Indonesia to ramp up biodiesel efforts to meet green energy targets by 2024

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Indonesia will need to increase the bio-content of its palm oil-based biodiesel to 40% by 2024 or risk missing its renewable energy targets, reported Reuters with reference to a senior official's statement on Wednesday.

Indonesia has a mandatory biodiesel program with 30% palm oil content known as B30. Longstanding plans to increase the palm content to 40% by 2021 were delayed due to cheaper fuel costs and record high palm prices.

"The use of (only) B30 will not achieve the RUEN target for 2025," Dadan Kusdiana, the director general of the country's energy ministry, told a virtual conference.

He was referring to Indonesia's goal to increase renewable energy use to 23% of its total energy consumption by 2025, which required biodiesel consumption of 13.9 kiloliters that year.

"The ministry will prepare B40 blending mandatory regulation to ensure investment certainty," Dadan said, adding that more studies and road tests were required.

Indonesia's energy ministry earlier on Wednesday said it will increase its 2021 biodiesel allocation to meet higher demand for fuel. Next year's biodiesel consumption meanwhile, is set to jump to over 10 MM kiloliters.

While fuel prices bottomed out during the thick of the global pandemic, petrol and diesel prices at the pump in Asia and Europe reached near-record peaks this year, making palm a more attractive feedstock for biofuels.

As MRC wrote before, deployment of carbon capture storage (CCS) in Indonesia by American energy giant ExxonMobil Corp could cost about USD500 mln. In November 2021, Pertamina and ExxonMobil signed a MoU during the COP26 summit to look at ways of using CCS in Southeast Asia's largest country. CCS facilities are likely to be implemented in two Indonesia oil and gas fields, namely the Gundih field in Cepu and the Sukowati field in Bojonegoro, in Central and East Java respectively.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The European Union plans to capture five MM tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year by 2030 through technologies, and create an EU system to certify carbon removals, according to a draft document seen by Reuters.

The EU has committed to reach net zero emissions by 2050, eliminating the more than 3 B tons of CO2 equivalent it currently emits each year.

To help meet that target, Brussels wants to scale up carbon removals both by using technology to capture CO2 and place it in long-term storage sites, and by encouraging farmers and landowners to store more CO2 in trees, soil and wetlands.

"The development and deployment at scale of carbon removal solutions is indispensable to climate-neutrality and requires significant targeted support in the next decade," said the document, which the European Commission is due to publish on Dec. 14.

The Commission will also propose in 2022 an EU system of certifying carbon removals, by measuring and verifying CO2 removals from individual land holdings, the draft said. A robust certification system could also lay the groundwork for an EU regulated market for carbon removals - an option that could happen after 2030, the draft said.

As MRC informed earlier, in November 2021, a coalition of 19 countries including Britain and the United States agreed to create zero emissions shipping trade routes between ports to speed up the decarbonization of the global maritime industry.

We remind that ExxonMobil last month offered to lease 500,000 acres off the Texas coast, securing space for what could become a massive project to capture and store carbon emissions. Under pressure by investors to address climate change, Exxon in April floated an up to USD100 B industry hub to collect planet-warming emissions from Gulf Coast petrochemical plants and bury them under the Gulf of Mexico.

Besides, ExxonMobil also said earlier last month it is on track to meet its 2025 emissions reduction targets by the end of this year - four years earlier than planned - and has vowed to ramp up investments to further cut emissions.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Tarim ethane-to-ethylene project operated by PetroChina achieved a fast and successful startup at the end of August using Shell Catalysts & Technologies (SC&T) C2 FE selective hydrogenation catalyst, said the company.

Located in Korla, China, the facility is PetroChina’s first 600 KTA ethane feed grassroots ethylene plant. SC&T C2 FE selective hydrogenation catalyst was selected by PetroChina for the core catalyst unit. The catalyst has proven to provide reliable operation at multiple feed sources and various operating conditions. These features ensure ethylene producers can gain higher yield from excellent ethylene selectivity and also stability features, which provide extra confidence in day-to-day operations.

“The SC&T technical service engineers and the startup team demonstrated strong operational excellence and flawless execution, which enabled a fast plant startup within 11 hours from furnace feed until getting on specification ethylene product,” said Shaolin Li, ethylene plant manager of PetroChina Tarim.

"We are delighted to extend the long-term collaboration with PetroChina. And the “right first time” startup without flaring at PetroChina Tarim is a significant achievement,” said Agnes Lim, Specialty Catalyst marketing manager, SC&T. “We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to PetroChina’s decarbonization journey. At SC&T, we are always looking to help our customers decarbonize and achieving startup without flaring helps contribute to these efforts."

As per MRC, PetroChina Liaoyang Petrochemical Co Ltd , part of the Chinese petrochemical major - PetroChina, has successfully started up its new polypropylene (PP) plant this week. Based in Liaoning City, Liaoyang Province, China, the new PP plant has a production capacity of 300,000 tons/year. A source closed to the company informed that they has achieved prime grade production since 5 pm, 18 August, 2021, hence the commercial run was officially started up.

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

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Brenntag, the global market leader in chemicals and ingredients distribution, announces the renewal and expansion of a distribution agreement with performance additives leader SI Group, as per the company's press release.

Brenntag has already successfully been distributing SI Group's plastics solutions products in Europe and Africa. Now, the contract is being expanded to include the chemical intermediates and coatings resins of the US-based company for the full Europe, Middle East, and Africa region.

Sara Ghione, Director Polymers EMEA Brenntag Specialties, says: "We are thrilled to add SI Group’s performance chemicals and coating resins products to our portfolio as it enables us to offer a more differentiated range of solutions to our Chemical Intermediates and Coatings customers. Additionally, it further extends our longstanding and successful partnership with SI Group with the aim to grow together even further.”

SI Group’s plastics solutions products protect polymers against degradation and aging and thus help to extend the functional life of the final product. The company's coating resins are used for protective coatings in multiple markets including but not limited to metal coating applications, can and beverage packaging, decorative paints, and road markings. The company’s portfolio of performance intermediates are key building blocks into chemistries used in a wide range of markets such as surfactants, personal care, agriculture, plastics, and engineering plastics.

This renewed and expanded distribution agreement between Brenntag and SI Group is effective immediately.

As MRC reported earlier, this summer, Brenntag acquired all operating assets and business of Matrix Chemical, LLC. The company is a solvents distributor and the largest distributor of acetone in North America with sales of around USD 200 million year to date in 2021.

Along with phenol, acetone is largely used to produce bisphenol A (BPA), which, in its turn, is used in the production of plastics such as polycarbonate (PC) and epoxy resins.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall estimated consumption of PC granules (excluding imports and exports to/from Belarus) dropped in the first three quarters of 2021 by 15% year on year to 63,700 tonnes (75,300 tonnes a year earlier).

SI Group is a global leader in the innovative technology of performance additives, process solutions, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and chemical intermediates. SI Group’s global manufacturing footprint includes 21 facilities on four continents, serving customers in 90 countries with approximately 2,300 employees worldwide.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Mitsubishi Corp is looking to sell a fuel terminal that provides transportation fuels which meet California's stringent emissions requirements, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters .

The company is working with Ernst and Young's energy advisory group to market its 600,000-bbl Petro-Diamond terminal in Long Beach, California, and its corresponding fuel trading division, the sources said. Mitsubishi is seeking either a joint venture partner for Petro-Diamond or an outright sale, the sources added.

The terminal is the only U.S. refined products asset owned by Mitsubishi, Japan's biggest trading house by sales. Mitsubishi previously had a sizable trading operation in Singapore, also named Petro-Diamond (PDS). The company began winding down in 2020 after it said a PDS trader had lost USD320 MM in unauthorized transactions in crude oil derivatives.

Mitsubishi could still scrap the sale of the U.S. terminal if it fails to find a suitable buyer, they said. A target valuation for Petro-Diamond could not be determined. EY and Mitsubishi did not return requests for comment. PetroDiamond was formed in 1983 and markets and distributes on-spec transportation fuels in Southern California including CARB gasoline, low sulfur diesel, ethanol and marine fuels.

Last year, an executive order required that by 2035 all new cars and passenger trucks sold in California be zero-emission vehicles, and that the state reduce the dirtiest forms of oil extraction. Royal Dutch Shell Plc has been looking for a buyer for Aera, its California-based oil and gas-producing joint venture with Exxon Mobil Corp, Reuters reported in July.

As per MRC, Mitsubishi Corp will invest 2 trillion yen (USD17.54 B) by 2030 in alternative energies such as renewables and hydrogen to drive its decarbonization efforts and cut emissions. Mitsubishi, a trading house and mineral resources company with energy and metals assets worldwide, aims to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 on 2020 levels, and to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, it said in a statement.

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.

Mitsubishi Chemical with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, is a diversified chemical company involved in petrochemicals, polymers, agrochemicals, speciality chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The company's main focus is on three business pillars: petrochemicals, performance and functional products, and health care.
MRC