Yara and Enbridge plan USD2.9 bn ammonia plant in Texas

Norwegian fertilizer maker Yara and Canadian pipeline company Enbridge plan to invest up to USD2.9 bn to build a low-carbon blue ammonia production plant in Texas, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Blue ammonia, rather than green ammonia derived from renewable energy, refers to ammonia produced from natural gas, with the carbon dioxide (CO2) byproduct captured and stored. The plant, which would be Yara's biggest, would be built at an Enbridge oil storage and export facility near Corpus Christi, with production to start around 2027-28.

The companies have not yet made final investment decisions. Yara is the latest European company to announce a major investment in the United States. More than 200 low-carbon ammonia facilities are being planned globally and the U.S. Gulf Coast is becoming a major hub due to existing infrastructure, cheap natural gas and high government subsidies, said Alexander Derricott, senior analyst at consultancy CRU.

The number of projects that actually proceed depends largely on how much of a premium buyers of low-emission ammonia are willing to pay for the costlier production, Derricott said. While the project was planned long before last year's U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the increase in carbon storage tax credits in that law made it more attractive, Yara said.

"We've focused on the United States for two reasons and the first is low energy prices, naturally, and the other is that carbon capture is accessible at an attractive cost," Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand, president of the Yara Clean Ammonia subsidiary, told Reuters.

Yara intends to buy all of the plant's output for feedstock in its global production system, including Europe, as well as for new clean ammonia markets such as shipping fuel. The plant will supply 1.2 million to 1.4 million tons of low-carbon ammonia per year.

We remind, Yara underline its commitment to sustainability. The eligible green projects are expected to create substantial environmental benefits by decarbonizing the food chain, including fertilizer production and application, and limiting the need to expand farmland. CICERO has provided the second party opinion and rated the framework medium-green. The company does not have specific debt ratio targets, but aim at having a medium investment grade credit rating.

mrchub.com

To help customers fulfill the highest standards of safety and regulatory compliance, as well as ease ingredient selection, Clariant has launched a new package for the coatings sector that assists in the research of additives compliant with the most relevant food contact regulations, said the company.

There are three key complementary elements to the new package, ensuring different views and areas of focus, providing a holistic approach with easy access to information in one place. It includes an interactive selection tool, an overview table, and food contact reports with detailed regulatory information such as Substance Migration Limits (SMLs).

The interactive tool allows customers to select most relevant regulations and find compliant additive products out of the Clariant portfolio. These search results link directly to individual product pages that also give access to food contact reports with comprehensive details on each additive. In addition, a downloadable selection guide is available to offer users a standardized solution where all screened products and regulations are shown in a table format.

“Safety and regulatory compliance are important criteria when you choose ingredients and at Clariant we want to give you the confidence to select our products when it comes to food contact applications,” said Sebastian Prock, Clariant’s Head of Global Marketing Industrial Applications. "Thanks to our new interactive selection tool and the three complementary elements of our package, customers have easy access to our product portfolio fulfilling regulatory needs,” he continued.

We remind, Clariant Catalysts has collaborated with Evonik and thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (tkIS) for a propylene oxide (PO) project in China. Qixiang Tengda will depend on Evonik-tkIS HPPO technology to transform propylene into PO, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The new plant will have a capacity of 300,000 tonnes/y.

mrchub.com

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between HPCL Mumbai Refinery and BPCL Mumbai Refinery as part of synergy through Purchase and Sale of Hydrogen at a signing ceremony held recently, said Polymerupdate.

Hydrogen is an essential utility required for Hydro treating / Hydro processing of HSD and MS streams to produce HSD and MS specifications as per Bharat Stage VI norms and is vital for reliable and safe refinery operations.

This MoU is one-of-a-kind strategic partnership between two OMCs as a part of synergy for mutual aid during emergencies and towards environmental impact by minimizing valuable hydrogen flaring. This initiative envisages cooperation and collaboration as part of synergy in the areas of hydrogen exchange between both Refineries for sustained refinery operations and uninterrupted product availability.

The MoU was signed by Shri Vijay S Agashe, Executive Director - HPCL Mumbai Refinery and Shri Subramoni Iyer, Executive Director - BPCL Mumbai Refinery, in presence of senior Officials from HPCL and BPCL Refineries.

We remind, Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) plans to start its 9-MMtpy Barmer refinery and petrochemical project in Rajasthan state by January 2024. India, the third biggest oil importer, is expanding refining capacity to meet rising demand for fuel and petrochemical to power economic expansion. India's per capita petrochemical consumption is about a third of the global average.

mrchub.com

Toyobo Co., Ltd. has been selected as a Supplier Engagement Leader – the highest ranking – in CDP’s1 Supplier Engagement Rating assessment for the second consecutive year. CDP is a British not-for-profit organization that runs a global disclosure system on supply chain environmental impacts, said Polymerupdate.

CDP’s Supplier Engagement Rating assessment evaluates a company’s engagement with itssupply chain on climate change issues, based on its answers to a questionnaire on governance, targets, scope 3 emissions*2 and supply chain engagement. In 2022, CDP selected the top eight percent of 653 companies, including 131 Japanese firms, as Supplier Engagement Leaders.

Toyobo believes CDP highly evaluated its endeavors in partnership with suppliers and clients to reduce environmental impacts and promote resource circulation in the entire corporate supply chain. Toyobo is making these efforts based on the Toyobo Group Fundamental Policy on the Global Environment and CSR Procurement Guidelines.

Recognizing climate change as a major risk to its business operations, the Toyobo Group will spearhead undertakings to address climate change together with its stakeholders. Also, as stated in Sustainable Vision 2030*3, its long-term vision unveiled on May 26, 2022, the group commits itself to contributing to realizing a “decarbonized and circular society” throughout the corporate supply chain by providing its own products and solutions.

We remind, Toyobo Co., Ltd. has agreed to set up a joint venture firm to produce yarns for automobile airbags with Bangkok-based Indorama Polyester Industries PCL (IPI), which is under the umbrella of the world’s largest polyethylene terephthalate (PET) producer, Indorama Ventures PCL (IVL), as per Toyobo's press release.
The joint company plans to build a new plant on the IPI factory site in Rayong Province, Thailand, and start operations in 1st Quarter of 2022.

mrchub.com

In a UK industry first, energystore is launching a new low-carbon footprint insulation product range, energystore+, which is combining climate protection with high product quality. With these products, energystore will provide a significant opportunity for their customers to reduce the carbon footprint of their buildings, said the company.

In general, insulation of buildings, whether new construction or renovation, is essential for the reduction of carbon emissions. As a result, building owners can save energy and heating costs and gain comfort as houses are heating up faster and are staying warm for a longer time. In summer times, insulation helps to keep houses cool.

The energystore superbead+ system is an injected EPS foam bead designed for use in multiple cavity wall scenarios including masonry, party wall and timber frame. energystore TLA+ combines EPS foam beads coated in an innovative additive with cement to create a pourable insulation for use in floor and roof construction. Both energystore+ products are based on expandable polystyrene (EPS) granules Neopor® BMB, produced by BASF.

Connor McCandless, energystore Group Sales & Innovation Director, says “After working with BASF over the last 18 months on this project we’re thrilled to bring energystore+ to our customers. We believe that future construction projects need to reduce carbon emissions. The energystore+ range gives a fantastic option for our customers to make their next project as sustainable as possible."

We remind, BASF begins production of its first bio-based polyol, Sovermol, in Mangalore, India, said the company.
This product serves the fast-growing demand of eco-friendly products for applications in new energy vehicles (NEV), windmills, flooring and protective industrial coatings in Asia Pacific. Utilizing the existing facilities at BASF's Mangalore site, the Sovermol production facility is now operational after comprehensive planning and construction.

mrchub.com