Clariant announces new investments to enhance Chinese ethoxylation plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant is set to expand its Care Chemicals facility in Daya Bay, Huizhou, China, to boost its support for pharmaceutical, personal care, home care, and industrial application customers, said the company.

The CHF 80 million investment will see capacity increases for existing products as well as the introduction of new products by the end of 2024. By successfully obtaining the drug GMP certificate, the Clariant Daya Bay manufacturing site has become the first API manufacturer in China with certified polyethylene glycol Polyglykol 3350. The site will also become a new global hub for Clariant’s healthcare business support, speeding up the supply of high-quality ingredients for life-changing medicines.

“The successful production and registration of the pharmaceutical grade of PEGs are great examples of how resilient and dedicated Clariant is to growing in our strategic dedicated business segment and supporting our customers,” said Zhigang Miao, Head of Industrial Applications, Clariant Care Chemical.

Clariant will also expand existing production capacity for its Ethylene Oxide Derivatives (EODs) and a broader chemical portfolio at Daya Bay. As a result, it will step up its production of more sustainable ingredients that can help customers advance their environmental targets and create differentiated, more sustainable solutions to meet sector demands. The EcoTain®-labelled, plant-based Hostapon® mild surfactant for example supports Personal Care brands and formulators in developing milder, cleaner beauty in applications such as solid beauty bars, body washes and cream-type shampoos.

As per MRC, Clariant will invest Swiss francs (Swfr) 80m (USD86m) to expand its Care Chemicals facility at Daya Bay in China’s Guangdong province, boosting support for pharmaceutical, personal care, home care and industrial application customers. This investment will increase Clariant’s production capacity for existing products as well as the introduction of new products by the end of 2024. Clariant also aims for the site to become a new global hub for its healthcare business, saying it believes China would remain a growth driver for many chemicals.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Eastman has signed a partnership agreement with the environmental nongovernmental organization SOS Mata Atlantica and Bracell, a soluble cellulose producer, to donate 15,000 seedlings in support of a program designed to help restore the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, said the company.

This environmental initiative will support Future Forests (Florestas do Futuro in Brazilian Portuguese), a program created to catalyze forest restoration in permanent protection areas, such as riparian forests and legal reserves in the Atlantic Forest biome. The project by Eastman, SOS Mata Atlantica and Bracell focuses on forest restoration in Brazil’s Jequitiba region within an environmental protection area on the north coast of Bahia.

An investment by the Eastman Foundation is supporting restoration in the selected area, which is part of Bracell’s Forest Partnership Program. The area, in the municipality of Entre Rios, is home to two springs. The initiative will contribute to improving the ecosystem service of water regulation, adding benefits to the entire region.

As per MRC, US-based Eastman aims to light a fire under the ecosystem for collecting hard-to-recycle polyester waste with USD2bn in new investments for plastics recycling projects in the US and France.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Reliance Consumer Products Ltd., the FMCG arm and a fully owned subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd., launched its indigenous madefor-India consumer packaged goods brand, INDEPENDENCE in Gujarat, said Timesofindia.

Introduced to consumers and kirana partners on the occasion of the centenary celebration of Pramukh Swami Maharaj at Akshardham in Ahmedabad, INDEPENDENCE offers a wide range of products under several categories including staples, processed foods and other daily essentials.

Drawing on Reliance Industries’ (RIL) ethos, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd. aims to empower Indians with indigenously developed products. The company plans to develop Gujarat as a “go-to-market” state to create excellence in execution for its FMCG business, as it prepares for a national rollout for the brand.

Building on the equity and affinity of brand “Reliance” in Gujarat, the company plans to make ‘INDEPENDENCE’ launch an empowering movement for all the stakeholders such as consumers, manufacturers, distributors and kiranas in India. INDEPENDENCE products are tailor made with a distinct understanding of Indian consumer needs and are sure to find a place in Indian households, as they are not just made in India but made for India.

We remind, Abu Dhabi Chemicals Derivatives Company RSC Ltd (“TA’ZIZ”) and Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), have agreed to launch TA’ZIZ EDC & PVC, a world-scale chemical production partnership at the TA’ZIZ Industrial Chemicals Zone in Ruwais. The new joint-venture will construct and operate a Chlor-Alkali, Ethylene Dichloride (EDC) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) production facility, with an investment of more than USD2 billion.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced that its licensed TC2C crude-to-chemicals technology will move forward in its first commercial deployment through S-Oil's Shaheen Project in South Korea, said the company.

S-Oil recently confirmed its final investment decision on the Shaheen Project. Once complete, Shaheen will be one of the world's largest ethylene plants and the first commercial deployment of TC2C, a breakthrough technology that transforms whole crude into value-added chemicals.

"TC2C increases chemical yield more than any other crude-to-chemicals technology currently under development, while also enhancing energy efficiency, reducing carbon intensity and lowering operating costs," said Leon de Bruyn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lummus Technology. "As we reach milestones such as S-Oil's final investment decision, we are grateful for our partnership with Saudi Aramco Technologies Company and Chevron Lummus Global. These milestones put us closer to revolutionizing petrochemical production and transitioning to more sustainable processes."

S-Oil's new plant will deploy several Lummus and Chevron Lummus Global (CLG) technologies to process crude to produce ethylene, propylene, butadiene and other basic chemicals. Upon completion, the plant will have an annual production capacity of up to 3.2 MMt of petrochemicals.

TC2C converts crude into value-added chemicals in a uniquely integrated process combining Lummus' ethylene technology with Saudi Aramco's separation and catalyst technologies and CLG's hydroprocessing catalysts and reactor technologies. TC2C maximizes conversion of crude at lower carbon intensity, higher energy efficiency and lower capital than conventional refinery/petrochemical complexes. Unlike any other crude-to-chemicals technology, TC2C processes low-value refinery streams such as slurry oil and pyrolysis oil, and it can be tailored to maximize olefins, aromatics or any combination.

Saudi Aramco is the majority shareholder of S-Oil. In 2018, Saudi Aramco Technologies Company, Lummus and CLG entered into the joint development agreement for the development, commercialization and marketing of TC2C.

We remind, Saudi Aramco has signed 59 corporate procurement agreements (CPAs) worth a potential total of USD11 billion with up to 51 domestic and international manufacturers, as a part of its coveted in-kingdom total value add (IKTVA) localisation programme. IKTVA is at the heart of Aramco’s long-term local content strategy and plays a crucial role for domestic contractors while also awarding large-scale deals to its pool of long-term agreement (LTA) contractors.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell, a leader in the global chemical industry, today announced it is increasing the company's 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target for scope 1 and scope 2 emissions from 30 percent to 42 percent, relative to a 2020 baseline, said the company.

In addition, the company is establishing a 2030 scope 3 GHG emissions reduction target of 30 percent, relative to a 2020 baseline and in accordance with guidelines from the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). The company's previously announced goal to achieve net zero scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions from global operations by 2050 remains unchanged.

"We believe a more ambitious GHG reduction target is achievable and will create substantial value for all of our stakeholders," said Peter Vanacker, CEO of LyondellBasell. "Reducing emissions while simultaneously building a world-class Circular and Low Carbon Solutions business is needed to meet the demands we are seeing throughout the value chain. This approach is not only good for society, but also good for business. We will follow a disciplined approach to prioritize high-return projects and will continue to meet or exceed our return expectations."

Estimates of the capital expenditures necessary to achieve its emissions reduction goals are built into the company's long-range plan. These investments are not expected to represent a significant portion of total capital expenditures over the next three years, nor change the capital allocation strategy. While many of the GHG emissions reduction projects are still in the early stages of development, the company will evaluate, pursue and prioritize its GHG emission investments based on each project's rate of return.

LyondellBasell will submit its climate goals to SBTi to be validated against SBTi guidance. The SBTi defines and promotes best practice for corporate GHG emissions target setting aligned to the latest climate science.

We remind, LyondellBasell announced it has made a decision to move forward with engineering to build an advanced recycling plant at its Wesseling, Germany. Using LyondellBasell's proprietary MoReTec technology, this commercial scale advanced recycling plant would convert pre-treated plastic waste into feedstock for new plastic production. The final investment decision is targeted for the end of 2023.

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