BASF introduces new FCC additive

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF announced the commercial launch of Enable™, its next-generation Carbon Monoxide (CO) promoter additive, said the company.

Enable significantly enhances activity and delivers superior performance for refiners with more efficient use of precious metal. Enable optimizes durability via support surface morphology modification and the combination of differentiating design features offers customers significant performance improvement in controlling regenerator afterburn.

“Enable is the latest addition to BASF’s industry-leading, advanced refinery additives portfolio,” said Detlef Ruff, Senior Vice President, Process Catalysts at BASF. “We are excited about how this new technology will support our customers by enabling environmental compliance with a cost-effective solution."

"Building on BASF’s experience from automotive emissions compliance applications, we are proud to introduce this innovative Pt-based technology solution into our refining segment,” said Jim Chirumbole, Vice President, Refining Catalysts at BASF. “Refiners are under pressure to deliver more with fewer resources. Enable accomplishes just that, combining economic and environmental benefits with better CO conversion at lower addition rates and a more efficient use of precious metals."

As per MRC, BASF, the world's petrochemical major, is strengthening its global catalyst development and helping customers to bring new products faster to the market. As part of this strategy, BASF is building a new pilot plant center at its Ludwigshafen site.

We also remind that n June, 2021, Trinseo, a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders, and synthetic rubber, and BASF announced the intention to expand their businesses with the production of styrene monomer (SM) based on circular feedstock. Trinseo has procured first supplies of SM based on circular feedstock from BASF for use in its Solution-Styrene Butadiene Rubber (S-SBR) and polystyrene (PS) products. Trinseo supplies S-SBR to major tyre manufacturers while its PS products are used in applications such as food packaging and appliances. The first few customers have already processed the material, said the company.

BASF is the leading chemical company. It produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Dow announced today its plan to build the world's first net-zero carbon emissions integrated ethylene cracker and derivatives site with respect to scope 1 and 2 carbon dioxide emissions, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The project would more than triple Dow's ethylene and polyethylene capacity from its Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta site, while retrofitting the site's existing assets to net-zero carbon emissions. The organic, brownfield investment would significantly increase Dow's capacity of advantaged ethylene, polyethylene and derivatives manufactured across Alberta – all while maintaining Dow's enterprise-level commitment to keep capital expenditures at or below depreciation and amortization (D&A) levels. The Company expects to allocate approximately USD1 billion of capex annually – or approximately 1/3 of its D&A levels – to decarbonize its global asset base in a phased, site-by-site approach.

Dow expects the new brownfield ethylene cracker to add approximately 1.8 million metric tons of capacity in a phased manner through 2030, and along with derivatives capacity and site retrofit investments, will enable the Company to produce and supply approximately 3.2 million metric tons of certified low- to zero-carbon emissions polyethylene and ethylene derivatives for customers and joint venture partners around the globe.

The investment, which is subject to approval by Dow's Board of Directors and various regulatory agencies, would decarbonize approximately 20 percent of Dow's global ethylene capacity while growing polyethylene supply by about 15 percent and supporting approximately USD1 billion of EBITDA growth across the value chain by 2030. Further, Dow estimates that the project can be completed with an approximately 15 percent lower capital intensity than Dow's industry-leading Texas-9 cracker and derivative units.

The project would build on Dow's previous success in reducing the carbon emissions intensity of its manufacturing fleet. Texas-9 in Freeport, Texas, Dow's most recently commissioned cracker, has delivered a greater than 15 percent return on invested capital since startup and currently operates at 65 percent lower conversion cost and up to 60 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions intensity than the average cracker in Dow's fleet as well as 20 percent lower capital cost versus the industry. The asset leverages best-in-class technology, including a highly efficient furnace design with optimized integration with other facilities on site, that significantly reduces energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

The production process at Fort Saskatchewan will convert cracker off-gas into hydrogen as a clean fuel to be used in the production process, and carbon dioxide that would be captured onsite to be transported and stored by adjacent third-party CO2 infrastructure.

The products produced at the site will be used across the globe to help deliver low- to zero-carbon emissions solutions to meet customers' sustainability needs. Dow is focused on serving high growth markets that support human well-being, drive industrial efficiency, and enable the world's energy transition.

Dow selected the Fort Saskatchewan site for this investment as the region offers a highly competitive energy and feedstocks position. The region also features access to available third-party CO2 infrastructure.

This investment aligns with Dow's broader targets to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, eliminate plastic waste in the environment and increase its positive impacts on customers, business and society. It also supports Dow's commitment to reduce its net annual carbon emissions by an additional 15 percent, reducing net annual carbon emissions by approximately 30 percent by 2030 (since 2005). Today, Dow is among the top 20 global corporations for clean energy purchases, with more than 850 MW.

As MRC wrote earlier, Dow Chemical began the process of restarting operations at its cracker No.7 in Freeport (Freeport, TX, USA) on 19 July, 2021, after a technological disruption on 4 July, 2021.

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.

Dow Chemical is an American diversified chemical company headquartered in Midland, Michigan. It is a major manufacturer of polymer products, including polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene and synthetic rubbers. The company produces more than five thousand products at 188 production facilities in 37 countries.
MRC

1. October PVC prices in Russia remained at the September level with a few exceptions

MOSCOW (MRC) - The most of Russian producers have kept a record high level of prices for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with a few exceptions in October. High global prices and volatile imports remain the main reasons for the high prices, according to the ICIS-MRC Price Report. The imports decrease significantly in September, as the Chinese suppliers limited international railway transportation due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the north of the country. But at the same time, prices began to grow actively in Turkey and Asia, some Russian producers increased export sales of PVC in the fourth quarter.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - The most of Russian producers have kept a record high level of prices for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with a few exceptions in October. High global prices and volatile imports remain the main reasons for the high prices, according to the ICIS-MRC Price Report.

Tight supply, which have remained for more than a year on the Russian PVC market, which systematically led to an increase in prices. Despite the seasonal factor, the situation remains unchanged in October.

Strong demand, although slightly below September level, and insignificant volumes of imports in line with high prices in foreign markets help Russian producers to keep record high levels of prices in the domestic market. This month, producers actually rolled over September prices with a few exceptions.

August PVC imports increased and exceeded 14,000 tonnes, which is a record figure since 2016, and domestic producers also worked steadily. Nevertheless, there was no surplus of PVC on the market in the last month, but at the same time some Russian producers were shipping their delivery arrears under contracts of previous periods.

The imports decrease significantly in September, as the Chinese suppliers limited international railway transportation due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the north of the country. But at the same time, prices began to grow actively in Turkey and Asia, some Russian producers increased export sales of PVC in the fourth quarter.

Kaustik (Volgograd) shut down its PVC production from 20 September, which is the last shutdown for maintenance of Russian producers this year. The plant's annual production capacity is 90,000 tonnes.

Negotiations on the supply of Russian PVC took place quite promptly in the summer months, the deals were agreed in fact in one day. The discussion of deals was delayed for several days for September and October shipment. Converters were reluctant to agree to deals at record prices, but there was essentially no alternative to Russian PVC.

Since the summer, the range of prices for Russian PVC has been quite large, deals for October supplies of PVC with K64/67 were in the range: Rb155,000-201,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT, for volumes less than 500 tonnes,which actually corresponds to the September level. A producer increased prices of PVC with К58/70 in September, whereas another producer, on the contrary, cut prices.

MRC