Russia boosts diesel exports to Latin America since EU embargo

Russia boosts diesel exports to Latin America since EU embargo

Russia has increased its diesel exports to Brazil and other parts of Latin America following an embargo on shipments to Europe, traders said and Refinitiv Eikon data showed, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Russia has long been the main diesel supplier for Europe, where refineries do not produce enough fuel to meet domestic demand for diesel cars. But a full EU embargo on Russian oil products since Feb. 5 has diverted Russian diesel exports to Asia, Africa, the Middle East and STS loadings.

Last month, Russia also sent more than 580,000 tons to Latin and South America, with almost 440,000 tons of those volumes heading to Brazil, another 140,000 tons are destined to Panama, Uruguay and Cuba, Refinitiv data showed.

In total, diesel supplies from Russia-controlled ports to Brazil totaled 663,000 tons in January-March, 2023 after 74,000 tons for the whole 2022, according to Refinitiv data.

At least one diesel cargo from Russia was shipped from one tanker to another near the port of Lome in Togo last month and was then headed for South America, possibly Brazil, according to Refinitiv Eikon data.

We remind, Singapore's imports of Russian naphtha nearly tripled in the first quarter of 2023, government data showed, after the European Union banned oil products imports from Russia. The Asia oil hub imported 741,000 tons of Russian naphtha in the period, accounting for about 23% of Singapore's total imports of the refined product, a Reuters calculation based on Enterprise Singapore data showed. This jumped from about 261,000 tons imported in the fourth quarter last year, the data showed.

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Hanwha Solutions signs MOU with 7 companies for bio PVC

Hanwha Solutions signs MOU with 7 companies for bio PVC

Hanwha Solutions Corp., a South Korean petrochemical company, is partnering with domestic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) companies to promote the commercialization of bio PVC, said Kedglobal.

Hanwha Solutions has signed on Thursday a "business agreement for cooperation in bio PVC projects for carbon reduction" with seven PVC processing companies including Dongshin Polymer, Dury Chemical, HDC Hyundai Engineering Plastics, Wonpoong Co., Jeil Wallpaper, TSC Construction & Chemical and Powerlab.

Under the agreement, Hanwha Solutions and each processing company will produce products such as flooring, wallpaper, pipes, tarpaulins (waterproof sheets) and wraps that use bio PVC for the first time in Korea.

Starting this month, Hanwha Solutions plans to produce bio PVC at its Ulsan and Yeosu plants and supply it to each company.

Previously, Hanwha Solutions obtained the ISCC Plus sustainability certification for the production and processing of bio PVC-based products last year.

PVC is a representative plastic material mainly used for building materials. Bio PVC is environmentally friendly because it uses plant-based raw materials instead of fossil fuels, resulting in less carbon emission during the production process, and it can also recycle waste cooking oil.

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LG Chem, CJ Logistics partner to recycle packaging wrap

LG Chem, CJ Logistics partner to recycle packaging wrap

South Korean companies LG Chem Ltd. and CJ Logistics have signed an memorandum of understanding on Thursday to establish a recycling ecosystem for packaging wrap at logistics centers, said the company.

CJ Logistics will collect the packaging wrap from logistics centers nationwide and deliver it to LG Chem for recycling into reusable wrap that will be supplied back to CJ Logistics. LG Chem plans to supply 1,000 rolls of reusable wrap this month and increase the supply volume by recycling additional packaging wrap.

Most packaging wraps are mainly made of polyethylene (PE) products and are used to secure items from shaking during transportation. Despite the annual generation of 800,000 tons of waste PE in Korea, only 40% of it is currently recycled.

LG Chem and CJ Logistics hope that their collaboration will help establish an effective way to collect and recycle packaging wrap from logistics centers.

Han Seok-hee, LG Chem's PO (Polyolefin) Sales Manager, said the agreement will contribute to building a plastic circular economy and carbon reduction for a sustainable future.

We remind, LG Chem will team up with Innerbottle and CJ Logistics to accelerate the construction of an eco-platform that will include plastic production, collection after use, and recycling. LG Chem announced on the 30th at the Yeouido LG Twin Towers that it signed the ‘2022 Resource Cycle Platform Construction MOU’ together with the innovative domestic startup Innerbottle and CJ Logistics. Department Leader of Sustainability1 Min-jong(Joseph) Lee from LG Chem, CEO Steve Seil Oh of Innerbottle, and Management Leader Heo Shin Yeol of CJ Logistics attended this event.

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D-Rex Polymer starts making green adhesive

D-Rex Polymer starts making green adhesive

South Korean petrochemical company DL Chemical said its subsidiary D-Rex Polymer on April 1 began production of an eco-friendly adhesive at its plant in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, under a plan to develop DL Chemical into a specialty company of high added value, said Kedglobal.

As a joint venture between DL Chemical and the American petrochemical company Rextack, D-Rex Polymer late last year completed the factory with annual capacity of 40,000 tons. After a trial operation of about three months, the facility since April 1 has produced the adhesive amorphous poly alpha olefin (APAO).

The completion ceremony held that day was attended by DL Chemical Vice Chairman and CEO Kim Jong-hyun, D-Rex Polymer CEO Kim Man-jung and Yeosu Deputy Mayor Kim Jong-shi. APAO is applied to bond types of plastics.

"D-Rex's APAO is non-volatile and has almost no odor," a DL Chemical source said. "We expect its use as a raw material for products coming in contact with skin like diapers and sanitary napkins."

We remind, Kraton Corporation, an American manufacturer of polymers and bio-based products based on pine wood pulping co-products, has decided to merge with DL Chemical Co Ltd, a South Korean arm of DL Holdings Co Ltd (formerly Daelim Industrial Co Ltd). DL Chemical will pay USD46.50/share of Kraton common stock in cash. The purchase value is a 50% premium to the firm's unaffected trading value as of early Jul 2021.

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Paolo Barbieri takes over as CEO of Kem One

Paolo Barbieri takes over as CEO of Kem One

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Paolo Barbieri as Chief Executive Officer of Kem One and as a member of the Board of Directors as of April 3, 2023, said the company.

He will succeed Laurent Lenoir who has served as interim CEO since June 15, 2021. Laurent will continue in his role as Chairman of Kem One Board of Directors. Paolo is a seasoned international executive with over 25 years of experience.

In the first part of his career, he held commercial management positions in various entities of DuPont chemical group, and for the last 10 years he has held general management positions in Europe at Corteva Agriscience, an independent company since 2019 following the sale by DowDupont, specialized in seeds and pesticides.

“His in-depth knowledge of the chemical industry, his focus on safety, his strong customer culture and his human qualities make Paolo Barbieri the leader that Kem One needs to accelerate its transformation and reveal its growth potential," said Chairman Laurent Lenoir, on behalf of the entire Board of Directors.

Paolo Barbieri stated, "I would like to thank the Board of Directors for the confidence they have shown in me. I am delighted to be joining Kem One, whose values and strategic orientations echo my own background. As soon as I join, I will work alongside the teams to help Kem One to achieve its bold goals of becoming a resilient, diversified international player and setting the industry standard in the vinyl sector in terms of low carbon emissions."

“Safety, performance, respect for people and environment, and a customer-focused culture are the fundamentals that will guide my work at Kem One,” Paolo added. An Italian national who is fluent in French, ity, with a perfect command of French language, Paolo Barbieri holds a degree in Business Management from Bocconi University in Milan (Italy) and is a graduate of the IESE Executive Program in Barcelona (Spain).

We remind, on 15 June 2022, Kem One Group announced a leadership transition. Kem One Group today announced a leadership transition. Frederic Chalmin will depart after eight years in the role of Chief Executive Officer. The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Laurent Lenoir, has accepted to serve as interim Chief Executive Officer while the Board undertakes a formal CEO search process to identify a permanent successor.

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