SIBUR and REO to expand cooperation in the field of plastic recycling

SIBUR has signed a deal with recycler Russian Environmental Operator (REO) for the supply of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) bottles and packaging as feedstock for production of food-grade rPET granules at Polief facility in Bashkortostan, Russia, said the company.

Thanks to the supply of electronic equipment to the production of SIBUR, it is planned to send up to 600 million plastic bottles for processing annually.

To fulfill its obligations under the agreement, REO is implementing an investment project for the production of PET flakes from used food packaging. It is planned that PPC will purchase bottles at sorting, send them for processing and sell the resulting PET flex to SIBUR. The enterprise where the bottles will be processed is located in the Chelyabinsk region.

Transparent and blue flakes will be supplied to SIBUR's Bashkir enterprise POLIEF for the production of food-grade rPET granules under the Vivilen brand with a recycled content of up to 25%. This contract provides a third of the company's need for PET flex after reaching the design capacity.

As per MRC, SIBUR plans to revise its strategy for developing the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC) with Sinopec.
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.

As per MRC, SIBUR has completed commissioning in Tobolsk at a new maleic anhydride (MAN) production facility located on the territory of Zapsibneftekhim. The production will reach its design capacity before the end of the year. The unit has a design capacity of 45,000 tons/year and is expected to ramp up through the year and is expected to cover all domestic MA demand in the country this year, with work ongoing to ensure steady operation and build out a supply chain as production ramps up.

SIBUR Holding is the leader of the petrochemical industry in Russia and one of the world's largest companies in the sector with more than 23,000 employees. Over the past 10 years, SIBUR has implemented a number of large-scale investment projects worth about 1 trillion rubles.
mrchub.com

Wood, the global consulting and engineering company, announced the appointment of Azad Hessamodini as Executive President of its Consulting business and the latest member of the firm’s executive leadership team, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

In this role, Mr Hessamodini will assume executive responsibility for Wood’s global specialist consultancy business encompassing almost 4000 professionals with industry-leading expertise in areas including decarbonization, hydrogen, Carbon Capture & Storage, renewables advisory, asset optimization and digital solutions.

The multi-sector business unit is focused on providing technical consulting during the planning, design, building, operation and optimization of assets, facilities and infrastructure across a range of end markets including energy, industrial, power, mining and life sciences.

Ken Gilmartin, Chief Operating Officer at Wood, said: “Azad is a dynamic and proven leader at Wood with strong client relationships and an in-depth knowledge of our business and the future direction of the company. Under his leadership, the many talented teams in our Consulting business will continue to spearhead our strategic growth in energy security, energy transition and digital solutions."

Hessamodini has more than 25 years’ international experience in the construction, energy, mining, consulting and private equity sectors. He joined Wood in 2011 and initially led the company’s subsea field developments, deep water engineering and asset integrity projects in Asia Pacific.

More recently, he served as President of Growth and Development for Consulting, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of growth strategies and global business planning.

He comments: “I am delighted to lead Wood’s Consulting business as we enter a new strategic cycle. Our focus will be on finding new opportunities to showcase our deep domain knowledge, breadth of expertise and cross-sector innovation.

As per MRC, Wood, the global consulting and engineering company, has entered into a 10-year global master services agreement for engineering and project related services with Chevron. The agreement can be used by all of Chevron’s business units and covers both offshore and onshore assets within the upstream, midstream and downstream markets.
mrchub.com

A fire killed one person at a Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co (600688.SS) plant in Shanghai on Saturday, an accident that will not significantly affect the market, said Reuters.

The fire occurred in the ethylene glycol plant area of Sinopec's petrochemical complex at approximately 4 a.m. in the city's Jinshan district, the company said on its official Weibo account.

Rescue teams from Jinshan and Fengxian districts, and the city's chemical industrial park, were dispatched to the scene, according to Shanghai's fire department. Rescue operations are underway, it added.

As of approximately 9 a.m. local time, the company said the fire had been brought "under control."

China has seen a spate of industrial accidents in recent years that have left scores dead, raising concerns about public safety. In 2015, at least 173 people died after a series of explosions at a chemical warehouse in the northern port city of Tianjin.

Last October, at least three people were killed and more than 30 injured in a powerful explosion at a restaurant in the northeastern city of Shenyang. The gas explosion took place in a mixed-use residential and commercial building.

We remind, Sinopec Maoming Petrochemical, a subsidiary of Sinopec, one of the world's largest energy and chemical companies, has stopped HDPE and LDL production in Maoming, China, due to a fire. So, on 8 June, the company shut the production of LDPE on line No. 2 with a capacity of 280,000 tonnes and HDPE with a capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year for an unknown time.
mrchub.com

Topsoe’s technologies are set to reduce its customers’ greenhouse gas emissions by 12 MMt in 2022 alone. These reductions will not be one-offs but ongoing for the years to come, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The key driver is Topsoe’s renewable fuels solutions, producing low-carbon fuels from waste and biomass.
2022 GHG reduction target reflects the company’s ambition to take the lead on decarbonization and its commitment to UN Sustainable Development Goal no 13 on Climate Action.

Roeland Baan, CEO at Topsoe, commented: "Effectively reducing carbon emissions requires a coordinated effort from individual countries, companies and citizens. At Topsoe, we are ready to take the lead in accelerating those efforts. We have made it our mission to reduce our customers’ emissions by 12 MMt this year, and we will continue this work beyond 2022. Renewable fuels like renewable jet fuel and diesel are vital components in solving the net zero equation, to transform the global economy into one that is not dependent on fossil fuels."

The 12 MMt target is equivalent to removing c. 8% of the emissions from the EU’s entire aviation industry. The reductions will primarily come from Topsoe’s renewable fuels business. Today, Topsoe is the global market leader in renewable diesel made from waste and biomass feedstock. We see a growing demand for renewable and low-carbon solutions from the heavy-duty transport sector as well as from the aviation and shipping sectors. The key driver of Topsoe’s renewables fuels business is its patented HydroFlex technology, which can produce renewable gasoline, jet fuel and diesel from almost any feedstock, including waste-fractions, tall oil, used cooking oil, animal fats, and vegetable oils.

Topsoe also has a leading position in “blue” technologies, where CO2 from the production of hydrogen and ammonia is captured and stored safely underground, and in developing Power to X-solutions enabling decarbonization of the hard to abate-sectors such as steel, cement, and mining from electrolysis.

As per MRC, Topsoe, the global leader in decarbonization technologies, announces its intention to construct world’s largest and most advanced industrial scale electrolyzer production plant. Topsoe’s ambition is to rapidly accelerate the adoption of green solutions in particular within Power-to-X. In this field, the company has the leading technology to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors such as transport, chemicals, steel, and cement.

Founded in 1940, Topsoe is a global leader in developing solutions for a decarbonized world, supplying technology, catalysts, and services for worldwide energy transition.
mrchub.com

Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven solutions, announced the launch of its Polaris breech-lock closure, a new technological upgrade applicable to its high-pressure heat exchanger equipment, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This advanced design of breech-lock closure provides a host of operational benefits including safe, reliable and secure sealing under all conditions, a simplified assembly and easier maintenance.

"The Polaris breech-lock heat exchanger exemplifies our dedication to deliver innovation and operational performance for customers requiring new or retrofitted heat exchangers," said Rutger Theunissen, Chief Business Officer of Services and Supplies, Lummus Technology. "The new closure system allows for a wider range of operating conditions, increased unit sizes and capacities and reduces shut down times due to ease of use, while delivering the high reliability and safety our customers expect from Lummus."

To preview this technology and its benefits, Lummus will participate in a live webcast hosted by Hydrocarbon Processing on Tuesday, June 21, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. CDT. You can attend the webcast by registering here.

The Polaris breech-lock design incorporates two new advanced features that elevate its performance above traditional breech-lock closures under today's stringent operational environments. The ProSeal system, a new gasket loading design, requires no internal split ring, flange or bolts for simplified fabrication, assembly and disassembly. The load to the seal is efficiently distributed and maintained under a wider range of operating conditions. The ProSeal system further protects the components from damage and deformation caused by plant upsets and differential thermal expansion.

Complementing the new sealing system is the ProLock closure system, an advanced securing mechanism using a special appliance that is simpler and safer to operate. The design allows easy access to all threads for maintenance, lubrication and repair, and significantly reduces the time when inserting and removing the closing plug.

High-pressure exchangers with breech-lock or screw-plug type closures are used in the hydroprocessing industry, primarily for hydrocracking, hydrotreating, lube oil, slurry and residue upgrade processing. Applications include use in reactor feeds and effluent exchangers, recycle gas exchangers, effluent recovery and gas recovery exchangers and other applications in gas compression and fertilizer processes.

Lummus Technology has supplied heat transfer equipment to the process and power industries worldwide for more than 75 years. Specializing in heat transfer systems for critical process environments, Lummus has produced industry leading technology for fired heaters, including the SRT pyrolysis furnace, and heat exchangers, including the HELIXCHANGER heat exchanger and LABLEX Lummus advanced breech-lock exchanger.

As per MRC, Lummus Technology announced it and its catalyst partner Clariant have been awarded a major contract by Fujian Meide to supply CATOFIN technology and catalysts for a new, world-scale propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit in Fuzhou, China. Already operating one PDH unit at its Fuzhou petrochemical complex, Fujian Meide is now building one of the largest PDH units in the world and has selected the CATOFIN process and catalysts for the project's second phase. The new unit will produce 900,000 mtons of propylene annually and is scheduled to commence operation in 2023.
mrchub.com