Koksan launches a new PET plant

Koksan Pet ve Plastik A.S is proud to announce that it has successfully commissioned its new PET resin plant with additional 216,000 Mton/year capacity under the UHIF (Uhde - Inventa Fischer) license with MTR (Melt-to-Resin) technology production as of 1 November 2022, said Ccfgroup.

The production site, located in the company’s HQ Gaziantep in Turkey, also located in the company’s first plant that has been in operation since 2013 and it has the same production capacity of 216.000 tons/year. The new plant will be able to produce not only bottle grade PET resin but also Textile and Film grade polyester resins as well.

With this capacity expansion, Koksan will reach an annual capacity of 432,000 tons, making it Turkey's largest and Europe's 2nd largest bottle grade pet resin producer under one roof. With this Bottle Grade Pet Resin production volume, Turkey will be the country with the largest production capacity in Europe.

According to company sources, KOKSAN is aiming to meet Turkey’s needs through domestic consumption (which helps to decrease import) and export the remaining volumes, particularly to the Europe, North Africa and the United States markets.

ThyssenKrupp entered into an agreement with Koksan in April 2021 to use ThyssenKrupp Melt-To-Resin (MTR) technology.

Along with its Bottle Grade Pet Resin production, Koksan continues successful production of Pet preforms in two locations, PE closures, Pet sheets and PE Stretch films with approximately 1500 employees.
mrchub.com

Evonik is continuing its materials campaign in 3D printing, said the . The specialty chemicals company is launching three new INFINAM® photopolymers for industrial 3D applications expand the photo-resins product line launched last year for use in common UV-curing 3D printing processes such as SLA or DLP. With a total of seven new photopolymer formulations, Evonik has diversified the additive manufacturing material landscape in less than two years.

INFINAM® RG 2000 L is a photo-resin for the demanding eyewear industry. The clear liquid formulation cures quickly and is easy to process. A low yellowing index - even after prolonged UV irradiation – not only make the high-performance material attractive for additively manufactured eyewear frames, it is also suitable for applications such as microfluidic reactors or transparent high-end prototypes for observing the inner workings of complex assemblies. The excellent light transmission of INFINAM® RG 2000 L also opens up further applications such as lenses, light guides and illumination covers.

INFINAM® RG 7100 L was specially developed for DLP printers and enables the production of parts with isotropic properties and low moisture absorption. The mechanical properties are comparable to those of an ABS material and the black colored formulation can also be used on high throughput printer systems. The printed parts exhibit fine features such as smooth and glossy surfaces making the new photopolymer ideal for demanding design visualizations. INFINAM® RG 7100 L can also be used in applications such as drones, buckles or automotive parts that require high ductility combined with high impact strength. The printed parts can be machined and remain fracture resistant even when subjected to high forces.

INFINAM® TI 5400 L is another example of application-focussed product development. With this formulation, Evonik is responding to customer requests-especially from the Asia region-for a PVC-like resin for the rapidly growing market of limited edition designer toys. The white colored material is ideal for objects with a high level of detail and excellent surface quality that are virtually indistinguishable from comparable injection-molded parts. The fully cured material combines excellent impact strength with high elongation at break and exhibits long-lasting thermomechanical performance.

We remind, business line Coating Additives of Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany) is expanding production capacity of ACEMATT precipitated matting agents at its Taiwan manufacturing facility. The significant capacity increase will help meet growing demand for matting agents in Asia, with the capacity expansion expected to be completed by the second half of 2023.

Evonik is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. The company is active in more than 100 countries around the world and generated sales of EUR15 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of EUR2.38 billion in 2021. Evonik goes far beyond chemistry to create innovative, profitable and sustainable solutions for customers.
mrchub.com

Clariant Mining Solutions opened a dedicated global Competence Center for Decarbonization Minerals (CCDM) at the Dubai Science Park in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on October 25, 2022, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This laboratory is designed to meet the increasing global demand for solutions to process decarbonization minerals more efficiently.

The decarbonization of the production and transportation of goods and services is a growing megatrend. Mining is one of the key foundational industries enabling decarbonization by delivering the minerals required for these technologies, such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium for batteries for electric vehicles, rare earths for magnets in wind turbines, and alumina for lighter-weight vehicles and solar panels.

Research activities will include improving metallurgical performance by maximizing recovery and grade, optimizing cost-performance, and creating more sustainable solutions for the processing of decarbonization minerals.

“Our new Competence Center is another important milestone in our purpose-led strategy to become a sustainability leader in mining chemicals,” comments George Nunes, Global Head of Clariant Mining Solutions.

We remind, Clariant, a focused, sustainable, and innovative specialty chemical company, announces that it has completed the acquisition of BASF’s U.S. based Attapulgite business assets for USD 60 million in cash. Structured as an asset deal, the transaction includes the transfer of land as well as mining rights, the processing facility, and inventories, which will be integrated into Clariant’s Functional Minerals business. The finalized deal also includes an agreement for the long-term supply of attapulgite-based products to BASF. The transaction will improve the EBITDA margin profile of Clariant’s Business Area Natural Resources while supporting the company’s path towards reaching its 2025 targets.
mrchub.com

The restart of Exxon Mobil's 140,000-bpd Fos-Sur-Mer oil refinery in France should be completed by the end of the week, a company spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed statement.

The refinery restart, due after weeks-long strike action ended in mid-October, had been delayed by a few days, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson did not specify the cause of the delay, but a source told Reuters on Wednesday that a fire had occurred at the refinery last week.

Meanwhile the refinery fuel units at Exxon's 240,000 bpd Port Jerome-Gravenchon refinery are now back in operation, according to the firm.

"All the refinery fuels units have restarted and returned to normal capacity," the spokesperson said.

We remind, ExxonMobil Corp agreed to sell its Billings, Montana, refinery and related pipeline properties to Par Pacific Holdings Inc for USD310 MM. The sale ends a years-long effort by the U.S. oil giant to further reduce its refining footprint and concentrate production on plants along the U.S. Gulf Coast and in the Midwest. It also has been selling oil producing properties to boost returns.

mrchub.com

Saudi Aramco's net profit rose by 39.5% year on year to Saudi Riyal (SR) 159.1bn in the third quarter on the back of higher crude oil prices and volumes sold, said Reuters.

Net income growth in the third quarter was partially offset by increased production royalties largely attributable to higher average effective royalty rate resulting from stronger crude oil prices and higher sales volumes, the company said in a filing to the Saudi bourse, Tadawul.

“Global demand for petroleum products remained strong in the first nine months of 2022, which resulted in higher prices and volumes sold for hydrocarbons and improved refining margins, compared to the same period in 2021,” the company said in a separate statement. Saudi Aramco’s downstream unit swung to a third-quarter loss before interest, income taxes and zakat (EBIT) of SR4.25bn in the third quarter from a gain of SR14.8bn in the same period in 2021.

The third-quarter loss at the downstream business was driven by by inventory re-valuation losses as refined product prices, while higher compared to the same period in 2021, experienced a significant decline in the third quarter of 2022.

The company said that its long-term view is that oil demand will likely continue to grow for the rest of the decade, as will the world’s need for more affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy.

“Aramco intends to meet this growing demand by capturing unique growth opportunities and expanding its Maximum Sustainable Capacity (MSC), while enhancing integration of its Upstream and Downstream businesses and growing its liquids-to-chemicals capabilities,” it added.

We remind, Aramco announced the creation of a USD1.5 billion Sustainability Fund to invest in technology that can support a stable and inclusive energy transition. It was unveiled at the sixth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) and is among the largest sustainability-focused venture capital funds globally. Managed by Aramco Ventures, the venture capital arm of Aramco, the fund is an extension of the Company’s efforts to meet the world’s growing energy demand, with lower greenhouse gas emissions.
mrchub.com