INEOS Styrolution introduces new product portfolio for polymer modification

INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, has announced today the introduction of an all-new product portfolio dedicated to polymer modification. The new product lines are addressing the need of compounders and extruders to enhance the properties of polymers and allow for improved processing. Smaller volumes of the new products are available via focused and very experienced distribution partners.

INEOS Styrolution’s new modifier line is the result of intensive testing with a range of customers and partners over the past years. The result is a thorough set of new powder grades that not only modify selected product properties to allow for new application designs. Certain modifiers also allow for improved processing resulting for example in working at lower temperatures and with a lower energy consumption.

Modifications range from enhanced stiffness to superior long-term performance with heat exposure, better color fastness and retention, UV resistance, dimensional stability, impact resistance and more.

Agreements have been closed with specialised distribution partners Caldic B.V. and Bjorn Thorsen A/S to bring the new solutions to market also at lower volumes. Experts from INEOS Styrolution and its distribution partners have already started working with customers to identify the best modifier solution for a given challenge.

Dr. Alexander Gluck, President Europe at INEOS Styrolution, comments: “Over the years, INEOS Styrolution has developed an extensive know-how with modifiers. All that experience has now resulted in a product portfolio that I think is second to none. The positive response from customers and partners has been very encouraging. With growing demand we are prepared to expand the portfolio further. I am particularly looking forward to the first solutions based on our ECO line of sustainable products."

Dr. Eike Jahnke, Vice President Specialties EMEA, adds: “For many applications I expect our new modifiers to become a game changer. For example, one benefit of styrenics is its low density. Additional cost is compensated not only by the performance improvement, but also by the lower density of the modifiers in compounds or blends."

In 2021, INEOS completes the acquisition of BP’s global Aromatics & Acetyls business. INEOS Acetyls
The acquisition consists of 15 sites across the world (5 in the Americas, 2 in Europe and 8 in Asia) as well as 10 leading joint ventures.

We remind, INEOS and Sinopec signed three back-to-back deals worth a combined value of USD7bn.
These landmark agreements are expected to generate a combined turnover of around USD10bn from 7 million tonnes of capacity. The three agreements will significantly reshape Ineos’ petrochemicals production and technology in China.
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Construction on China National Petroleum Corporation's petrochemical refining and chemical integration transformation and upgrading project in the Qinzhou Port area of China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone started on July 28, said BBRTV.

The 30.5-billion-yuan (USD4.5-billion) project is a major project in China's petrochemical industry and one of Guangxi's 10 major industrial projects in 2022. Upon its operation in 2025, the project is estimated to generate a total annual output value of 30 billion yuan and 3 billion yuan in tax revenue.

It will have a production capacity of 2.76 million metric tons of basic chemical raw materials, such as ethylene, propylene, and butadiene. In addition, it will also explore high-added value products, such as high-end polyolefin, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, and dissolving polymer rubber.

Guangxi officials noted during the event that the project has marked a new step forward for Guangxi's petrochemical industry towards green and high-end development. It will also help fill a gap in Guangxi's high-end new chemical materials industry, meet the market demands of regions alongside the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, as well as build a 1-trillion-yuan level petrochemical industrial cluster facing ASEAN.

The petrochemical industry in Qinzhou has been developing rapidly from the basic chemical industry to the high-end new materials industry, with the settling of batches of projects worth over 10 billion yuan each. An industrial pattern with four industrial clusters of olefin new materials, chemical fiber textiles, fine chemicals, and new energy materials has gradually taken shape in Qinzhou.

Statistics show that Qinzhou's petrochemical industry is expected to complete more than 200 billion yuan in investment by 2025, with an industrial output value of over 200 billion yuan, offering strong impetus for Qinzhou in building a national major petrochemical industrial base serving Southwest China and facing ASEAN.

We remind, PetroChina Urumqi Petrochemical is planning to revamp and upgrade its refining facilities by adding some new refining as well as petrochemical units. A 450,000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP), a 300,000 tonne/year styrene monomer (SM), a 200,000 tonne/year polystyrene (PS), and a 1.2m tonne/year purified phthalate acid (PTA) unit will be installed as the petrochemical part. The refining part will mainly include a new 1.2m tonne/year solvent deasphalting (SDA), a 2.2m tonne/year fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), and a 1m tonne/year gas fractionation units.
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US speciality chemical company Hallstar has agreed to acquire Lanxess's esters manufacturing facility in Greensboro, North Carolina, said the company.

The acquisition will expand Hallstar’s manufacturing capacity and product portfolio, and will include the ester manufacturing plant, select product lines and site personnel. Financial details of the acquisition, which is expected to close by the end of the year, were not disclosed.

“This strategic acquisition complements Hallstar’s position as a leader in the design, synthesis and manufacturing of specialty ester chemistry,” said chief executive John J. Paro. “We’re glad to see increasing demand for our products but know that our continued success depends on customer’s supply security. The outstanding facility in Greensboro will be a welcome addition to Hallstar’s production capabilities,” he added.

Carmen B. Masciantonio, chief operating officer and president of Hallstar Industrial Solutions, added: “This manufacturing capacity expansion directly enables us to increase our polymeric plasticizer business in the US market.

"The site has significant assets that produce environmentally friendly phthalate-free plasticizers including benzoate and citrate esters under the Uniplex brand, as well as other specialty chemistries. The acquired products will further strengthen Hallstar’s global position and add to our portfolio of well-known brands – Plasthall, Paraplex, Dioplex, Staflex and TegMeR.”

As per MRC, Lanxess said it was suspending its business activities in Russia due to the war in Ukraine. Thus, the company had “suspended business activities with Russian customers as far as contractually possible until further notice” and had suspended all investments in Russia. Its sales in Russia and Ukraine made up less than 1% of its global sales, it said.

Lanxess is a leading specialty chemicals company with about 19,200 employees in 25 countries. The company is currently represented at 74 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. Through Arlanxeo, the joint venture with Saudi Aramco, Lanxess is also a leading supplier of synthetic rubber.
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German speciality chemicals maker Lanxess said it expects its adjusted core profit to rise by up to a quarter in 2022 as it is able to pass on soaring raw material and energy costs to customers through higher prices, said the company.

Lanxess second-quarter net profit dipped by 7% year on year on lower margins amid rising raw material and energy prices. Operating profit margin slipped to 4.9% in April-June 2022, from 5.7% in the previous corresponding period.

“In an economic environment driven by sharply rising raw material and energy prices, all segments achieved higher sales than in the previous year in both the second quarter and the first six months,” Lanxess said in a statement.

The German firm said that there was a positive contribution from businesses acquired from Emerald Kalama Chemical in 2021, while its high performance materials business unit is recognised as a discontinued operation, with restated prior-year figures for sales and EBITDA. In the first half of the year, EBITDA pre-exceptionals rose by 14.5% year on year to EUR253m.

For the whole of 2022, Lanxess expects EBITDA pre-exceptionals to be between €900m-€1bn from around €800m in the previous year.

As per MRC, Lanxess said it was suspending its business activities in Russia due to the war in Ukraine. Thus, the company had “suspended business activities with Russian customers as far as contractually possible until further notice” and had suspended all investments in Russia. Its sales in Russia and Ukraine made up less than 1% of its global sales, it said.

Lanxess is a leading specialty chemicals company with about 19,200 employees in 25 countries. The company is currently represented at 74 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. Through Arlanxeo, the joint venture with Saudi Aramco, Lanxess is also a leading supplier of synthetic rubber.
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Six South Korean companies and Malaysian state-owned energy company Petronas have agreed to work together to look at the feasibility of a cross border carbon capture and storage project in what's been called Asia’s first CCS hub project, said Oedigital.

Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU), Korean companies Samsung Engineering, Samsung Heavy Industries, SK Earthon, SK Energy, GS Energy Corporation and Lotte Chemical will work with Petronas across the full carbon capture and storage cycle chain.

The so-called Shepherd CCS Project will capture CO2 emitted from industrial complex sources in Korea and then transport the captured CO2 to Malaysia to store it in the Southeast Asian country. This would be Asia’s first CCS hub project with a goal of developing the entire value chain at once. The MoU will involve the search for and evaluation of potential CO2 storage sites in Malaysia and exploration of other areas across the CCS value chain, including the strengthening of cross-border CO2 transportation.

"Due to the lack of adequate space for CO2 storage within South Korea, it is imperative to secure storage sites outside its territory, and Malaysia stands out as the best option for its global storage capacity and its geographical accessibility with South Korea," says SK. "In this project, Samsung Engineering will manage the business development as well as the hub. Meanwhile, Lotte Chemical, GS Energy, and SK Energy will handle the CO2 capturing and the hub. Transportation shall be entrusted to Samsung Heavy Industry, while SK Earthon and Petronas will oversee the exploration, selection, and operation of the storage."

Hong Jeong-eui, Head of Net Zero Office, SK Energy, said, “CCS is becoming the requisite measure for achieving carbon neutrality across the globe. Moreover, the method of capturing the CO2 from various sources and storing together (Hub & Cluster Method) is in the limelight, especially in Europe. The geographical difference in capturing location and storage is expected to vitalize international shipping and overseas storage. In line with this, we will make sure that the cross-border cooperation achieves success in every process of the value chain."

Han Young-ju, Head of E&P Tech. Center, SK Earthon, shared, “The feasibility study will be conducted in the area near the SK427 block, of which we recently acquired the operatorship. This project marks the first for SK Earthon to link our Upstream strategy and CCS project and create a synergy effect. The acquirement of the storage is significant to the completion of the overall value chain. Thus, we will do our best to secure the storage by utilizing our over 40 years of experience and technological capabilities."

Emry Hisham, Head of Carbon Management, Petronas, said that this cooperation enabled a close collaboration with South Korean companies in order to develop its action plan for Net-Zero. “The feasibility studies undertaken through this collaboration will identify suitable technologies for the CCS and transportation value chain, bringing Petronas closer towards establishing Malaysia as a leading regional CCS solutions hub,” he added.

As per MRC, BASF and Malaysia's Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd announced on Monday that they will build a major new production plant for 2-Ethylhexanoic Acid (2-EHAcid). The new facility will be located at the site of their existing joint venture, BASF Petronas Chemicals, in Kuantan, Malaysia. Construction is anticipated to start in the second quarter of 2015. Financial details of the investment were not disclosed.
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