China petrochemical plant shut after deadly explosion

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China's Panjin Haoye Chemical Co Ltd has shut down its entire oil refinery and petrochemical complex after an explosion on Sunday killed five people and left eight missing, according to trade sources and a local consultancy, said Reuters.

The explosion occurred at 3:13 p.m. (0713 GMT) on Sunday at Panjin Haoye while workers were carrying out maintenance work at an alkylation facility, Chinese state television reported earlier on Monday.

Calls to Panjin Haoye for comment went unanswered. The death toll increased from two to five by Monday evening.

The company is an independent refinery and chemical producer in the city of Panjin in Liaoning province in northeastern China.

Thirty people were also lightly injured, according to the initial TV report, which said a fire resulting from the explosion has been brought under control.

We remind, Saudi Aramco's new projects in South Korea and China highlight the power giant's goals to expand its chemicals business, as it attempts to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. On 9 Dec 2022, the world's top crude oil producer inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China-based Shandong Energy Group to jointly work on incorporated petrochemical and refining opportunities in the eastern region.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- The company, owned by multi-national AkzoNobel, were found guilty on 2 charges following a 9-day hearing at Plymouth Crown Court last October in a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency, as per Gov.UK.

The company had denied both offences relating to the discharge of hazardous waste from a tank located on the quay at its Newton Ferrers paint testing facility. At today’s sentencing hearing, the company was fined GBP650,000 and ordered to pay costs of GBP144,992.

The Environment Agency launched an investigation after the company tried to sell the premises in 2015 and possible pollution had been reported. International Paint Ltd manufactured paints, including anti-fouling paints for ships, and had run a testing facility on the River Yealm at Newton Creek near Newton Ferrers since 1928. The estuary is a Special Area of Conservation due to its rich flora and fauna.

Since the 1970s formulations containing tributyltin (TBT) had been used as a coating to prevent the build-up of animals and plants on ships’ hulls. But it proved to be so toxic to the wider marine environment that it was banned from use on small vessels in the UK in the late 1980s and was banned completely worldwide during the 2000s. One drop of TBT in an Olympic sized swimming pool equals one part per trillion (PPT). The safe level of TBT is 0.2 PPT or a fifth of a drop.

The Environment Agency’s investigation found evidence that the chemical, along with copper, arsenic and mercury, had been present in sediment in a tank at the site and some of the sediment had escaped out into the estuary. A bung on another tank was found to have come out leaving it open to the estuary before it was eventually permanently sealed with concrete.

Leading expert, Dr Michael Waldock, carried out a review of sample analysis results from sediment from the tank and from the adjacent estuary for the Environment Agency. He found that 9 out of 11 samples exceeded the safe limit for TBT and that, close to the site, one sample contained 80,000 times the safe level. He concluded that the TBT levels in the estuary were sufficient to have the potential for a major toxic effect on marine life.

We remind, AkzoNobel has completed the acquisition of the wheel liquid coatings business of Lankwitzer Lackfabrik GmbH, a deal which strengthens the company’s performance coatings portfolio. The acquired business will complement AkzoNobel’s existing powder coatings offering and expand the range of innovative products the company supplies.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Brenntag SE appoints Michael Friede to the Management Board effective April 1, 2023, said the company.

Michael Friede joins from Akzo Nobel N.V., where he serves as Chief Commercial Officer - Performance Coatings and Member of the Executive Committee. Michael Friede will succeed current Brenntag Specialties Chief Operating Officer Henri Nejade who will not renew his contract ending June 30, 2023.

In the course of its long-term succession planning, the Supervisory Board of Brenntag SE has appointed Michael Friede to the company’s Management Board, effective April 1, 2023. He will succeed Henri Nejade as Chief Operating Officer Brenntag Specialties, who has chosen not to extend his contract by the end of June 30, 2023.

Michael Friede (born 1980) joins Brenntag from Akzo Nobel N.V., where he is a member of the company’s Executive Committee, serving as Chief Commercial Officer - Performance Coatings. He is responsible for all global coatings and resins activities since 2021. In addition, Michael Friede leads the company's central commercial and marketing excellence functions. Furthermore, he is a member of the M&A and investment committee. Previously, Michael Friede served as EVP, Business Unit Head Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties of COVESTRO Deutschland AG, leading one of Covestro’s three global business units. Furthermore, as a member of the Digital Governance Board, he was driving the company’s digitalization and worked on the successful implementation of the M&A program. In 2020, he led the acquisition and prepared the integration of DSM’s Resins and Functional Materials business. Michael Friede completed a dual trainee program at Bayer AG, where he held various positions from 2001 to 2014. He graduated from the University of Applied Sciences for Economy & Management, Essen, and received an International MBA from the Instituto de Empresa, Madrid, Spain.

Henri Nejade has decided to not renew his contract at Brenntag ending June 30, 2023. During his 15 years with the company, he has served Brenntag Group as CEO APAC, CEO EMEA and most recently COO Brenntag Specialties. Henri Nejade is a member of the Management Board of Brenntag since July 2015. “I would like to sincerely thank Henri on behalf of the entire Supervisory Board for his remarkable contribution to our company’s success. He was instrumental in expanding Brenntag’s presence and reputation in the Asia-Pacific region over the last decade. Furthermore, he was a key driver of the company’s transformation and the successful establishment of Brenntag Specialties. We will miss him as an industry expert but also as an outstanding leader and role model. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors”, said Doreen Nowotne, Chairwoman of Brenntag SE Supervisory Board.

We remind, Brenntag, the global market leader in chemicals and ingredients distribution, has become the exclusive distributor of Nouryon’s specialty polymers in the United State and Canada. As the sole distributor of Nouryon’s proprietary LumaTreat™ polymers, Brenntag can offer a portfolio including the patented LumaTreat™ smart-tagged polymers, Aquatreat™, Versaflex™, and Versa™ polymers which offer scale control and dispersancy.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sekisui Chemical decided to establish a new plant in the United States to produce thermal gap filler materials for EVs (electric vehicles) and other environmental friendly vehicles of its consolidated subsidiary, Sekisui Polymatech, said the company.

Construction of the plant is scheduled to begin in January 2023, and the plant will start operation in August 2023.

As part of global environmental initiatives, the shift from gasoline (diesel) to electric vehicles is accelerating in many countries and regions. In the U.S., in particular, the federal government is strongly promoting the spread of electric vehicles, and the production of electric vehicles in the U.S. market in 2025 is expected to reach 3.6 million, about three times the number produced in 2022. In line with this, the demand for LiB (lithium-ion battery) thermal gap filler materials is rapidly expanding among OEMs (automobile manufacturers) and LiB/electrical component manufacturers in the U.S.

Under such circumstances, our thermal gap filler materials have already been highly evaluated by vehicle manufacturers and LiB manufacturers in Japan, China, and Europe for their excellent performance, including low outgassing, in addition to high thermal conduction performance. Against this backdrop, SEKISUI POLYMATECH have decided to build a new production base in the U.S. in addition to our current four production bases in Japan, Thailand, China, and Europe.

In addition, the High Performance Plastics Company of SEKISUI?CHEMICAL positions the mobility field as a strategic field. We will strengthen and accelerate marketing activities in the U.S. and Europe to further expand our heat release material business, and focus on the development of new products for mobility.

We remind, Sekisui Specialty Chemicals has started feasibility studies for the boosting of its polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) supply network to meet the increasing demand of its downstream customers. Once completed, the investment will increase the company's PVOH capacity by as much as 25%. Sekisui Specialty Chemicals is a part of Sekisui Chemical Group of Japan.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Single-use plastic plates, cutlery and a range of other items will be banned in England from October, to curb their “devastating” impact on the environment, the government has confirmed, said the Guardian.

The Department for the Environment said the ban will also cover single-use plastic bowls, trays and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers. However, the move will not apply to plates, trays and bowls used as packaging in what the Department called “shelf-ready pre-packaged food items”.

From October this year, the public will not be able to buy the banned items from retailers, takeaways or food vendors. Under new legislation, it is expected the ban will be enforced through civil sanctions – but with the possibility of repeated breaches ending up in a criminal offence.

The ban follows a consultation on the issue by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that ran from November 2021 to February 2022. Figures suggest that every year England uses about 1.1bn single-use plates and 4.25bn pieces of such cutlery, only 10% of which are recycled after being used.

According to research, plastic items relating to takeaway food and drink, including food containers and cutlery, make up the largest share of litter in the world’s oceans. Similar bans have already been made in Scotland and Wales.

The environment minister, Rebecca Pow, said that the government would also be “pressing ahead” with “plans for a deposit-return scheme for drinks containers and consistent recycling collections in England”.

In addition to this, the government is considering whether other measures are needed to target other items that are regularly thrown away as litter, such as wet wipes, tobacco filters and sachets.

We remind, plastic material and resin manufacturing firm Samyang has developed sustainable polycarbonate materials containing more than 90% of post-consumer recycled polycarbonate. South Korea-based Samyang, a chemical and food affiliate of the Samyang Group, has designed the PC as an engineered plastic that is transparent, impact- and heat-resistant. The new offering can be used as a material for interior and exterior uses in cars, home appliances, soundproof walls, and medical device parts.

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