Nouryon recognized with seventeen Texas Chemical Council-Association of Chemical Industry of Texas awards

Nouryon recognized with seventeen Texas Chemical Council-Association of Chemical Industry of Texas awards

Nouryon, a global specialty chemicals leader, has received multiple awards from the Texas Chemical Council (TCC) and Association of Chemical Industry of Texas (ACIT) recognizing the company’s manufacturing facilities for continuous improvement in safety, emergency response, security, and environmental stewardship in 2021, said the company.

"Maintaining strong safety and environmental stewardship performance are top priorities for Nouryon, and employee teamwork is essential for meeting our values of ‘We aim high, We own it, We do it right’,” said Larry Ryan, Nouryon Executive Vice President and President, Performance Formulations and the Americas. “We are very proud of our teams in Texas for consistently meeting or exceeding safety standards and environmental performance. The annual TCC-ACIT awards recognize the programs we have in place to protect the communities in which we operate and keep our employees safe."

The Caring for Texas Awards program was established by the TCC Board of Directors in 1998 to honor companies for their commitment to continuous improvement in community involvement, emergency response, and environmental stewardship. Recipients of the annual awards are selected by a panel of judges made up of industry leaders and community representatives who determine if a facility qualifies based on submitted metrics for the previous year.

Nouryon’s sites in Battleground, Pasadena, Fort Worth, and Houston were each honored with TCC Caring for Texas awards. Notably, the Battleground and Pasadena sites each received an Excellence in Caring for Texas award, a distinction only awarded to the top companies in categories based on employee size.

As per MRC, Nouryon (formely AkzoNobel Specialy Chemicals), a global specialty chemicals leader, has started production at a new manufacturing facility located at its site in Ningbo, China, to meet increasing demand in the Asia region for polymers used in the Packaging, Paints and Coatings and Construction end-markets. The facility, which began development in 2020, has an annual capacity of 35,000 tons and will produce two key intermediates - tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) and tert-Butyl alcohol (TBA) - which are essential ingredients in the production of polymers and composites.
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Chevron CEO urges Biden to stop criticizing Big Oil, take new approach

Chevron CEO urges Biden to stop criticizing Big Oil, take new approach

Chevron Chief Executive Michael Wirth rebutted White House officials' criticism of the oil industry over energy costs, saying reducing fuel prices will require "a change in approach" by the government, said Reuters.

The letter is the latest in a series of acrimonious exchanges between the U.S. oil industry and President Joe Biden over who is to blame for high fuel prices that have helped drive inflation to 40-year highs. The White House asked the CEOs of seven refiners and oil companies including Chevron to a meeting this week to discuss ways to increase production capacity and reduce energy prices. Wirth said he would attend.

"Your administration has largely sought to criticize, and at times vilify, our industry," Wirth said in a letter to Biden. "These actions are not beneficial to meeting the challenges we face." A couple of hours later, Biden told reporters in Washington the executive was being too sensitive.

"I didn't know they'd get their feelings hurt that easily," the president said, when asked about Wirth's letter. On June 10, Biden blasted oil companies for making record profits and urged them to increase oil production and refining capacity to alleviate gasoline prices. He also accused Exxon Mobil Corp of making "more money than God" and not drilling enough in comments in Los Angeles earlier this month.

Biden is under pressure over record gasoline prices, and inflation is a top issue for voters ahead of the November elections with control of Congress at stake. Wirth said the oil industry needs clarity and consistency on policy matters ranging from leases and permits on federal lands, to the ability to permit and build critical infrastructure and regulation that considers costs and benefits.

"We need an honest dialogue," Wirth said. "One that recognizes our industry is a vital sector of the U.S. economy and is essential to our national security." Refiners are struggling to meet global demand for diesel and gasoline, exacerbating high prices and aggravating shortages from big consumers like the United States and Brazil to smaller countries like war-ravaged Ukraine and Sri Lanka.

U.S. pump prices are near USD5 a gallon as soaring demand for motor fuels coincides with the loss of about 1 million barrels per day of processing capacity. In the last three years many plants were closed when fuel demand cratered at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last U.S. refinery was built in the 1970s, Wirth said earlier this month in a webcast, and reduced exports from Russia and China also contributed to global supply shortages. "I personally don't believe there will be a new petroleum refinery ever built in this country," Wirth said earlier this month in a webcast. "The world is constrained at a time when product demand is growing."

As per MRC, Worley and Chevron have entered into a global master services agreement covering Chevron’s upstream, midstream, and downstream business needs. The agreement can be used by Chevron’s business units including those involved in onshore and offshore assets as well as during project development.

As per MRC, QatarEnergy and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company (CPChem) have awarded the early site works contract for the Ras Laffan Petrochemical Project (RLPP) to Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC). The contract award marks the commencement of execution of the RLPP. CCC has secured a lump-sum contract to prepare the site for the new facility within Ras Laffan Industrial City. Early works on the project will begin in June, at the conclusion of which the EPC contract for the project is expected to be awarded.
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VTT and Neste to build an integrated e-fuels demonstration facility for CO2 capture, green hydrogen and e-fuels production

VTT and Neste to build an integrated e-fuels demonstration facility for CO2 capture, green hydrogen and e-fuels production

Power-to-Liquids technologies are on their way to commercialization in scale. E-fuels offer a way to expand the carbon-neutral transport fuel pool beyond biomass-based renewable fuels to replace fossil fuels in existing internal combustion engines, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The end product is a transportation fuel suited for aircraft, ships as well as heavy and light road vehicles. Development of high temperature electrolysis, CO2 capture, and hydrocarbon synthesis technologies have been completed in Business Finland funded Veturi E-fuel research project and the integrated technology is now ready for implementation. VTT and Neste have agreed to build a technology demonstration facility at VTT Bioruukki Pilot Centre, Espoo.

The work has started by first modifications to the research infrastructure at VTT Bioruukki. During 2022 and early 2023, electrolysis, CO2 capture, and synthesis units located in sea containers will be connected to each other and VTT Bioruukki research infrastructure. The E-fuel project pilot runs are expected to be completed during 2023. Establishing the infrastructure for Power-to-Liquids production contributes to the strengthening of co-operation between Neste and VTT in e-fuel production development from pilot to commercial scale.

"Neste as the world’s leading producer of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel refined from waste and residues sees Power-to-Liquids as a possible complementing technology for future sustainable fuel production. We need breakthrough innovations and continued focus on research and technology development in order to provide cost-efficient and value-creating solutions for the future," says Lars Peter Lindfors, Senior Vice President Innovation at Neste.

The technology demonstration will employ CO2 capture from flue gas, hydrogen production by highly efficient high-temperature electrolysis and fuel synthesis based on the Fischer-Tropsch technology. Both the CO2 capture and electrolysis solutions are provided by Finnish project partners, Kleener Power Solutions Oy and Carbonreuse Finland Oy as well as Convion Oy and Elcogen Oy, respectively. VTT will provide the fuel synthesis unit and technology and Neste carries out upgrading of the synthetic crude oil into fuel products fulfilling the specifications. Neste is expecting to see a successful integrated demonstration of technologies and to receive at least 300 kg of synthetic crude oil for synthetic fuel processing development.

Neste is actively building technology solutions and business to realize commercial production of sustainable e-fuels. Neste started this business platform in its Innovation unit in 2019 as part of its efforts aiming towards commercialization of Power-to-X strategy for synthetic e-fuel and e-feedstock production. Such pilot projects support competence development at Neste as well as more broadly and offer a venue for focused process development and R&D in key technology areas relevant to Power-to-X commercialization.

"Substitution of crude oil in transportation requires utilization of all sustainable solutions like renewable fuels, electric vehicles and synthetic fuels (e-Fuels via Power-to-X). Power-to-X is one technology pathway, which has the potential to unlock new raw material pools beyond biomass with innovation to accelerate emission reduction in transportation,” says Dietmar Huber, Vice President Innovation Business Platform Power-to-X at Neste.

As per MRC, Finnish shipping company ESL Shipping will become the world's first shipping company to start utilizing new low-emission Neste Marine 0.1 Co-processed marine fuel in its vessels in Finland and Sweden. The ISCC PLUS certified* marine fuel enables up to 80% reduced greenhouse gas emissions over the life cycle compared to fossil fuels without compromising the product quality and performance. ESL Shipping is the leading carrier of dry bulk cargoes in the Nordic and Baltic regions. Constantly in search of sustainable shipping solutions, ESL Shipping strives to minimize the adverse environmental impacts of its fleet.
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ExxonMobil advancing Singapore Resid upgrade project towards 2025 startup

ExxonMobil advancing Singapore Resid upgrade project towards 2025 startup

ExxonMobil expects to add approximately 20,000 bpd of light, heavy and extra-heavy lubricant base stocks when upgrades at its Singapore integrated refining and petrochemical complex are complete in 2025, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

"ExxonMobil is introducing a unique high-viscosity Group II clear and bright base stock at a large scale,” said Todd Sepulveda, vice president of Basestocks & Waxes at ExxonMobil. “We will produce EHC 340 MAX using proprietary technologies that allow us to manufacture a product with performance attributes that differentiate it from other high-viscosity base stocks."

The Singapore Resid Upgrade Project will expand large-scale production of ExxonMobil’s global EHC Group II slate to meet growing demand for high-performance lubricants in the Asia-Pacific region. This project will bring additional supplies of EHC 50 and EHC 120 grades to the market, and up to 6,000 barrels per day of extra-heavy base stocks, including the new Group II base stock, EHC 340 MAX.

EHC 340 MAX complements the viscosity range of the existing EHC slate with a base stock that is comparable in viscosity to Group I bright stock but allows customers to blend a wide range of high viscosity finished lubricants where traditional Group I base stocks use is limited. The new product is suitable for lubricants that require extra high viscosity, low temperature performance, high oxidation stability, high viscosity index, and a high flashpoint, which is critical for high temperature applications. Intended applications include gas engine oils, marine lubricants, greases, engine oils, industrial oils and gear oils.

"We are committed to deliver quality fuels and base stocks for high-performing finished lubricants as demand for these products in the Asia-Pacific region continues to grow,” said Sepulveda. “We also recently expanded production of EHC base stocks at our Rotterdam refinery by 5,000 barrels per day. Both of these expansions broaden our ability to provide Group II base stocks to formulators looking for more reliable product supply tailored to their specific needs."

The Singapore Resid Upgrade Project will also enable the refinery to increase production of cleaner fuels, including high-quality marine fuels for customers to meet the International Maritime Organization’s 0.50 percent sulfur requirement. These include ultra-low sulfur diesel and products that can be further blended to meet shipping emission control area requirements.
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Partners sign up to North Sea carbon capture project

Partners sign up to North Sea carbon capture project

Neptune Energy, Exxon Mobil subsidiary XTO Netherlands, Rosewood Exploration Ltd. and EBN Capital have agreed to collaborate on the L10 offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the Dutch North Sea, said Offshore.

They aim to reach the concept select stage later this year and to have the project FEED-ready by year-end 2022, followed by submission of a storage license application. Discussions continue with industrial emitters from various sectors, ahead of the upcoming round for applications for SDE++ funding from the Dutch authorities.

Lex de Groot, Neptune’s managing director in the Netherlands, said the project “supports our strategy to go beyond net zero and store more carbon than is emitted from our operations, Scope 1, and sold products, Scope 3, by 2030.”

This will be one of the largest CCS facilities in the North Sea, he added. “The reuse of our existing infrastructure means that, together, we can help achieve the climate goals, but also ensure this part of the energy transition becomes cleaner, cheaper and faster," he said.

According to Neptune, this stage of the L10 CCS project could lead to annual subsurface storage for industrial customers of 4 MM metric tons to 5 MM metric tons of CO2 in depleted gas fields around the Neptune-operated L10-A, B and E areas.

EBN’s program manager CCUS, Berte Simons, added, “With our subsurface knowledge and experience on storage, we’ll be able to contribute extensively to the development of this project." Dan Ammann, president of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions, said, “Carbon capture and storage is a proven, ready-to-deploy technology that can help reduce emissions in some of the highest-emitting sectors and advance society’s net-zero goals."

As per MRC, ExxonMobil has made three new discoveries offshore Guyana and increased its estimate of the recoverable resource for the Stabroek Block to nearly 11 billion oil-equivalent barrels. The three discoveries are southeast of the Liza and Payara developments and bring to five the discoveries made by ExxonMobil in Guyana in 2022.

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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