Nouryon begins full-scale production at Expancel expandable microspheres plant in the US

MRC -- Nouryon, a global specialty chemicals leader, announced today that it has started full-scale production at its new Expancel expandable microspheres plant in Green Bay, Wisconsin, US, said the company.

The launch of the new plant is an important milestone to better serve specialty additives customers in North America in the packaging, construction, mining, and automotive industries, and complements the Company’s existing full-scale plant in Sundsvall, Sweden, and product expansion facilities in China and Brazil.

Expancel® expandable microspheres are used as a lightweight filler and blowing agent to make customers’ end products lighter, incorporate high-performing insulation properties or better reflect light to reduce energy consumption, cost, and environmental impact. These properties are valued across a number of applications including cool roof coatings and automotive coatings and body fillers.

“Nouryon continues to invest in developing solutions that support our customers’ sustainability targets while boosting the performance of their end-products,” said Larry Ryan, President at Nouryon. “Our customers around the world rely on our Expancel® expandable microspheres and we are pleased to expand our capacity to meet growing demand.”

Customers also use Expancel® expandable microspheres to enhance products in applications including curbside recyclable packaging materials, freeze- and thaw-resistant concrete, as well as sealants and coatings applications in the construction industry where prevention of cracks and water absorption are essential to prolong the life of weather-exposed building materials.

We remind, Nouryon today announced that its nine manufacturing sites in Brazil are now powered with electricity solely from renewable energy sources, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a low-carbon economy. Nouryon has 60 manufacturing sites around the world with nine in Brazil, which represent 25 percent of the Company’s total electricity usage. This achievement is part of the Company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint.

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MRC -- A fire that broke out in early hours of Sunday at the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region was promptly extinguished, the region's emergency security authorities said after social media reports of powerful blasts shaking the refinery, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

"There were no casualties, no infrastructure was damaged, and there is no threat to the enterprise or residents of nearby settlements," the emergency administration authority of the Krasnodar region, which lies on coast of the Black Sea, said on its Telegram messaging app. It did not provide information on what caused the fire.

Baza and Shot, two Russian news outlets with good security sources, said that the fire at the refinery, which lies 50 miles (80 km) east of the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, one of Russia's most important oil export gateways, was caused by a drone attack. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

Earlier, Russia's defense ministry, without providing much detail, said that its air defense systems destroyed 36 Ukraine-launched drones over the Black Sea and the northwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, but Kyiv has been increasingly trying to undermine Moscow's war efforts with frequent drone and saboteur attacks on Russia's military and transport infrastructure away from the frontline.

The Afipsky plant, which was last attacked in May, can process around 6 million tons (44 million barrels) of oil each year. The port of Novorossiisk, together with the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, bring about 1.5% of global oil to market.

The Krasnodar region is connected to Crimea - which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014 - via the Crimean Bridge, itself a site of several Kyiv attacks over the course of the war that Russia launched against its neighbor 20 months ago.

We remind, Russia has sent record volumes of sea-borne fuel oil and vacuum gasoil to India in September, replacing some crude oil volumes, traders said and LSEG data showed. The move will cement India's position as the top buyer of Russian crude and products at the expense of shipments by previously dominant OPEC producers, allowing Moscow to collect stable and rising revenue despite Western sanctions.

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MRC -- Energy efficiency improvement is a significant contributor to the achievement of the Paris Agreement objectives, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Nectis aims at contributing to this effort in promoting the application of Spiral Tube Heat Exchangers (STHE) to unlock heat integration opportunities in demanding process services. Zhenhai Petrochemical Jianan Engineering Co. Ltd (ZPJE) - a reputed designer and manufacturer of STHE with more than 1600 equipment sold, and Axens, a key player in energy transition, and a well-established technology, products, equipment and services provider with an extensive process technology knowledge, join forces in establishing Nectis, a France-based company targeting the promotion and sales of STHE to the process industry outside of China.

Axens and ZPJE have started their cooperation in 2015 in the frame of worldscale Crude to Chemicals projects in China. The excellent reliability and performance observed in industrial units inside and outside of China has led them to the establishment of Nectis, aiming at the promotion and sale of STHE outside of China, and supporting the process industry at large in its effort to reduce its carbon footprint.

ZPJE has developed a unique expertise in applying Spiral Tube Heat Exchangers (STHE) to refining, petrochemicals, gas processing industries. This technology has been chosen by more than 300 customers cumulating the equivalent of 7050 years of efficient and reliable operation. Thanks to patented design and manufacturing techniques, ZPJE technology features a unique track record of thermal efficiency and operational robustness. STHE proven ability to handle heavy or fouling refinery streams opens up a wide array of energy efficiency opportunities for new process units as well as existing assets.

Zhang Xian’an, VP at ZPJE, stated “ZPJE STHE technology has proven its efficiency and robustness in our home market in the last 20 years. We are thrilled to partner with Axens and believe Nectis will contribute to offer customers innovative solutions and easy services. ZPJE will support Nectis to make its efficient, reliable and unique technology available around the world.

Jacques Rault, EVP Technology & Technical Support at Axens, said “We are proud to be ZPJE partner in Nectis. We believe that through this vehicle and thanks to our extensive process knowledge, Axens can contribute to the adoption of STHE by the industry and support its efforts to reduce their carbon footprint thanks to energy efficiency improvement”.

We remind, Axens has signed an agreement with KazMunayGas (KMG) to supply the process design package for its proprietary AlphaButol technology for producing high-purity 1-butene, which is required for producing PE. KMG has plans for a 1.2 million t/y PE plant in Atyrau, Kazakhstan. French technology and engineering group Axens has signed an agreement with KazMunayGas (KMG) to supply the process design package for its proprietary AlphaButol technology that produces high-purity 1-butene, which is required for producing PE. KMG plans to build a 1.2 million t/y PE plant in the Atyrau region of Kazakhstan – a timescale for the project has not been disclosed.

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MRC -- Linde has highlighted an operating profit of $2.1bn in its third quarter (Q3) 2023 results, an increase of 15% compared with Q3 2022, said the company.

The company also reported sales at $8.2bn, down 7% year-on-year (YoY), while underlying sales were up by 3%. Linde reported a net income of $1.5bn and diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.19%, up 23% and 26%.

Excluding Linde purchase accounting impacts and other charged, adjusted net income was $1.78bn, up 15% versus prior year, with adjusted EPS reaching $3.63, 17% above prior year. Q3 operating cash flow of $2.5bn decreased 4% versus prior year, driven primarily by lower engineering payments.

After capital expenditures of $948m, free cash flow was $1.57bn. During the quarter, the company returned $1.78bn to shareholders through dividends and stock repurchase, net of issuances.

“Linde employees delivered another quarter of strong results, with EPS growth of 17%, ROC of 25.6%, OCF of $2.5bn and operating margin expansion of 550 basis points to 28.3%,” said Sanjiv Lama, CEO of Linde.

“This performance is driven by our relentless culture to optimise the base business while increasing network density and deploying capital to high-quality growth initiatives.”

We remind, Linde plc announced its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.275 per share. The dividend is payable on December 18, 2023 to shareholders of record on December 4, 2023. The Board of Directors also approved a new share repurchase program for up to $15 billion of Linde's ordinary shares. The company has $2 billion of repurchase authority available under its previously announced buyback authorization from February 2022, giving it $17 billion available for stock repurchases under these programs.

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MRC -- Carbios announces that it has been granted the building permit and operating authorization for the world’s first polyethylene terephthalate (PET) biorecycling plant, allowing construction to start, said the company.

The facility is set to be constructed in Longlaville, France, adjacent to strategic partner Indorama Ventures' PET production plant. Expected to be operational by 2025, this facility will address plastic pollution by offering industrial-scale enzymatic recycling for PET waste. Carbios' technology supports PET circularity, offering an eco-friendly alternative to virgin fossil-based materials. With a processing capacity of 50,000 tons of post-consumer PET waste per year, it can create 150 jobs and assist various industries in meeting regulatory and sustainability requirements.

Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios commented “Everything is now in place so that construction of our plant can officially begin! We obtained the permits in line with the announced schedule, and we are eager to deliver a facility of great local and international significance for a circular economy of plastic."

The plant, strategically located near the borders of Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg, benefits from convenient waste supply. Carbios' biorecycling technology processes complex waste and produces food-grade products, enhancing supply flexibility. Carbios and Indorama Ventures will collaborate to ensure a steady feedstock supply for the Longlaville plant. The supply potential could reach 400,000 tons by 2023 and up to 500,000 tons by 2030 with improved selective collection.

We remind, Carbios and its subsidiary Carbiolice have signed a development agreement with Danish enzymes producer Novozymes. Under the terms of the multi-year deal, Novozymes will upscale and produce Carbios’s proprietary plastic-degrading enzymes and supply them exclusively to Carbiolice, which will commercialize a new generation of products that will enable single-use plastics to be fully biodegradable.

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