BASF to present sustainable additive solutions

BASF to present sustainable additive solutions

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF, the world's petrochemical major, aims to display endless possibilities with innovative material solutions that improve energy efficiency, prolong product lifecycles, and enable recycling at CHINAPLAS 2022, according to SpecialChem.

Among the sustainable solutions to be shown at CHINAPLAS is IrgaCycle.

Enabling recycling by improving the properties of recycled plastics is IrgaCycle, a new range of additive solutions that can help increase the percentage of recycled content in several end-use applications such as packaging, automotive & mobility, and building and construction.

These solutions address specific quality issues associated with recycled resins, such as limited processability, poor long-term thermal stability, and insufficient protection from outdoor weathering.

A particular advantage of these blends lies in their ready-to-use product forms, which are easy to apply in the recycling steps. The granulated non-dusting product form ensures safe and easy dosage during converting or compounding of reclaimed material.

In so doing, BASF is helping to reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink plastics. BASF will also introduce new co-creation projects, a series of tech talks and provide updates on the start-up of its polyamide plant at the BASF Zhanjiang Verbund Site in 2022.

BASF will also exhibit a new grade of Ultradur polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), Elastollan Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), polyurethane elastomer Cellasto, polyarylethersulfone Ultrason.

As MRC wrote before, Air Liquide, BASF and Shell are joining Calpine, Chevron, Dow, ExxonMobil, INEOS, Linde, LyondellBasell, Marathon Petroleum, NRG Energy, Phillips 66 and Valero to collectively evaluate and advance emissions reduction efforts in and around the Houston industrial area. Three additional companies have announced their support for exploring the implementation of large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in and around the Houston industrial area. The 14 companies are evaluating how to use safe, proven CCS technology at Houston-area facilities that provide energy and products for modern life, including advanced manufacturing for plastics, packaging, motor fuels and power generation.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,487,450 tonnes in 2021, up by 13% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whreas.shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

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.
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COVID-19 - News digest as of 22.02.2022

1. Air Liquide 2021 net profit increases despite sharp jump in energy prices

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Air Liquide SA said Wednesday that 2021 net profit rose despite facing a sharp jump in energy prices, according to MarketWatch. Net profit for the year was EUR2.57 billion (USD2.92 billion), compared with EUR2.44 billion in 2020, the industrial-gases company said. Group revenue came to EUR23.34 billion, 14% higher than the previous year, after activities improved markedly across all areas, Air Liquide said. Net profit was a touch above of expectations of EUR2.56 billion, while revenue beat views of EUR23.13 billion, according to analysts' estimates provided by the company.

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JGC Holdings launches joint research and development program with Bridgestone

JGC Holdings launches joint research and development program with Bridgestone

MOSCOW (MRC) -- JGC Holdings Corporation announced the launch of a joint research and development (R&D) program with Bridgestone Corporation, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tohoku University, and ENEOS Corporation, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This program is aimed at developing chemical recycling technologies that utilize used tires to achieve high-yield production of isoprene, a raw material for synthetic rubber. By combining the expertise and technologies of industry leading companies and academic institutions, JGC Holdings and its partners are working to develop recycling technologies that will contribute to the realization of a more sustainable society and to conduct demonstrations for the social implementation of these technologies by 2030.

Tire demand is expected to grow in the future in conjunction with rising automobile and transportation demand. Synthetic rubber is one of the primary materials used when producing tires and is generally manufactured using petroleum. Used tires are also utilized as fuel mainly through thermal recovery technologies in Japan. At the same time, it is projected that society will come to face issues related to resource depletion and climate change triggered by increased CO2 emissions in the future.

To ensure that it can continue to supply tires in more sustainable manner, JGC Holdings, Bridgestone, AIST, Tohoku University, and ENEOS has teamed up to kick off a co-creative program for developing chemical recycling technologies of used tire that combine the expertise and technologies of companies and academic institutions. In this manner, JGC Holdings and its partners are working to contribute to increased resource recycling and carbon neutrality across the value chains of the tire and rubber industry and the petroleum and petrochemical industry.

The R&D program will promote the social implementation of technologies for high-yield production of isoprene by decomposing used tires with a specialized catalyst. JGC Holdings will be tasked with designing pilot plants while AIST, Tohoku University, and ENEOS will be responsible for the development of chemical recycling technologies of used tires and the related evaluation technologies. As the project leader, Bridgestone will play a central role in the project, guiding demonstrations for social implementation by utilizing its rubber R&D resources and expertise in the tire and rubber industry.

This program on "recycling technologies to achieve high-yield production by decomposing at low temperatures and depolymerization of used tires (brought by Bridgestone)" is one of two R&D projects under the initiative called "developing chemical product manufacturing technologies utilizing used tires" promoted by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan and adopted as part of "the Green Innovation Fund" of NEDO.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan decided to develop the Green Innovation Fund toward the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, the sustainability goal of Japanese government. The plan aims to accelerate structural transformation in energy and industry sector and innovation through ambitious investment. The Green Innovation Fund continuously supports companies and other organizations, which address challenges to achieve the goal as part of their business from R&D to demonstrations to social implementation of the outcomes for the coming ten years.

Through this program, JGC Holdings, AIST, Tohoku University, ENEOS, and Bridgestone seek to help increase synthetic rubber recycling and achieve carbon neutrality in the tire and rubber and the petroleum and petrochemical industries and to contribute to the realization of a more sustainable society.

As per MRC, Bridgestone plans to sell its China-based synthetic rubber business, Bridgestone (Huizhou) Synthetic Rubber Co., Ltd. (BSRC), to LCY Chemical Corp. Bridgestone Corp. is selling its synthetic rubber production business in China to Taipei-based materials and chemicals supplier LCY Corp., in line with the group's mid-term (2021-2023) business plan to ‘rebuild earning power’.

As per MRC, American Bridgestone Firestone, a subsidiary of Japan's Bridgestone Corporation, halted production at its Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR) plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA on February 15 due to cold weather in the region. The company confirmed that the 134,000 tonnes BSK per year plant is out of service due to problems associated with extreme weather conditions in the US Gulf of Mexico. Although electricity was restored to the plant, cold weather and power outages in the area resulted in the cutoff of water and other circulation needed to keep the plant running.
MRC

Air Liquide 2021 net profit increases despite sharp jump in energy prices

Air Liquide 2021 net profit increases despite sharp jump in energy prices

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Air Liquide SA said Wednesday that 2021 net profit rose despite facing a sharp jump in energy prices, according to MarketWatch.

Net profit for the year was EUR2.57 billion (USD2.92 billion), compared with EUR2.44 billion in 2020, the industrial-gases company said.

Group revenue came to EUR23.34 billion, 14% higher than the previous year, after activities improved markedly across all areas, Air Liquide said.

Net profit was a touch above of expectations of EUR2.56 billion, while revenue beat views of EUR23.13 billion, according to analysts' estimates provided by the company.

Air Liquide said it faced a sharp and sustained rise in energy prices, though it improved its operating margin by adapting its pricing policy alongside EUR430 million in efficiencies.

"The group achieved an excellent performance, in spite of the ongoing pandemic and the strong inflationary pressures mainly related to the sharp increase in energy prices in the second half," Chief Executive Benoit Potier said.

For 2022, the Paris-based company said it is confident it will further increase its operating margin, and deliver recurring net profit growth, at constant exchange rates, assuming no significant economic disruption.

As MRC wrote earlier, Air Liquide, BASF and Shell are joining Calpine, Chevron, Dow, ExxonMobil, INEOS, Linde, LyondellBasell, Marathon Petroleum, NRG Energy, Phillips 66 and Valero to collectively evaluate and advance emissions reduction efforts in and around the Houston industrial area. Three additional companies have announced their support for exploring the implementation of large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in and around the Houston industrial area.

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 2,487,450 tonnes in 2021, up by 13% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whreas.shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
MRC

Fortum to supply renewable energy to Borealis operations in Finland under new long-term agreement

Fortum to supply renewable energy to Borealis operations in Finland under new long-term agreement

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Borealis (Vienna), one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and circular polyolefin solutions and a European market leader in base chemicals and fertilizers; and Fortum, an energy company and the third largest CO?-free power producer in Europe, have signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) to source renewable energy from two onshore wind farms to be built in Finland, said Borealis on its site.

As of mid-2024, the new wind farms, majority-owned and operated by Fortum, will supply over 800 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable power to Borealis production operations in Porvoo, Finland, over the course of eight years. Both Borealis and Fortum move closer to realising their climate neutrality goals thanks to the scale and duration of this agreement.

The new long-term PPA involves the sourcing of electricity from two onshore wind parks to be built approximately 400 km northwest of Borealis production operations in Porvoo. Together, the two parks, Pjelax-Bole and Kristinestad Norr, will consist of 56 wind turbines with an annual power generation of approximately 1.1 terawatt hours (TWh). Both farms will be majority-owned and operated by Fortum Oy. Construction started in January 2022, with operations anticipated to begin by the middle of 2024 at the latest. Borealis has secured around 10% of the total output of the two wind farms for an eight-year period upon the project’s commissioning in 2024. The over 800 GWh of renewable power supplied within the scope of this PPA is roughly equivalent to the average annual electricity consumption of 8000 Finnish households.

Borealis and Fortum share the conviction that industry decarbonisation can only be achieved by working together. Fortum is partnering with its industry and infrastructure clients to develop smart, cost-efficient, and sustainable solutions to energy supply. On one level, the new Borealis and Fortum PPA is providing a significant boost to the Finnish chemical industry, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. On another level, the PPA marks a milestone for Borealis: once the new Fortum project comes online in 2024, the Borealis Group will have reached the 20% mark in its aim to source at least 50% of the electricity consumed in its own production operations from renewable sources by the year 2030. Moreover, the renewable electricity generated within the framework of this PPA will reduce the Scope 2 emissions (CO2 emissions resulting from the generation of purchased electricity consumed by the company) at its Finnish operations by 28,000 tons /year, or a total of 224 kilotonnes Scope 2 emissions over the eight-year duration of the PPA.

As MRC reported earlier, Borealis has delayed the start-up of a new, world-scale propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant at its existing production site at Kallo, Belgium, which is the company's biggest investment in Europe, until Q3 2023, citing Covid-19. The plant in Kallo in the port of Antwerp was previously targeted to begin operations by the end of next year.

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 2,487,450 tonnes in 2021, up by 13% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whreas.shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

Borealis is owned by OMV AG and Mubadala Investment Co., the Abu Dhabi state investment company. Borealis is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. With headquarters in Vienna, Austria, Borealis currently employs around 6,500 and operates in over 120 countries.
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