SABIC introduces LNP ELCRIN iQ upcycled compounds to extend useful life of PET bottles and help reduce plastic waste

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SABIC has introduced its LNP ELCRIN iQ portfolio of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) compounded resins derived from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) to support the circular economy and help reduce plastic waste, as per the company's press release.

By chemically upcycling consumer-discarded PET (primarily single-use water bottles) into higher-value PBT materials with enhanced properties and suitability for more-durable applications, the company is encouraging the use of recycled resins. These products also offer a smaller cradle-to-gate environmental footprint than virgin PBT resin, as measured by Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) and Global Warming Potential (GWP).

SABIC’s LNP ELCRIN iQ compounds and blends are based on upcycled iQ PBT resins, a proprietary SABIC technology. This technology overcomes some of the limitations of mechanical recycling by using chemical processes to depolymerize PET bottles and other PET waste into their precursor chemicals, purify them and then use them to create new PBT resin. The technology can deliver performance and processing benefits such as good chemical resistance, colorability, high flow for faster throughput and flame retardance (FR).

LNP ELCRIN iQ resin is a drop-in solution for virgin PBT and other conventional PBT materials, making it easier for manufacturers to make their products more sustainable. By displacing virgin raw material used to manufacture PBT, LNP ELCRIN iQ resin has been shown through peer-reviewed life cycle assessment to reduce the energy and carbon footprint of the material by up to 61 percent and 49 percent, respectively. Further, each kilogram of LNP ELCRIN iQ resin uses up to 67 post-consumer PET water bottles (0.5 liter).

The ELCRIN iQ portfolio offers customers multiple options, including glass- and mineral-reinforced grades and non-halogenated FR and UV-resistant formulations. Some of the LNP ELCRIN iQ grades even have the potential to achieve compliance with US Food & Drug Association (FDA) food contact regulations.

Potential applications for these new polymers include durable internal and aesthetic components for consumer electronics, automotive connectors, and housings for medical devices. Such applications can extend the useful life of the original, single-use PET resin, which helps keep the material out of the waste stream for a longer period.
"Consumer-discarded PET bottles lose value and performance properties through conventional mechanical recycling," said Joshua Chiaw, Global Business Director, LNP, SABIC. "This downcycling process limits the types of applications for which rPET can be used. In contrast, SABIC’s chemical upcycling process helps improve the performance and quality of the final resin product. As a result, these PBT materials are potentially more desirable for durable applications. Overall, LNP ELCRIN iQ materials can help reduce reliance on virgin resin and address industry and consumer demand for greater use of more-sustainable materials."

"The development of LNP ELCRIN iQ materials is a major step forward for SABIC and illustrates our unyielding commitment to our customers, the global plastics industry, and the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, which we joined as a founding member," said Frank Kuijpers, General Manager, Corporate Sustainability, SABIC. "Our innovative process for chemical upcycling of single-use PET directly supports the AEPW’s goal of developing new technologies that help minimize waste, make recovering and recycling plastics easier, and create value from all post-use plastics."
SABIC LNP ELCRIN iQ grades are available worldwide.

As MRC reported earlier, in November 2017, plastics-maker Sabic presented new materials for customers producing LED automotive lighting parts. EXAN HF4010SR resin is one of the new offerings. This polycarbonate (PC) material can make it possible for customers to develop complex headlight bezels with enhanced aesthetics. Sabic has also added new grades to its existing LEXAN XHT resin line, which can offer improved flow at high temperatures compared to other high-heat polycarbonate materials available today.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world's top petrochemical companies. The company is among the worldпїЅs market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Chevron U.S.A. Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, has announced that it has completed the acquisition from Petrobras America Inc. of all the outstanding shares and equity interests of Pasadena Refining System, Inc. (PRSI) and PRSI Trading LLC for USD350 million, excluding working capital, reported Reuters.

PRSI’s 466-acre complex in Pasadena, Texas, adds a second refinery to CUSA’s Gulf Coast downstream business, which also includes a refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

"This acquisition builds on the strength of our existing Gulf Coast business, enabling us to supply more of our retail market in the region with Chevron-produced products, and positions us for connectivity to our strong upstream assets in the Permian Basin," said Mark Nelson, Chevron’s executive vice president for Downstream & Chemicals. "We welcome PRSI’s employees into the Chevron family."

The Pasadena refinery has the capacity to process approximately 110,000 barrels per day of light crude, direct pipeline connections to increasing industry and equity crude oil production, connections to major product pipelines, and dock access to receive and ship crude oil and refined products. It comprises a 323-acre refinery, including a tank farm with a storage capacity of 5.1 million barrels of crude oil and refined products, as well as 143 acres of additional land.

As MRC wrote before, in May 2018, Chevron Products Company, a division of Chevron USA Inc., and Novvi LLC announced that they had entered into an agreement to jointly develop and bring to market novel renewable base oil technologies.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant has launched a new facility in Guangzhou, China, dedicated to the manufacturing and supply of specialty black masterbatches that are in high demand in a great number of consumer goods sectors, to specially address the fast-growing China market, as per the company's press release.

Officiating the opening ceremony on May 24 were Clariant customers and company leaders, and Clariant pledged its continued commitment to local customers in China.

With Black PET/PA masterbatches for fiber already developing into a sizable business in China and some other Asian countries, the new production facility in Guangzhou will supplement existing supply from Clariant’s facility in Taiwan, which has been already fully utilized, to jointly deliver product and service excellence in its Greater China Region.

Ever since 1995, Clariant Masterbatches has established its production presence in Guangzhou focusing on products for fiber, consumer goods and packaging applications. In 2017, to better satisfy a growing demand for Engineering Plastics (EP) and High Temperature Resins (HTR) with local capabilities, Clariant expanded its Shanghai facility to support China’s E&E market with high-performance and reliable compound masterbatches solutions. With the previously mentioned Taipei site, Clariant has altogether 3 masterbatches production sites in the Greater China region.

"Since 2016, we’ve been increasing our investments in equipment upgrade and facilities expansion to boost capacities and capabilities of the Clariant plants in China, Singapore and the US. The expanded new production line here in Guangzhou, with a CHF 5 million of investment volume, will enhance our full range service in supplying specialty black masterbatches products for the market of packaging, consumer goods, fiber, automotive and E&E. It also allows us to better serve local expectations and continue our committment to main local customers in the segments," said Bernd Hoegemann, Clariant’s Head of Business Unit Masterbatches.

Together with this new production facility, a state-of-art workshop and an upgraded advanced lab were also newly established with customized services to echo unique performance requirements from its main customers in the special segments, as part of Clariant’s long term solutions and commitments for customer centricity in the China market. These newly added facilities, with Clariant’s existing capacities, will help the company further consolidate its position as a leading player in the masterbatches field in China today.

"The new facilities here and additional projects in the pipeline in China are enabling us deliver on our corporate vision of bringing China further from the fringe to the core of our development at Clariant, a strategy we call Fringe to Core (F2C)," said Fu Cai Wang, Clariant’s China President. "The new workshop, the lab and the added production line are helping us better satisfy the needs of our local customers and further establish our footprints in the market, which is anticipated to sustain near-term growth in the foreseeable future."

As MRC informed 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.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell, one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world, has announced it has ended discussions with Odebrecht S.A. concerning the potential acquisition of Braskem, as per the company's press release.

Odebrecht S.A. is the controlling shareholder of Sao Paulo-based Braskem.

"The combination of LyondellBasell and Braskem is compelling because of the companies' complementary strengths, product portfolios and operational footprints. However, after careful consideration, we jointly decided not to pursue the transaction. We want to thank the teams at Odebrecht and Braskem for their cooperation during the entire process," said LyondellBasell CEO Bob Patel.

"We remain focused on advancing our disciplined, value-driven growth strategy. In addition, we intend to expedite our share repurchase program, which currently allows for the repurchase of up to 37 million of our outstanding shares. Our strong cash flows, ample liquidity, and healthy balance sheet allow us to deliver a growing, top-quartile dividend, advance organic growth, and maintain optionality for M&A opportunities while executing these significant opportunistic share repurchases," said Patel.

As MRC wrote previously, in August 2016, LyondellBasell made the final investment decision to build a high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant on the US Gulf Coast. The plant will have an annual capacity of 1.1 billion pounds (500,000 metric tons) and will be the first commercial plant to employ LyondellBasell's new proprietary Hyperzone PE technology. The start-up of the new plant is scheduled for 2019.

LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world. Driven by its 13,000 employees around the globe, LyondellBasell produces materials and products that are key to advancing solutions to modern challenges like enhancing food safety through lightweight and flexible packaging, protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes, and improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road. LyondellBasell sells products into approximately 100 countries and is the world's largest licensor of polyolefin technologies.

Braskem S.A. produces petrochemicals and generates electricity. The Company produces ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene, xylenes, butadiene, butene, isoprene, dicyclopentediene, MTBE, caprolactam, ammonium sulfate, cyclohexene, polyethylene theraphtalat, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- AVEVA, a global leader in engineering and industrial software, announced that Covestro, one of the world’s largest high-tech polymer companies, has signed a multi-million Euro agreement to help digitally transform Covestro’s entire process engineering workflow, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Covestro chose AVEVA’s SimCentral Simulation Platform as a single solution to replace legacy systems across the plant lifecycle to increase efficiency and allow its engineers to focus on innovation and develop new solutions to complex problems.

Process simulation is the virtual modeling of production processes designed to help engineers understand their operations better and enable them to predict performance and optimize processes with a high degree of accuracy.

With AVEVA SimCentral Simulation Platform, Covestro employees will be able to collaborate seamlessly across projects, engineering disciplines and locations with the potential to drive further productivity and efficiency gains. It is the first process simulation platform developed from the ground up to support steady-state, fluid-flow and dynamic modeling. It also integrates with engineering design tools in a single easy-to-use environment that spans the entire plant lifecycle.

"AVEVA’s SimCentral Simulation Platform will help us to fundamentally change the way we use process simulation software from conceptual design to the engineering and operation of our plants. It’s a key part of our journey to digitally transform our production," said Dr. Frank Dobert, Head of Production and Technology, Coatings, Adhesives and Specialties at Covestro. "AVEVA has the right technology, the right people, the right understanding of our industry and business and the right business mindset to be a valuable global strategic partner." Learn how Covestro uses next-generation process simulation to push the boundaries of digital transformation.

Covestro provides its high-quality polymer materials for a wide range of applications ranging from insulation for refrigerators and entire buildings, laptop and cell phone cases to scratch-resistant and fast-drying vehicle coatings and soft foams for furniture and car interiors. By replacing traditional materials with durable, light, environmentally-compatible and cost-effective equivalents, Covestro’s materials and application solutions are being used in nearly every area of modern life.

Amish Sabharwal, Global Head of Engineering Business at AVEVA, added: "A global leader in its field with a commitment to innovation and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, Covestro’s approach to doing business is closely aligned with our own. Covestro is one of the most dynamic, forward thinking businesses in the industry and recognizes the growing importance of digital solutions in a changing world. Covestro’s engineers realized the potential of SimCentral Simulation Platform early on and after extensive testing we are delighted that Covestro has chosen to partner with us to meet a crucial objective in their digital transformation strategy."

As MRC reported earlier, in May 2018, Bayer Group sold 28.81 million shares representing a 14.2 percent interest in Covestro at a price of 75.50 euros per share. The proceeds of this sale totaled 2.2 billion euros. Bayer AG now holds just 6.8 percent of Covestro shares to repay the exchangeable bond that matures in 2020. Bayer AG acquired these shares from Bayer Pension Trust, which now no longer holds any Covestro shares.

We also remind that on 1 September, 2015, Bayer MaterialScience became known as Covestro. The plans for the carve-out of Bayer MaterialScience were announced in September 2014.

Covestro (formerly Bayer MaterialScience) is an independent subgroup within Bayer. It was created as part of the restructuring of Bayer AG from the former business group Bayer Polymers, with certain of its activities being spun off to Lanxess AG. Covestro manufactures and develops materials such as coatings, adhesives and sealants, polycarbonates (CDs, DVDs), polyurethanes (automotive seating, insulation for refrigerating appliances) etc.
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