Rohm announced investment in expansion for plexiglas moulding compounds

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Rohm (Darmstadt, Germany) is further driving the growth of the company by the additional expansion of capacities for impact-resistant PLEXIGLAS, the brand polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) from Rohm, said Chemengonline.

A new section is currently being added to a plant producing impact-resistant PLEXIGLAS Resist special molding compounds in Worms. The plant is scheduled to commence production as early as June 2022. “As a reliable partner to clients around the globe, we will be able to guarantee the best possible delivery reliability and flexibility”, believes Chief Operations Officer (COO) Hans-Peter Hauck. Thanks to a modular concept, further potential expansion stages are also planned.

There is especially strong demand for PLEXIGLAS® Resist molding compounds from Rohm in the automotive, construction and lighting industries; they are also used in many household appliance applications. “By expanding our capacity, we are responding to the persistently high demand for impact-resistant materials,” says Siamak Djafarian, Senior Vice President Business Unit Molding Compounds. Impact-resistant PLEXIGLAS is particularly well-suited for applications requiring durability, UV and weather resistance as well as higher impact strength.

As per MRC, Rohm (Darmstadt, Germany) intends to further expand its technology leadership. In future, around 100 scientists of the chemical company will work on the development of new products and processes under one roof. “By pooling our research activity at the biggest production site we have anywhere in the world, Rohm is set to expand on its leading market position,” says Michael Pack, Chief Executive Officer of Rohm. The construction site is currently under preparation, with completion scheduled for early 2023.

As MRC informed previously, Rohm carried out a scheduled turnaround in September 2021 of its methacrylate monomers plant at Worms, Germany. No specific date or duration for the planned maintenance program was given. The company announced in early January a series of scheduled shutdowns for four of its methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methacrylate monomer facilities in the first half of 2021, including one planned for 10–22 March also at its Worms plant. The other plants planned for turnaround in the first six months of the year are in Wesseling, Germany; Shanghai, China; and Fortier, Louisiana.

The principal application, consuming approximately 75% of the MMA, is the manufacture of polymethyl methacrylate acrylic plastics (PMMA). Methyl methacrylate is also used for the production of the co-polymer methyl methacrylate-butadiene-styrene (MBS), used as a modifier for polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

With 3,500 employees and 15 production sites worldwide, Rohm is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the methacrylate business. The medium-sized company with branches in Germany, China, the USA, Russia, and South Africa has more than 80 years of experience in methacrylate chemistry and a strong technology platform. Our best-known brands include PLEXIGLAS®, ACRYLITE®, MERACRYL™, DEGALAN®, DEGAROUTE® and CYROLITE.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- SIBUR, Russia's largest petrochemical producer, plans to revise its strategy for developing the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC) with Sinopec, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The company reported that a decision on the matter would be made soon. Sources told Reuters in March that the state-run Sinopec Group had suspended talks on a major petrochemical investment and a gas marketing venture in Russia.

AGCC is set to be one of the world's largest polymer production facilities. Upon completion, the project will have a capacity of 2.3 MMtpy of polyethylene and 400 ktpy of polypropylene.

The facility is to be located near Svobodny town in the Amur Region, close to the Russian-Chinese border. Due to the location, the products were to be aimed toward Asian markets, mainly China, which is the global leader in the consumption of polymers.

The original completion of construction and commissioning of the project is scheduled for 2024.

We remind, ZapSibNeftekhim becomes first in Russia to produce maleic anhydride. The new MAN facility located at ZapSibNeftekhim in Tobolsk produced its first tonnes of commercial MAN. In late March, it was presented to Russian manufacturers of construction materials and fuel components for homologation.

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.

SIBUR is the largest vertically integrated gas processing and petrochemical company in Russia, uniting a number of production sites in various regions of the Russian Federation. The company sells products to consumers in the fuel and energy complex, automotive, construction, consumer goods, chemical and other industries in more than 80 countries around the world.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Negotiators from Chevron Corp and the United Steelworkers union (USW) are scheduled to meet to discuss a possible end to a strike at the company’s oil refinery in Richmond, California, reported Reuters with reference to spokes people from both sides.

The talks will be the first face-to-face meeting in nearly two weeks between Chevron and USW Local 12-5. Some 500 workers at the 245,271 bpd refinery formally began the strike on March 21 after the two sides failed to reach agreement on a new labor contract.

As MRC reported earlier, Chevron plans to begin an overhaul of the crude distillation unit (CDU) at its 245,271-bpd Richmond, California, refinery in mid-April, 2022. Chevron spokesman Tyler Kruzich declined to comment on day-to-day operations. Chevron will shut the 240,000-bpd CDU for the overhaul. The CDU breaks down crude oil into hydrocarbon feedstocks for all other units at the refinery.

We remind that Chevron Phillips Chemical, a joint venture of Phillips 66 and Chevron, will make a final investment decision on a new cracker in far southeast Texas in 2022, followed by an FID in 2023 on an USD8 billion joint venture petrochemical complex along the US Gulf Coast in 2023.

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.

Headquartered in San Ramon, California, Chevron Corporation is the the second-largest integrated energy company in the United States and among the largest corporations in the world. Chevron is involved in upstream activities including exploration and production, downstream activities including refining, marketing and transportation, and advanced energy technology. Chevron is also invested in power generation and gasification processes.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Versalis S.p.A. (San Donato Milanese), Eni’s chemical company, has agreed to license its proprietary continuous mass technology to Shandong Eco Chemical Co. Ltd, a Chinese company part of Shandong Haike Holding Ltd., said Chemengonline.

The license will be granted for a 210,000-ton/yr acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) unit to be built in Dongying, Shandong province (China).

This is a state-of-the-art technology for the production of styrenic polymers, set to be licensed in China for the first time, with a low-carbon footprint achieved via strong reductions across emissions and energy consumption. Applications encompass the automotive industry, household appliances, electronics, medical appliances and furniture.

The license agreement reinforces Versalis’ primacy in the styrenics business and strengthens its position in the Asian market, a region which is undergoing strong expansion in the petrochemical field and is increasingly focused on selecting more sustainable technologies with a low environmental impact.

As per MRC, Versalis, Eni's chemical company, announces that it has begun the production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass at their Crescentino plant. The plant, which was acquired in 2018, has been overhauled thanks to major investments and has started the production of advanced bioethanol, in compliance with the European legislation for the development of renewable energy, as it is derived from raw materials that do not interfere with the food chain. The bioethanol, produced using Proesa technology, is ISCC-EU certified and will be used to formulate gasoline with a renewable component.

As per MRC, Versalis S.p.A. (San Donato Milanese), the chemical company of Italian energy major Eni, has licensed to Enter Engineering Pte. Ltd. a Low-Density Polyethylene/Ethyl Vinyl Acetate (LDPE/EVA) swing unit to be built as part of a new Gas-to-Chemical Complex based on MTO-Methanol to Olefins technology to be located in the Karakul area in the Bukhara region of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Eni is an Italian multinational oil and gas company headquartered in Rome. It has operations in in 79 countries, and is currently Italy's largest industrial company. The Italian government owns a 30.3% golden share in the company, 3.93% held through the state Treasury and 26.37% held through the Cassa depositi e prestiti. Another 39.40% of the shares are held by BNP Paribas.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- QVC (Qatar Vinyl Company) has been given approval by Industries Qatar (IQ) and Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding (MPHC) to establish a new suspension polyvinyl chloride (S-PVC) facility in Mesaieed Industrial City, said Gulf-times.

The contract value of this project is USD239m. QVC is a joint venture between MPHC with a 55.2% stake, Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) with a 31.9% stake and QatarEnergy with a 12.9% stake. The proposed capacity of the PVC plant will be 350,000 tonnes. It will be integrated with QVC’s existing facilities, from which it will source the feedstock vinyl chloride monomer (VCM).

The plant will operate sustainably, through the efficient usage water and power and existing logistics facilities. This plant will be the first PVC-producing facility in Qatar and aims to establish Qatar as a regional production hub.

The PVC produced will contribute towards meeting the requirements from the flourishing construction industry in the region, which is one of the biggest consumers of PVC. It also aims to provide an opportunity to export PVC internationally. The largest suspension PVC producer in the Middle East is Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC). Company officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Qatar Chemical (Q-Chem), part of Chevron Phillips Chemical Qatar, planned to resume HDPE production in Mesaieed, Qatar in early April after a scheduled overhaul. The company stopped the plant with a capacity of 375,000 tonnes of HDPE per year for maintenance in mid-February.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, February production of unmixed PVC in Russia exceeded 82,600 tonnes from 87,100 tonnes a month earlier, all Russian producers kept a high level of capacity utilisation. Total PVC production in Russia reached 169,700 tonnes in January - February 2022 against 169,200 tonnes a year earlier, three producers increased the volume of polymer production, and only one reduced output.

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