DSM strengthens its market-leading position in high-performance specialty polymers

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Royal DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, announced the strengthening of its leadership in high-performance specialty polymers with the operational launch of a new production line for Arnitel® in Emmen, the Netherlands, said the company.

The capacity will be expanded by 20% and will enable greater supply flexibility and security.

The new production line will allow DSM to meet the growing demand for Arnitel® high-performance ThermoPlastic Copolyesters (TPCs). These materials are known around the world for their unique combination of elasticity, high temperature resistance and mechanical properties, as well as excellent processing characteristics. What’s more, Arnitel® is increasingly being used as a lighter, greener alternative to conventional rubbers in automotive applications – reducing environmental impact and, ultimately, system costs.

The new production line underlines DSM’s contribution to the economic development of the Drenthe region, in the Netherlands.

Lu Zhang, Global Business Director at DSM Engineering Plastics: “We see increasing demand of Arnitel® in various application areas including automotive, consumer and industrial. This capacity expansion shows DSM’s commitment to our customers and industries we serve."

As MRC wrote earlier, in November 2017, Royal DSM announced a new approach for its additive manufacturing (AM) activities. By aligning all its AM activities within the Materials cluster and promoting a partnership approach, DSM can provide customers an open and flexible infrastructure. This will help customers to find exactly the right materials and production systems for their applications. The new customer-centric organization will build on experience and expertise from all of DSM’s existing materials businesses, combining deep market segment-specific application understanding and expertise in all polymer AM processing technology platforms.

Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. DSM delivers innovative solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance in global markets such as food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Reliance Industries (RIL), in an application to the envi-ronment ministry, said it was planning to increase petrochemical capacity at its Vadodara Manufacturing Division (VMD) in India, through the removal of bottlenecks, as per Apic-online with reference to the Economic Times.

The company produces polybutadiene rubber and emulsion styrene butadiene rubber at Vadodara, according to earlier reports.

The project, estimated to cost Rs 2,270 crore, is expected to add the production of diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, heavy normal paraffin, light normal paraffin, heavy alkylates and heavy aromatics.

Naphtha feedstock will be supplied from RIL's Jamnagar refinery. No other details were available.
"A majority of the offsite and other infrastructure facilities required for the petrochemical manufacturing and production are already available through the existing VMD facility," RIL noted in the application.

"Therefore, the proposed modifications and debottlenecking would result in enhanced production with minimum investment on supporting facilities than that required for setting up new stand-alone production units."

As MRC reported earlier, Saudi Aramco’s Chief Executive Officer Amin Nassar said in February 2019 that the company was in talks with India’s Reliance Industries Ltd for possible investments and is seeking other opportunities in the country.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Two Chinese companies, Beijing BECA Sci-tech Co Ltd and Sinopec Engineering Inc have inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Sarawak state government to invest USВ5 billion for the development of an integrated oil and gas (O&G) complex in Lawas, said Theedgemarkets.

Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said Sarawak’s O&G policy welcomed the participation from the private sector in the development of the state’s O&G sector.

"This MOU is an auspicious step towards expanding our capacity and capability in the sector,” he said at the signing ceremony here.

Also present were Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who is also Minister of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development, Beijing BECA Sci-Tech president Hao Liang and Sinopec Engineering vice-president Zhao Xiangdong.

Hao said the MOU marked a significant milestone in the petrochemical development project.

"To ensure the project is operational as soon as possible and contribute to Sarawak’s economic development, BECA will ensure that this industry is further refined, making it stronger and bigger, while working with the people of Sarawak to create a better future," he added.

The joint venture project will be implemented in stages starting from the fourth quarter of this year and is expected to be completed by 2022.

As MRC informed earlier, in 2016 Russian petrochemical company Sibur was in talks with shareholder Sinopec about investing in a planned gas chemical plant in Russia's Far East. Sibur plans to buy gas from fields which Russia's Gazprom will develop in Eastern Siberia.

Sinopec Corp. is one of the largest scale integrated energy and chemical company with upstream, midstream and downstream operations. Its principal business includes: exploring, developing, producing and trading crude oil and natural gas; producing, storing, transporting and distributing and marketing petroleum products, petrochemical products, synthetic fiber, fertilizer and other chemical products. Its refining capacity and ethylene capacity rank No.2 and No.4 globally. Sinopec listed in Hong Kong, New York, London and Shanghai in August 2001. Sinopec Group, the parent company of Sinopec Corp., is ranked the 5th in Fortune Global 500 in 2012.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- A bomb damaged a section of Colombia’s Cano Limon pipeline, state-run oil company Ecopetrol said, causing a crude oil spill around the site of the explosion, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The bombing, the eighteenth on the pipeline this year, occurred in the rural municipality of Saravena, in the province of Arauca near the border with Venezuela.

“The attack caused a rupture in the tubing and a spill of crude on the ground and into vegetation. Some of the oil was contained in the crater made by the bomb,” Ecopetrol said in a statement.

The company will send in a clean-up crew as soon as the military has secured the area, Ecopetrol said.

The company did not attribute the attack to a particular armed group.

The leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels, considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, regularly attacks oil infrastructure.

There have been more than two dozen attacks on Colombian pipelines so far in 2019.

The 485-mile (780-km) Cano Limon, which can transport up to 210,000 barrels per day, was kept offline for most of 2018 because of more than 80 bombings.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PetroChina launched its Huabei refinery’s expanded 10 million tons crude processing capacity after it passed preliminary testing, reported Reuters with reference to the state-run Economic Information Daily.

At present, the new 2.9 million tonnes per year residue hydrocracking unit and the 1 million tonnes per year aviation fuel hydrotreating unit are in the preparatory stage for test operations. The annual production capacity of aviation fuel will reach 1.7 million tonnes after these units are put into operation.

The Huabei project is the only refining and chemical enterprise which will directly supply to the new and under-construction Beijing Daxing International Airport, according to the report.

The Huabei refinery, one of the largest under PetroChina, expanded its crude processing capacity to 10 million tonnes (200,000 bpd) from 5 million tonnes with a total investment of more than 31 billion yuan (USD4.48 billion).

The refinery will help in meeting increasing demand for fuel from the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei region.

As MRC informed before, in April 2019, LyondellBasell (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) announced that PetroChina will use the LyondellBasell Hostalen “Advanced Cascade Process” (Hostalen ACP) technology to produce 1,100,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) capacity.

PetroChina has designated three refineries in northeast China - Dalian, Liaoyang and Jilin - as the main receiving points for the increased Russian supply. Liaoyang will begin taking more crude once a major upgrade is completed at the end of this year. The new volumes will flow as a result of Russia and China expanding the East Siberian Pacific Ocean pipeline that starts at Rosneft’s oilfields in East Siberia and enters China at border town of Mohe.
MRC