SIBUR launches production of PET granules with recycled content

SIBUR has launched production of PET granules using recycled feedstock. The new product, Vivilen rPET granules, contains up to 25–30% recycled polymers and will now be manufactured at POLIEF, said the company.

Once the facility reaches its design capacity, each year POLIEF will be able to produce up to 144,000 tonnes of Vivilen PET granules with a share of recycled content. The volume of polymers that can be involved in reuse amount to up to 34,000 tonnes, which compares with 1.7 bn used plastic bottles. To make this project a reality, SIBUR had to integrate the recycled feedstock supply line into the primary PET process in place at the facility in Bashkortostan. POLIEF’s total PET production capacity is expected at 252,000 tonnes per year.

The testing and homologation of the new equipment with the first potential customers have been successfully completed. The results of the tests confirm that Vivilen rPET is on a par with the primary polymer in terms of technical and operational qualities, it complies with the food safety standards and can be used in the production of packaging for food and beverages. Project costs totalled over RUB 4 bn. The initiative was also supported by Russia’s Industrial Development Fund, which provided a low-interest loan of RUB 1.2 bn.

We remind, in 2020 SIBUR's POLIEF site in Blagoveshchensk, Republic of Bashkortostan, launches the production of green PET granules, which, among other materials, will rely on some 34 kt of recycled plastics annually.

The Blagoveshchensk facility was SIBUR’s first asset to start manufacturing products containing recycled waste. Once completed, the project offers a wealth of opportunities for packaging manufacturers, who previously shied away from using recycled polymers because of the need to invest in additional equipment. With Vivilen rPET, no additional investment is required. SIBUR continues to develop new solutions and teams up with partners to explore the new ways of reusing other types of polymers, including widely popular polyethylene and polypropylene.

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Honeywell says that Biotrend Energy (Istanbul, Turkey) will apply Honeywell’s UpCycle process technology in Biotrend Energy’s planned plastics recycling factory in Turkey, said Chemengonline.

The facility will convert mixed waste plastics into recycled polymer feedstock (RPF), enabling the development of a circular economy for plastics. When completed, it will become the first commercialized waste-plastics-recycling facility in Turkey using Honeywell’s UpCycle process technology.

The planned advanced-recycling plant is expected to have the capacity to transform 30,000 metric tons of mixed waste plastics into Honeywell Recycled Polymer Feedstock per year utilizing. Honeywell UOP (Des Plaines, Ill.) will provide related engineering and technical services, including startup, commissioning, and technical support services during the plant’s lifetime.

This project ushers in collaboration between Honeywell and Biotrend Energy on advanced plastics recycling in Turkey with the intent of the parties to collaborate on multiple, additional waste plastic recycling facilities in the future.

“Biotrend Energy is a leading player in the waste management sector in Turkey that is investing in a sustainable circular economy. I have full confidence that we will lead the sector in this field with Honeywell,” said Osman Nuri Vard?, CEO of Biotrend Energy. “Biotrend Energy’s experience in waste management, supported by Honeywell’s technology, will contribute to Biotrend Energy’s sustainability efforts."

Currently, Biotrend is only able to recover a low percentage of mechanically recycled materials. Moreover, there are some types of plastic waste that cannot be recycled mechanically due to certain process limitations caused by contamination, colors and additives used in plastic production. Currently, the plastics that cannot be mechanically recycled are either converted into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) or stored in landfills.

Chemical recycling, like that used in the Honeywell UpCycle process technology, can process a wider range of waste plastics, supporting Biotrend’s efforts to increase recovery volumes of circular materials.

“Honeywell’s UpCycle process technology will help Biotrend Energy tackle the challenge of plastic waste in Turkey,” said Barry Glickman, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions. “Turkey will be able to increase the range of plastics that can be recycled, which offers the potential to displace a portion of fossil feedstocks for new plastic production."

Today’s announcement expands the UpCycle process technology footprint, building on Honeywell’s recent announcements in the U.S., Spain, and China.

We remind, Shanghai Honeywell announced that China Tianying (CNTY) has selected the Honeywell UpCycle process technology to use in a new advanced plastics recycling plant to be built in Jiangsu Province, China. The facility, which will be the first commercialized waste plastics recycling facility using the UpCycle process in China, will convert mixed waste plastics into polymer feedstock. A schedule for the project was not given.

Biotrend Energy is one of the pioneers of the integrated waste management industry in Turkey and processes 4,500,000 ton/yr of waste across its 18 facilities (including pre-licenced plants) within Turkey. Biotrend Energy’s activities include waste transfer, recycling, landfill, waste to energy and production of organic fertilizer (compost) and RDF.
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Chevron Phillips Chemical (CP Chem) has appointed Darren Ercolani as senior vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), effective 1 October, the US-based petrochemical company said.

He will succeed Carolyn Burke, who has resigned from the company effective 30 September.

Ercolani is currently senior vice president, business transformation. Before that, he held other roles at CP Chem, including general auditor, Asia-region controller, and CFO of the company’s Q-Chem joint venture in Qatar.

CP Chem also appointed Allison Martinez as senior vice president, business transformation and chief information officer, effective 1 October.

We remind, Air Liquide, Chevron, Keppel Infrastructure, and PetroChina announced they have signed an MoU to form a consortium which will aim to evaluate and advance the development of large-scale carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) solutions and integrated infrastructure in Singapore. The consortium intends to research, test, and develop technological, logistical, and operational solutions for CCUS in Singapore. In doing so, the consortium will look to provide industry-wide CCUS integrated infrastructure, primarily to support the energy and chemicals sector, by capturing and aggregating carbon dioxide (CO2) from large industrial emitters at a centralized collection facility.
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KBR announced that it has signed a master license and engineering agreement with Giammarco-Vertrocoke S.R.L. for KBR to license its carbon capture technology globally, said the company.

This carbon capture technology is well proven, energy efficient, flexible and can be integrated across the value chain for blue ammonia, petrochemical, and refining industries today.

“We are excited to enter into this agreement with Giammarco-Vetrocoke, as it enables us to integrate and deploy critical carbon capture solutions today to help our clients meet their sustainability targets,” said Doug Kelly, KBR President, Technology. “Further, by leveraging this solution across the breadth of our portfolio, we believe we can implement smart and efficient carbon capture solutions on both existing and new projects."

“Expanding our working relationship with KBR will grow our footprint in industries globally,” said Luigi Tomasi, General Manager, Giammarco-Vetrocoke. “This agreement aligns with Giammarco-Vetrocoke’s mission to reduce the impact of climate change by capturing as much CO2 as possible."

KBR strives to create a better, safer and more sustainable world and we are committed to developing sustainable solutions that meet the world’s most pressing challenges.

As MRC reported earlier, in July 2021, KBR was awarded technology licensing contracts by PKN Orlen for KBR's leading Solvent Deasphalting (SDA) and Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) technologies as part of PKN's Bottom-of-the-Barrel project for its Plock Refinery in Poland.

KBR has nearly 50 years of experience designing, developing, and supporting cryogenic liquified natural gas facilities and has extensive experience in hydrogen both through its work in the space industry and in industrial facilities. This deep domain knowledge makes KBR ideally suited to provide high end engineering and be the integrator for cryogenic liquid hydrogen facilities.
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LyondellBasell announced a number of organisational changes and the creation of a circular and low carbon solutions business unit, said the company.

Effective 1 October, the company's business unit executive officers will be as follows:

Kimberly Foley, executive vice president, refining, intermediates and derivatives;
Kenneth Lane, executive vice president, olefins and polyolefins (O&P);
Torkel Rhenman, executive vice president, advanced polymer solutions;
James Seward, executive vice president and chief innovation officer;
Yvonne van der Laan, executive vice president, circular and low carbon solutions

To align business strategy with execution, LyondellBasell's business units will now have global responsibility for manufacturing operations.

Creating a new circular and low carbon solutions business unit will provide clear accountability and enable LyondellBasell to have a differentiated operating model, the company said.

The business unit will focus on growth of LyondellBasell's Circulen renewable and circular solutions, and it will accelerate the development of scalable sustainable and circular technologies, it said.

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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