute an excellent plant in cooperation with the licensor Ineos Technologies."

Role of Ineos Technologies will be of process licensor and will supply technology know-how and state-of-the-art electrolyser commissioning services. Caustic soda produced in the plant will be supplied mostly to the markets of Europe, Asia and Africa. Caustic soda has applications in various industries such as hydrocarbons, paper, chemicals and soaps & detergents industry. Nuberg's scope of services includes basic & detailed engineering, supply, civil and equipment installation, commissioning of plant and start-up for new bipolar electrolyser as a turnkey project.

As MRC reported earlier, in April 2017, Bechtel, a company in engineering, procurement, and construction, announced that the company had been awarded two contracts by Carbon Holdings of Egypt: one to provide project management services for the Tahrir Petrochemicals Complex at Ain Sokhna, Egypt, and one to build two new polypropylene units at an adjacent site.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell International Inc. was targeted by an antitrust complaint from Arkema SA, which alleges the U.S. company prevents fair competition for the only car-coolant chemical that currently meets new European Union standards on greenhouse-gas emissions, said Bloomberg.

Arkema filed the complaint with the EU’s antitrust authority seeking a "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory license to Honeywell’s patents" for 1234yf, a refrigerant used in car air-conditioning systems, according to a statement on Friday. Honeywell’s practices harm consumers, car makers and the environment "as the entire car industry is moving to worldwide deployment of 1234yf."

Honeywell has already been the subject of a stalled EU probe into the refrigerant. Three years ago, the European Commission told Honeywell and Chemours Co., then owned by DuPont Co., that they might have unfairly limited supplies of the chemical. Arkema had filed a complaint in that investigation that it says it has now withdrawn.

Honeywell said the new complaint is "without merit" and appears to restate issues regulators decided not to pursue several years ago. The company "remains convinced that it acts in full compliance with EU competition rules." It has invested nearly USD1 billion to bring the coolant to market, it said in an emailed statement.

The refrigerant for car air-conditioning systems was expected to be a cash cow for Honeywell as it replaces ozone-depleting alternatives in new vehicles sold in the 28-nation bloc. EU industry officials clashed with Germany after Daimler AG refused to use the product for safety reasons.

New EU rules mandating the use of more climate-friendly chemicals for air-conditioning entered into force at the start of this year.


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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Polymir, part of JSC "Naftan", shut down its production of low density polyethylene (LDPE) for a scheduled turnaround, reported MRC analysts.

The company's customers said Polymir took off-stream its LDPE production for the scheduled maintenance on June 3. The maintenance will be carried out in two stages, some of the production capacities will be launched already on 17 June, the rest of the capacities will remain shut until the end of the month. The plant's production capacity is 130,000 tonnes/year.

As reported earlier, an outbreak of gas-air mixture with the further flare combustion of outgoing products took place at workshop No. 104 on 18 June 2016. The fire damaged technological equipment at the ethylene unit, and some of the capacities have been idle since then. The plant’s representatives said the ethylene unit will not be fully restored this year.

Polymir (part of Naftan) is Belarus" largest petrochemical company, producing a wide range of chemical products, such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), acrylic fibers, products of organic synthesis, hydrocarbon fractions, etc. The plant"s annual LDPE production capacity is 130,000 tonnes. Polymir was founded in 1968. The producer uses technologies of the largest foreign companies from Great Britain, Japan, Germany, Italy (Courtaulds, Asahi Chemical Co. Ltd, Kanematsu Gosho, SNIA BPD, etc.), as well as the development of scientific research institutes and design institutes of the CIS countries.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Invista’s Chemical Intermediates Division has introduced a new thermoplastic material that acts more like a thermoset resin, as per Plastermart.

The new nylon-1,6 resin (formaldehyde-hexanedinitrile copolymer) has spectral features and thermal behavior aspects similar to features historically known in resins such as UF, melamine, Bakelite and others, according to Senior Research Advisor William J. Tenn.

A high density of amide residues in the polymer makes it significantly more hydrophilic than other nylons; it can be used in combination with other thermoset and thermoplastic materials to modify properties such as water and hydrocarbon absorbance. Nylon 1,6 can provide a more rapid cure response than other polyamides in epoxy applications. It is being evaluated as a fortifier for use in UF-, PF- and melamine-based formulations, and as a composite material in combination with other thermosets and thermoplastic materials.

As MRC wrote previously, in 2015, Invista, a world leader in fibers, resins and chemical intermediates, successfully started up a new 215,000-t/y hexamethylene diamine (HMD) facility at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in China.

Invista is one of the world's largest integrated producers of polymers and fibers, primarily for nylon, spandex and polyester applications. With a business presence in over 20 countries, Invista's global businesses deliver exceptional value for their customers through technology innovations, market insights and a powerful portfolio of global trademarks.
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