Brenntag expands Asia distribution deal with Elementis

Brenntag expands Asia distribution deal with Elementis

Brenntag has expanded its distribution agreement with UK-based Elementis Specialties in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, the German chemicals distributor said.

This distribution agreement will be effective starting 1 April, it said in a statement. Brenntag will distribute Elementis Specialties’ specialty chemicals and additives for the coatings, adhesive and sealant industries.

Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

It was informed earlier, Brenntag Canada Inc., part of the Brenntag Group, the global market leader in chemical and ingredients distribution, signed an agreement with Elementis Specialties Inc. for distribution in Canada. The product lines are used in industrial and architectural coatings, sealants, adhesives, inks, and construction products. They include rheology modifiers, slip and leveling additives, defoamers, wetting and dispersing additives.

Elementis has over 150 years in the industry, providing ingredients for industrial and consumer markets. The company operates across five business segments: Chromium, Coatings, Energy, Personal Care, and Talc.
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CIMC Enric and Maersk to collaborate on biomass green methanol project

CIMC Enric and Maersk to collaborate on biomass green methanol project

CIMC Enric and its subsidiaries have announced a strategic partnership with Maersk to launch a biomass green methanol pilot project, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The project will facilitate the landing of Maersk's first generation of green container vessels. The two sides have signed a MoU online to explore long-term cooperation in the clean energy field with a focus on green methanol.

According to the MoU, CIMC Enric will assist the green methanol fuel transformation of Maersk container vessels through innovative and green technologies. Phase I project will comprise a strategic pilot project involving 50,000 t of biomass green methanol. For the phase II project, the annual production capacity is expected to increase to 200,000 t.

According to the Development Plan for Petrochemical and Chemical Industry (2016-2020) by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, the country's traditional methanol chemical market currently totals about 50 MMtpy with annual growth rate at about 8.8%.

Jens Eskelund, China Chief Representative of A.P. Moller-Maersk said, "Maersk has set an ambitious goal to achieve climate neutrality by 2040, while securing a large-scale supply of green methanol in the next decade is critical to our sustainable energy transition. Maersk is delighted to join hands with our strong Chinese partner CIMC Enric in our journey towards green and clean fuel transformation."

Methanol is a clean liquid fuel containing hydrogen and oxygen. Green methanol can be obtained in various ways including through biomass energy, green hydrogen & carbon capture, or renewable energy. Since green methanol can be produced cleanly, stored and transported conveniently, and offers high-energy density, it is recognized as one of the key pathways to achieve global carbon neutrality.

As per MRC, Topsoe and Shchekinoazot have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to synchronize vison and plans on developing blue and green methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen production and reducing CO2 emissions. At the online signing ceremony, parties agreed to inform each other on latest technological developments and jointly explore opportunities of implementing Topsoe’s technologies at Shchekinoazot’s plants to efficiently and safely produce high quality chemicals with the lowest rates of greenhouse gas emission.

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MRC suspends sale of ICIS/MRC data in Russia

MRC suspends sale of ICIS/MRC data in Russia

Dear customers, partners and colleagues, in accordance with a joint business agreement with ICIS (RELX), MRC suspends activity for selling ICIS/MRC price data through the Russian legal entity MRC.

The current contracts will be executed according to commercial obligations. New contracts can be agreed in non-Russian jurisdiction, both ICIS or MRC, in accordance with the UK compliance rules.

Thank you for your understanding.
MRC team
MRC

ExxonMobil to build blue hydrogen production plant in Baytown

ExxonMobil to build blue hydrogen production plant in Baytown

ExxonMobil says it is planning a hydrogen production plant and one of the world’s largest carbon capture and storage projects at its integrated refining and petrochemical site at Baytown, Texas, supporting efforts to reduce emissions from company operations and local industry, according to SpecialCheim.

“Hydrogen has the potential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in vital sectors of the economy and create valuable, lower-emissions products that support modern life,” said Joe Blommaert, president of ExxonMobil low carbon solutions.

The proposed hydrogen facility would produce up to 1 billion cubic feet per day of “blue” hydrogen, which is an industry term for hydrogen produced from natural gas and supported by carbon capture and storage. The carbon capture infrastructure for this project would have the capacity to transport and store up to 10 million metric tons of CO2 per year, more than doubling ExxonMobil’s current capacity.

“By helping to activate new markets for hydrogen and carbon capture and storage, this project can play an important part in achieving America’s lower-emissions aspirations,” adds Blommaert.

Using hydrogen as a fuel at the Baytown olefins plant could reduce the integrated complex’s Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions by up to 30%, supporting ExxonMobil’s ambition to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from its operated assets by 2050.

As MRC reported earlier, in February, 2022, ExxonMobil and SABIC successful started up Gulf Coast Growth Ventures world-scale manufacturing facility in San Patricio County, Texas. The new facility will produce materials used in packaging, agricultural film, construction materials, clothing, and automotive coolants. The operation includes a 1.8 MM metric tpy ethane steam cracker, two polyethylene (PE) units capable of producing up to 1.3 MM metric tpy, and a monoethylene glycol (MEG) unit with a capacity of 1.1 MM metric tpy.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of 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.

ExxonMobil is the largest non-government owned company in the energy industry and produces about 3% of the world's oil and about 2% of the world's energy.
MRC

ABB to automate bioplastics plant

ABB to automate bioplastics plant

ABB has been awarded a major contract by NatureWorks to automate their new, greenfield plant in Thailand, converting sugar cane to the polylactic acid biopolymer, Ingeo, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The plant will ferment and distill plant-based sugars—in a process similar to making beer or wine—converting the sugars first to lactic acid, then lactide and then polymerize them into Ingeo. In the new site, these three separate production processes will be fully integrated, resulting in improvements in energy and production efficiency. In addition, the integration of the fermentation phase will secure the supply of lactic acid. The Thailand facility will use sugarcane as feedstock and is set to produce 75,000 tpy of sustainable plastic when fully operational. The anticipated projected startup for this greenfield facility is in the second half of 2024.

ABB’s scope of work is a two-part order including a FEED study followed by detailed automation project execution, with ABB acting as the main automation contractor. ABB will deliver the hardware, software, control room design solutions, engineering and site support to fully develop NatureWorks’ greenfield system. ABB’s distributed control system Ability System 800xA will maximize plant efficiency and reliability through automation. Leveraging this technology, ABB will integrate inputs from all key systems into one single user-friendly overview. As a result, operators will be able to utilize data insights from all areas of the plant, delivered in real time, to drive efficiency, reduce risk and ensure production optimization.

The project will apply state based controls, enabling operators to take fewer interactions to start up a unit and reduce risk by having access to the right information at the right time. In addition, ABB’s automated engineering batch application tool will be implemented for this project.

Part of NatureWorks’ global expansion plan, the plant will help meet the growing global demand for sustainable materials. Bioplastics represent less than 1% of all plastic produced globally but production is expected to grow over 260% between 2020 and 2026.

Ingeo is an eco-friendly, biobased material used in a wide-range of plastic and fiber products from compostable food packaging - coffee capsules, tea bags, food containers – to 3D printing filament, diapers and even refrigerator liners. Compared to traditional fossil-based polymers, manufacturing Ingeo produces approximately 80% less GHGs and uses 52% less non-renewable energy.

As per MRC, ABB has been awarded the contract to improve asset integrity across MOL’s downstream assets, through changing mindset, standardizing processes and software and ensuring integrity management is focused on the right equipment. The project spanning MOL DS Production plants in Hungary, Slovakia, and Croatia, will implement standardized asset integrity procedures in a move to drive production efficiency, improve safety and reduce risk.
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