Braskem and Sojitz Corporation launch Sustainea

Braskem, the market leader and pioneer in bioproducts production on an industrial scale, and Sojitz, a Japan-oriented global trading company, have announced the launch of Sustainea, which will produce and market bioMEG (monoethylene glycol) and bioMPG (monopropylene glycol), said Polymerupdate.

The market launch of the brand follows the approval of the joint venture (the process began in March 2022) by antitrust authorities.

The business plan envisages the construction of three industrial plants, with the first unit slated for operational startup in 2025, taking advantage of market opportunities and feedstock availability. The locations where the industrial units will be built have not been defined yet and could be in Europe, Asia, the United States or Brazil. The expectation in the business plan is that, once the technology is approved, the plants will have a combined production capacity of up to 700,000 thousand tons per year of bioMEG.

Sustainea will combine Braskem's expertise in the industrial production and sale of chemicals and plastics made from renewable sources with Sojitz's strong presence in Asia, a region that concentrates 80% of the global MEG market and where its consumption registered the highest growth. "This new company represents the joint efforts of both companies, which consider investments in renewable businesses of strategic importance. Braskem has a comprehensive and global strategy of growth in the green sector, with the plan to increase its capacity in 1 million tons of bioproducts until 2030 Sojitz has a strong presence in Asia and has been Braskem's partner for over 10 years in this segment," said Gustavo Sergi, CEO of Sustainea Bioglycols.

One of the project's goals is to be the global market leader in bioMEG, a raw material used in the production of PET (polyethylene terephthalate). "Sustainea is born as a disruptive initiative in the petrochemicals market. We wish to positively impact the polyester and PET markets, which are continuing to grow, especially in Asia, driving the strong demand for sustainable and renewable products. Sustainea will also establish an entire production chain to ensure the supply of sustainable and competitive feedstock, as well as a logistics operation that ensures the lowest possible carbon footprint," he explained.

We remind, Braskem, the market leader and a pioneer in the production of biopolymers, entered into an agreement for the acquisition of shares and the subscription of new shares in Wise Plasticos S.A., a company engaged in mechanical recycling. Braskem will acquire an equity interest of 61.1% in the share capital of Wise for an estimated amount of RD121 million, part of which will be used to expand its current production capacity by two-fold to around 50,000 tons/year of recycling by 2026.
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The strike at TotalEnergies was renewed last Thursday at the Gonfreville refinery (Seine-Maritime) until October 27, said Time-news.

The CGT is renewing the strike at the TotalEnergies refinery in Gonfreville-l’Orcher, in Seine-Maritime after a general meeting this Thursday, October 20 morning. Of the five sites of the oil group, two continue the movement.

The strike is renewed this Thursday, October 20 morning in the TotalEnergies refinery of Gonfreville-l’Orcher, in Seine-Maritime, learned franceinfo, from the CGT. The renewal of the movement was voted during a general assembly around 5 am. The movement is also continuing in Feyzin, near Lyon, in the Rhone.

The strike now only concerns two TotalEnergies sites. The Mardyck (Nord) and La Mede (Bouches-du-Rhones) refineries suspended the blockages on Wednesday evening. In Donges (Loire-Atlantique), the end of the strike had been voted earlier in the day.

Just over 20% of service stations were having difficulty with at least one fuel on Wednesday at midday. “I know that the situation is still difficult for many of our compatriots, but the momentum is there and I want to once again call on the striking employees to return to work.“, commented the Prime Minister. The regions most affected are Bourgogne-Franche-Comte, Ile-de-France and Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, with nearly one in three resorts in difficulty.

We remind, the Flemish government recently awarded TotalEnergies the contract to install 1,500 electric vehicle charging points in Antwerp. In the heart of Europe and in Belgium's most populous city, the company is reinforcing its commitment to offering and developing sustainable mobility, with the aim of becoming Belgium's leading company in the public charging market by 2024.

TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible.

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Clariant launched an innovative portfolio of flexible, custom solutions for the emerging market of chemical plastics recycling, said the company.

The new HDMax catalysts and Clarit adsorbents are designed for the purification of pyrolysis oil made from hard-to-recycle mixed plastic waste. Tailored to remove a wide range of contaminants that are continuously changing in the feed, the new products provide the flexibility producers need, regardless of process configuration. Clariant’s solution also includes operational assistance from startup to process optimization, which continues throughout the lifetime of the product.

As a result, producers benefit from highly efficient impurity removal to achieve pyrolysis oil that is compatible with ethylene plants. Pyrolysis oils are made from a chemical recycling process that breaks polymers down into basic building blocks to be used for new feedstock streams. Since the process helps to reduce the environmental burden created by plastic waste that would otherwise be incinerated or landfilled, it enables a circular value chain for the production of base chemicals.

Jens Cuntze, President of Catalysts at Clariant, said, “The development of more sustainable catalyst technologies is crucial as we support our customers’ move toward a more circular economy with alternative feedstock sources. Our portfolio reflects not only our flexibility and commitment to our customers, but also our pledge to deliver innovation-driven sustainability."

Nina Karpynec, Head of Marketing, Innovation, and Sustainability, Business Unit Adsorbents & Additives at Clariant, added, “Clariant is well-positioned for the decontamination of pyrolysis oil, drawing upon over 100 years of expertise in the purification of edible oils and of feedstock for renewable fuels. The company has a long history of producing adsorbents for a variety of feedstocks and contaminants, especially with heavy and broad distillation ranges."

The launch is another milestone for Clariant’s EcoCircle initiative, established throughout the company to support the transition from a one-way plastics value chain toward a circular plastics economy.

We remind, Clariant will create a second production line at its new CHF 60 million state of the art facility for Exolit OP halogen-free flame retardants currently under construction in Daya Bay, China. This additional CHF 40 million investment will further expand access to innovative and sustainable fire protection solutions and related technical expertise to support the significant growth of engineering plastics applications in E-mobility and electrical & electronic segments.
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North American chemical rail traffic fell by 1.8% year on year to 44,684 railcar loadings for the week ended 15 October – marking a fourth consecutive decline, according to the latest freight rail data by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Increases in Canada and Mexico were more than offset by a 4.4% decline in the US. The four-week average for North American chemical rail traffic was at 46,194 railcar loadings.

For the first 41 weeks of 2022 ended 15 October, North American chemical railcar traffic was up 1.9% year on year to 1,893,950 railcar loadings.

In the US, chemical railcar loadings represent about 20% of chemical transportation by tonnage, with trucks, barges and pipelines carrying the rest. In Canada, producers rely on rail to ship more than 70% of their products, with some exclusively using rail.

Shipments of chemicals, coal, motor vehicles and parts, and nonmetallic minerals rose for the first 41 weeks, while shipments in all other freight railcar categories fell.

We remind, North American chemical rail traffic fell by 7.4% year on year to 42,061 railcar loadings for the week ended 8 October – marking a third consecutive decline. Loadings fell in the US (-8.3%) and Canada (-5.6%) but rose slightly in Mexico.
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BASF has extended the CEO term for current chief Martin Brudermuller and named Dirk Elvermann, leader of the company’s corporate finance division, as next in line to be CFO, said the company.

The Germany-headquartered chemicals producer’s supervisory board agreed to extend Brudermuller’s CEO term until the end of the 2024 annual shareholders meeting, after originally being scheduled to conclude at the close of 2023.

“I am pleased that Martin Brudermuller will continue to lead the company with prudence and determination in these difficult times,” said supervisory board chief and former company CEO Kurt Bock.

The board also selected Elvermann as the successor to current CFO Hans-Ulrich Engel, who is set to retire after the company’s 2023 annual shareholders meeting, slated for April next year.

Elvermann joined the company in 2003 and has been heading the corporate finance division since 2019, with previous roles including CFO of oil and gas arm Wintershall and managing director of the company’s Poland operations.

BASF has released preliminary figures for the third quarter of 2022. Sales, income from operations (EBIT) before special items and EBIT are slightly above average analyst estimates. Net income of BASF Group is expected to amount to EUR909 million. This is considerably below the prior-year quarter figure (Q3 2021: EUR1,253 million) and the average analyst estimates for the third quarter of 2022 ( EUR1,105 million). Net income contains non-cash-effective impairments on the shareholding in Wintershall Dea in the amount of about EUR740 million. These result from the partial write-down of Wintershall Dea’s participation in Nord Stream AG, which operates the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

BASF is the world's largest chemical concern. The company's large portfolio of offers includes chemicals, plastics, special products, plant protection products, solutions for the agricultural sector, as well as oil and natural gas. The concern was founded on April 6, 1865. The headquarters is located in the city of Ludwigshafen, Germany.
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