India faces numerous challenges in its bid to ban single-use plastics

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Indian government is planning to phase out single-use plastics leading to complete elimination. But concerns revolve around the availability of alternatives and plastic waste management systems, said RFI.

A government committee has identified the single use plastic (SUP) items to be banned based on an index of their utility and environmental impact.

In the three-stage ban, the first category of SUP items proposed to be phased out are plastic sticks used in balloons, flags, candy, ice-cream and ear buds, and thermocol that is used in decorations.

The second category, proposed to be banned from July 1, 2022, includes items such as plates, cups, glasses and cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays; wrapping and packing films used in sweet boxes; invitation cards; cigarette packets; stirrers and plastic banners that are less than 100 microns in thickness.

A third category of prohibition is for non-woven bags below 240 microns in thickness. This is proposed to start from September next year.

As per MRC, the European Parliament has recently voted to ban single-use plastics across the board in an attempt to stop the unending stream of plastic pollution making its way into the oceans. Such plastic products include things like straws, plates, cups and cotton buds, and can take several centuries to degrade in the oceans where they are increasingly observed to be consumed by marine life. According to the European Commission, such plastics make up 70 percent of all marine litter.

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 1,176,860 tonnes in the first half of 2021, up by 5% year on year. Shipments of exclusively low density polyethylene (LDPE) decreased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 727,160 tonnes in the first six months of 2021, up by 31% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased. Supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.
MRC

Sinopec intends to spend USD4.6 bln on hydrogen energy by 2025 as part of becoming a carbon-neutral energy provider

Sinopec intends to spend USD4.6 bln on hydrogen energy by 2025 as part of becoming a carbon-neutral energy provider

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, also known as Sinopec, the world's petrochemical major, plans to spend 30 billion yuan (USD4.6 billion) on hydrogen energy by 2025 as the state oil and gas major pivots to producing natural gas and hydrogen as part of becoming a carbon-neutral energy provider by 2050, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Asia's biggest oil refiner plans to become China's largest company to produce hydrogen for use as a transportation fuel, targeting annual capacity of 200,000 tons of hydrogen refuelling by 2025.

"Sinopec will expand forcefully into making hydrogen from renewable energy, and zero in on hydrogen for transportation fuel and using green hydrogen for refining," acting Chairman Ma Yongsheng said.

The company aims to produce more than 1 million tons of so-called green hydrogen from renewable energy sources between 2021 and 2025, as well as add 400 megawatts of solar power generation capacity for supplying electricity to charge vehicles. Sinopec has so far built 20 hydrogen filling stations, with another 60 under construction or in the planning and approval stage. The company produces about 3 million tons per year of hydrogen from non-renewable energy sources that is mainly used in oil refinery and petrochemical processes.

China's natural gas consumption is expected to rise 13.3% in 2021 amid a strong economic recovery and Beijing's push to replace coal with lower-carbon gas, Ma said. That level of growth should continue over the next three years.

Like state-run peers PetroChina and CNOOC Ltd that are prioritising natural gas development over oil, Sinopec plans to boost gas output in the second half of 2021 by 13.5% from a year earlier, compared with 13.7% growth in the first six months.

Sinopec maximized its refinery operations in the first half, pushing throughput to 126.11 million tons of oil, or about 5.1 million barrels per day, up 13.7% from a year earlier when demand was curtailed by the outbreak of COVID-19.

As MRC reported earlier, in August 2021, Sinopec launched the first phase of the Gulei refining complex in Zhangzhou city in China’s southeastern Fujian province. The refining complex, a 50:50 joint venture between Sinopec’s Fujian Petrochemical Company Ltd and Taiwan Xuteng Investment Company Ltd, invested 27.8 billion yuan (USD4.28 billion) in the first phase. That will result in an 800,000 tonnes per annum ethylene plant, a 600,000 tonnes per annum styrene unit and seven other downstream petrochemical units, Sinopec said.

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 1,176,860 tonnes in the first half of 2021, up by 5% year on year. Shipments of exclusively low density polyethylene (LDPE) decreased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 727,160 tonnes in the first six months of 2021, up by 31% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased. Supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.

China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group) is a super-large petroleum and petrochemical enterprise group established in July 1998 on the basis of the former China Petrochemical Corporation. Sinopec Group's key business activities include the exploration and production of oil and natural gas, petrochemicals and other chemical products, oil refining.
MRC

Toray starts production of ABS in Malaysia

Toray starts production of ABS in Malaysia

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Toray Industries, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) has boosted Toray Group’s worldwide production and distribution capacities of its TOYOLAC Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) resin transparent grade, through its latest facilities set up at Prai Industrial Park, Penang, Malaysia, said Chemengonline.

The plant set up at Toray’s new facilities at Prai has boosted Toray Plastics (Malaysia) Sdn. Berhad, TPM’s ABS resin production and distribution capacities by 75,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr), to 425,000 m.t/yr. Taking into accounts the ABS production output at the Chiba Plant in Japan, Toray Group is now capable of churning out some 497,000 m.t./yr of ABS to the worldwide markets annually.

The diverse TOYOLAC range produced by Toray includes transparent grades ABS, offerings improved anti-static, scratch and chemical resistance properties. To boost sales in its key Chinese and Southeast Asian markets and in anticipation of the rising demands from Europe, the United States of America and India, Toray look forward to increasing its worldwide production further, including the facilities at TPM.

Toray has made expanding globally in growth areas a central strategy under Project AP-G2022, its medium-term management program. The company accordingly aims to capture rising demand for transparent ABS resin and enhance supply stability by reinforcing collaboration between the Chiba Plant and Toray Plastics (Malaysia) TPM.

As MRC reported before, in December 2018, Toray Industries, Inc., announced its decision to enhance production capacity of ABS resin TOYOLAC, manufactured at and distributed by Toray Plastics (Malaysia) Sdn. Berhad. The company will add a facility with production capacity of 75,000 tons annually to expand the sales of high performance varieties such as transparent grade, which has the No. 1 global market share, and start its operation in November 2020. The move will increase TPM’s production capacity to 425,000 tons a year and Toray Group’s capacity with the existing facility at Toray’s Chiba Plant to 497,000 tons a year.

According to the ICIS-MRC Price Report, ABS imports to Russia grew by 40% in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period last year and amounted to 20,900 tonnes against 15,000 tonnes. The share of South Korean supplies fell to 56% (11,800 tonnes) against 60% (9,000 tonnes) a year earlier.
MRC

Shell reports damage to crude transfer station in Gulf Of Mexico from Hurricane Ida

Shell reports damage to crude transfer station in Gulf Of Mexico from Hurricane Ida

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shell said it observed damage from Hurricane Ida to its transfer station West Delta-143 offshore facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, reported Reuters.

West Delta-143 serves as the transfer station for all production from its assets in the Mars corridor in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico to onshore crude terminals. Shell said it is not yet safe to send personnel offshore to learn the full extent of the damage and estimate the effect on production.

The producer maintained 80% of its offshore output shut in the Gulf. Its Perdido asset in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico was never disrupted by the hurricane, and a floating platform Turritella, also known as Stones, is currently back on line.

"When we are able to safely deploy personnel offshore to these assets, we will conduct additional inspections and work to restore production as soon as possible," the company said in a statement.

As MRC informed before, Shell found evidence of building damage at its 230,611-bpd Norco, Louisiana refinery. But sources familiar with plant operations did not know the extent of the damage or time needed to make the repairs. Shell is awaiting the restoration of external electrical power to the Norco refining and chemical plant complex.

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 1,176,860 tonnes in the first half of 2021, up by 5% year on year. Shipments of exclusively low density polyethylene (LDPE) decreased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 727,160 tonnes in the first six months of 2021, up by 31% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased. Supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.

Royal Dutch Shell plc is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenue and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors". Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.
MRC

HIP Petrohemija announced force majeure for the supply of products from a complex in Serbia

HIP Petrohemija announced force majeure for the supply of products from a complex in Serbia

MOSCOW (MRC) - The HIP Petrohemija plant said that the fire started at a processing facility in the Etilen factory, adding that all production was stopped, the company said in a statement.

The fire was brought under control. During the evacuation from the plant, one employee received minor injuries.

The company in a letter to customers informed that the production at this enterprise with a capacity of 200,000 tonnes of ethylene and 85,000 tonnes of propylene per year was stopped. The company in a letter announced force majeure for the supply of its products from this site.

The company also operates factories at the site for the production of low-density polyethylene (HDPE) with a capacity of 90,000 tonnes per year and 65,000 tonnes of LDPE per year.The HIP Petrohemija plant said that the fire started at a processing facility in the Etilen factory, adding that all production was stopped. “Company firefighters reacted quickly and placed the fire under control with support from firefighters and the oil refinery and Pancevo fire brigade. One employee was lightly injured in the evacuation and received medical care before returning to work,” a press release said.

It said that an investigation was underway.

As per MRC, HIP Petrohemija, a large petrochemical company, closed in March the cracking unit and associated plants at the Pancevo petrochemical site (Pancevo, Serbia) on 20 March for repairs. Maintenance work at this enterprise with a capacity of 200,000 of ethylene and 85,000 tonnes of propylene per year continued until 20 April.
MRC