Clariant Oil Services launches D3 PROGRAM to support carbon reduction and sustainability in the oil industry

Clariant Oil Services, a leading provider of chemical solutions, has launched the D3 PROGRAM to introduce more sustainable solutions to the oil and gas industry, said the company.

The initiative leverages advances in the oilfield and helps operators reduce carbon emissions and enhance safe operations, while avoiding disruptions to ongoing operations.

D3 is comprised of three key pillars. Decarb utilizes nanotechnology and ingredients from renewable sources to reduce carbon emissions in customers’ operations; Densify facilitates logistics improvements and furthers sustainability initiatives through a new application with concentrated products; and Detox incorporates formulations with more environmentally acceptable raw materials.

"The oil and gas industry has taken enormous strides to accelerate sustainable development. In response to mounting environmental regulations around the world, we are collaborating with customers to proactively introduce more environmentally friendly solutions and applications to their portfolio,” said Jonathan Wylde, Global Head of Innovation at Clariant Oil Services. “As the energy landscape barrels ahead to meet world energy demands, we are nimbly satisfying customer needs, as they provide critical natural resources and reduce their carbon footprint."

Key benefits of the program include simplifying logistics for both transportation and storage, introducing concentrated ingredients that require smaller dosage in the application, optimizing onshore and offshore operations, introducing more environmentally acceptable formulations, and improving operational safety.

We remind, Clariant has been awarded a major contract by Wanhua Chemical Group to supply catalysts for its new maleic anhydride plant, which will be one of the largest in the world. Designed to produce 200 kilotons of maleic anhydride annually, the plant will rely on Clariant’s SynDane catalyst for the production process. The facility will be located in Yantai city, Shandong province, and is scheduled to commence operation in 2023. Also based in Yantai, Wanhua is one of the largest chemical producers in China and is among the top 30 chemical producers globally by 2020 sales.

Clariant AG is a Swiss chemical company and a world leader in the production of specialty chemicals for the textile, printing, mining and metallurgical industries. It is engaged in processing crude oil products in pigments, plastics and paints.
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Siemens Smart Infrastructure and Shell Global Solutions International BV have signed an MoU to collaborate on developing low-carbon and highly efficient energy solutions that support the energy transition, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The agreement will focus on projects that produce green hydrogen for industrial applications at Shell and its customers, as well as enhancing collaboration in the areas of biofuels and circular chemistry. Under the MoU, Siemens and Shell will create solutions that increase energy efficiency and generate sustainable power, consisting of, but not limited to, digitalization, efficient networks, and the production, distribution, and application of green hydrogen. The partnership, inked with Siemens’ Electrification and Automation business unit, has the potential to strengthen synergies for both parties. While Siemens intends to work with Shell to accelerate the latter’s transition towards net-zero operations, Shell seeks to supply Siemens and its affiliates with low carbon products that reduce emissions across the supply chain, in Siemens’ operations, and in the use phase of Siemens products, consisting of but not limited to supply of biofuels.

"Siemens is committed to decoupling electrification from fossil fuel resources. Partnerships are key to driving this effort and transitioning towards sustainable energy supplies,” said Stephan May, CEO of Electrification and Automation at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. “The partnership with Shell fits perfectly with Siemens’ vision of electrifying the world, while helping industry and infrastructure customers reduce their carbon footprint and achieve their sustainability goals."

Siemens has been an electrical equipment – switchgears, pumps, transformers, electrical Scada - supplier to Shell for more than a decade. Over the past years, it has evolved into a collaborative solutions supplier, spanning the full range of its electrification and automation portfolio and further enhanced by Joint Industry Program 33 (JIP33) equipment standardization, a set of standardized industry procurement specifications for the oil and gas industry. Shell attaches great importance to the relationship with Siemens, which is paving the way to accelerating the energy transition.

"Deep collaboration with partners is essential for the delivery of low-carbon energy solutions for the future. Building on our existing relation with Siemens, I expect this MoU to enable our teams to work even closer together,” said Graham Henley, Senior Vice President Engineering & Project Capability at Shell. “Siemens’ broad range of expertise in electrification and automation, together with Shell’s engineering and project delivery capability and ambition in the energy transition will prove to be a powerful combination."

The MoU stems from this relationship and from working together on several projects since 2010. One of the key milestones advancing green hydrogen is the recently announced construction of Shell’s Holland Hydrogen 1 (HH1) project on the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam. With a capacity of 200 megawatts and 60 tons of hydrogen per day, HH1 is planned to be one of the largest green hydrogen production plants in the world and the biggest in Europe. Siemens’ Electrification and Automation business plays an important role in the project’s planning, construction, and execution, as the power distribution and substation automation supplier. It will also be involved in the operation of the plant, which is scheduled to go on-line in 2025, through a servicing contract. The plant will produce hydrogen using electricity generated by wind turbines in the North Sea.

Siemens and Shell have adopted a collaborative and agile way of working on this large project. Close consultation and decision-making on a daily basis have helped reduce development time – of the design of the power distribution system - by close to half, from 18 months to 9 months, as of the publication of this release.

As per MRC, Mitsui Chemicals has asked Shell Catalysts & Technologies for its Shell S-896 catalyst, which is expected to provide important economic benefits from raw material (ethylene) savings and also help the organization meet the decarbonization goals for their ethylene oxide (EO) refinery in Osaka, Japan.
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Orthex, a leading Nordic producer of household products, has selected a range of INEOS Styrolution’s sustainable Luran ECO raw materials for its range of SmartStoreTM Compact storage products, said the company.

Luran ECO is a styrene acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) resulting from a cooperation between INEOS Styrolution and BASF. It is built on BASF’s production of styrene monomer derived from renewable feedstock based on a mass balance approach. INEOS Styrolution uses the material as feedstock in its production of new sustainable styrenics solutions. According to an independent third-party assessment, the carbon footprint of the new material is 93% lower compared to the fossil-based Luran version.

Orthex Group is a leading Nordic houseware producer that strives to make consumers’ everyday lives easier with its products. The company has long championed sustainability with a focus on long-lasting products and increasing the use of recycled and bio-based materials to replace fossil-based plastic.

As a next step, Orthex’s storage solutions brand SmartStore will start using new biomass balance based Luran ECO raw material for the entire SmartStore Compact storage range. Orthex Group’s main criteria for selecting this material by INEOS Styrolution are easy processability, compliance with food contact regulations, and a reduced carbon footprint.

Alexander Rosenlew, CEO of Orthex Group, comments: “This new raw material solution will support our long-term carbon neutrality target. INEOS Styrolution and BASF make it possible for us to offer consumers more sustainable products. This supports our target to increase the share of sustainable raw materials in our production to 80% by 2030."

BASF’s biomass balance (BMB) based styrene is used by INEOS Styrolution in the production of bio-attributed styrenics specialties, mainly transparent styrenics materials such as the company’s NAS® family of styrene methyl methacrylate (SMMA) products and the Luran family of SAN products. The BASF and INEOS Styrolution processes within the end-to-end mass balance based production of the new solution portfolio are certified by ISCC+.

Artur Sokolowski, Director Sales Electronics & Household EMEA at INEOS Styrolution, comments: “Orthex is an innovative and fast-moving company. I am pleased to see that we have been able to provide a solution to Orthex that helps them to reach their ambitious sustainability target."

We remind, 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. 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.

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SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, launched today four new LNP™ ELCRES™ FST copolymer resins that comply with the European railway standard EN45545 R6-HL 2 for train seating, said the company.

Designers can benefit from these new material solutions, which not only meet the new regulatory requirements but also provide expanded opportunities to create sleek seating designs. Compared to thermosets and aluminum, the new ELCRES resins offer lighter weight and efficient processing without requiring secondary operations. To achieve a seamless aesthetic look in an all-in-one seat unit or a design with a separate back shell without painting, SABIC offers precision color matching for its extrusion grade (LNP ELCRES FST2732E resin) and injection molding grade (LNP ELCRES FST2432 resin). For customers that require more-sustainable solutions, SABIC supplies bio-based version of each grade. These new materials, and several other new products, will be spotlighted at InnoTrans 2022 (Hall 5.1, Booth 332), September 20-23 in Berlin, Germany.

"Since the EN45545 standard came into effect, the rail industry has faced challenges in obtaining compliant thermoplastic materials – and SABIC has been proactive in providing solutions,” noted Brian Rice, Senior Manager, Global Product Management, LNP/NORYL, Specialties, SABIC. “With our new LNP ELCRES FST products, we not only met customers’ high expectations for compliance, performance, aesthetics and manufacturability, but we also addressed their sustainability goals with bio-based versions. With multiple grades to choose from, manufacturers can once again leverage the advantages of thermoplastics in their seating applications."

LNP ELCRES FST copolymers address demands from customers like Monte Meao, a Portuguese rail seating provider, for high-performance thermoplastics that help address the stringent requirements of the harmonized European rail fire protection standard, EN45545.

Fernando Cerqueira, CEO of Monte Meao said, “We needed an injection molding material that complies with the safety requirements set forth in the EN45545 standard for railway seating and offers long-term durability for our customers. SABIC’s LNP ELCRES FST2432 copolymer provided a good combination of physical properties and a flexible processing window."

As per MRC, SABIC participated in the Local Content Forum in Riyadh on September 5 and 6 to promote localization, support national industries, and stimulate national workforce development through its NUSANED™ local content initiative. Organized by the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority, the Forum was attended by Khalid Al-Dabbagh, SABIC Chairman, Yousef Al-Benyan, SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO, and Faisal Al-Bahair, CEO, Nusaned Investment. In addition, a number of ministers and other dignitaries also attended and participated in panel discussions and workshops. Members of the Local Content Coordination Council, which includes a number of leading companies, were among the prominent participants.
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Colombia's Ecopetrol will hike output at its refinery in the Caribbean city of Cartagena by a third in a bid to meet national demand for fuels and reduce imports, the majority state-owned energy company said, as per Reuters.

The refinery will increase production to 200,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd), from its previous output of 150,000 bpd, to guarantee the production of low-sulfur gasoline and diesel, Ecopetrol said in a statement.

"This expansion consolidates the Cartagena refinery as a strategic asset to guarantee Colombia's energy sovereignty," Ecopetrol's Chief Executive Officer Felipe Bayon said.

The decision follows President Gustavo Petro's announcement that fuel prices will be increased gradually to prevent a widening in the deficit in Colombia's fuel price stabilization fund - a mechanism used to subsidize prices.

Colombia counts on two refineries, the largest of which is located in the city of Barrancabermeja, which has a production capacity of 250,000 bpd, a company spokesman said.

We remind, Ecopetrol, the largest petroleum company in Colombia, has selected Aspen GDOT dynamic optimization software as part of its digitalization initiative to improve refining margins at its two refineries in Cartagena and Barrancabermeja, and upgrading to Aspen DMC3 advanced process control software in Barrancabermeja refinery.
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