Gazprom neftekhim Salavat restarted LDPE production after turnaround

Gazprom neftekhim Salavat restarted LDPE production after turnaround
MOSCOW (MRC) -- Gazprom neftekhim Salavat (Salavat, Bashkortostan) resumed its low density polyethylene (LDPE) production after the long scheduled turnaround, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

According to the company's customers, GNS resumed the production of LDPE after the scheduled maintenance works from 1 October. The outage was quite long and started from 20 July. The plant's annual production capacity is 45,000 tonnes.

It is also worth noting that Kazanorgsintez intends to start a consistent resumption of LDPE production from 7 October after the scheduled shutdown, which started in mid-September. The LDPE production capacity of the plant is 225,000 tonnes/year.

OAO "Gazprom neftekhim Salavat" (formerly OAO "Salavatnefteorgsintez") is one of the leading petrochemical companies in Russia, carrying out a full cycle of processing hydrocarbon material. The list of products manufactured by the plant includes more than 140 items, including 76 grades of the main products: gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, fuel oil, toluene, solvent, liquefied gases, benzene, styrene, ethylbenzene, butyl alcohols, phthalic anhydride and plasticizers, polyethylene, polystyrenes, silica gels and zeolite catalysts, corrosion inhibitors, elemental sulfur, ammonia and urea, glycols and amines, a wide range of household products made of plastics, surfactants and much more.
MRC

Eastman completed acquisition of the business of Matrix Films

Eastman completed acquisition of the business of Matrix Films

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.) has completed the acquisition of the business and assets of Matrix Films, LLC and its UK affiliate, PremiumShield Limited, marketer of PremiumShield performance films, including its extended line of automotive film patterns, said the company.

"The completion of this acquisition is another step in Eastman’s commitment to being a leading innovator and service partner for paint protection and window film professional installers,” says Erin Bernhardt, general manager of Eastman’s Performance Films business. “We’re extremely excited to add the PremiumShield team, assets, and dealer base to our Eastman Performance Films team."

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The newly acquired business is part of Eastman’s Performance Films business of the company’s Advanced Materials segment.

As per MRC, Eastman is increasing capacity for its Naia-brand cellulosic filament yarn at its plant in Barcelona, Spain. Eastman is increasing its capacity to produce Naia cellulosic filament yarns at its plant Barcelona, by 30% by mid-2021, and by more than 50% by the end of 2022.

As per MRC's ScanPlast, Russia's consumption of PC granules (excluding imports and exports to Belarus) decreased by 14% and reached 62,000 tonnes in January-August 2021 against 72,100 tonnes in the same period of 2020. 13,500 tonnes of PC were consumed for the production of injection moulding products in Russia over the stated period, down by 29% year on year, whereas the last year's figure was 10,500 tonnes.

Eastman is a multinational chemical company serving customers in approximately 100 countries. Sales in 2015 amounted to around USD9.6 Billion. The company is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. The company employs approximately 15 thousand people around the world.
MRC

Covestro and Interseroh to cooperate on plastics recycling

Covestro and Interseroh to cooperate on plastics recycling

MOSCOW (MRC) -- German polymers company Covestro plans to cooperate with environmental services provider Interseroh on the “innovative recycling” of plastic waste, said the company.

Materials manufacturer Covestro and the environmental service provider Interseroh, a company of ALBA Group, intend to cooperate in the field of innovative recycling of plastic waste. This includes resistant plastic products made from Covestro materials, such as polyurethanes and polycarbonates. Therefore, the two partners have recently signed a memorandum of understanding.

For this reason, Interseroh intends to source and prepare the relevant materials derived from the end-of-life products and distribute them to Covestro for re-integration into the raw materials cycle; Covestro intends to use these end-of-life raw materials as feedstock leveraging their reycling expertise to turn plastic waste into high quality raw materials so as to close the loop.

"Our cooperation with Interseroh is an important milestone for the convergence of the chemical and recycling industries with the aim of building new value cycles for the circular economy," says Covestro CEO Dr. Markus Steilemann. "The success of the project will largely depend on our partner's recycling know-how and innovative recycling technologies that we are currently developing, but also on suitable regulatory framework conditions, especially for chemical recycling."

"Technological development and innovation are essential pillars of our work towards a future without waste," states Dr. Axel Schweitzer, CEO of ALBA Group. "In the light of the climate protection targets to be achieved, we must also find sustainable solutions for types of plastic that are difficult to recycle. We are pleased to be able to help shape developments here together with Covestro."

The financial or other details of the Covestro-Interseroh cooperation were not disclosed.

We remind that Covestro closed the sale of its European polycarbonates (PC) sheets business to the Munich-based Serafin Group effective January 2, 2020. This includes key management and sales functions throughout Europe as well as production sites in Belgium and Italy.

As per MRC's ScanPlast, Russia's consumption of PC granules (excluding imports and exports to Belarus) decreased by 14% and reached 62,000 tonnes in January-August 2021 against 72,100 tonnes in the same period of 2020. 13,500 tonnes of PC were consumed for the production of injection moulding products in Russia over the stated period, down by 29% year on year, whereas the last year's figure was 10,500 tonnes.

Interseroh is part of ALBA Group, a Germany-based recycling and environmental services provider.

Covestro (formerly Bayer MaterialScience) is an independent subgroup within Bayer. It was created as part of the restructuring of Bayer AG from the former business group Bayer Polymers, with certain of its activities being spun off to Lanxess AG. Covestro manufactures and develops materials such as coatings, adhesives and sealants, polycarbonates (CDs, DVDs), polyurethanes (automotive seating, insulation for refrigerating appliances) etc. With 2020 sales of EUR 10.7 billion, Covestro has 33 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,500 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).
MRC

Lummus announces twin heater award from KINEF in Russia

Lummus announces twin heater award from KINEF in Russia

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lummus Technology announced it has been awarded a contract from Kirishinefteorgsintez (KINEF) for two proprietary heaters that will be part of KINEF's refinery upgrade in Kirishi, Russia, said the company.

"This award personifies how Lummus' comprehensive technology portfolio and holistic solutions can answer our customers' industrial challenges," said Leon de Bruyn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lummus Technology. "From digitalization to catalysts to proprietary heaters, our products and services are designed to optimize our customers' investments, improving their capital return and operational efficiency."

Lummus' scope includes the design and supply of two proprietary fired heaters for use in the conversion of heavy oil residues, which would otherwise end up in fuels, to valuable lighter products. This award is complementary to the previous delayed coking technology license awarded by KINEF in 2018 to CLG, a joint venture between Chevron and Lummus.

Lummus' experience designing and supplying heaters spans more than seven decades. The company's delayed coking heaters can handle a wide range of feedstocks in refineries and upgraders for both fuel and specialty coke production. Current designs work in cooperation with CLG's technology and incorporate multiple cabins with single coils allowing superior individual firing and temperature control, leading to better efficiency and lower energy consumption.

As per MRC, Lummus Technology will supply 14 cracking furnaces for a Gas Chemical Complex that is part of the Ethane-rich Gas Processing Complex (GCC EGPC) located near Ust-Luga, Leningrad Oblast, Russia, on the Gulf of Finland. The contract is awarded within the framework of an EPC Contract for the GCC EGPC project between China National Chemical Engineering & Construction Corporation Seven, LTD (CC7), and the Baltic Chemical Plant LLC. Lummus' scope includes engineering and supply of the company's proprietary Short Residence Time (SRT®) VI cracking furnaces.

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 1,396,960 tonnes in January-July 2021, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 841,990 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up by 29% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.
MRC

TotalEnergies increases its recycled plastic production capacity

TotalEnergies increases its recycled plastic production capacity

MOSCOW (MRC) -- TotalEnergies has inaugurated the extension of Synova in Normandy, the French leader in recycled polypropylene production, said the company.

TotalEnergies is therefore doubling its mechanical recycling production capacity for recycled polymers, to meet growing demand for sustainable polymers from customers, such as Automotive Manufacturer (Auto OEM) and the construction industry.

Plastics are essential to everyday life because of their many properties, including lightness, which allows the automotive industry, for example, to reduce the weight of vehicles and hence also fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. But plastics’ end-of-life is a crucial topic, which is why TotalEnergies is actively involved in plastics recycling as part of its circular economy approach.

In order to increase its mechanical recycling capacity, TotalEnergies acquired in 2019 Synova, the French leader in the production of recycled polypropylene derived from industrial waste plastics, household waste and car parts such as bumpers.

As per MRC, TotalEnergies said that it expected a big rise in renewable-based electricity, solar and wind forms of energy, partly due to a general increase in electrification in the industrial and business world. TotalEnergies added it expected that oil in general would plateau before 2030, while natural gas would continue to play a role as a transition fuel.

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 1,396,960 tonnes in January-July 2021, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 841,990 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up by 29% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.

TotalEnergies is a broad energy company that produces and markets energies on a global scale: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables, and electricity. The company rebranded itself from Total to TotalEnergies during Q2 2021. The French firm has announced allocating part of surplus revenues to share buybacks. Its 105,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, clean, reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.
MRC