Perstorp Capa grades given food contact approval in US

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Perstorp has acquired food contact use approval for its Capa for Bioplastics product grades 6500D and the new 6800D, as per the company's press release.

By adding Capa 6800D to its product portfolio, Perstorp can now offer a higher molecular weight product to give customers more choices and flexibility in finding the right formulation.

Capa 6500D and Capa 6800D now approved for food contact use in the US. (Food Contact Notification by FDA)
The new Capa 6800D for Bioplastics extends Perstorp’s range of products for biodegradable food applications
Capa for Bioplastics is durable, stable and easy to process as well as offering best-in-class biodegradability
Bioplastics is a focus area for Perstorp. It is an important part of the company’s commitment to the environment and vision for a more sustainable future. Capa for Bioplastics exhibits excellent biodegradability properties and can improve bioplastic solutions, as well as enabling unique product characteristics. In the bioplastics market, Capa is typically used for applications like bags and films, paper cups and packaging.

"We have had food contact approval in Europe (EFSA) already for a few years," says Jesper Fahlen, global product manager Capa. "This approval for our Capa 6500D as well as for the new Capa 6800D verifies that Capa is safe for food applications, enabling bioplastic packaging for a more sustainable future."

The new Capa 6800D grade further extends Perstorp’s Capa portfolio. It is a high molecular weight linear polyester derived from caprolactone monomer. Like Capa 6500D, the Capa 6800D variant does not compromise on performance; being just as durable, stable, and easy to process while offering best in class biodegradability.

"The bioplastics market is rapidly growing and Perstorp sees huge potential for biodegradable packaging and food applications," says Marie Gronborg, Executive Vice President at Perstorp. “"ith the broader portfolio we meet our customers’ need for formulation efficiency by offering different choices of molecular weight. By helping manufacturers move from conventional plastics to bioplastics we are, together, reducing the pollution our planet is facing."

As MRC reported previously, in the first half of 2017, Synthomer plc acquired Perstorp Oxo Belgium AB from the Swedish Perstorp Holding AB for EUR 78 million. Perstorp Belgium is a niche additives business serving the decorative and industrial coatings industries. In 2016, the business generated earnings before interest and tax of EUR 8 million and had gross assets of EUR 21 million. The company operates from a single site in Ghent, Belgium, and has 41 employees, who will all be transferred with the business.

Perstorp is one of the world leaders in various sectors of the specialty chemicals market, it's pioneer in formalin chemistry, plastics and surface materials. Perstorp was founded in 1881 and is controlled by PAI partners,a major European private equity company. The company has around 1,500 employees in with 22 production plants in Europe, Asia and North America.
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CPC Taoyuan starts up sulfur recovery units with DuPont technology

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Chinese Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has awarded DuPont Clean Technologies (DuPont) the contract to supply the technology license, engineering and proprietary equipment for a MECS DynaWave wet gas scrubbing unit to be installed at its Taoyuan refinery in Taiwan in August 2015, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This scrubbing system has recently gone into operation for two sulfur recovery units (SRUs) at the site, in time for CPC to comply with strict emissions reduction regulations.

In the past, seven to eight days were required after turnaround of the SRUs at the CPC refinery before acid gas could be fed to the units and commence normal operation. As a result, off-gas from the catalyst would be released directly to the stack and into the air, causing environmental issues. CPC researched different solutions to resolve these issues, and finally opted for the MECS DynaWave scrubber, a scrubbing technology licensed by DuPont.

Licensed by DuPont, MECS DynaWave scrubbers are designed to work with a variety of reagents and handle multiple functions in one vessel. As such, the process makes it possible to quench the incinerated gas and remove potential particulates while absorbing the remaining acids from the Claus TGTUs. The technology also offers the flexibility of bypassing the SRU or the SRU tail gas system during maintenance and repairs, so operations can continue without interruption.

As MRC reported earlier, CPC Corp. is in negotiations with an unidentified Indonesian firm regarding the purchase and relocation of CPC's Kaohsiung, Taiwan, naphtha cracker to Indonesia. In addition to purchasing the cracker, the Indonesian company is also interested in acquiring the technology as well as operation and maintenance expertise, and has proposed a partnership with CPC in Indonesia.

CPC Corporation, Taiwan, is engaged in the exploration, production, refining, procurement, transportation, storage, and marketing of oil and gas. The company provides fuel oil, including automotive unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel, low-sulfur fuel oil, marine distillate fuels, marine residual fuels, and aviation fuel; petrochemicals, such as ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, para-xylene, and ortho-xylene; liquefied petroleum gas products comprising liquefied petroleum gas, propane, butane, and a propane/butane mixture; lubricants, motor oil, industrial oil, grease, and marilube oil; SNC products, including petroleum ether, naphtha, toluene, xylene, crude octene, methyl alcohol, normal paraffin, viscosity-graded asphalt cement, and sulfur; and natural gas.
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China June oil refinery throughput close to record

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China's oil refineries ramped up throughput in June to the second highest on record, with some independent plants raising output even as state oil majors prepare to take drastic steps to cut production during the peak summer season, reported Reuters.

Throughput last month reached 46.08 MMt, or 11.21 MMbpd, a 2.3% rise year-on-year and up from May's 10.98 MMbpd, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Monday.

That was just shy of December's record volume of 11.26 MMbpd.

The higher throughput came after another month of strong crude oil imports and as top refineries prepared to cut output in the third quarter.

"Refinery runs were impressive considering that refinery maintenance was still heavy," said Nevyn Nah, analyst at Energy Aspects.

Independent refiners, known as "teapots" raised their runs after receiving additional crude import quotas, while oil majors kept their throughput roughly flat year on-year, he said.

For the first six months, refinery production in the world's second-largest fuel consumer gained 3% from a year earlier to 275.21 MMt, or about 11.1 MMbpd.

Upcoming cuts to production by the oil majors will not be as deep as many in the market expect, added Nah, because the planned cuts were from very high levels in the first quarter.

The NBS data on Monday also showed domestic crude oil output fell 2.3% last month versus a year ago to 16.21 MMt, or 3.94 MMbpd, but up from May's 3.83 MMbpd.

Output during the January-June period was down 5.1% on-year at about 3.89 MMbpd.

We remind that, as MRC wrote previously, China's Sinopec group, parent of Sinopec Corp, will invest USD29.05 billion to upgrade four refining bases between 2016 and 2020 to produce higher-quality fuels. Sinopec's upgrades come as China, the world's second-biggest oil consumer, is embracing more stringent fuel standards in its battle against pollution and suffering an overall glut in refining capacity. After the upgrades, the total refining capacity of the four refining sites will reach 130 MMtpy, or 2.6 MMbpd, while ethylene capacity will reach 9 MMtpy, Sinopec said. The sites are in the cities of Shanghai, Nanjing and Zhenhai on the east coast and Maoming-Zhanjiang in southern Guangdong province. After the expansions, the bases will make up 45% of Sinopec's total refining capacity and 65% of its ethylene capacity.
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Clariant Catalysts expands in China with opening of new office in Yinchuan

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant, a company in specialty chemicals, has announced the opening of a new office for its Catalysts business in Yinchuan city, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in China, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

With the new branch, Clariant becomes the first multinational catalyst provider based in northwest China, a region that is home to a majority of the nation’s coal-to-chemicals producers as well as numerous syngas and polyolefin companies.

Located in downtown Yinchuan, the new office will allow closer cooperation with regional customers, enabling Clariant to offer engineering services and sales assistance. The local team will be supported by Clariant specialists both within China and from around the world. The company’s expansion is part of its "China Insider" strategy, which stresses the importance of local expertise for technologies specific to China, combined with full access to global innovations.

The Yinchuan office is Clariant’s fifth branch in China. Clariant has two catalyst production facilities in China, one in Jinshan district of Shanghai, and the other in Panjin city of Liaoning province. The facilities develop and produce a variety of catalysts specifically for China’s market requirements and conditions. At the end of 2015, an R&D team has been established to better support the local technical needs. Clariant is also present in Beijing, offering engineering services and sales assistance to customers in the area.

As MRC reported earlier, in March 2017, Clariant was awarded a contract by Dongguan Grand Resource Science & Technology Co. Ltd. to develop a new propane dehydrogenation unit in cooperation with CB&I. The project includes the license and engineering design of the unit, which is to be built in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China.

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. Clariant India has local masterbatch production activities at Rania, Kalol and Nandesari (Gujarat) and Vashere (Maharashtra) sites in India.
MRC

Evonik and NTEC developed new monofilament using VESTAMID

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Evonik and NTEC, an experienced manufacturer of filaments based in China, have jointly developed a new monofilament using Evonik’s high performance plastic VESTAMID for instrument strings, said Evonik in its press release.

Since the late 1930s, growing numbers of instruments have used strings made of robust nylon fibers. There are obvious benefits to these - they are environmentally stable, durable, and easy to use.

The monofilament made from VESTAMID D18 that Evonik and NTEC have developed, a polyamide 612 (PA 612), meets all these requirements and also excels thanks to its outstanding transparency and smooth surface. This last property gives musicians better dexterity when playing, while the high level of transparency enhances the clarity and tone of the strings.

On the process side, the new filament scores points with its excellent processing stability, which guarantees the same length of string diameter, resilience and scalability.

Derek Shi, a manager from Evonik’s High Performance Polymers Business Line, says: "We are committed to bringing the innovative solutions to the users by means of our wide range of specialty polymers. The concept of PA 612-based nylon strings is aimed at professional musical instruments with a pleasant and clear sound."

Strings made of VESTAMID D18 feature balanced mechanical properties and low hygroscopicity. This allows them to maintain stable frequency and pitch in moist or humid environments.

The monofilament with a diameter range of 0.5-0.7mm was originally developed for harp strings but with different diameters and winding methods can equally be used in other string and plucked instruments such as violins.

"The success of harp strings with VESTAMID® is the product of the excellent collaboration between Evonik and NTEC. Evonik provided the material & product know-how, while NTEC contributed its years of experience in producing these specific filaments for instrument strings," said Dr. Iordanis Savvopoulos, head of the Granules & Compounds Product Line at Evonik.

As MRC informed earlier, in September 2016, Evonik Industries officially broke ground in Marl for construction of a new production plant for specialty polyamide 12 (PA12) powders. The specialty chemicals company will thus increase annual capacity for its VESTOSINT brand of PA12 powders by 50%. The amount invested lies in the mid-double-digit million euro range. The new plant is scheduled to come on stream at the end of 2017.

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. Profitable growth and a sustained increase in the value of the company form the heart of Evonik’s corporate strategy. 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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