Methanol-making gas chemical facility worth USD140 mln to be built in Kazakhstan

A gas chemical enterprise to produce methanol is expected to be built in the West Kazakhstan region as part of a USD140-million project, said Interfax, citing the press service for the Kazakh Industry and Infrastructure Development Ministry.

Kazakh Industry and Infrastructure Development Minister Kairbek Uskenbayev met with representatives of CITIC Construction Co. Ltd. and China Huanqiu Contracting & Engineering (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, the press service said.

"The Kazakh company Zhaik Petroleum LTD signed an EPC contract with the Chinese side during the meeting. This contract envisages the construction of a methanol-making gas chemical enterprise with a production capacity of 130,000 tonnes in the West Kazakhstan region," it said.

Some 500 jobs will be created during construction and assembly work, and 220 permanent jobs will be created after the facility is put into operation. The overall cost of the project stands at USD140 million.

The new gas chemical enterprise is expected to begin operating in late 2024. It will be followed by the project's second stage, estimated at USD200 million, to launch the production of ammonia and carbamide.

Earlier it was reported that on November 8, KazMunayGas launched a new plant for the production of polypropylene with a capacity of 500 thousand tons per year in Atyrau, Western Kazakhstan. The new plant is valued at USD2.6 billion and will be able to produce up to 65 types of polypropylene to meet domestic demand, as well as export polypropylene to foreign markets. It uses Catofin and Novolen technologies provided by Lummus Technology.
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Nouryon has acquired a specialty surfactant alkoxylation plant on Singapore’s Jurong Island petrochemicals hub, the Netherlands-based chemical company said in a statement.

The acquired plant will enhance Nouryon’s ability to serve growing regional customer demand in end-markets such as agriculture and food, home and personal Care, natural resources, and paints and coatings, it said.

Details about capacities, the acquisition price or the seller’s identity were not disclosed.

We remind, Nobian has successfully started to supply chlorine and caustic soda from 100% renewable electricity in the Netherlands and Germany. This achievement underlines Nobian’s commitment to accelerating the supply of green products in its portfolio. The certification of Nobian’s caustic soda and chlorine by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) contributes to Nobian’s renewable energy goals, as part of its sustainability program Grow Greener Together.

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ExxonMobil today announced the successful startup of its new polypropylene production unit at the Polyolefins Plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said the company.

The unit increases polypropylene production capacity along the Gulf Coast by 450,000 metric tons per year, meeting growing demand for high-performance, lightweight and durable plastics, particularly for automotive parts that can improve fuel efficiency and reduce vehicle emissions. Polypropylene, a polymer with several applications, is also used to improve the safety and efficiency of everyday products like medical masks and food packaging.

“With the startup of this new production unit, we are well positioned to responsibly meet the growing global demand for these high-performance polymers,” said Karen McKee, president of ExxonMobil Product Solutions. “The ingenuity of our people and our investments in technology enable us to produce high quality products that are essential to daily life.”

ExxonMobil maintained its investments in this advantaged project through the COVID pandemic and related economic downturn. The total capital investment was more than $500 million. ExxonMobil’s extensive mega-project management experience and unrivaled technology capability enabled the unit to start up according to planned cost and schedule.

During construction, the project employed more than 650 workers and with full operational status, requires an additional 65 full-time ExxonMobil jobs.

ExxonMobil’s integrated operations in Baton Rouge include a more than 500,000 barrel-per-day refinery, as well as chemical, lubricants, polyolefins and plastics manufacturing. ExxonMobil has more than 5,500 employees and contractors in the Baton Rouge area and its operations account for approximately one in every 10 jobs in the region.

We remind, ExxonMobil and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) have joined forces to deploy MHI’s leading CO2 capture technology as part of ExxonMobil’s end-to-end carbon capture and storage (CCS) solution for industrial customers.

ExxonMobil, one of the largest publicly traded international energy and petrochemical companies, creates solutions that improve quality of life and meet society’s evolving needs. The corporation’s primary businesses - Upstream, Product Solutions and Low Carbon Solutions - provide products that enable modern life, including energy, chemicals, lubricants, and lower-emissions technologies. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading portfolio of resources, and is one of the largest integrated fuels, lubricants and chemical companies in the world.
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The new machine complements the existing EXPERT K5 3300mm which was installed in 2019 and together the two machines incorporate a host of BOBST unique process innovations including AluBond, AlOx and DarkNight, said Polymerupdate.

PT Polyplex Indonesia is part of the Polyplex Corporation which has had a relationship with BOBST since 2015 and has 4 EXPERT K5’s across their production sites in Indonesia, India and USA. The Indian multinational company which started in 1988 has 7 manufacturing locations in 5 different countries and is a leading PET Film manufacturer and supplies customers across the globe. PT Polyplex Indonesia incorporated in 2017 has an annual turnover of 160 million USD, nearly 600 staff and operates primarily in the Flexible Packaging sector.

Both machines at the Indonesia site incorporate a 700mm coating drum, which is unique to the EXPERT K5 and the largest in the industry resulting in less aluminium consumption and maximum productivity and production cost savings.

Also unique to BOBST is the AluBond process which is on both machines and was initially developed to increase metal adhesion and dyne level on the most commonly used film substrates but is now fast becoming the standard metallizing process for polyolefin based PP substrates due to its ability to increase barrier levels on these film types.

We remind, Polyplex (Thailand) Public Limited Company (PTL), a subsidiary of Polyplex Corporation Limited (PCL; Gautam Buddh Nagar, India), will invest USD102.8 million to build a biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) thin film line at Decatur, Alabama. The production capacity of the planned plant will be 50,000 metric tons/year.

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Clark is responsible for the company’s global technology and innovation strategies in alignment with the company’s sustainability and growth targets, said the company.

He also serves as the business leader that builds research capabilities in support of the company’s strategic direction.
“Philip will be an outstanding addition to our leadership team,” said Charlie Shaver, Nouryon Chairman and CEO. “He brings impressive executive experience with a strong international and innovation track record. His customer-focused passion for innovation across markets and applications will be instrumental in delivering on our ambitious growth plans. We look forward to his contributions.”

Clark joins Nouryon from 3M, where he was the Vice President and Technical Director for the 3M Automotive and Aerospace Solutions Division. He has more than 20 years of experience in technology development and product commercialization with a focus on product development, process technology and new product introduction portfolio management. Through his career, he has lived and worked in South Korea, in addition to the US.

Clark serves as a member of the Conference Board’s Innovation and Digital Transformation Institute and the Product and Services Leadership Council.

He has a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Harvard University as well as a B.S. in both Chemistry and Biology from Bates College where he was a Dana Apprentice Chemical Fellow.

We remind, Nobian has successfully started to supply chlorine and caustic soda from 100% renewable electricity in the Netherlands and Germany. This achievement underlines Nobian’s commitment to accelerating the supply of green products in its portfolio. The certification of Nobian’s caustic soda and chlorine by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) contributes to Nobian’s renewable energy goals, as part of its sustainability program Grow Greener Together.

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