Evonik expands its global capacity for VESTAMID E polyether block amide

Evonik is doubling its global capacity for VESTAMID E, polyether block amide (PEBA), with a twofold approach including a major expansion of its production plant at the Multi-User-Site (MUSC) in Shanghai and an optimization project at its production facility in Marl, Germany, said the company.

Construction at the Shanghai site starts in Fall 2023 and will increase the company’s ability for the polymerization of PEBA, a key step in producing the raw material, which is highly demanded by the global, athletic footwear market.

“As the worldwide footwear production continues to grow, this latest investment in Shanghai will significantly increase Evonik’s PEBA production capacity, expand our regional presence, and put us in an optimal position to address the global market that is centered primarily on local manufacturing in Asia,” says Ralf Dussel, head of Evonik’s High Performance Polymers business line.

Complementing the expansion in Shanghai, several other projects are currently ongoing to eliminate bottlenecks and optimize overall production at Evonik’s other major PEBA facility in Marl, Germany.

Evonik’s VESTAMID E, is a long-established compound with exceptional qualities that are ideal for use in high-performance athletic shoes. Continuous technological developments have allowed midsoles featuring VESTAMID E to be extremely lightweight, offering an excellent energy return that enhances the performance of the athlete. In addition to these attributes, VESTAMID E also exhibits great low-temperature impact strength, excellent chemical resistance and is easy to process and color – making it highly sought after in many demanding applications in the automotive and medical technology industries.

As part of Evonik’s “Next-Generation Solutions” strategy, which has a 2030 goal of having more than 50% of its sales from products with superior sustainability benefits, the company is also placing high emphasis on producing VESTAMID eCO, which retains all characteristics of a PEBA molding compound. VESTAMID eCO features a 42 percent lower carbon footprint – it is made using 100 percent renewable energy and has 50 percent of its raw materials based on recycled tires, through a third-party audited, mass-balance approach.

“Constant innovation continues to drive this industry in the improvement of weight reduction, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. PEBA-based foams made with VESTAMID E or VESTAMID eCO, are leaders in this category and are widely regarded as one of the highest performing materials in the market,” says Ralf Dussel.

With more than 50 years of experience in developing and manufacturing specialty and high-performance plastics, Evonik has a comprehensive product portfolio that offers innovative solutions for virtually any industrial application.

We remind, the bio-content of VISIOMER Terra methacrylate monomers is now certified by DIN CERTCO the certification body of TUV Rheinland Group?and will include the label “Certified Biobased Product.” DIN CERTCO certifies products using the C14 radiocarbon method and ASTM D 6866:2021 protocol instead of merely calculating the bio-content.

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Borealis, one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and sustainable polyolefins solutions and a European front-runner in polyolefins recycling and Axpo, Switzerland’s largest producer of renewable energy and an international leader in the trading and marketing of solar and wind power, have signed their second power purchase agreement (PPA) in six months, said the company.

The eight-year deal closely follows on the heels of the , which procures renewable electricity for Borealis operations in Stenungsund, Sweden, from January 2024. The new PPA covers the supply of green power from a recently commissioned wind farm in Kropuln, in the west of Finland, also from 2024.

By supplying 100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of additional renewable power annually, the new PPA is another milestone in the Borealis journey to more sustainable operations and reduced emissions. Borealis aims to increase the share of electricity from renewable sources used in its own production operations to 40% by 2025 and 100% by 2030. Like each of the multiple PPAs signed with renewable energy partners in recent years, the new PPA with Axpo enables Borealis to lower its Scope 2 emissions – so-called indirect greenhouse gas emissions, meaning those resulting from the purchase or acquisition of electricity, steam, heat, and cooling.

“We are extremely pleased to sign this second major PPA with Axpo. It signals our commitment to driving the energy transition – even in the face of strong headwinds coming from a turbulent energy market,” says Borealis Executive Vice President Base Chemicals and Operations, Wolfram Krenn. “We are staying the course in our efforts to achieve our Energy & Climate targets, and are particularly interested in having a direct and positive impact on the communities and regions in which we are active. This is fully in line with Borealis’ purpose of re-inventing for more sustainable living."

“By expanding our collaboration with Borealis for renewable power in the Nordic countries, we are glad to have found a forward-looking partner that we can support in reaching their sustainability goals,” says Tomas Sjoberg, Managing Director Axpo Sverige AB.

We remind, Borealis will implement Honeywell’s UniSim Live software as early adopters to build process models for optimizing operations through virtual process simulation. UniSim Live will allow Borealis to extend the utility of process models to near real-time process monitoring and focus on early event detection by using digital twins to improve plant reliability.

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The bio-content of VISIOMER Terra methacrylate monomers is now certified by DIN CERTCO?the certification body of TUV Rheinland Group?and will include the label “Certified Biobased Product.” DIN CERTCO certifies products using the C14 radiocarbon method and ASTM D 6866:2021 protocol instead of merely calculating the bio-content, said the company.

VISIOMER Specialty Methacrylates are among the most versatile and efficient building blocks of macromolecular chemistry. They serve a broad range of industries and applications and enable individual and sustainable effects for products in adhesives, paints and coatings, among others. Evonik focuses on customized and innovative solutions for replacing hazardous or harmful substances, facilitating weight reduction in composites and reducing carbon footprint.

VISIOMER Terra monomers contain up to 85 percent bio-content and must meet the highest performance requirements as well as have a low hazard potential. Expanding the portfolio of VISIOMER® Terra biobased monomers is part of Evonik’s long-term strategy to protect the environment and mitigate climate change without compromising performance.

In addition to DIN CERTCO certification, VISIOMER Terra products are supported by detailed Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) according to ISO 14040/14044. LCAs are a critical tool assessing various environmental impacts of VISIOMER Terra Specialty Methacrylates throughout their production and support Evonik customers in benchmarking their own products.

“At Evonik we strive to minimize the environmental footprint of our own product while maximizing the handprint in the application. We are energized to develop products with superior sustainability benefits, so called next-generation solutions, in close collaboration with all partners along the value chain. For this purpose, we provide our customers with data from our Life Cycle Assessments”, says Alexander Kehl, Head of Specialty Methacrylates product line.

The portfolio of VISIOMER Terra products is expanding and includes biobased equivalents of well-known monomers as well as new structures from readily available, biobased feedstocks.

We remind, Evonik is selling its site in Lulsdorf (Germany) and the associated cyanuric chloride business in Wesseling (Germany) to International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG, Luxembourg). The agreement was signed on Thursday. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Lulsdorf is a substantial part of the Functional Solutions business line within Evonik’s Performance Materials division. Transfer of ownership is scheduled for mid-2023. The closing of the transaction is subject to antitrust clearance and approval by the competent Evonik committees.

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Borouge’s ‘Made in UAE’ polyethylene materials are used by a leading UAE pipe manufacturer to make 1.8 metre diameter pipes for the cooling water system of the new Borouge 4 complex, said the company.

Union Pipes Industry (UPI), one of the MENA region’s manufacturers of large and durable pipes and a long-term value chain partner, used Borouge’s innovative materials to produce 2 kilometres of polyethylene pipes which have a flow rate of approximately 26,000 cubic meters per hour, equivalent to filling a 25-metre swimming pool in less than one minute. Localising the manufacturing of the pipes allowed for the production of very long length pipes, with each segment measuring 24 metres, unlike the industry standard of approximately 12 metres. Long length pipes require less joints and welds, enabling faster and safer installation. For these benefits, the pipes were selected for the Borouge 4 project.

Khalfan AlMuhairi, Senior Vice President Region MEAE, Borouge: “Our materials are specifically designed using Borstar® technology, for the production of thick-walled polyethylene pipes. By offering more durable and reliable pipe solutions, Borouge continues to boost the sustainability of pipe networks by making them safer, longer lasting and more efficient. This helps eliminate water leakage whilst at the same time offering energy savings.”

Borouge’s innovative and non-metallic pipe solutions are durable and allow the pipes to have a long service life of over 50 years. Borouge’s polyethylene materials are also lightweight and able to withstand ground movements and are the material of choice for key municipal projects in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Committed to sustainability, Borouge has a track record of contributing to the success of a wide range of mega projects worldwide by supplying its innovative polyethylene materials that are 100% recyclable. Solutions and material produced by Borouge are favoured over conventional materials which struggle with water losses. They also ensure a significant reduction in carbon footprint compared to conventional pipes, making them invaluable component of modern infrastructure.

Borouge is well known for supplying a cost-effective solution for pipe producers while delivering quality assurance in accordance with national and international standards. Borouge continues to offer leading, high performance polyethylene materials when it comes to facilitating access to clean drinking water, improving distribution networks for gas and water.

Using ‘Made in UAE’ materials produced by Borouge to make pipes made by UPI to be installed in a world class petrochemical production facility in the UAE is in line with Borouge’s commitment to support the UAE In-Country Value (ICV) Programme and aligned with the ‘Make It in The Emirates’ initiative.

We remind, Borouge Plc, a leading petrochemical company that provides innovative and differentiated polyolefin solutions, has entered into a Distribution Agreement with one of the biggest polyolefin distributors in East Africa, Somochem.

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Technip Energies has been awarded a contract by Ningbo Juhua Chemical & Science Co., Ltd. (Juhua) for a 1,3-propanediol (PDO) plant with a capacity of 72 kta(1) and a 150 kta polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) plant in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

These two products are based on Technip Energies’ proprietary Zimmer PDO and PTT technologies to strengthen and expand Juhua’s petrochemical new materials business while improving its competitiveness. Technip Energies will provide the licenses, Basic Design Packages and proprietary equipment for both technologies, as well as Detail Design services. This PDO technology was originally developed by Shell and Shell Catalysts & Technologies will be the catalyst supplier to the PDO plant.

For Technip Energies, this is the first commercial scale application of the Zimmer PDO technology. PDO is a colorless, odorless organic chemical that can be used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and plastics manufacturing fields. It is also the feedstock for PTT, a high performance and versatile polyester, used in the manufacturing of high quality carpet and textiles.

Bhaskar Patel, SVP Sustainable Fuels, Chemicals and Circularity of Technip Energies, stated: “We are very pleased that Juhua has selected two of our polymer technologies for the expansion of their facility in Ningbo. This is the first commercial scale application of our PDO technology, which produces a high quality monomer with excellent raw material utilization as feedstock for our PTT technology. "

We remind, Technip Energies announces the award of a contract for the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) phase of LanzaTech’s DRAGON Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Project based on LanzaJet Alcohol to Jet (ATJ) Technology, on track to be one of the first commercial SAF facilities in the UK.

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