MOSCOW (MRC) -- Arkema has announced a long-term partnership with Nutrien, the world’s largest integrated fertilizer company, for the supply of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF) to Arkema’s Calvert City, Kentucky site, as per Chemweek.
The project will secure Arkema’s access to AHF, the main raw material used in fluorine chemistry. It supports the company’s growth of fluoropolymers in the water treatment, electronics and batteries segments and offers greater environmental protection than more traditional production processes, the company says.
As part of the agreement, Arkema will invest USD150 million in a 40,000 metric tons/year AHF production plant at Nutrien’s Aurora, North Carolina site, scheduled to start up in the first half of 2022. About half the capacity will be used in the production of high value added polymers and fluoro derivatives, and the remainder for the production of low-global warming potential fluorogases. AHF is the key raw material in the fluorine chemistry, including production of fluoropolymers and specialty derivatives.
The Aurora facility will produce AHF from naturally occurring fluoride that Nutrien will recover in the process of phosphate production and convert it to AHF, replacing the more usual source of mined fluorspar ore. Arkema says that this innovative investment is the first of its kind in the United States and is in line with its new climate plan as it reduces overall energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The partnership will secure the supply of AHF at a stable and competitive price, and support the continuing development of new applications, notably for batteries, 5G electronics, and water treatment.
In its 2 April 2020 strategy update, Arkema said that it will explore possible alternatives to minimize its exposure to the most emissive applications of its fluorogases. The business comprises two separate operations, specialty segment with sales of about EUR200 million (USD224.4 million) last year and which is an essential contributor to Arkema’s fluoropolymers and fluoro derivatives for electronics and batteries. The remaining fluorogases business with emissive applications, such air conditioning and refrigeration and which last year had sales of €500 million, will be either divested or placed into partnerships, Arkema said.
As MRC reported before, Arkema said earlier this week that it has finalized the divestment of its functional polyolefins business to SK Global Chemical. The divestment was announced last year. Arkema says the sale forms part of its strategy to refocus the group’s activities on specialty materials.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 721,290 tonnes in the first four month of 2020, up by 4% year on year. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments grew partially because of the increased capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 347,440 tonnes in January-April 2020 (calculated by the formula production minus export plus import). Supply exclusively of PP random copolymer increased.
Arkema is a global manufacturer in specialty chemicals and advanced materials, with 3 business segments - High Performance Materials, Industrial Specialties, and Coating Solutions - and globally recognized brands. The Group reports annual sales of EUR8.8 billion. Buoyed by the collective energy of its 20,000 employees, Arkema operates in close to 55 countries.
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