LyondellBasell licenses Lupotech T technology to Levima Green Advanced Materials

LyondellBasell announced that Levima Green (Shandong) Advanced Materials Co., Ltd. will use LyondellBasell’s Lupotech T high-pressure polyethylene technology at a new site, said the company.

The Lupotech T process technology will be used for a 200 kiloton per year (KTA) vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) line. The new line will be located in the Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province, P.R. of China.

"Being able to offer advanced process technology, combined with decades of resin experience, are key enablers which allow LyondellBasell to serve a rapidly growing market fueled by the green energy transition,” said Neil Nadalin, Director Global Licensing and Services at LyondellBasell. Nadalin added, “For significant scale production of both EVA and LDPE resins the Lupotech T process remains the benchmark for a cost effective investment for our customers around the world."

Mr. Lao Daodan, Vice General Manager of Levima Green (Shandong) Advanced Materials Co., Ltd. stated, “Producing superior grades by using referenced, safe and reliable Lupotech T high pressure process technology is a tremendous benefit when competing in a rapid growing market. Despite global challenges, the teams concluded an accelerated technology implementation schedule designed for achieving the best possible time to market for such a complex project implementation."

Decades of experience in high-pressure application design makes the Lupotech T process the preferred technology for LDPE/EVA plant operators. High conversion rates, demonstrated high plant availability and effective process heat integration are key attributes of the Lupotech T process, designed to ensure this technology’s energy efficiency.

More than 14 million KTA of the Lupotech T process for LDPE/EVA production capacity has been licensed by LyondellBasell in over 70 lines around the world.

As per MRC, LyondellBasell announced that Jiangsu Hongjing New Material Co. Ltd. will use its Lupotech T high-pressure polyethylene technology at a new facility. The process technology will be used for two 200 kiloton per year (KTA) vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) lines. The facility will be located in the Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, P.R. of China.
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A fire incident at Oxy Vinyls plant in La Porte Tuesday is under investigation, officials with the La Porte Office of Emergency Management said.

It happened at 2400 Miller Cut-Off Rd. around 1:53 a.m. When La Porte firefighters were called to the scene, they observed flames and smoke coming from the site. Officials said they were able to put out the blaze around 4 a.m., but smoke may still be visible to those in the area.

Emergency officials said no protective actions were recommended at the time since the fire was reportedly not a threat to the surrounding community. According to Community Awareness Emergency Response (CAER), no injuries were reported. The plant coordinated with local officials and worked to resolve the issue as soon as possible, CAER said.

Oxy Vinyls sent KPRC 2 the following statement: “Early Tuesday morning we had a fire at our OxyChem plant in La Porte, Texas, and emergency responders extinguished it without further incident. We want to thank the first responders for their quick and safe response. No injuries to plant personnel or responders have been reported, and all personnel are accounted for. Our first priority is safeguarding the health and safety of our workers and the community, and we will conduct an investigation to determine the cause."

As per MRC, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV), a subsidiary of Occidental, and bio-engineering startup Cemvita Factory announced a plan to construct and operate a one metric ton per month bio-ethylene pilot plant, applying a jointly developed technology using human-made carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of hydrocarbon-sourced feedstocks.

Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, LLC (OLCV) is a subsidiary of Occidental, an international energy company with assets in the United States, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. OLCV is focused on advancing cutting-edge, low-carbon technologies and business solutions that enhance Occidental's business while reducing emissions. OLCV also invests in the development of low-carbon fuels and products, as well as sequestration services to support carbon capture projects globally.
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Based on LyondellBasell CirculenRecover polyamide, sport equipment specialist TSL has created an innovative snowshoe which will delight outdoor sport fans, said the company.

The footbed of the new snowshoe model is not only based on recycled materials, it also combines extreme resistance with trendy design.

As a world leader in snowshoe development and manufacturing, TSL’s values are strongly connected to the respect of nature, wellbeing and innovation. It was therefore natural for TSL, to invest the use of recycled materials for a new snowshoe model. The challenge with this project was to find a plastic material which was based on recycled materials, but which did at the same time also fulfill all technical and visual requirements. LyondellBasell’s CirculenRecover product range, based on mechanically recycled source materials, brought the solution.

"Snowshoes in general and their footbed in particular are obviously used in extreme conditions,” says Bruno Viala, Business Development Manager at LyondellBasell. “They need to be highly resistant to impact and cold temperatures and also be durable over time. These requirements are usually incompatible with plastics that are based on recycled source materials. After several meetings and trials, we selected together with TSL our CirculenRecover EP PA MV SHI H grade for this project. The product contains approximately 80% of recycled materials and satisfies the demanding quality and design standards of TSL customers."

"It was the first time that we have been working with LyondellBasell on the development of a new product, and we were impressed by the material and compounding experience of their teams,” says Yoan Bibollet, Head of Development at TSL. “The plastic material which we selected for the footbed ticked all boxes. We were looking for a product in deep black color which is currently in demand in snowshoe design. Our experts tested the prototypes in real life, rough conditions and it passed all tests without any issues. In addition, it was astonishingly easy to process which was of course a delight for our manufacturing teams."

TSL’s sustainable snowshoe model is now going into serial production and will be available for the winter season 2022/2023.

As per MRC, LyondellBasell announced that Jiangsu Hongjing New Material Co. Ltd. will use its Lupotech T high-pressure polyethylene technology at a new facility. The process technology will be used for two 200 kiloton per year (KTA) vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) lines. The facility will be located in the Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, P.R. of China.

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.
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The LyondellBasell Clinton Complex has announced the company was awarded the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers’ (AFPM) Elite Gold Safety Award, said Ourquadcities.

The AFPM Safety Awards Program is part of a comprehensive safety program developed to promote accident prevention in the petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing industries, a news release says.

“We value the relationships and trust within our community we have built over the last 50 plus years,” said Yari Hernandez, site manager, Clinton Complex. “Part of that responsibility is to ensure we find ways to continuously stay engaged, while constantly learning and improving our safety culture and performance."

Petrochemical plants honored with the Elite Gold Safety Award have demonstrated superior and consistent safety performance, program innovation and leadership.

Other LyondellBasell facilities were recognized with the AFPM Safety Award, including:
The LyondellBasell Morris Plant in Illinois received the Distinguished Safety Award and Innovation Award.
The LyondellBasell Bayport Complex in Texas, and Tuscola Plant in Illinois received Elite Gold recognition.
The Lake Charles Integrated PolyEthylene JV in Louisiana received Elite Silver recognition

As per MRC, LyondellBasell announced that Jiangsu Hongjing New Material Co. Ltd. will use its Lupotech T high-pressure polyethylene technology at a new facility. The process technology will be used for two 200 kiloton per year (KTA) vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) lines. The facility will be located in the Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, P.R. of China.

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.
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A flood of U.S. renewable diesel plants set to come online in the next three years will not be enough to offset the loss of petroleum diesel refining capacity from plant closings since 2019, a Reuters analysis of federal data shows, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

U.S. refining capacity has declined in the last two years, as plants shut during the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, causing prices to spike. Several plants are being converted to facilities that can produce cleaner-burning renewable diesel, but at least for now, those facilities will not fully replace those refined barrels.

There are at least 12 renewable diesel projects worth more than $9 billion under construction, with another nine proposed. The 12, along with existing plants, are expected to produce about 135,000 bpd of renewable diesel by 2025 according to EIA data, from around 80,000 bpd now.

However, since 2019, diesel production capacity has dropped by about 180,000 bpd total, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and at least one more U.S. refinery is set to close next year, further reducing output. In addition, those refiners set to produce renewable diesel will also no longer produce gasoline or jet fuel.

Globally, about 400,000 bpd of combined diesel, jet fuel and fuel oil capacity has been lost since 2019, according to calculations from EIA data.

Renewable diesel is made from animal fats, food wastes and plant oils but is chemically equivalent to petroleum-based diesel. It can be produced in existing refinery equipment, but the yield are lower than with diesel. Biodiesel, another plant based diesel, must be mixed with petroleum to operate effectively in most engines, though some truck fleets can run on 100% biodiesel.

Growing demand and refinery losses have pushed diesel prices to record levels. The retail price of U.S. diesel has surged 80% this year to USD5.78 a U.S. gallon, and low inventories have raised the potential for shortages. U.S. stocks of distillates, including diesel, are down 19% from a year ago.

About 1 MMbpd of new petroleum refining capacity is planned in the next five years in Asia, the Middle East and on the U.S. Gulf Coast. But experts say startups are difficult to predict due to construction delays, changes in market demand and financing.

As per MRC, U.S. refiners last month imported the most heavy crude in nearly two years, customs data showed, as they cranked up motor fuel production and sought to replace sanctioned Russian oil. Higher heavy-crude imports are common in summer-driving months, but this year's increase comes as the Biden administration is calling on for refiners to ramp up output and shave profit margins to ease soaring prices. The administration has asked for a parley to explore further efforts.
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