PP imports into Kazakhstan increased by 14% in January - September, exports up by 49%

MOSCOW (MRC) - Imports of polypropylene (PP) in Kazakhstan grew to 33,700 tonnes in first nine months of this year, up 14% compared to the same period of 2020. PP exports increased more significantly by 49%, reported MRC analysts.

September PP shipments to Kazakhstan grew to 4,600 tonnes from 4,500 tonnes a month earlier, local converters increased their purchasing of pipe copolymer propylene in South Korea. Overall PP imports into the country exceeded 33,700 tonnes in the first nine months of the year, compared to 29,600 tonnes a year earlier. At the same time, the stable operation of the local producer during this period of time allowed to increase export sales of polypropylene by almost one and a half times.

September imports of homopolymer PP and propylene copolymers increased to 3,800 tonnes and 800 tonnes, respectively, versus over 3,900 tonnes and 600 tonnes a month earlier, local companies significantly increased their PP purchases from South Korea. Overall imports of homopolymer PP and propylene copolymers reached 24,200 tonnes and 9,500 tons, respectively, in January-September 2021, compared to 24,000 tonnes and 5,600 tonnes a year earlier.

September exports of PP from Kazakhstan increased to 6,000 tonnes against 3,100 tonnes in August. Kazakhstan's PP exports over the first nine months increased to 25,700 tonnes, whereas this figure was 17,300 tonnes a year earlier. About 93% of total exports accounted for Russia.


MRC

Sinopec to build 1 mt/year crude-to-olefin plant based on advanced technology

Sinopec to build 1 mt/year crude-to-olefin plant based on advanced technology

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China's Sinopec Corp said on Wednesday it plans to build a 1-MMtpy crude-to-olefin plant, having completed successful trial processing crude oil directly into olefin at its subsidiary plant in Tianjin, without giving further details, reported Reuters.

Thus, the top Asian refiner is one of the world's few companies that have applied the technology at an industrial scale. ExxonMobil is another firm equipped with such technology, Sinopec said.

With a yield of close to 50%, the manufacturing process cuts significantly production cost as well as CO2 emissions, compared with the traditional approach of refining crude into intermediate fuels which are further processed into olefin, Sinopec added.

Olefin - mainly ethylene and propylene - is the key building block for making petrochemicals such as plastics and synthetic fibre.

China, the world's largest emitter of green house gases, is expected to cap its primary crude oil refining capacity at 1 B tons annually by 2025 (20 MMbpd), under a national goal to hit carbon emission peak before 2030. But it remains short of petrochemicals such as plastics and synthetic fibre.

As MRC informed before, in August, 2021, Sinopec, the world's petrochemical major, 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 1,868,160 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 18% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,138,510 tonnes in January-September 2021, up by 30% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.

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

KPIC selects Lummus Technology for AHU unit as part of expansion at its Onsan chemical plant

KPIC selects Lummus Technology for AHU unit as part of expansion at its Onsan chemical plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lummus Technology announced an award for a C4 acetylenes selective hydrogenation unit (AHU) from Korea Petrochemical Ind. Co. Ltd. (KPIC). The unit will be part of an expansion to KPIC’s Onsan Chemical Plant in Ulsan, Republic of Korea, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

“With this additional technology award, Lummus will play an integral role in helping KPIC’s investments become more efficient and productive while reducing their waste streams,” said Leon de Bruyn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lummus Technology. “As the licensor of the existing technologies at KPIC’s site, we can readily integrate this add-on technology to the existing facility and successfully execute this project.”

“KPIC is excited to further strengthen its decades-long relationship with Lummus by licensing this additional unit,” said KPIC. “Making the investment to convert this waste stream into higher value products is a perfect example of KPIC’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and environmental management.”

Once complete, the plant will process 37,000 MTA of feed to the AHU, leading to higher production rates of valuable butadiene and raffinate products. The installation of the new unit will prevent the burning of the byproduct stream as fuel, which in turn, results in lower emissions at the Onsan Chemical Plant. The unit will upgrade a byproduct waste stream by selectively hydrogenating C4 acetylenes to produce larger quantities of butadiene and raffinate products. These products will be used to produce rubber and supply KPIC’s olefins conversion unit.

Lummus’ project scope for this award includes license and basic engineering for the Lummus/BASF SELOP C4 acetylene selective hydrogenation technology. The BASF SELOP process is licensed by Lummus for C4 and C5 selective hydrogenation.

As MRC wrote before, earlier this month, Lummus Technology announced that it had executed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Braskem Netherlands B.V., a subsidiary of Braskem, the largest biopolymer producer in the world. The MOU is for the licensing of Braskem's green ethylene technology for two ethanol to ethylene conversion projects under development in North America and Asia, signaling a global interest in the technology.

Ethylene is the main feedstock for the production of polyethylene (PE).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,868,160 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 18% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased.

Lummus Technology is the global leader in developing process technologies that make modern life possible and focus on a more sustainable, low carbon future. Lummus is a master licensor of clean energy, petrochemical, refining, gas processing and renewable technologies, and a supplier of catalysts, proprietary equipment, digitalization and related lifecycle services to customers worldwide.
MRC

Sonoco expands recycling for containers in the USA

Sonoco expands recycling for containers in the USA

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Packaging company Sonoco has expanded the post-consumer recovery and recycling possibilities for its EnviroCan paper containers in the US, said Packaging-gataway.

The announcement comes after Sonoco confirmed that all its US paper mills will accept rigid paper cans in mixed paper bales from residential Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). Sonoco operates ten mills in various states including Wisconsin, Tennessee, California, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Virginia, Washington and Kansas.

The mills will use this mixed paper to manufacture 100% paperboard, with up to 85% post-consumer fibre. Sonoco sustainability staff vice-president Elizabeth Rhue said: “Sonoco is uniquely positioned as a leading recycler, paper mill operator and paper packaging converter to help grow end of life solutions across not only our consumer and industrial packaging platforms but across the paper industry.

“After validating that our mills could recycle EnviroCan factory scrap, we are now taking the lead to further demonstrate the ability to recycle our paper containers with metal ends not only through the steel stream, as it is largely done today, but also through the post-consumer mixed paper stream.” This collaboration highlights Sonoco’s capability for recycling and processing fibre-based packaging through conventional paper mill pulping systems.

It also aligns with the company’s commitment to responsible material sourcing and supporting material circularity.
Rhue added: “If a consumer recycles an EnviroCan paper container and it is sorted into the mixed paper stream, the cans can now be sent to our mills to be turned into a number of new fibre products, including new EnviroCan containers.”

In September, Sonoco partnered with technology start-up AMP Robotics to make spiral wound paper canisters with steel bottoms more widely recyclable. Last week, the company reported USD1.42bn net sales for the third quarter of 2021, up 7.8% from last year period. It attributed the increase to improvement in volume/mix and higher selling prices.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,868,160 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 18% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,138,510 tonnes in January-September 2021, up by 30% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately USD5 billion, the Company has 21,000 employees working in more than 300 operations in 33 countries, serving some of the world’s best known brands in some 85 nations. With a purpose focused on Better Packaging. Better Life., Sonoco ranked first in the Packaging sector on Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2018 list.
MRC

SK Innovation to use Honeywell technology for CO2 capture study in Korea

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell revealed SK Innovation and Energy, a Korea-based energy refining company, has selected Honeywell UOP for a feasibility study to retrofit SK’s hydrogen plant with carbon capture, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

SK will explore capturing and sequestering 400,000 t of CO2 from existing hydrogen production assets at its refinery in Ulsan, Korea using a range of Honeywell UOP technologies. The CO2 will be re-injected into depleted natural gas reservoirs, beginning in 2026.

"We selected Honeywell UOP for this feasibility study because of their multiple proven cost-effective technologies for the capture of CO2 and hydrogen purification that will assist in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Seonjun Lee, head of Institute of Environmental Science & Technology of SK Innovation. “This project falls in line with the carbon neutrality initiative that South Korea has pledged to achieve by 2050."

"With the global demand for hydrogen expected to grow significantly within the next decade, hydrogen producers need a low-cost carbon capture system to help them meet their sustainability goals," said Ben Owens, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions. "Honeywell UOP is uniquely positioned for this feasibility study as our multiple technology offerings for carbon capture based on solvents, membranes, cryogenics, and pressure swing adsorption (PSA) systems can be optimized to meet the project needs."

As per MRC, Honeywell has announced the expansion of its facility in Baton Rouge, La. to double the capacity of its Solstice ze (1234ze), an ultra-low-global-warming-potential (GWP) solution. Solstice ze is used in foam insulation, as a propellant in personal and household care products, and in refrigeration and air conditioning applications.

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 1,868,160 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 18% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,138,510 tonnes in January-September 2021, up by 30% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.
MRC