DuPont and ADM open bio-based FDME pilot facility in Illinois

MOSCOW (MRC) -- DuPont Industrial Biosciences and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) have announced the opening of the world’s first bio-based furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) pilot production facility in Decatur, IL, USA, as per GV.

According to the companies, the plant is the centerpiece of a long-standing collaboration that will help bring a greater variety of sustainably sourced biomaterials to consumers. FDME is a molecule derived from fructose that can be used to create a variety of bio-based chemicals and materials, including plastics, that are more cost-effective, efficient and sustainable than their fossil fuel-based counterparts.

"We’re confident FDME is both the more sustainable option and the better-for-business option," said Michael Saltzberg, Ph.D., global business director for Biomaterials at DuPont Industrial Biosciences. "This molecule, and its numerous applications, will be high-performing, cost-effective and better for the environment. ADM’s expertise in agricultural value chains and the chemistry of carbohydrates makes them the best possible business partner on this initiative. Our goal is to bring this game-changing technology to commercial scale as quickly as possible."

"Companies and consumers are of course concerned about their environmental footprint, but their bottom line will always be a key priority," said ADM Chief Technology Officer Todd Werpy. "This new, innovative product will help customers replace plastics with materials that are more environmentally friendly, better performing and cost efficient. We’re pleased to work with DuPont, a leader in biomaterials, to bring this innovative new portfolio of solutions to customers around the globe, and we’re excited about the future of FDME."

One of the first FDME-based polymers under development by DuPont is polytrimethylene furandicarboxyate (PTF), a novel polyester also made from DuPont’s proprietary Bio-PDO (1,3-propanediol). PTF is a 100 % renewable polymer that, in bottling applications, can be used to create plastic bottles that are lighter-weight, more sustainable and better performing. Research shows that PTF has up to 10-15 times the CO2 barrier performance of traditional PET plastic, which results in a longer shelf life. With that better barrier, companies will be able to design significantly lighter-weight packages, lowering the carbon emissions and significant costs related with shipping carbonated beverages.

As MRC reported before, 31 August 2017, Dow Chemical Co and DuPont successfully completed their planned USD130 billion merger to form DowDuPont.

DuPont is an American chemical company that was founded in July, 1802. The company manufactures a wide range of chemical products, leading extensive innovative research in this field. The company is the inventor of many unique plastics and other materials, including neoprene, nylon, Teflon, Kevlar, Mylar, Tyvek, etc. DuPont was the developer and main producer of Freon used in the production of refrigeration equipment.
MRC

Toyo Engineering was awarded petrochemical project in Indonesia

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Toyo Engineering Group has been awarded a construction project by PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk (CAP), Indonesia's largest petrochemical company, and its subsidiary PT Petrokimia Butadiene Indonesia (PBI), as per 4-traders.

This project involves the construction of Butene-1 production unit with capacity of 43,000 tons/year and Methyl tert-butyl ether production unit with capacity of 127,000 tons/year commissioned by PBI, as well as an Enclosed Ground Flare with capacity of 220 tons/hour commissioned by CAP. They are to be constructed inside CAP's existing petrochemical complex in Cilegon, Banten, on the western tip of Java,Indonesia.

Toyo Engineering Corporation (Toyo-Japan, President and CEO Haruo Nagamatsu) is in charge of a part of engineering and offshore supply services. On the other hand, PT. Inti Karya Persada Tehnik (IKPT, President and CEO Yasuhiro Hime), TOYO's Indonesian subsidiary, is responsible for engineering, domestic procurement and construction work, respectively. The plant is scheduled for completion in 2020.

This is an EPC contract awarded to TOYO based on TOYO's strong, long term relationship with CAP and various attractive and aggressive proposals during tender stage were highly evaluated, leading to the awarding of this project.

Starting from the original ethylene plant in the 1990s, and a butadiene plant as well as ethylene expansion in the last half decade, TOYO is now executing several projects such as polyethylene production plant with a total capacity of 400,000 tons/year for CAP, a synthetic rubber plant with a total capacity of 120,000 tons/year for PT. Synthetic Rubber Indonesia (a joint venture between Michelin and PT Styrindo Mono Indonesia, a subsidiary of CAP) and butadiene expansion project to increase total production capacity from 100,000 tons/year to 137,000 tons/year for PT Petrokimia Butadiene Indonesia (PBI), a subsidiary of CAP.

Chandra Asri Petrochemical (CAP) is the largest vertically integrated petrochemical company in Indonesia with facilities located in Ciwandan, Cilegon and Puloampel, Serang in Banten Province. CAP is Indonesia's premier petrochemical plant incorporating world-class, state-of-the-art technology and supporting facilities. At the heart of CAP lies the Lummus Naphtha Cracker producing high quality Ethylene, Propylene, Mixed C4, and Pyrolysis Gasoline (Py-Gas) for the Indonesian as well as regional export markets.
MRC

Workers sue Valero over April refinery explosion

MOSCOW (MRC) -- More than 20 workers filed a lawsuit in Houston, Texas against Valero Energy Corp seeking damages for injuries sustained in an April 19 explosion at the company's Texas City, Texas, refinery, reported Reuters with reference to the Houston Chronicle.

A Valero spokeswoman did not reply to a request for comment.

The workers, who filed their lawsuit in Harris County District Court in Houston, said they have been treated for hearing loss, orthopedic injuries and trauma since the blast in the alkylation unit.

The workers said Valero did not properly maintain a pipeline that ruptured on the alkylation unit.

As MRC informed previously, an explosion set off a huge fire at Valero Energy Corp’s 225,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Texas City, Texas, refinery on Thursday afternoon, 19 April 2018, but the fire was quickly contained, according the City of Texas City Emergency Management office. Sources familiar with plant operations said the explosion at about 5 p.m. (6 p.m. EDT/2200 GMT) was on a 12,000-bpd alkylation unit.
MRC

Romanian OMV Petrom to improve reliability of refinery operations with Honeywell connected plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell has announced that OMV Petrom S.A. will use Honeywell Connected Plant to provide prescriptive monitoring of its CCR Platforming unit at its Petrobrazi refinery in Ploiesti, Romania, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The CCR Platforming process upgrades low-value naphtha into high-octane gasoline and aromatics.

OMV will use the Honeywell Connected Plant’s Process Insight Reliability Advisor to continuously feed plant data through Honeywell UOP process and fault models, and to provide key performance information and process recommendations. Honeywell’s Reliability Advisor will help the plant run more smoothly and mitigate issues that impact production and plant profitability by detecting and analyzing problems before they occur.

"Reliability Advisor is unique in the industry because it applies Honeywell UOP’s proprietary process knowledge and deep troubleshooting experience to recommend operational adjustments sooner and more accurately than has ever been possible before," said Zak Alzein, Vice President, Connected Plant, at Honeywell UOP. "Plants with this service can run consistently at the top of their capability."

Honeywell Connected Plant is a suite of applications that delivers higher levels of safety, reliability, efficiency and profitability. These proven industry solutions are based on decades of domain knowledge and controls experience. They turn data into actionable insight to optimize operations, predict plant failures and eliminate unplanned downtime.

As part of Honeywell’s Connected Plant portfolio, Reliability Advisor gives refineries, petrochemical and gas processing plants greater visibility into their operations, helping identify and resolve problems that often avoid detection and hamper production, and preventing unplanned shutdowns for maintenance and repair that can cost plant operators millions of dollars per year in lost productivity.

"Process Reliability Advisor is a powerful part of Honeywell Connected Plant because it combines process data with UOP expertise enabled by software to provide our customers with ongoing service," Alzein said. "This service can tie plant data to the right domain knowledge to gain new insights to improve operational reliability."

Bucharest-based OMV Petrom is an integrated oil and gas company. It is the largest producer of crude oil in Romania and provides nearly half of Romania’s domestic natural gas. The company’s Petrobrazi refinery near Ploiesti has a refining capacity of 4.5 million tons per year.

As MRC informed before, in February 2018, Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) announced that BASF had opened a state-of-the-art control room equipped with Honeywell Experion technology at its waste incineration complex in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
MRC

US crude inventories fall, products build as refiners ramp up

MOSCOW (MRC) - US crude oil stockpiles fell more than expected, while gasoline and distillate inventories posted surprise builds as refiners ramped up their activity to the highest since January ahead of Memorial Day weekend, reported Reuters with reference to the Energy Information Administration.

Crude inventories fell 3.6 million barrels in the week to May 25, compared with analysts' expectations for a decrease of 525,000 barrels.

The drawdown assuaged some worries from U.S. traders who have watched the West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) benchmark weaken due to high production levels and signals that OPEC will let its supply-cut pact come to a close.

"The report was supportive due to the large drop in crude oil inventories which was a function of a trifecta of bullish elements: strong demand from refiners, a sizeable drop in crude oil imports, and rebound in exports," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

Refinery crude runs rose 527,000 barrels per day to 17.2 million bpd as utilization rates jumped 2.1 percentage points to 93.9 percent of total capacity, both the highest runs and rates since January, EIA data showed.

Gasoline stocks rose by 534,000 barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.4 million-barrel drop.

Demand for the motor fuel over the past four weeks rose 0.8 percent year-on-year ahead of the Memorial day weekend which marks the official start to the summer driving season in the United States.

Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, grew by 634,000 barrels, versus expectations for a 1.3 million-barrel draw, the EIA data showed.
MRC