DSM to launch engineering plastics using 25% bio-based/recycled material

MOSCOW (MRC) -- DSM is pledging to offer a full alternative range of engineering plastics based on bio- and/or recycled materials by 2030, the company said.

The producer will offer a full portfolio of alternatives with at least 25% of the weight of the products made of recycled and/or bio-based material in line with consumer and legislative demands.

Different technologies including fermentation, mechanical recycling and mass balance accounting (which assesses how to allocate sustainable materials) of bio-based and/or chemically recycled feedstock.

Some of the new bio-based products were launched at K Trade Fair this year, which ran in Dusseldorf, Germany on 16-23 October.

DSM Engineering Plastics is launching bio-based grades of its Arnitel® and Stanyl® product portfolio manufactured via a mass-balancing approach of bio-based feedstock. The Stanyl bio-based grades are already available with the globally recognized sustainability certification ISCC Plus. Joost d’Hooghe, Vice President Polyamides at DSM Engineering Plastics said: “Our Arnitel and Stanyl bio-based alternatives will deliver the same functional performance as our conventional portfolio. This will enable our customers to easily shift to a more sustainable solution without having to requalify materials."

As MRC informed earlier, 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.

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) -- Celanese Corporation, a global chemical and specialty materials company, and Beijing Oriental Yuhong Waterproof Technology Co., Ltd., announced they have signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation and development agreement, reported Kemicalinfo.

The agreement aims to further expand cooperation in product research and development, expansion into emerging markets, and the advancement of industry, safety and environmental protection practices and sustainability.

Key components of the strategic cooperation agreement include the sharing of information and practices in the use of emulsions for waterproofing applications. Additionally, the companies will evaluate where Celanese can develop new product applications for use in Oriental Yuhong’s waterproofing business. Furthermore, the companies will begin the sharing of product development information and engage in discussions around plant productivity and sustainability in order to drive cost savings and identify potential opportunities for improving production and operational sustainability. Finally, the companies are expected to evaluate potential new supply arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region.

"Celanese and Oriental Yuhong have been working together commercially for more than a decade in the area of emulsions and vinyl acetate chemistry and this strategic cooperation agreement is the next logical step in our business relationship," said Florian Kohl, Celanese Vice President, VAM and Emulsions.

As MRC informed earlier, Celanese Corporation experienced an emergency incident at approximately 12:00 noon Central time on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Celanese Clear Lake facility in Pasadena, Texas. On-site emergency personnel extinguished the fire quickly, and appropriate regulatory and first responder agencies were notified and mobilized at the scene to support the incident. All Celanese, site partner and contractor employees are accounted for and no injuries were reported. No shelter in place was issued, and the emergency was cleared at 4:30 p.m. local time.

According to MRC's DataScope report, September EVA imports to Russia fell by 22,7% year on year to 3,420 tonnes from 4,430 tonnes in September 2018, and overall imports of this grade of ethylene copolymer into the Russian Federation decreased in January-September 2019 by 18,2% year on year to 29,190 tonnes (35,690 tonnes in the first nine months of 2018).

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,700 employees worldwide and had 2018 net sales of USD7.2 billion.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Gazprom Neft Omsk Refinery has taken delivery of 10 pieces of cutting-edge high-tech equipment for construction of a delayed coking unit, as per the company's press release.

This new equipment is designed to produce components for automotive gasoline. Gazprom Neft’s investment in this project — which forms part of a programme to develop a delayed coking complex at the Omsk Refinery, including construction of a new facility, as well as reconstruction of the existing one — now stands at more than RUB50 billion. Construction is due for completion by 2021.

The use of cutting-edge technologies is making possible a four-fold increase in the production of a high-quality raw material used in the aluminium industry — petroleum coke. One of the key outcomes of implementing this project will be its environmental impact: the delayed coking complex’s total environmental impact will be halved, while production volumes will increase. The two-million-tonne-capacity future facility will, together with the plant’s other modernisation projects, take refining depth (the "conversion factor") at the Omsk Refinery to 97% — among the best in the world.

The delayed coking unit now under construction is designed to process heavy petroleum feedstock, whereby pre-heated tar is separated into light fractions and ultra-heavy tar. Light hydrocarbons are sent to be processed into commercial oil products — motor fuels — while the ultra-heavy tar is turned into coke. The produced coke is in considerable demand by the aluminium and electrical engineering industries.

Gazprom Neft is currently involved in a full-scale modernisation programme at its Omsk and Moscow refineries, involving cumulative investment of more than RUB550 billion. The first stage of this programs has involved the construction and reconstruction of key technological facilities, allowing the complete transition to the production of Euro ?5 fuels, significantly improving energy efficiency and environmental friendliness in production. The implementation of the second phase of this modernisation programme is now ongoing, as a result of which the refining depth and light product yield are expected to exceed those of leading global producers.

As MRC informed earlier, Gazprom Neft and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) have entered into a Framework Agreement on Strategic Cooperation. The companies will explore opportunities for implementing joint projects in the upstream and downstream sectors, as well as in information technologies, artificial intelligence, and other areas.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,589,580 tonnes in the first nine months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 976,790 tonnes in January-September 2019, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall imports of expandable polystyrene (EPS) to Kazakhstan grew in the first three quarters of 2019 by 5% year on year to 5,400 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

Russia and China were the main importing countries of EPS to Kazakhstan.

Thus, imports of Russian material to the Kazakh market fell in the first nine months of 2019 by 24% year on year: from 4,700 tonnes in January-September 2018 to 3,600 tonnes. The share of EPS imports from Russia in the total shipments to the country slumped in January-September 2019 by 66% from 91% a year earlier.

And shipments of Chinese material quadrupled in the first three quarters of 2019: from 400 tonnes to 1,800 tonnes. The share of Chinese companies in the overall imports to the country grew sharply in the first ten months of 2019 to 33% from 8% a year earlier.

September EPS imports into Kazakhstan rose by 41% from August to 800 tonnes from 600 tonnes. Imports of material into the country were 600 tonnes in September 2018.

At the same time, deliveries of Russian EPS to Kazakhstan were 506 tonnes in September versus 488 tonnes in August, whereas imports of material were 591 tonnes in September 2018.

EPS shipments into the country from China totalled 326 tonnes over the stated month versus 103 tonnes in August, meanwhile, Chinese material was not imported into the country in September 2018.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Total Petrochemicals & Refining USA reported a fire that resulted in above-normal gas emissions over the weekend at its refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, reported MorningStar.

"A hole in a line released hydrogen that resulted in a fire at the Continuous Catalyst Reformer Unit," the refinery said in a statement to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. "The fire was extinguished. The unit is being evaluated."

It said the emissions, including some 5,001 pounds of carbon monoxide, began Saturday and lasted more than two hours.

The 225,000-barrel-a-day Port Arthur refinery is located 95 miles east of Houston.

As MRC informed earlier, in June 2018, Bayport Polymers LLC (Bay-Pol), a joint venture of Total and Novealis Holdings LLC - a joint venture of Borealis AG and NOVA Chemicals Inc. - held the official groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new ethane cracker at the Total Port Arthur Refinery. The new USD1.7-billion ethane cracker is the first project under construction by the recently-formed Bay-Pol joint venture. The new 1 Mt/y ethane cracker is being built alongside Total's Port Arthur Refinery and the existing Total/BASF steam cracker and is expected to start up in 2020.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,589,580 tonnes in the first nine months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 976,790 tonnes in January-September 2019, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.
MRC