MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant announced it has started monthly production of 2 million liters of disinfectant at its facilities in Gendorf, Germany, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.
This disinfectant is then directly or via repacking partners provided to regional hospitals and other vital institutions in Bavaria, who are currently facing limited availability of this critical product during the COVID-19 outbreak.
At its facility in Gendorf, Clariant is able to use its available infrastructure to blend the necessary ingredients into disinfectant at a large scale. This allows the company to fulfill close to two-thirds of the monthly target demand of the Bavarian State, which aims for a total of 10 million liters of disinfectants to be produced over the next three months. Costs associated with this program are financed by a crisis fund set up by the State of Bavaria, Clariant offered its contribution at cost price.
“At times like this, it is vital that everyone, be it individuals or companies, contributes in every way possible to reduce the spread of the virus. We at Clariant have the capability to support those working the hardest to protect all of us. Therefore, our employees acted decisively to ensure it was done”, said Hans Bohnen, Chief Operating Officer of Clariant.
In order to realize the production of such large volumes of disinfectant, Clariant has cooperated with several other companies. The main ingredient, ethanol from renewable sources, was provided by CropEnergies AG. Their facility in Zeitz, Saxony-Anhalt, one of Europe’s largest production sites for renewable ethanol, produces the ethanol and ships it to Clariant in Gendorf. For this process, support was given by several logistics and infrastructure partners. After inspection and approval, the ethanol is then mixed with other ingredients in Clariant’s production facilities to produce disinfectant according to an official standard of the World Health Organization (WHO). Upon completion, the disinfectant is filled into large tank containers. Other partnering companies fill packaging in suitable sizes, ranging from 1 to 1,000 liters, after which the disinfectant is distributed to regional hospitals and other vital institutions.
Thanks to all these contributions, it was possible to support the Bavarian authorities and establish a stable supply chain for disinfectant on short notice and of large proportions. The total of 10 million liters would represent approximately 750 ml. of disinfectant for every resident of Bavaria.
Stephan Trautschold, Head of Operations for Clariant’s Industrial and Consumer Specialties business, added: “Being able to establish production of such large quantities of disinfectant so quickly is an impressive achievement. I am very proud of our entire team at the Gendorf site, Clariant’s service functions and very appreciative of the support from all other partnering companies and the Bavarian authorities. Together we can make a difference by supporting those in need."
As MRC informed earlier, Sabic has announced that it has purchased additional shares in Clariant, increasing its holding in the company from 24.99% to 31.5%. The move is part of Sabic’s growth strategy to achieve a leadership position among global peers in specialties and increase this segment’s contribution to Sabic. Completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.
Earlier last year, SABIC took off-stream its SABIC Olefins 4 cracker owing to technical issues on May 10, 2019. Further details on duration of the shutdown could not be ascertained. Located in beek, the Netherlands, the cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 690,000 mt/year and a propylene production capacity of 360,000 mt/year.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,904,410 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments increased from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers. The PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,161,830 tonnes in January-November 2019, up by 7% year on year. Deliveries of all grades of propylene polymers increased, with the homopolymer PP segment accounting for the largest increase.
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.
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