SABIC introduces new LNP ELCRES FST copolymer resins for rail seating

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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LyondellBasell (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) announced that Hanwha Solutions Corporation (Hanwha) will use the LyondellBasell Lupotech T high-pressure polyethylene technology at a new site in Yeosu, South Korea, said the company.

The Lupotech T process technology will be used for a 300,000 ton per year vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) line.

“Hanwha is an experienced producer of LDPE and EVA resins in South Korea and we are excited that Hanwha opted for the Lupotech T process to expand their production capacity with this significant award,” said Neil Nadalin, Director Global Licensing and Services at LyondellBasell. Nadalin added, “When it comes to a high-pressure LDPE technology capable of producing the full spectrum of EVA and LDPE grades, the Lupotech T process is the ultimate choice for operators around the world in today’s fast-changing market."

“We expect Hanwha to be a global top tier in the EVA market through this project,” said Youngchul Kwon, Head of Corporate Business Development Office at Hanwha Solutions. Kwon added, “The Lupotech T process is highly reliable for its operability, productivity and quality."

We remind, LyondellBasell announced that Polski Koncern Naftowy ORLEN S.A. (PKN ORLEN) will be using the LyondellBasell Lupotech T high-pressure polyethylene technology. The Lupotech T process technology will be used for a 250 kiloton per year (KTA) low density polyethylene (LDPE) line. The new line will be located at their existing complex in Plock, Poland.
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Globuc, organiser of the annual Downstream Central Asia & Caspian conference has published an overview of the current industry projects in 2022, said the company.

The report includes information on ongoing projects and announcements in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
In 2021, two major projects were completed in the region, the KPI polypropylene plant in Kazakhstan and the Uzbekistan GTL plant in Uzbekistan. Modernisation of the production facilities is currently underway, and plans for the construction of new facilities have been announced.

Uzbekistan plans to build a plant with a capacity of 500.0 thousand tons per year, which will process 1.5 billion m3 of natural gas per year and produce high-quality polymers using MTO (Methanol-to-olefins) technology.
Kazazot, the largest gas chemical enterprise in Kazakhstan, plans to develop the production of carbon ammonium salts, ammonium sulphate, hydrogen peroxide, bioprotein for the needs of animal husbandry, as well as ammonia water, ammonia and carbamide.

The report was published in preparation for the annual event, which will be held this year in Tashkent with the support of the national oil and gas company of Uzbekistan - JSC Uzbekneftegaz.

Representatives of KPI and Uzbekneftegaz will present their projects at the conference. In addition to completed projects, ongoing projects will also be presented, such as the construction of a gas chemical complex methanol to olefins (MTO), modernization of the Fergana oil refinery, and modernization of the Baku Oil Refinery in Azerbaijan.
The event is well known in the industry for the direct and active participation of regional project owners. This year, representatives of Sanoat Energetika Guruhi will share information about the construction of a methanol to olefins (MTO) gas chemical complex in Uzbekistan, the world's first MTO plant built outside of China.

The Azerbaijani state company SOCAR will present plans for the Baku Oil Refinery, and conference delegates will also hear about the modernization of the Fergana Oil Refinery and the construction of new KazAzot facilities, and get an opportunity to meet with the managers of these projects in person.

Downstream Central Asia & Caspian is an annual industry business event. In 2022, the event will be held in Tashkent on the 19-20th of October 2022. The conference will bring together representatives of oil and gas processing and petrochemical companies in Central Asia and the Caspian region, as well as leading technology suppliers from all over the world.

The conference is organised by Globuc, an international event management company based in London. Globuc specialises in high-level business events in the energy and oil&gas sectors.

Earlier it was reported that the Uzbekneftegaz National Holding Company will increase the production capacity of the Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex (GCC) to approximately 505,000 tonnes of polymer products per year by the end of 2024.

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Dow, the world's leading materials science company, and Mura Technology, the global pioneer of an advanced plastic recycling solution, announce the next step in their ongoing collaboration to help solve the global plastics waste issue and advance circularity, said the company.

Mura plans to construct a new facility at Dow's Bohlen site in Germany – the latest in a series of planned facilities across the U.S. and Europe to rapidly scale advanced recycling of plastics – and the first expected to be based at a Dow site. This project is targeted for a final investment decision by the end of 2023.

Mura's new Bohlen facility in Germany, which is expected to be operational by 2025, would deliver approximately 120 kilotons per annum (KTA) of advanced recycling capacity at full run-rate. This and the other planned units expected to be constructed across Europe and the U.S. would collectively add as much as 600KTA of advanced recycling capacity by 2030 – and position Dow to become the largest consumer of circular feedstock for polyethylene production globally.

"The continuation and growth of Dow and Mura's collaboration is another example of how Dow is working strategically to expand and build momentum around securing circular feedstocks and supporting breakthrough advanced recycling technologies," said Isam Shomaly, Dow business vice president for Feedstocks and Commodities.

The planned facility builds on Dow's ongoing collaboration with Mura, first announced in 2021, with an initial project to construct the world's first plant using Mura's HydroPRS™ process, located in Teesside, UK, which is expected be operational in 2023 with an initial 20KTA production line. The Bohlen, Germany, site, expected to be co-located with Dow's manufacturing facilities, would enable a significantly larger capacity for plastic waste and considerably increase the supply of fully circular feedstock to the industry. This circular feed, derived from plastic waste currently destined for incineration or landfill, would reduce reliance on virgin fossil-based feedstocks and would enable Dow to produce a recycled plastic which is in high demand from global brands, particularly for high-end sensitive markets like food and medical applications.

Dow aims to take advantage of co-location benefits, which could significantly reduce the cost of scaling advance recycling facilities. In addition, co-location of Mura's facilities at Dow locations would be expected to reduce carbon emissions by minimizing transportation of the offtake and as gas output from the advanced recycling process can be converted back to plastics, thereby ensuring no by-products go to waste.

Mura's HydroPRS™ (Hydrothermal Plastic Recycling Solution) advanced recycling process is unique, as it uses supercritical steam to convert most forms of plastics – including flexible and multi-layer plastics, which have previously been deemed 'unrecyclable' – back into the original oils and chemicals from which they were made. These can then be used to create new, virgin-equivalent plastic products which are even suitable for food contact packaging.

With Mura's process, the same material can be recycled repeatedly, meaning it has the potential to eliminate single use plastic and prevent it from going to landfill or being incinerated. This has additional carbon benefits, with advanced recycling processes expected to save approximately 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of plastic recycled, compared to incineration and reducing reliance on fossil-based feedstocks.

As per MRC, Dow is cutting global polyethylene (PE) production rates by 15%. “Given continued global logistics constraints, including port and rail congestion in the US Gulf Coast and dynamic conditions in Europe, Dow is reducing operating rates across our polyethylene assets, resulting in temporarily lowering 15% of our global polyethylene nameplate capacity,” says the letter, dated 24 August. The letter says Dow expects the cutbacks to help balance high inventories at key global ports and packaging warehouses, particularly in the US Gulf Coast during August and September, the months when strong hurricanes are most likely to strike the region. Hurricane season, which lasts from June to November, has been quiet so far this year, although the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted an above-average number of storms.
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