BASF & Lutianhua ink MoU to co-develop pilot plant to produce DME from syngas

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF and Sichuan Lutianhua Co. signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly build a pilot production plant for a new, energy-efficient one-step process in synthetizing dimethyl ether (DME) from syngas, as per Apic-online.

According to the MoU, Lutianhua will invest in and build the facility with a step-change technology developed by BASF and Linde. BASF will supply new, high-performance catalyst systems that enable one-step conversion of syngas to DME, while Linde will provide its newly developed process design and engineering for direct DME synthesis. The plant is expected to be built next year.

The facility is expected to "significantly reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency" in producing DME from syngas, the partners noted.

Lutianhua is "one of the first" companies to adopt ad-vanced technologies and techniques to produce synthetic ammonia and urea with natural gas as a raw material, said Lutianhua.

"We have well-established production capabilities and are always keen to apply new technologies and processes," stated Lutianhua Chairman Tan Guangjun.

The partnership was facilitated by the newly estab-lished Open Innovation Platform of China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, which is designated to promote cooperation among industry leaders for technological breakthroughs and industrial transformation.

As MRC informed earlier, in December 2017, BASF’s Coatings division inaugurated a new automotive coatings plant at its Bangpoo manufacturing site, Samutprakarn province, Thailand. The new plant is the first BASF automotive coatings manufacturing facility in ASEAN, and produces solventborne and waterborne automotive coatings to meet growing market demand in the region.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Kenya’s government and oil firms Tullow Oil, Total and Africa Oil Corp have signed agreements for the development of a 60,000-80,000 barrels per day crude oil processing facility for oil discovered in the country’s north west, the Petroleum and Mining Ministry said, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The ministry said on Twitter the Heads of Term agreements were for discoveries in Blocks 10 BB and 13T in South Lokichar Basin.

As MRC informed earlier, crude oil deposits discovered in Kenya are insufficient to justify construction of a refinery, a senior petroleum ministry official said. Kenya discovered commercial oil in 2012 in its Lokichar basin, which Tullow Oil estimates contains an estimated 560 million barrels in proven and probable reserves.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- IVL would like to inform that on June 25, 2019 at 3.30 pm (local time) a fire accident occurred at the PTA/ IPA finished product warehouse of Indorama Ventures Quimica S.L.U at San Roque in Spain, said the company.

The fire has been brought under control. All employees are safe and the production lines are operating normally.
An assessment of damage and its cause is being carried out and there will be no disruption in business except for minor interruption in supplies of bagged material.

The likely impact is not expected to be material to the Company and the property damaged including stocks is adequately covered under insurance.

As MRC wrote before, in June 2018, Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global chemical producer, entered into a joint venture agreement with Dhunseri Petrochem Ltd. (Dhunseri) to acquire its Egyptian Indian Polyester Company S.A.E. (EIPET) PET facility located in Ain Sokhna free trade zone, North West of the Gulf of Suez in Egypt. This plant has a manufacturing capacity of 540,000 tonnes per annum.

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, listed in Thailand, is one of the world's leading petrochemicals producers, a global manufacturing footprint with 59 sites in 20 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. The company's portfolio is comprises necessities and high value-added (HVA) categories of polymers, fibers, and packaging. Indorama Ventures has approx. 15,000 employees worldwide and consolidated revenue of USD 8.4 billion in 2017. The company is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Saudi Aramco and Air Products inaugurated the first hydrogen fueling station in Saudi Arabia at Air Products’ new Technology Center in the Dhahran Techno Valley Science Park, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The pilot station will fuel an initial fleet of six Toyota Mirai fuel cell electric vehicles with high-purity compressed hydrogen.

The announcement comes amid growing international recognition of hydrogen’s benefits. A report released last week by the International Energy Agency (IEA) concludes that hydrogen has vast potential to help the world reduce emissions while addressing its energy needs.

"This pilot project represents an exciting opportunity for Saudi Aramco and Air Products to demonstrate the potential of hydrogen in the transport sector and its viability as a sustainable fuel for the future," said Amin H. Nasser, President and Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Aramco. "Today’s milestone is an important step in making oil-to-hydrogen a reality as Saudi Aramco continues to be focused on creating breakthrough technologies and solutions as part of our long term efforts to reduce carbon emissions and address climate concerns."

"It is well known that our world needs a sustainable system to address environmental challenges while also meeting growing energy demand. Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are well positioned to be part of the solution," said Seifi Ghasemi, Air Products’ Chairman, President and CEO. "We are honored to collaborate with Saudi Aramco to establish and develop a sustainable, hydrocarbon-based hydrogen supply system for fuel cell vehicles in Saudi Arabia."

The new fueling station combines Saudi Aramco’s industrial and technological experience with Air Products’ know-how and experience in the field of hydrogen fueling.

Air Products’ proprietary SmartFuel hydrogen fueling technology will be incorporated into the new station to supply Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Vehicles with compressed hydrogen. The data collected during the initial phase of this project will provide valuable information for the assessment of future applications of this emerging and diverse transport technology in the local environment.

It is expected that the fleet of Toyota Mirai vehicles will have a driving range of 500km with water as their only emission and the ability to be fueled in five minutes as opposed to an hour for traditional battery electric vehicles. This would demonstrate the potential of hydrogen fueled vehicles to make a significant contribution to a clean, secure, and affordable energy future.

As MRC reported before, in October 2018, Saudi Aramco signed an agreement to invest in a refinery-petrochemical project in eastern China, part of its strategy to expand in downstream operations globally. The memorandum of understanding between the company and Zhejiang province included plans to invest in a new refinery and co-operate in crude oil supply, storage and trading, according to details released by the Zhoushan government after a signing ceremony in the city south of Shanghai.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The former manager of Curacao’s Isla refinery and a consultant were arrested as part of an investigation over alleged corruption in a process to select a new operator for the 335,000-barrel-per day facility, sources said, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Former general manager Roderick van Kwartel and a company consultant, Ashley Isadora, were arrested on Monday, according to the sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the case. The executives were put on temporary leave earlier this year and the selection process was paused during the investigation.

As MRC informed earlier, Curacao’s state-owned Isla oil refinery, which is operated by Venezuelan state-run company PDVSA, has received an exemption from U.S. sanctions on PDVSA. The U.S. Treasury Department slapped sanctions on PDVSA in late January in a bid to force out socialist President Nicolas Maduro, who has overseen a collapse in the OPEC member nation’s economy.
MRC