PolyStyreneLoop to open EPS foam recycling plant in Europe

PolyStyreneLoop to open  EPS foam recycling plant in Europe

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The PolyStyreneLoop recycling plant in Terneuzen, Netherlands, is scheduled to open on the 16th of June. The plant was built to prove the technical and economic feasibility of a large-scale, closed-loop solution for the recycling of EPS waste, said the company.

A new plant built to prove the technical and economic feasibility of a large-scale, closed-loop solution for recycling expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam demolition waste from building and construction insulation will open in Terneuzen, the Netherlands on 16 June, it has been announced.

The PolyStyreneLoop facility will recycle EPS insulation using a physical recycling process based on the CreaSolv® Technology. This technology will turn EPS foam demolition waste from building and construction insulation (B&C) from the Netherlands, Germany and other countries into new high quality raw material. All kinds of impurities, such as cement or other construction residues, as well as the legacy additive HBCD, will be safely removed and valuable bromine recovered.

“This plant showcases how the EPS industry is always looking for ways to boost its recycling capabilities,” said Lein Tange, Co-Director of PolyStyreneLoop. “The purpose of this plant is to pave the way for the construction of similar EPS recycling plants in the rest of Europe.”

The legal structure of the plant, which benefited from a European Union LIFE programme grant, was also unique. It has been built by the PolyStyreneLoop Cooperative, a Dutch non-profit organisation whose members comprise more than 70 industry representatives from the whole polystyrene foam value chain.

The Terneuzen plant will have the capacity to recycle 3,300 metric tonnes of polystyrene foam demolition waste coming from B&C per year, validating the technical, economic, and environmental viability of a new recycling process in which polystyrene foams containing HBCD can be fully integrated in the circular economy rather than being lost from circularity.

“It’s a real plus that the plant can not only take care of current recycling waste but also legacy recycling waste,” said Jan Noordegraaf, co-director of the plant. “Moreover, we can do this with about the same energy input as mechanical recycling and the energy we use comes solely from windmills.”

The PSLoop plant will demonstrate the possibility of infinite recycling of EPS B&C waste. Later, it will also recycle extruded polystyrene, or XPS, also known as StyrofoamTM.

EPS is a lightweight foam composed of 98% air and 2% technology with outstanding protective and thermal insulation properties. In addition to building and road construction uses, it is widely used in packaging to protect everything from heavy white goods to sensitive electronics, fresh fruit and vegetables, vaccines and even bees.

As per MRC, Epsilyte (Woodlands, Texas), a leading producer of expandable polystyrene (PSV-S) in North America, raised prices in May for all PSV-S grades in North America. Thus, the increase amounted to 8 cents per pound or USD176 per tonne and came into effect on May 1 of this year.

As per ICIS-MRC Price Report, prices of SIBUR-Khimprom's material were in the range of Rb157,000-165,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT. Plastik, Uzlovaya's EPS was offered at Rb158,000-160,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT. Prices of Russian material will increase significantly in June.

PolyStyreneLoop is a cooperative representing more than 70 companies from the polystyrene foam value chain. Its members include includes polystyrene raw material producers, foam manufacturers, additives suppliers, foam converters and recyclers as well as EUMEPS, the association and voice of European Manufacturers of Expanded Polystyrene.
MRC

TotalEnergies picks NextChem for its biojet plant in France

TotalEnergies picks NextChem for its biojet plant in France

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its subsidiary NextChem has been awarded a contract by TotalEnergies to carry out a Front-End Engineering Design and supply its technological know-how to implement a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) plant in Grandpuits, France, capable of processing 400,000 tpy, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The project is part of the plan to convert the Grandpuits Refinery into a zero-crude platform that will include a Bio Refinery, where NextChem is already engineering Europe’s first plant to produce compostable and biodegradable plastics, with a capacity of 100,000 tpy.

The BioJet plant, due to be operational in 2024, will strengthen NextChem’s role in TotalEnergies’s net-zero strategy as a major part of the Grandpuits Refinery “zero-crude” platform development, known as “Projet Galaxie”.

The “Projet Galaxie” will produce BioJet fuels by treating primarily animal fats from Europe and used cooking oil. This new unit will be aligned with France’s roadmap for the deployment of sustainable aviation biofuels, which includes a target of 2% by 2025 and 5% by 2030.

SAF (or BioJet) technological know-how is one of NextChem’s key component of its green-tech portfolio that makes Maire Tecnimont Group a key enabler of the Energy Transition. Contributing to a sustainable mobility through a wide range of solutions for the production of green, low carbon and biofuels is one of Maire Tecnimont Group’s priority goals towards 2025, within its sustainability strategy.

TotalEnergies is investing in low-carbon activities with strong growth, like bioplastics and renewable fuels production, with the ambition of getting to net zero in Europe by 2050.

Virginie Merini, Senior Vice President Renewable Fuels at TotalEnergies: “We are very pleased to launch this next stage, alongside with our partner NextChem. Signing this contract is an important milestone as it reinforces our commitment to speed up our growth on the renewable fuels market with the ambition to produce close to 5 million tons of renewable fuels a year by 2030.”

We remind that as MRC wrote before, in November 2019, Total disclosed that itis evaluating construction of a new gas cracker at its Deasan, South Korea, joint venture (JV) with Hanwha Chemical.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 576,270 tonnes in the first three month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 410,890 tonnes in January-March 2021, up by 56% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased.

TotalEnergies. is a French multinational oil and gas company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world with business in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. The company's petrochemical products cover two main groups: base chemicals and the consumer polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) that are derived from them.
MRC

Arkema opened UV photocuring tech centre in the UK

Arkema opened UV photocuring tech centre in the UK

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Arkema opened a specialised coatings centre dedicated to UV technology in Wetherby, UK, said the company.

The centre has opened in the wake of Arkema’s 2019 acquisition of photoinitiator supplier and developer Lambson, which has been integrated into the photocurable specialties business of Sartomer – the French major’s curing technologies line.

This cutting-edge laboratory will complement the existing network of research and application centers dedicated to Arkema’s Coating Solutions so that to Arkema’s performance additives. These additives enhance the Group’s expertise in many areas and play an essential role in the design and development of innovative products, and new applications in the fields of Coatings, Adhesives, and Advanced Materials.

The centre will be used to develop solvent-free photocuring technologies bespoke to customers and partners, particularly for use in the electronics, 3D printing, inks, adhesives and high-performance coatings markets.

Photoinitiators are molecules used in the curing process to produce protective coatings, adhesives and printing inks for applications in the automotive, electronic, and food packaging industries.

As per MRC, Trinseo completed the EUR1.14 bln acquisition of Arkema's PMMA business. The EUR1.14 bln deal was announced in December and was expected to be completed by mid-2021.

The main sector consuming approximately 75% of MMA is 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, the total volume of unblended PVC production in Russia amounted to 259,400 tonnes in the first quarter of this year, which is 3% less than the same indicator a year earlier. All manufacturers showed a decrease in output volumes.

Arkema is one of the world's leading chemical manufacturers headquartered in Colombes (near Paris, France). Founded in 2004 as a result of the restructuring of the French oil company Total, Arkema, with a turnover of EUR6.5 billion, has operations in 40 countries, 10 research centers around the world, and 85 plants in Europe, North America and Asia.
MRC

COVID-19 - News digest as of 03.06.2021

1. Crude oil futures increase in Asia on large API crude draw, favourable demand outlooks

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Crude oil futures were higher during midmorning trade in Asia June 3 as the American Petroleum Institute reported a large draw in crude inventories, reinforcing the narrative that fundamentals in the US are improving, while Europe reopening provided further support to the market, reported S&P Global. At 11:07 am Singapore time (0307 GMT), the ICE August Brent crude contract was up 52 cents/b (0.76%) from the previous settle at USD71.87/b while the NYMEX July light sweet crude contract was up 50 cents/b (0.73%) at USD69.33/b. Data from the API showed a massive 5.36 million barrels draw in US crude inventories in the week ended May 28. This fueled the crude price rally in morning Asia trading, even though the API data also showed that US gasoline and distillate inventories rose 2.51 million barrels and 1.59 million barrels, respectively, in the same period.

MRC

Crude oil futures increase in Asia on large API crude draw, favourable demand outlooks

Crude oil futures increase in Asia on large API crude draw, favourable demand outlooks

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Crude oil futures were higher during midmorning trade in Asia June 3 as the American Petroleum Institute reported a large draw in crude inventories, reinforcing the narrative that fundamentals in the US are improving, while Europe reopening provided further support to the market, reported S&P Global.

At 11:07 am Singapore time (0307 GMT), the ICE August Brent crude contract was up 52 cents/b (0.76%) from the previous settle at USD71.87/b while the NYMEX July light sweet crude contract was up 50 cents/b (0.73%) at USD69.33/b.

Data from the API showed a massive 5.36 million barrels draw in US crude inventories in the week ended May 28. This fueled the crude price rally in morning Asia trading, even though the API data also showed that US gasoline and distillate inventories rose 2.51 million barrels and 1.59 million barrels, respectively, in the same period.

The rise in downstream product inventories did not faze the market, which expected demand in the US to remain robust as the country's economy continues to fire on all cylinders. Furthermore, with the Memorial Day holiday kick-starting the summer driving season, gasoline demand is expected to benefit from pent-up demand for road travel.

Even prior to the Memorial Day holiday, US gasoline demand was already on an uptrend, with ANZ analysts saying in a June 3 note that data from Descartes Labs, a geospatial intelligence company, showed the country's gasoline demand had hit its highest level in the week ended May 29 since the pandemic began.

Meanwhile, Europe's reopening also augured improved oil demand. Major European economies, including the UK, Germany, France and Italy, are expected to see lockdown restrictions eased further through June. However, ANZ analysts have warned that a recovery remains patchy as the resurgence of the pandemic in Asia has led to protracted mobility restrictions, which are sapping oil demand.

As MRC wrote earlier, Indian refiners, anticipating a lifting of US sanctions, plan to make space for the resumption of Iranian imports by reducing spot crude oil purchases in the second half of the year. The world"s third-largest oil consumer and importer halted imports from Tehran in 2019 after former US President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 accord and re-imposed sanctions on the OPEC producer over its disputed nuclear programme.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 576,270 tonnes in the first three month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 410,890 tonnes in January-March 2021, up by 56% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased.
MRC