BASF in Korea starts to supply biomass balanced MDI

BASF announced that its Yeosu site in Korea has successfully produced the first biomass balanced (BMB) methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), said the company.

This milestone development underlines BASF's commitment to building a more sustainable MDI value chain. MDI is a key component in the production of polyurethane, which is widely used in industries such as automotive, construction, and electronics.

Traditionally, MDI is produced from fossil-based raw materials. With the increasing global demand for sustainable solutions, BASF has now developed biomass balanced MDI, made with biomass-balanced benzene. At the beginning of the production chain, the renewable feedstock needed to produce the biomass balanced benzene has been fed into the production system. A corresponding share of the renewable feedstock is then attributed to the MDI by means of a certified mass balance method. Certification of BASF's biomass balanced products is carried out according to recognized standards like REDcert2 or ISCC PLUS.

Using renewable raw material in the production system helps improve the product carbon footprint (PCF) of our customers along the value chain in comparison to the regular MDI solely based on conventional feedstock. The biomass balanced MDI produced at the Yeosu site will be supplied to customers in the Asia Pacific region, further supporting BASF's goal of providing sustainable solutions to meet the growing demands of its customers in the region.

We remind, BASF and NEVEON provide hotel with recycled mattresses. Together, the two companies have taken another step forward on their journey toward a circular economy. Using an innovative recycling process developed by BASF, it is now possible to produce polyol on a ton scale that is derived entirely from used mattresses.

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LyondellBasell Industries NV (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) announced has acquired a 50% stake in Stiphout Industries B.V. Stiphout is involved in the sourcing and processing of post-consumer plastic packaging waste, said the company.

The company operates a facility located in Montfort, the Netherlands, with an annual processing capacity equivalent to the amount of plastic packaging waste generated by over 500,000 Dutch citizens per year.

“Investing in Stiphout aligns with our strategy to invest in recycling and plastic waste processing companies that support our existing assets in the Netherlands and Germany and fits with our integrated hub model,” says Yvonne van der Laan, LyondellBasell Executive Vice President, Circular and Low Carbon Solutions. “Through this collaboration, we can leverage local synergies with our Quality Circular Polymers business in terms of logistics and operations. It also unlocks possibilities to further expand our CirculenRecover portfolio, creating solutions for customers and brand owners in support of their circular and low-carbon targets”.

Stiphout was founded in 2015 and has over time built up experience in the processing of plastic household waste into clean flakes of recycled polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) materials, establishing itself as an innovative player in the Netherlands.

We remind, LyondellBasell announced that Jiangsu Fenghai High-Tech Materials Co., Ltd. (Jiangsu Fenghai) has selected the LyondellBasell Lupotech T high-pressure polyethylene technology for a new production site. The Lupotech T process technology will be used for a 200 kiloton per year (KTA) vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) line. The new line will be located in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, P.R. of China.

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Since the start of the Ukrainian conflict, Russia, a leading global oil producer, has cemented its energy ties with China, the world's No. 2 oil consumer after the United States, said Reuters.

Beijing has rejected Western criticism of its growing partnership with Moscow in light of Russia's conflict in Ukraine. It insists the ties do not flout international norms, and China has the prerogative to collaborate with whichever country it chooses.

According to China's customs data, the growth of China's exports and imports with Russia on a year-on-year basis quickened in September from August.

Bilateral trade value surged to USD21.18 billion last month, the highest since February 2022 when Russia started its military operation in Ukraine.

Last month, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said China-Russian economic and trade cooperation had deepened and become more "solid" under the "strategic guidance" of their two leaders. Following is a list of some key energy projects and developments between Russia and China.

Russia exports around 2.0 million barrels of oil per day to China, accounting for more than a third of its total crude oil exports. China is Russia's second-largest buyer of Russian oil after India. About 40% of supplies flow via the 4,070-km (2,540-mile) East Siberia Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline that was financed by Chinese loans worth an estimated $50 billion.

From January to September, Russia supplied 1.3 million bpd of seaborne crude, based on the average of data supplied by Vortexa and Kpler. China also imported about 800,000 bpd of ESPO crude via pipeline, according to Chinese trading sources.

The seaborne imports are mainly ESPO shipped from Russia's Pacific port of Kozmino as well as Urals from the Baltic Sea. From January to September, total Russian shipments grew by over 400,000 bpd from a year earlier, led by Urals, according to tanker tracker Vortexa.

China has this year saved $4.34 billion by importing Russian oil, based on Reuters' comparison of the monthly price differentials between ESPO and Tupi crude from Brazil, and Urals versus Oman, using price information provided by traders.

We remind, private Russian oil producer Lukoil will lend Azeri state oil firm Socar $1.5 B as part of a broader deal that will allow Socar's 200,000-barrel-per-day Turkish STAR refinery to process Russian crude again. The deal will give Lukoil another customer in close proximity to Russian ports after most European refiners stopped importing its crude to comply with European Union sanctions imposed after Moscow launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine in 2022.

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BASF has expanded capacities for ethylene oxide and ethylene oxide derivatives at its Verbund site in Antwerp, Belgium, said the company.

The investment adds about 400,000 metric tons per year to BASF's production capacity for the corresponding products. “With the new plants we are supporting the continuous growth of our customers and are enhancing our market position in Europe,” says Hartwig Michels, President Petrochemicals, BASF. The investment, exceeding €500 million, comprises a second world-scale ethylene oxide plant, including capacity for purified ethylene oxide.

In addition to ethylene oxide, the investment includes additional capacities for alkoxylates, which are derivatives of ethylene oxide and used in a wide range of applications such as in detergent and cleaning, automotive and construction industry. “Acting with the future in mind is key to our continued success in the European market. With this expansion, we will accelerate growth for us and our customers in Europe”, says Mary Kurian, President Care Chemicals, BASF.

The expanded ethylene oxide and derivatives complex is also a major investment for the site in Antwerp. “The investment underlines the importance of our site for the BASF-group and creates further opportunities. To operate these world-scale installations, BASF Antwerp welcomed over 100 new colleagues; this number comes on top of the regular hires.”, says Jan Remeysen, CEO of BASF Antwerp.

We remind, BASF and NEVEON provide hotel with recycled mattresses. Together, the two companies have taken another step forward on their journey toward a circular economy. Using an innovative recycling process developed by BASF, it is now possible to produce polyol on a ton scale that is derived entirely from used mattresses.

mrchub.com

Origin Materials, Inc., the world’s leading carbon negative materials company with a mission to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials, announced the commencement of commercial-scale production at Origin 1, located in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, the first commercial plant of its kind, said the company.

The state-of-the-art plant scales up the Company’s core technology platform for converting sustainable wood residues into intermediate chemicals, including CMF, HTC, and oils and extractives. Origin 1 enables, for the first time, the commercial-scale production of Origin’s versatile chemical building-blocks, which can decarbonize and improve the performance of a wide range of end-products, including bio-based apparel and textiles, green tires for the automotive industry, and bio-based and fully recyclable packaging, targeting a ~$1 trillion addressable market.

“This start of production at Origin 1 is a key inflection point in our effort to decarbonize the world’s physical goods,” said John Bissell, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Origin Materials. “As an operating chemical plant, Origin 1 proves our technology’s scalability and brings online an important manufacturing capability that helps us meet the growing demand for our technology and products as the world moves aggressively to a zero-carbon future. We are excited to expand the deployment of our platform now that we have achieved commercial-scale production.”

We remind, KBR hydrogen technology has been selected by Hanwha Impact Corporation to make up part of its commercial ammonia cracking unit in Daesan, South Korea, said the company. Under a license and engineering design contract, KBR will supply its H2ACT™ technology make up the ammonia cracking unit to convert the carrier back into hydrogen before use in a planned power plant.

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