KBR awarded study for renewable power system upgrade using green ammonia technology

KBR announced it has been awarded a study to develop a carbon-neutral, green ammonia-based power system for a semi-submersible drilling unit owned by Odfjell, said the company.

KBR will collaborate with Odfjell, Equinor and Wartsila to assess conversion of the diesel generators on board drilling units to ammonia-fueled generators.

"We are excited to be a part of a collaborative effort that will fully integrate KBR’s semisubmersible technology expertise, Wartsila’s power systems, and Odfjell’s and Equinor’s operations capabilities, all to deliver a carbon-neutral solution,” said Jay Ibrahim, president of KBR Sustainable Technology Solutions. “This project demonstrates the role ammonia can play in decarbonizing existing assets and achieving net-zero targets. We pride ourselves in driving positive change, innovation and improvement in key markets, and we are proud to support our customers across the industry in their transitions to cleaner fuel options."

KBR is the world's leading ammonia licensor and KBR’s K-GreeN® technology produces carbon-free ammonia based on electrolysis of water. K-GreeN is a viable, renewable alternative to decarbonizing the maritime and shipping industries.

KBR has been supporting Equinor and Odfjell for more than three decades with marine technology, engineering and original semi-submersible designs.

As per MRC, KBR, Inc.announced it has entered into an agreement to invest an additional USD100 million in Mura Technology (“Mura”) bringing KBR’s aggregate investment in Mura to 18.5%. This investment provides Mura incremental capital to accelerate development of its plastics recycling projects and enables KBR to participate more fully in this sustainability-focused, high growth sector. Funding is expected in two tranches with the first payment in the quarter ended June 30, 2022 and the remainder in 2023.
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INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, has today announced the introduction of a comprehensive range of sustainable solutions for its specialty ABS product group Novodur, said the company.

The individual grades come with a significant product carbon footprint (PCF) saving of up to -71% as compared to the respective non-ECO product reference.

Like its non-ECO counterpart, the new Novodur ECO MR P2H-AT is a general purpose ABS grade providing high flowability, good stiffness and high gloss. The material is available with a 30%, 50% or 70% post-consumer mechanically recycled content. The product comes in various colours or in black and offers a PCF saving of up to 57%. A product for self-colouring is available as well.

Novodur ECO MR P2H-AT is currently under evaluation by various customers to become a material of choice for various household appliances. With Novodur ECO B P2MC B50 and Novodur ECO HD M203 FC B50, INEOS Styrolution offers two grades with 50% contribution of bio-attributed content. Both grades are available in various colours and as an NR (natural) option. PCF savings are up to -71%.

Novodur ECO B P2MC B50 has been designed specifically for electroplating making it a material of choice for various sanitary and automotive appliances. Novodur ECO HD M203 FC B50 is an attractive offering also suitable for the medical industry.

The Novodur High Heat (HH) family of products includes all ABS products modified to allow thermally stressed components to meet stringent stability requirements. Today, three sustainable grades are introduced in this product group: Novodur ECO HH-106 MR30, Novodur ECO H605 MR30 and Novodur ECO H801 MR40. PCF saving is up to -28% and the recycled content is 30% and 40%, respectively.

The products, available in black, are targeting the automotive industry, but may be of interest in other industries as well.

As per MRC, INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, has today announced the introduction of an extension to its high-performance Novodur® line of specialty ABS products. The new Novodur E3TZ is an extrusion grade that is a suitable for a variety of applications including food trays, sanitary applications and suitcases. INEOS Styrolution’s Novodur family of ABS specialty products has been developed to offer a range of product properties making the various grades the material of choice for many applications across multiple industries. Properties like high impact strength, chemical resistance, high gloss and food contact compliancy make Novodur grades also a very attractive solution for many healthcare applications. Novodur grades are known for good flowability allowing for easy processing.
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U.S. crude stockpiles surged by nearly 9 MM barrels last week due to a combination of increased imports and ongoing releases from government emergency reserves, said Reuters.

Crude inventories rose by 8.8 MM barrels in the week to Sept. 2 to 427.2 MM barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 250,000-barrel drop.

The United States imported roughly 6.8 MM bpd in the most recent week while exports dropped, and a release of another 7.5 MM barrels from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve also boosted commercial stocks.

The releases, which have shrunk the SPR to its lowest in nearly four decades, are set to end in October and production growth may not be enough to prevent balances from shrinking. U.S. crude output has steadied at 12.1 MMbpd.

Refinery crude runs fell by 309,000 bpd in the last week, and utilization rates fell by 1.8 percentage points to 90.9% of overall capacity, largely due to a sharp drop in Midwest refining.

Gasoline stocks rose by 333,000 barrels in the week to 214.8 MM barrels. Overall gasoline product supplied, a proxy for demand, was 8.8 million bpd over the last four weeks, down 8% from the year-ago period.

"This crude build is showing how the market is softening. The refinery utilization has been cut materially over the past few weeks as we’re down 900,000 bpd year on year for gasoline demand," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 95,000 barrels. Refiners have been trying to rebuild distillate inventories in anticipation of winter demand, while also satisfying purchases from overseas buyers, particularly in Europe.

Net U.S. crude imports rose by 1.36 MMbpd, EIA said. Oil prices rose modestly on the data. U.S. crude was up 1.7% to USD83.33 a barrel while Brent gained 0.9% to USD88.83 a barrel.

As per MRC, North American chemical railcar traffic rose by 5.3% year on year to 44,983 railcar loadings for the week ended 3 September, marking a fourth consecutive increase. The four-week average for North American chemical rail traffic was at 46,592 railcar loadings. For the first 35 weeks of 2022 ended 3 September, North American chemical railcar traffic was up 2.2% year on year to 1,630,734 railcar loadings.

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Borealis and Trexel, a leading expert in foaming injection and blow moulded parts, announce that they have co-developed a new plastic bottle based on a grade from the Bornewables portfolio of polyolefins made using renewable feedstocks derived 100% from waste and residue streams, said the company.

The lightweight bottle – which will be showcased at the Borealis stand at the K 2022 in October (Hall 6, Stand A43) – is reusable and fully recyclable. It boasts a significantly lower overall CO2 footprint because it is composed of renewably-sourced feedstock and produced in the foaming process.

The of circular polyolefins helps reduce the carbon footprint while offering material performance equal to virgin polymers. Using Bornewables grades allows for design freedom and colour flexibility, and helps retain a premium look and feel. The grades – which are commercially available in Europe – help conserve natural resources because they are derived solely from waste and residue streams, for example from used cooking oil. Reusing waste already in circulation instead of fossil fuel-based feedstocks enhances the sustainability of applications made using the Bornewables grades.

The reusable new bottle developed by Borealis and Trexel retains its value over many life cycles thanks to the use of Trexel’s proprietary technology in tandem with Bornewables grades; as a material solution, the new bottle minimises the use of valuable raw materials. Moreover, converters consume less energy in the production process when using the MuCell® technology. The bottle thus helps close the loop on plastics circularity by way of design for recycling, the use of renewable feedstocks, and excellent material performance across multiple life cycles.

“ and recycling are core components of the integrated circular cascade model aligned with our platform, which unites committed players across the entire value chain in accelerating the move to plastics circularity,” says Peter Voortmans, Borealis Global Commercial Director Consumer Products. “This project is an excellent example of how we are working with industry partners to solve the problem of plastic waste while delivering real value to our customers. Combining our polymers and recycling expertise with Trexel’s material processing know-how enables us to re-invent essentials for sustainable living."

Trexel is a global leader in foaming thanks in part to its proprietary MuCell physical (as opposed to chemical) foaming process, which enables greater density reductions, improved mechanical properties, and attractive surface aesthetics.

The larger processing window facilitates its application to a wider range of products. MuCell foamed parts are recyclable and can thus be reintroduced into the polymer stream. The lightweighting benefits of foaming have become particularly compelling as the industry seeks to use less energy in production, minimise the use of materials, and also fulfil growing market demand for more sustainable packaging solutions.

“Having anticipated market demand for more sustainable plastic packaging, we have focused our development resources over the last several years on the circular sphere,” explains David Bernstein, Trexel Chairman of the Board and Interim CEO. “Our foaming solutions for blow moulding and thin-wall packaging enable brand owners and moulders to realise improved sustainability and enhanced product performance while delivering cost savings."

As per MRC, completion of a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant being built at Kallo, Belgium, will be delayed by at least six months into the second half of 2024 after owner Borealis announced it would retender the majority of the project’s construction contracts following termination of all contracts with the main contractor IREM Group.
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Spanish energy group Repsol is selling a 25% stake in its oil and gas exploration division to U.S. fund EIG for USD4.8 B, building up a warchest for renewables projects as the energy industry moves to a lower-carbon future, said Reuters.

The deal, first reported by Reuters earlier this year, values the whole business at USD19 B including debt, and may lead to a U.S. stock market listing of a stake in the unit after 2026, Repsol said in a statement.

The process started with an unsolicited offer from EIG, Reuters reported in June, sending Repsol's shares to a 14-year high.

As per MRC, Repsol will build a new plant in Tarragona, with an investment of over EUR35 M for the manufacture of Cross-linkable Polyethylene (XLPE), a polymer used in cable insulation, located between the conductor and the outer protective layers. The plant will have an annual capacity of 27 kt and is scheduled to start in mid-2024. The LSHC (Linear Short Hyperclean) new technology selected for the plant, from Buss AG, will provide a product with very competitive properties, enabling Repsol to complete its product range for cables by incorporating materials for HV (high voltage) and EHV (extra-high voltage) cables.

Repsol is currently the leading producer and consumer of hydrogen on the Iberian Peninsula, and has renewable hydrogen as one of its key transformation pillarsfor achieving its goal of being a company with zero net emissions by 2050. The multi-energy company has its own renewable hydrogen strategy to deploy projects throughout the value chain, with a planned investment of 2,549 million euros by 2030.
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