MOSCOW (MRC) -- ZapSibNeftekhim (ZapSib) affiliate has produced the first batch of polyethylene (PE) granules using its own ethylene feedstock at its Tobolsk complex in Siberia, the Russian petrochemicals major said in its press-release.
Earlier this year, ZapSib produced a test batch of PE from imported feedstock, “while today the process is running smoothly using our own feedstock,” SIBUR said.
"The first PE batch from our own feedstock is one of the key stages of launching the entire ZapSibNeftekhim petrochemical facility,” said Igor Klimov, member of SIBUR’s management board, and CEO of ZapSibNeftekhim and SIBUR Tobolsk.
Commissioning and start-up are “well under way”, and after ramping up to its full capacity, the petrochemical facility will produce 1.5m tonnes/year of PE – making ZapSib’s Tobolsk project Russia’s largest polymer production facility, the company said.
ZapSibNeftekhim includes four polymerisation units to produce various grades of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE).
PE is the most widely used plastic in the world. It is primarily found in packaging including plastic bags, plastic films and geomembranes.
In June 2019, SIBUR announced that it commissioned its ZapSibNeftekhim integrated petrochemical (PC) complex in Tobolsk, Russia, the "largest" petrochemical complex in the country. The USD9.5 bn project involves a steam cracker with the capacity to produce 1.5 M tonnes/y of ethylene, about 500,000 tonnes/y of propylene and 100,000 tonnes/y of butane/butylene fraction, as well as polyethylene and polypropylene units with a combined total capacity of 2 M tonnes/y.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polyprolypele (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,436,390 tonnes in the first eight months of 2019, up by 9% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, the PP consumption in the Russian market was 909,260 tonnes in January-August 2019, up by 10% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.
OAO SIBUR Holding is the largest petrochemical company in Russia and Eastern Europe with full coverage of the industry cycle from gas processing, production of monomers, plastics and synthetic rubbers to plastics processing.
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