Celanese launches POM ECO-B as mass-balance bio-based option for existing products

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Demand for materials with renewable content and lower environmental impact is growing across customer segments. Celanese Corporation, a global chemical and specialty materials company, has launched a sustainable polyacetal (POM) product offering known as POM ECO-B to support the growing demand, as per the company's press release.

POM ECO-B allows customers to realize reduction in carbon dioxide emission in their end-use products and advance toward their renewable content goals. Celanese believes that this offering has a strong value proposition for customers in the automotive, consumer products and medical device industries where footprint reduction or renewable content is important.

Celanese’s POM ECO-B contains up to 97% bio-content via a mass-balance approach as certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC+). It reduces carbon dioxide footprint per kilogram of POM polymer by more than half without any impact on properties or need for requalification.

“Celanese is committed to enhancing our specialty materials product offerings and capabilities through ongoing investments in sustainable product developments. Today’s launch of Celanese POM ECO-B is yet another example of our focus on developing functionalized grades that meet rigorous technical specifications while offering eco-friendly content options for customers,” said Tom Kelly, Senior Vice President, Engineered Materials, Celanese.

As MRC informed previously, in October, 2020, Celanese (Dallas, Texas) announced plans to add a 15,000-metric tons/year line for the production of GUR ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) at its facility in Bishop, Texas. Startup is expected by.the beginning of 2022.

According to MRC"s ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,594,510 tonnes in the first nine months of 2020, up by 1% year on year. Only high denstiy polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased.

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 2019 net sales of USD6.3 billion.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Fine Organic Industries informed that new manufacturing facility situated at Additional MIDC Patalganga, Maharashtra has started its operations from 25 November 2020, according to Kemicalinfo.

Fine Organic Industries earlier announced expansion of its production capacity by 10,000 tonnes per annum each at its Patalganga, Maharashtra and Leipzig, Germany manufacturing units taking the overall capacity to 121,300 tonnes per annum.

This new complex will cater Fine Organics’ range of polymer additives to its growing customer base in India and abroad. The manufactured range will have expanded capacities of its various polymer additives including slip additives.

It also announced the establishment of a new production facility in Leipzig, Germany, with an initial planned capacity of 10,000 tonnes per annum. This facility will be owned and operated by a joint venture company where Fine Organic Industries will have shareholding of 50%.

As MRC reported earlier, on March 18, 2012, Fine Organics inaugurated its newest facility dedicated to the production of distilled mono-glycerides (GMS) near Mumbai. The 10,000 MTPA facility is designed in keeping with Fine's high standards in plant safety, productivity and controls. The world-class facility, built with in-house knowledge and technology expertise, is a result of the collaborative efforts of Fine's R&D team and the Projects team. Fine Organics is determined to maintain its reputation as a leading global supplier of specialty additives by building such facilities.

We remind that German chemicals maker BASF has recently increased its production capacity for advanced additives at its wholly-owned site in Nanjing, China. The new asset with state-of-the-art technologies will allow BASF to produce high molecular weight dispersing agents, slip and leveling agents and other additives locally for Asian markets.

Besides, BASF said in early November it had put a project to build a petrochemicals complex in India worth up to USD4 billion on hold due to the economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. BASF signed a memorandum of understanding with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Adani Group and Borealis AG in October 2019 to evaluate a collaboration to build the chemical site in Mundra, in India’s Gujarat state.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,594,510 tonnes in the first nine months of 2020, up by 1% year on year. Only high density polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 880,130 tonnes in the nine months of 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Stepan Corporation says it has named Scott Behrens to the position of president and COO, effective 1 January 2021, according to Chemweek.

Behrens has spent over 25 years with Stepan, and was most recently vice president and general manager/ surfactants. He is also a member of the American Cleaning Institute’s board of directors.

As MRC informed before, Stepan conducted planned maintenance at its 90,000 tonnes/year phthalic anhydride (PA) plant Millsdale, Illinois, US, from early October to end-October, 2020.

Phthalic anhydride is widely used in for the production of paints and varnishes and plasticizers for PVC products. In a small amount it is used in the manufacture of rubber products, tires. In addition, it is used in the light, pharmaceutical and electrical industries.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall PVC production totalled 718,500 tonnes in January-September 2020, down by 0.3% year on year. At the same time, only two producers managed to increase their PVC output.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI; Tokyo) has completed a capital investment in Monolith Materials, which is building a worldscale emissions-free hydrogen plant in Hallam, Nebraska. Terms were not disclosed, said Chemweek.

Monolith’s technology is based on methane pyrolysis, which generates 3 metric tons of carbon black for every ton of hydrogen produced. The “turquoise” hydrogen at the Hallam plant will be combined with nitrogen using the Haber-Bosch process to make ammonia.

MHI, an industrial conglomerate with operations that include power, defense, and transport systems and machinery, said the investment will give it a position in the clean hydrogen value chain. "While we're evaluating a number of clean-energy development options, Monolith offers great promise," said Yoshihiro Shiraiwa, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America. "We're excited to be the first in a new wave of strategic investors supporting the development of their technology."

Monolith started its Olive Creek 1 (OC1) reactor at Hallam, which can produce approximately 14,000 metric tons/year of carbon black, in late September. Its recently announced investment, OC2, will add 12 additional reactors. Monolith expects construction on the new units to begin in 2021, with startup planned for 2024. The facility will produce 180,000 metric tons/year of carbon black.

"Successfully scaling Monolith's technology to serve a global marketplace will benefit from the kind of investment that we have from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries," said Rob Hanson, co-founder and CEO of Monolith Materials. "This relationship will be a model for evaluating future investment opportunities to make emissions-free hydrogen the standard around the world."

Monolith is backed by Azimuth Capital Management, Cornell Capital LLC, and Warburg Pincus. The company has raised USD275 million since its founding in 2014, excluding the latest MHI Investment.

As MRC informed earlier, Mitsubishi Chemical, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, plans to resume production of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in Otake, Japan, in early December after scheduled repairs. The company closed this plant with a capacity of 110,000 tonnes/year of MMA for scheduled repairs in early September this year.

The main application, consuming approximately 75% MMA, is in the production of polymethyl methacrylate acrylic plastics (PMMA). Methyl methacrylate is also used to produce methyl methacrylate-butadiene-styrene copolymer (MBS), used as a modifier for polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, October total production of unmixed PVC grew to 86,600 tonnes from 86,000 tonnes a month earlier, SayanskKhimPlast and Bashkir Soda Company increased their capacity utilisation. Overall output of polymer was 805,100 tonnes in the first ten months of 2020, which virtually corresponds to the last year"s figure. Two producers increased their production, whereas two other manufacturers reduced their output.

Mitsubishi Chemical, a Japanese integrated chemical company, was established on October 1, 1990 through the merger of Mitsubishi Kasei and Mitsubishi Petrochemical Co. Due to its wide range of activities, it is one of the ten leading chemical companies in the world.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lonza says it is making a “significant” investment to expand particle-engineering and drug-product capabilities at its Bend, Oregon, site with a total of 11 new suites, to meet increased market demand, reported Chemweek.

The first suite will be online this month, expanding early-phase spray-drying, tableting, and encapsulation capability, the company says. Suites for the development and clinical manufacture of drug-product intermediates and drug products utilizing spray-drying, hot-melt extrusion, and melt-spray-congeal processing will be completed by May 2022, it says. Further details have not been disclosed.

New current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) suites will be added to support early-phase cGMP manufacture incorporating additional storage, gowning, and a customer in-plant viewing corridor, as part of the investment, Lonza says. Non-cGMP capability for formulation and process development will also be expanded with one new suite, the company says.

The investment increases capacity and flexibility across particle engineering and oral-drug products, including immediate-release tablets, multi-particulates, and dry powder encapsulation for oral solid and inhaled applications, the company says.

“We continue to see increased demand for development, and clinical and commercial manufacture of particle-engineered intermediates and finished drug products. Dedicated fit-for-purpose suites, infrastructure, and systems are critical for supporting the needs of our customers’ early-phase programs,” says Paul Granberry, managing director at Lonza's Bend site.

As MRC informed earlier, Lonza (Basel, Switzerland) says it has developed a new structure for its pharma, biotech, and nutrition (LBPN) segment to increase “divisional end-to-end performance accountability” and to strengthen governance and process excellence from global functions, as the company proceeds with the previously announced divestment of its specialty ingredients (LSI) segment.

We remind that in 2012, Lonza set up a task force to look at new supply routes and vendors to feed its cracker in Visp, Switzerland, following the shutdown of Petroplus’ refinery at Cressier in January, 2012. Lonza’s cracker has an ethylene capacity of 25,000 tonnes/year.

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

According to MRC"s ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,594,510 tonnes in the first nine months of 2020, up by 1% year on year. Only high denstiy polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 880,130 tonnes in the nine months of 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports plus imports, exluding producers" inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.
MRC