New Trinseo PMMA depolymerization plant reimagines plastics value chain with sustainability in mind

Trinseo, a specialty material solutions provider, is helping advance the potential of sustainable plastics with the inauguration of its next generation, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) depolymerization plant in Rho, Italy, said the company.

Scheduled to be commissioned in Q1 2024, this demonstration facility marks a pivotal step towards reshaping the plastics ecosystem as part of the circular economy. PMMA, renowned for its versatility in various applications, will be transformed through this advanced recycling and purification process where it can go back into the plastics value chain and support the goal of circularity.

This depolymerization operation will be designed to enable the efficient recycling of end-of-life PMMA, as well as other difficult to recycle structures, which will ultimately be used to produce acrylic resins, sheets, and compounds containing recycled materials.

Depolymerization is a chemical recycling technology which is complementary to more traditional mechanical recycling processes. While mechanical recycling is vital to a successful circular economy, depolymerization creates brand new opportunities by reducing the polymer back to its constituent monomers. This allows for the recycling of a wider variety of PMMA-based materials, supporting an increase in recycled content and overall recycling rates, and helping reduce the manufacturing demand for virgin materials.

“Innovation in recycling technologies is imperative to effectively recycle various types of materials. This new facility is yet another major achievement towards a scalable system with the goal of making PMMA a truly circular material of high quality,” said Trinseo’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Francesca Reverberi. “When combined with our own in-house sourcing and treatment of collected materials through our Heathland recycling operation, our PMMA depolymerization plant will offer a high-performance solution for a world increasingly looking for new ways to address sustainability in the plastics supply chain,” added Reverberi.

We remind, Trinseo, a specialty material solutions provider, today announced its decision to discontinue operations at its ethylbenzene styrene monomer (EBSM) manufacturing facility in Terneuzen, the Netherlands, said the company.

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PJSC LUKOIL received the Grand Prix and first prizes in three other categories at Eventiada 2023 Awards, the largest mass communications contest, said the company.

LUKOIL's Telegram channel received award as the best in digital/social media category for its original ProRun online project, which included photo and video reports, broadcasts from marathons, guessing games, and giveaways. The jury praised the media coverage received by the livestreams of the semi-marathon that LUKOIL organized in Kogalym. Thanks to this new format, the subscribers could follow the run online and watch live commentary by Olympic champions and professional sportsmen.

The marathon was a part of LUKOIL's complex Kogalym Is a Centre of Economic Growth project. The latter was named the best corporate infrastructure initiative and received the ESG Grand Prix. The jury noted that, thanks to the Company's support, unique facilities that have no parallel in the Russian North were constructed there. Among them are a branch of the State Academic Maly Theatre, the Galaktika sports and culture centre with an aquarium, a cultural and exhibition centre of the Russian Museum, and a branch of Perm Polytech University.

LUKOIL Group 2022 Sustainability Report was named the best non-financial report. The Eventiada 2023 jury highly praised the integration of economic, environmental and social goals and objectives into the corporate decision-making system.

We remind, Romania's Petrotel Lukoil refinery, owned by Russia's Lukoil, will shut for one month from Wednesday for planned maintenance works, online news website Profit.ro reported. Lukoil's Romanian unit has a relatively small market share compared to bigger refineries in the country. The refinery uses alternative fuel supplies and is not affected by a ban on Russian imports.

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Equinor UK Ltd. has extended its contract with Wood for operations, maintenance, modifications, and offshore services on the Mariner A platform and Mariner B floating storage unit on Mariner field in the UK North Sea, said Ogj.

Wood also will deliver front-end concept and feasibility studies, detailed design, construction, and commissioning services for future project developments. The contract will be delivered by Wood’s team in Aberdeen and offshore North Sea.

We remind, Equinor has reported the start of test production at its 60 MW Zagorzyca solar facility in Poland. Situated in the Damnica municipality in the north of the country, the Polish project would yield 61 GWh/y of renewable energy that is equal to the power use of 31,000 local homes. It would operate for three decades. The launch of Equinor's second Polish solar unit is a move towards making a strong renewable portfolio in the country. The project was developed by the Norwegian company's 100%-held arm, Wento. The latter will also run the solar unit.

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Chevron expects 2024 capital expenditures (capex) of $15.5bn-16.5bn for its subsidiaries and $3bn for its affiliates, the US-based energy major said on Wednesday.

Two-thirds of its planned $14bn upstream spending is allocated to the US, including $6.5bn to develop its US shale and tight portfolio. About 80% of its estimated $1.5bn downstream spending is allocated to the US. Both budgets include about $2bn in lower carbon capex.

For its affiliates capex, about a third is for its Chevron Phillips Chemical (CP Chem) joint venture, including the Golden Triangle Polymers Project in the US and Ras Laffan Petrochemical Project in Qatar.

Qatar Energy and CP Chem began construction on the $8.5bn Golden Triangle Polymers Project integrated cracker in March. The companies secured $4.4bn funding for the Qatar cracker and polymers complex in October. Start-up for both projects are expected in 2026.

Meanwhile, nearly half of Chevron’s affiliates capex will be for its Tengizchevroil’s integrated Future Growth Project – Wellhead Pressure Management Project (FGP-WPMP) project in Kazakhstan, with WPMP field conversion to start up in H1 2024.

With the acquisition of PDC Energy, Chevron announced an annual capex guidance of $14bn-16bn through 2027. Chevron's $53bn acquisition of US oil major Hess Corp is expected to close in H1 2024. Chevron produces crude oil and natural gas and manufactures transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and additives.

We remind, Chevron Lummus Global LLC announced the completion and successful startup of an ISOTERRA unit as part of Chevron's renewable fuel conversion project at their El Segundo Refinery in Southern California. The ISOTERRA unit leverages both the refinery's existing assets and Chevron Lummus Global's proprietary catalyst and reactor internals technology to achieve exceptional diesel yields.

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Cepsa, which is owned by Mubadala and Carlyle, and C2X, an independent company majority owned by A.P. Moller Holding with A.P. Moller – Maersk as minority owner, announce a joint ambition to develop a green methanol plant in the port of Huelva, southern Spain, said the company.

Green methanol is made by using green hydrogen and non-fossil sources of carbon captured from the atmosphere or from agricultural and forestry waste and can replace fossil methanol, reducing carbon emissions in hard-to-abate industries such as long-distance shipping and other industries such as chemicals and plastics.

The project’s aim is to reach an estimated annual production capacity of 300,000 tons of green methanol, which Cepsa calculates would prevent the emission of up to 1 million tons of CO2. The plant would have the capacity to reach a maximum production of 380,000 tons. A final investment decision for this project, which would entail an investment of up to €1 billion, is expected to be made in 2025.

If approved, the project has the opportunity to create 2,500 direct and indirect jobs, further supporting the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley being developed by Cepsa and its partners with an ambition to reach a green hydrogen production capacity of 2GW by 2030. Some of the green hydrogen produced will supply the new green methanol facility.

We remind, Cepsa has begun to search for and develop projects for the construction and operation of biomethane production plants from agricultural and livestock waste to decarbonize its industrial activity, replacing the use of natural gas with this renewable gas.

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