Evonik expands its product portfolio by active substance hydrogen peroxide

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Hydrogen peroxide is used as active substance in the formulation of biocidal products and for the production of the active substance peracetic acid, said Evonik on its website.

Biocidal products containing hydrogen peroxide are applied in a variety of applications, e.g. as a disinfectant in water treatment, in the food and beverage industry, animal hygiene and also in the area of healthcare. Hydrogen peroxide has outstanding disinfectant properties and, as a potent antimicrobial agent, is effective against bacteria, molds and viruses, even at low concentration.

In the European Union biocidal products are subject to the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) (EU) Nr. 528/2012, which regulates the making available on the market and use of biocidal products in the European Union and shall harmonise the European rules for biocidal products and their active substances. The aim is to provide a high level of protection for people, animals and the environment and to ensure that products are sufficiently effective against the target organisms. The BPR stipulates a two-step process, in which the active substance evaluation is followed by a product authorisation of individual biocidal products.

With effect from February 1st, 2017, all biocidal products containing the active substance hydrogen peroxide, that are placed on the market and being supported as biocidal products under the BPR, have to be formulated with a technically equivalent active substance.

Furthermore, as of October 1st, 2017, any peracetic acid based active substances have to be produced with a technically equivalent source of hydrogen peroxide as defined in the active substance dossier for hydrogen peroxide.

To meet the demands of this regulatory requirement, Evonik has introduced the new product line HYPROX® AS besides the existing product line PERSYNT LC. The active substances HYPROX AS and PERSYNT LC are both approved reference sources as defined under the Biocidal Products Regulation 528/2012.

This portfolio enhancement supports Evonik’s strategic focus as a provider of sustainable and environmentally benign solutions. Evonik is dedicated to provide the best products and services to its customers in order to support them in fulfilling the BPR requirements.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF, the world's pretrochemical major, has put the expanded compounding plant at BASF’s Schwarzheide site in Germany into operation, said the producer on its site.

With the expansion of the plant up to 70,000 tons more Ultramid (polyamide - PA) and Ultradur (polybutylene terephthalate - PBT) can be produced each year. This is a further step in the capacity expansions with which BASF is responding to the rising global demand for engineering plastics. BASF’s worldwide compounding capacity for PA and PBT will thus reach more than 700,000 tons per year. About 50 new jobs will be created.

"The bigger plant enables us to accompany our customers’ growth in the long run, at the highest technical level and with the best plastics," says Jurgen Becky, since May 1st, 2017 head of BASF’s business unit Performance Materials Europe. "The expanded plant represents state of the art technology in the plastics market and gives us even more flexibility in our production process." At the same time, the additional capacity increases flexibility in the global production network of BASF. Thus BASF can, for example, meet the higher expectations of the automotive industry when it comes to the production of high-volume components. With the expansion, Schwarzheide is the site with the biggest PA and PBT compounding capacity within BASF globally.

The engineering plastics Ultramid and Ultradur are used to make high-performance components for the automotive, electrical and electronics industries, as well as for the construction and furniture sectors. The components include oil pans, engine mounts, sensors and connectors, chairs and fastening elements. Latest innovations are the specialty Ultramid Advanced N, the charge air duct made of the high-temperature polyamide Ultramid Endure in the new Alfa Romeo Giulia and the TeamUP design chair for the office of the future.

As MRC reported earlier, in August 2016, BASF has introduced tailored polyamide portfolio for the charge-air duct in modern combustion engines. The reductions in fuel consumption and emissions which are prescribed by law in many countries are forcing the automotive industry to act. Besides developing alternative drives, the optimization of traditional combustion engines continues to play a key role. Downsizing results in higher pressures and temperatures, especially in components that carry air behind the turbocharger. BASF is responding to this development in engine designs with a consistent portfolio of PA6 and PA66 grades that meet the higher demands on the materials, their mechanical properties and temperature resistance.

BASF operates Ultramid polymerization plants in Ludwigshafen, Germany; Antwerp, Belgium; Freeport, Texas and Sao Paulo, Brazil. In May 2015, the company inaugurated its new Ultramid (polyamide 6 and 6/6.6) polymerization plant at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in Shanghai, China. The production of polyamide for film, textile and carpet fiber as well as for engineering plastics applications is integrated into BASF’s global Verbund structure with polyamide intermediates (i.e. adipic acid, anolon, caprolactam), chemical raw materials (i.e. ammonia, cyclohexane, sulfuric acid), energy, by-product recovery, logistics and other services.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Siam Cement Group (SCG) has shut its No. 4 high density polyethylene (HDPE) unit owing to technical issues, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Thailand informed that the company has halted operations at the unit on June 28, 2017. The unit is expected to remain shut for around 15 days.

Located at Map Tha Phut in Thailand, the unit has a production capacity of 400,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote previously, in June 2016, SCG Chemicals' subsidiary announced plans to invest in a new grade of high value added (HVA) polyethylene (PE), with commercial production beginning by the end of 2016.

SCG Chemicals is a subsidiary of SCG and is one of SCG’s 3 core businesses consisting of Chemicals, Paper and Cement-Building Materials. SCG embarked upon the chemicals business in 1989. At present, SCG Chemicals manufactures and supplies a full range of petrochemical products ranging from upstream petrochemicals such as Olefins, intermediate petrochemicals such as Styrene Monomer, PTA, and MMA, to downstream petrochemicals such as Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, and Polystyrene resins. SCG Chemicals is now one of the largest integrated petrochemical companies in Thailand and a key industry leader in the Asia-Pacific region.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- France's Total signed a deal with Tehran on Monday to develop phase 11 of Iran's South Pars, the world's largest gas field, marking the first major Western energy investment in the Islamic Republic since the lifting of sanctions against it, reported Reuters.

Total will be the operator with a 50.1 percent stake, alongside Chinese state-owned oil and gas company CNPC with 30%, and National Iranian Oil Co subsidiary Petropars with 19.9%.

The project will have a production capacity of 2 billion cubic feet per day, or 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day including condensate, Total said in a statement, adding that the gas will supply the Iranian domestic market starting in 2021.

The first stage of the South Pars development will cost around USD2 billion, Total added.

The project will cost up to USD5 billion and production is expected to start within 40 months, Iran's oil ministry said in a statement.

"This is a major agreement for Total, which officially marks our return to Iran to open a new page in the history of our partnership with the country," Total Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne said.

The offshore field was first developed in the 1990s. Total was one of the biggest investors in Iran until the country drew international sanctions in 2006 over suspicions that Tehran was trying to develop nuclear arms.

Total signed an initial agreement with Tehran on Nov. 8, a day after the U.S. presidential election victory of Donald Trump, who had criticized the deal lifting sanctions against Iran.

Total had delayed the final investment decision as it waited for the Trump administration to renew the U.S. sanctions waivers.

Trump extended sanctions relief for Iran in May, but is imposing new measures against Iran's ballistic missile program.

Iran, the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, hopes its new petroleum contracts will attract foreign companies and boost oil and gas output after years of under-investment.

A senior Iranian official said at the signing ceremony that he hoped the deal with Total would encourage other international companies to invest in Iran’s oil and gas fields, which need tens of billions of dollars of foreign money.

As MRC informed before, in March 2016, The National Petrochemical Company (NPC) of Iran and France-based Total signed an memorandum of understanding (MoU) to build a petrochemical complex in Iran. The complex will include a world-scale steam cracker unit in the coastal area. It will be based on a combination of feedstocks comprised of ethane, naphtha and LPG, as well as other available feed. In addition to steam cracker unit, the complex will include relevant downstream units for supplying its products to domestic and international markets.

Total S.A. is a French multinational oil and gas company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world with business in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. The company's petrochemical products cover two main groups: base chemicals and the consumer polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) that are derived from them.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Austrian packaging company Alpla has acquired a 100% stake in Italian plastic bottle producer Propack, said the company on its website.

Headquartered in Ostellato, Propack specialises in the production of HDPE and PET bottles for home care. The deal sees Alpla expand its production capacities in north-east Italy with its eighth plant in the country.

Alpla was drawn to Propack due to its complementing product portfolio and its proximity to potential new customers in one of the most industrialised areas of the country.

Alpla CEO Gunther Lehner said: "We are gaining access to a strong distribution network. Propack is a good strategic partner which will help us to achieve our targets in Italy, where we are involved since 1985."

The announcement marks the latest in a succession of acquisitions by Alpla as it aims to expand its production capacity across the globe. Earlier this month it bought the West Bend bottle manufacturing plant in Wisconsin from Gehl Foods.

Propack was founded in 2002 under the leadership of Gianni Scapoli who developed the company as an exclusive supplier of bottles for Biochimica, a leading producer of detergents in Italy. The company employs about 20 people.

MRC