Clariant’s catalyst chosen for Shenghong’s new world-scale biodegradable plastics project

Clariant, a sustainability-focused specialty chemical company, today announced that it has been awarded a major contract by Jiangsu Shenghong Petrochemical Co., Ltd, to use Clariant’s SynDane 3142 LA catalyst for its new maleic anhydride (MA) production plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

With a production capacity of 200,000 tons per year, the new plant slated for start of production in 2025, will be one of the largest production plants for MA worldwide.

The plant in Lianyungang will produce maleic anhydride as an intermediate product for polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), which in turn will function as a base product for biodegradable plastic. Using the SynDane catalyst, Shenghong Petrochemical will be able to improve production efficiency and reduce power consumption, leading to annual energy savings of up to 24 million CNY.

Xaver Karsunke, Head of Clariant Specialty Catalysts, commented: “Sustainability is at the heart of our company strategy to drive change by partnering with our customers to develop sustainable, efficient solutions. We are excited to support Shenghong in this ambitious and important project to address the plastic waste problem and maximize their energy savings during MA production with our innovative SynDane catalyst.”

We remind, Clariant posted a 28% decrease on earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in the third quarter amid lower prices and volumes. Clariant expects to see an easing inflationary environment, but no economic recovery in the final three months of 2023, with macroeconomic uncertainties and risks remaining. Despite that, Clariant confirms its sales guidance for the full year 2023 of Swfr4.55bn–4.65bn, it said.

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Pertamina expects to complete the capacity upgrade at its Balikpapan refinery in April next year, Nicke Widyawati, chief executive of Pertamina, the parent company of PHE, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Pertamina is expanding Balikpapan's capacity to 360,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) from 260,000 bpd currently. The refinery would also be able to produce fuel to Euro V emission standards.

"In April next year, Indonesia will have an additional capacity of 100,000 bpd so the total will be 1.125 million bpd," Nicke told the same committee, adding that the upgrade to produce Euro V fuel will be complete in November.

On the upstream side, Indonesia's state oil company Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE) estimated its oil and gas production this year at 1.043 MMbpd, up 8% from last year, its chief executive Wiko Migantoro said on Tuesday.

For 2024, the company plans to produce 1.071 million BOEPD of oil and gas, Wiko told a parliamentary committee overseeing the energy sector. The production covers both its domestic and overseas operations.

Meanwhile, Pertamina plans to invest $5.71 B next year in its upstream operations, up from this year's $4 billion, Wiko added.

We remind, Indonesia's Kilang Pertamina Internasional, the refinery unit of state energy firm Pertamina, aims to finish revamping its petrochemical plant Trans-Pacific Petrochemical Indorama in the fourth quarter of this year.
TPPI's aromatic refining capacity will increase from 600,000 tonnes to 780,000 metric tons per year after the upgrade, chief executive Taufik Aditiyawarman told parliament on Tuesday. The plant, located in Tuban, East Java, produces products like paraxylene, benzene and light naphta, among others. Elsewhere in Tuban, Pertamina is building a new petrochemical plant with Russia's Rosneft.

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The head of Iran's National Petrochemical Company announced a $4.2 B investment in domestic projects to enhance self-sufficiency and complete the petrochemical industry's value chain, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The projects, including the production of propylene, methanol, ethylene, aromatics, and butylene, have an annual nominal capacity of 3.8 MMt and a production value of $4.4 billion.

The petrochemical industry is vital to Iran's non-oil economy, representing the second-largest source of revenue after crude oil. NPC aims to increase its annual petrochemical production capacity to 200 million tons in the next decade.

Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji revealed plans for over 100 petrochemical projects with a total investment of about $70 billion, and the goal of achieving self-sufficiency in producing petrochemical catalysts by August 2025.

We remind, Russia has lifted restrictions on gasoline exports, the energy ministry said on Friday, after scrapping most restrictions on exports of diesel last month, saying there was a surplus of supply while wholesale prices had declined. It said it could reimpose export bans if necessary, adding that stocks of gasoline had risen to around 2 million metric tons.

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XRG Technologies, a leader in fired equipment engineering and design, and BayoTech, a leader in hydrogen production, transportation, and storage solutions, announced a new partnership to design and build a proprietary high performance reforming furnace, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

In this next generation reformer design, XRG will utilize their combustion expertise and CFD modeling capabilities to tailor heat flux profiles to BayoTech’s proprietary reactor design, enabling more hydrogen production with the same energy input.

BayoTech is accelerating the hydrogen revolution through greater accessibility, starting with its first production plant in Missouri. This next generation reformer furnace will be incorporated into future facilities as BayoTech establishes a network of localized hydrogen production hubs in the US. Producing on a small scale with proprietary technology, BayoTech’s goal is to make reliable, cost-effective, low-carbon hydrogen accessible.

XRG Technologies is focused on combining diverse expertise with advanced simulation tools to develop innovative combustion and heat transfer solutions, enabling the industry to achieve energy efficiency and environmental stewardship goals.

Tom Korb, XRG’s VP of Technology and Commercial Development, elaborated: “XRG is pleased to partner with BayoTech in our shared vision of making the hydrogen economy a reality. This partnership is especially productive because both companies operate with an innovation and first-mover mindset. Through close collaboration, XRG and BayoTech will co-develop the next generation reformer which will improve BayoTech’s hydrogen generation system performance and accelerate the introduction of hydrogen to the transportation system and beyond.”

We remind, Russia has lifted restrictions on gasoline exports, the energy ministry said on Friday, after scrapping most restrictions on exports of diesel last month, saying there was a surplus of supply while wholesale prices had declined. It said it could reimpose export bans if necessary, adding that stocks of gasoline had risen to around 2 million metric tons.


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Three oil tankers, newly sanctioned by Washington, regularly shipped Sokol crude from Russia's Far East to Indian Oil Corp, the country's top refiner, in recent months, according to shiptracking data from LSEG, Kpler and trade sources, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on maritime companies and vessels for shipping Russian oil sold above the Group of Seven's price cap, as Washington seeks to close loopholes in the mechanism designed to punish Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

The Liberian-flagged ships hit with sanctions are the Kazan, Ligovsky Prospect and NS Century, according to the Treasury Department. All three Aframax-sized tankers discharged Russian Sokol crude in India in September while two of them made the trip in October, the data showed.

In the short-term, sanctions may reduce the number of ships carrying Russian oil and prompt India to seek supplies elsewhere, but they are unlikely to stop the trade altogether due to its lucrative nature, several traders who declined to be named, said.

As long as there are willing buyers, sellers and shippers will always find a way to make the oil flow, one trader said. One trader also said India may seek supply from the Mediterranean and North Sea to replace Russian Sokol.

NS Century is currently on its way to discharge Sokol crude at Vadinar port in Gujarat for Indian Oil Corp (IOC) on Nov. 25, LSEG and Kpler data showed. IOC buys Sokol under an annual contract with Russian oil major Rosneft. A spike in global prices led to Russian oil being sold at above the price caps imposed by western nations of $60 a barrel.

The three vessels last year obtained safety certification from the Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), according to its website. Ligovsky Prospect and Kazan, managed by Oil Tanker (SCF) Management-FZCO, were certified on Sept. 14, and May 7 last year, according to IRClass website. NS Century, managed by Dubai-based Sun Ship management (D) Ltd was certified on Sept. 15, 2022.

Societies such as London-headquartered Lloyd's Register, the American Bureau of Shipping and IRClass provide services, such as seaworthiness checks and certification, which are vital for securing insurance and entry to ports.

IOC and IRClass did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Sokol crude is produced at the Sakhalin-1 project, managed by a Rosneft subsidiary after the exit of ExxonMobil.

Prior to sanctions and restructuring of the project's ownership, India's ONGC Videsh, the overseas investment arm of state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp, and Sakhalin Oil and Gas Development Co (SODECO), a consortium of Japanese firms had a stake in the project.

We remind, Russia has lifted restrictions on gasoline exports, the energy ministry said on Friday, after scrapping most restrictions on exports of diesel last month, saying there was a surplus of supply while wholesale prices had declined. It said it could reimpose export bans if necessary, adding that stocks of gasoline had risen to around 2 million metric tons.

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