Trinseo focuses on sustainability by expanding its portfolio with bio-based PS, ABS and SAN

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo, a global materials solutions provider and manufacturer of plastics and latex binders, has announced that its flagship STYRON Polystyrene (PS) resins, MAGNUM acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resins and TYRIL acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (SAN) resins now are available with renewable content, as per the company's press release.

These materials combine fossil-based polymers with renewable raw materials according to a mass balance process, resulting in a bio-attributed composition from 80 to 95%.

STYRON CO2RE BIO PS, MAGNUM CO2RE BIO ABS, and TYRIL CO2RE BIO SAN offer a drop-in solution to customers who seek to further their sustainability efforts. The materials are an equivalent replacement to their fossil-based counterparts and offer both identical performance properties and processability. The CO2RE designation indicates a measurable product carbon footprint (PCF) reduction when compared to Trinseo’s fossil-based products.

“As customers increasingly focus on sustainable products, Trinseo continues to invest in technologies that offer an alternative to traditional petrochemicals,” said Julien Renvoise, Sustainability Commercial Manager. “Using renewable raw materials as an ingredient is an important solution as we strive to preserve our fossil resources, reduce our carbon footprint, and achieve circularity.”

To produce the BIO materials, a bio-waste conversion process called feedstock cracking is used. Bio-feedstock is combined with fossil-based material resulting in material with a prescribed percentage of renewable content. ISCC Mass Balance processes and certification are involved at several points along the value chain - after raw material refining, bio feedstock processing, and bio material production.

Trinseo’s new BIO materials join its portfolio of sustainably-advantaged products. The company uses a variety of processes and methods to design materials for circularity including super clean mechanical recycling, dissolution, and chemical recycling via both depolymerization and feedstock cracking.

As MRC reported earlier, Trinseo and its affiliate companies in Europe have announced a price increase for all PS, ABS and SAN in Europe. Effective December 1, 2021, or as existing contract terms allow, the contract and spot prices for the products listed below rose, as follows:

- STYRON general purpose polystyrene grades (GPPS) -- by EUR50 per metric ton;
- STYRON and STYRON A-Tech and STYRON X- Tech and STYRON C- Tech high impact polystyrene grades (HIPS) - by EUR50 per metric ton;
- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR50 per metric ton;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR50 per metric ton.

According to ICIS-MRC Price report, in Russia, for large- and middle-sized buyers, December prices of Nizhnekamskneftekhim's GPPS were in the range of roubles (Rb) 172,750-183,700/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT, whereas HIPS prices were at Rb178,750-189,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT. Penoplex's limited December GPPS quantities were contracted at Rb195,000-197,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT, in early December. The producer reported the absence of available quantities until the end of the month. Prices of Gazprom neftekhim Salavat's GPPS were at Rb172,500-181,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT, this week.

Trinseo is a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber. Trinseo's technology is used by customers in industries such as home appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. Formerly known as Styron, Trinseo completed its renaming process in 1Q 2015. Trinseo had approximately USD3.0 billion in net sales in 2020, with 17 manufacturing sites around the world, and approximately 2,600 employees.
MRC

1. Crude ol prices rise over 2% on hopes Omicron to have limited impact on global demand

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Oil prices rose more than 2% on Monday to the highest level since late November on hopes that the Omicron coronavirus variant will have a limited impact on global demand in 2022, even as surging cases caused flight cancellations, reported Reuters. Global benchmark Brent crude rose USD2.46, or 3.2%, to settle at USD78.60 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose USD1.78, or 2.4%, to settle at USD75.57 a barrel. The US market was closed on Friday for a holiday. Both benchmarks rose on Monday to the highest since Nov. 26. On that day, oil plunged by more than 10% when reports of a new variant first appeared. The benchmarks gained last week after early data suggested that Omicron could cause a milder level of illness. “Though Omicron is spreading faster than any COVID-19 variant yet, a relatively relieving news is that most people infected with Omicron are showing mild symptoms, at least so far,” said Leona Liu, analyst at Singapore-based DailyFX.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Brazilian state-run company Petrobras has signed a deal with Carmo Energy to sell its stakes in 11 producing fields located in Polo Carmopolis area for USD1.1bn, according to OGV.

Located in different municipalities in the state of Sergipe, the onshore production concessions are jointly called Carmopolis Cluster. The concessions include integrated facilities with an access to oil and natural gas processing, flow, storage and transportation infrastructure.

Under the terms of the agreement, Carmo Energy will pay USD275m as down payment and a further USD550m at the closing of the transaction. The company will have to pay the remaining USD275m to Petrobras, one year upon the closing the deal.

Petrobras stated: “This operation is aligned with the portfolio management strategy and the improved allocation of the company’s capital, aiming to maximize value and greater return to society.

“Petrobras is increasingly concentrating its resources on deep and ultra-deep water assets, where it has shown a great competitive edge over the years, producing better quality oil and with lower greenhouse gas emissions.”

As MRC reported before, Brazil’s state-controlled oil producer has taken a step closer to selling its stake in the Braskem petrochemicals business after the board approved a share offering. Rio de Janeiro-based Petrobras can sell up to 100% of its preferred Braskem shares in a follow-on offering, it said in a filing earlier this month.

We remind that Braskem is no longer pursuing a petrochemical project, which would have included an ethane cracker, in West Virginia. And the company is seeking to sell the land that would have housed the cracker. The project, announced in 2013, had been on Braskem's back burner for several years.

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 2,047,100 tonnes in the first ten months of 2021, up by 17% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,226,530 tonnes in January-October 2021, up by 26% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding stat-copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.

Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Petrobras is an integrated energy firm. Petrobras' activities include exploration, exploitation and production of oil from reservoir wells, shale and other rocks as well as refining, processing, trade and transport of oil and oil products, natural gas and other fluid hydrocarbons, in addition to other energy-related activities.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Russia totalled about 59,600 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2021, up by 35% year on year. At the same time, exports decreased by 8%, according to MRC's DataScope report.

Last month's SPVC imports to Russia dropped to 3,200 tonnes from 6,200 tonnes in October. The main decrease in supplies accounted on Chinese manufacturers due to restrictions on cargo transportation on the border with Kazakhstan.

Total PVC imports in the country were 59,600 tonnes in January-November 2021, compared with 44,200 tonnes year on year, the share of producers from China was 87%.
After the May surge in export sales, in the following months, Russian producers gradually began to reduce their exports of suspension polyvinyl chloride.

8,500 tonnes were shipped to foreign markets in November (excluding deliveries to the countries of the Customs Union) versus 12,500 tonnes a month earlier. Overall exports were 168,900 tonnes in January-November 2021 versus 183,300 tonnes a year earlier.


MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Oil prices rose more than 2% on Monday to the highest level since late November on hopes that the Omicron coronavirus variant will have a limited impact on global demand in 2022, even as surging cases caused flight cancellations, reported Reuters.

Global benchmark Brent crude rose USD2.46, or 3.2%, to settle at USD78.60 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose USD1.78, or 2.4%, to settle at USD75.57 a barrel. The US market was closed on Friday for a holiday.

Both benchmarks rose on Monday to the highest since Nov. 26. On that day, oil plunged by more than 10% when reports of a new variant first appeared. The benchmarks gained last week after early data suggested that Omicron could cause a milder level of illness.

“Though Omicron is spreading faster than any COVID-19 variant yet, a relatively relieving news is that most people infected with Omicron are showing mild symptoms, at least so far,” said Leona Liu, analyst at Singapore-based DailyFX.

Britain’s government will not introduce new COVID-19 restrictions for England before the end of 2021, its health minister, Sajid Javid, said on Monday.

More than 1,300 flights were cancelled by US airlines on Sunday as COVID-19 reduced the number of available crews while several cruise ships had to cancel stops.

“The disruption to goods and services from isolating workers, notably air travel, seems to be the main fallout so far,” Jeffrey Halley, analyst at brokerage OANDA, said of rising Omicron cases. “That is only likely to cause short-term nerves, with the global recovery story for 2022 still on track.”

Oil prices have risen over 50% this year, supported by recovering demand and supply cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, collectively known as OPEC+.

Talks resume on Monday between world powers and Iran on reviving Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal. Iran said oil exports were the focus of the talks, which so far appear to have made little progress on boosting Iran’s shipments.

As MRC informed earlier, Indian refiners, anticipating a lifting of US sanctions, plan to make space for the resumption of Iranian imports by reducing spot crude oil purchases in the second half of the year. The world's third-largest oil consumer and importer halted imports from Tehran in 2019 after former US President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 accord and re-imposed sanctions on the OPEC producer over its disputed nuclear programme.
MRC