SIBUR attains the largest portfolio of climate projects among Russian companies

The Russian Registry of Carbon Units has welcomed three new climate projects by SIBUR implemented at its facilities in Nizhnekamsk, Tomsk, and Dzerzhinsk, said the company.

Their implementation is expected to secure a combined GHG reduction of over 6 million tonnes of CO2-eq. until 2032. According to the Russian Registry of Carbon Units, SIBUR now holds the largest portfolio of projects to reduce СO2 emissions among Russian businesses.

The climate project at Nizhnekamskneftekhim involves utilising the facility’s by-products at its own combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant to generate electricity. This helps decrease the consumption of natural gas, ramping down greenhouse gas emissions.

The climate project at Sibur-Neftekhim aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving energy efficiency in the production of ethylene oxide and glycols. Gas coolers installed in the facility's production area enable the recovery of additional steam from the waste heat generated during the production process, which is then utilised for the production of ethylene oxide and glycols. As a result, the boiler house now consumes less natural gas.

As part of the Tomskneftekhim climate project, the overheated steam from monomer production is directed to a turbine generator. This enables the production of polyethylene using self-generated energy, eliminating the reliance on grid electricity derived from fossil fuel combustion.

All the climate projects have been fully endorsed by validating organisations, including Innopolis University and the CIS Member States Coordination and Information Centre for Regulatory Convergence, that confirmed their compliance with the GOST R ISO 14064-3-2021 standard.

We remind, SIBUR, Russia's largest producer of polymers and rubbers, summarised the company's key operational results for 2023 at the Ruplastica international trade fair, which was held in Moscow on 23–26 January 2024. In 2023, SIBUR ramped up the sales of its key products, with the share of supplies to the Russian market rising to 75%. Since 2021, SIBUR has been consistently increasing its sales in the domestic market, which is the Company's priority, by reducing export sales and continues to stimulate further growth in local polymer processing and reducing imports of finished polymer products.

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Sidel has introduced its latest innovation, IntelliAdjust, a cutting-edge technology aimed at enhancing quality control in PET bottle production, said Chemanalyst.

This smart bottle-blowing control system is designed to empower manufacturers to consistently produce high-quality PET bottles, ensuring uniform quality under various production conditions such as preform storage, workshop temperature, and relative humidity.

At the heart of IntelliAdjust is interferometric sensor technology, operating within a closed loop to achieve precise material distribution and maintain uniform production, even for bottles made from recycled PET (rPET). The system's in-line, autonomous bottle control and real-time digitized process adjustments contribute to optimal material distribution, ensuring a seamless production process.

When integrated with Sidel's Evo-On software suite, IntelliAdjust offers the aggregation of equipment data and dynamic analytics features. This integration enables historical and 24/7 real-time analysis, providing manufacturers with valuable insights into their production processes. Stephane Menard, Product Manager for Blowing Care at Sidel, emphasized the user-friendly nature of this blowing solution, stating that it maximizes the number of marketable bottles by consistently ensuring high-quality control.

Menard elaborated that IntelliAdjust counteracts production line variations by employing algorithms to recognize measured thickness deviations. He mentioned that the system automatically corrects the heating and blowing parameters, ensuring a consistent quality level without any interruptions. This dynamic correction mechanism ensures that the system adapts to deviations in thickness measurements, thereby maintaining a high standard of quality during the production process.

As the industry witnesses an increasing demand for extreme lightweighting and higher rPET content, the blow molding process becomes more crucial. IntelliAdjust demonstrates its versatility by catering to a diverse range of PET preforms, including translucent, opaque, colored (non-TiO2), and virgin preforms with up to 100% rPET content. This adaptability proves beneficial for manufacturers looking to incorporate rPET, given the variability in material grades from multiple sources.

One of the system's notable features is its ability to secure perfect material distribution on the bottle, mitigating risks associated with resin variability. Sidel's IntelliAdjust presents manufacturers with an opportunity to fully optimize the carbon footprint of their PET packaging. This optimization is achieved not only through increased use of recycled material but also by facilitating lightweighting, contributing to more sustainable packaging solutions.

Operating at speeds of up to 90,000 bottles per hour, IntelliAdjust continuously compares thickness measurements with the expected material distribution. In the event of any deviation, the system automatically adjusts the process, ensuring a seamless and uninterrupted production flow. The calibration-free system simplifies immediate start-ups after changeovers by automatically adapting sensor positioning and processes according to each recipe. Its high accuracy minimizes the need for additional manual laboratory controls, streamlining the overall production process and enhancing efficiency. Sidel's IntelliAdjust stands as a testament to the company's commitment to innovation, quality, and sustainability within the PET bottle manufacturing industry.

We remind, Chevron Lummus Global LLC announced the successful commissioning of the world's largest white oil hydroprocessing unit for Hongrun Petrochemical Co., Ltd. in Weifang, Shandong Province, China. The new plant, which utilizes CLG's ISODEWAXING and ISOFINISHING technologies, consists of two units: a 500,000 metric tons per annum (MTPA) nameplate capacity API Group III lubricating base oil unit with the capability to produce industrial-grade white oil, and a 200,000 metric tons per annum nameplate capacity food grade white oil unit.

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Arkema, a leader in specialty materials, announces another significant milestone in the decarbonization of its acrylic production chain, as the company obtains ISCC+ certification for its acrylic acid and ester production facility located in Taixing, Jiangsu Province, China, said the company.

In the near future, the production of certified bio-attributed materials will extend** to North America, complementing the previously certified acrylic monomers production in Carling, France. This global dynamic will support the progressive introduction of Arkema’s complete range of bio-attributed specialty resins and additives for the low VOC and lower carbon intensive technologies including high solid, waterborne, UV/LED, and polyester powders.

This leading offer will enable customers and global partners to develop next generation sustainable materials for specialty coatings & adhesives applications in electronics, electric vehicle batteries, new energies, 3D printing, as well as home energy efficiency and living comfort improvement.

We remind, Arkema has begun production of Sartomer® specialty UV/LED curing resins at its expanded facility in Nansha, China, where the Group invested to double the capacity, as announced end-2021, said the company. This will support the development of more sustainable solutions for fast-growing applications in Asian markets, such as cutting-edge solutions in electronics, driven by 5G technology, and in renewable energies.

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SIBUR, Russia's largest producer of polymers and rubbers, summarised the company's key operational results for 2023 at the Ruplastica international trade fair, which was held in Moscow on 23–26 January 2024, said the company.

In 2023, SIBUR ramped up the sales of its key products, with the share of supplies to the Russian market rising to 75%. Since 2021, SIBUR has been consistently increasing its sales in the domestic market, which is the Company's priority, by reducing export sales and continues to stimulate further growth in local polymer processing and reducing imports of finished polymer products.

In 2023, polymer consumption in Russia showed a record growth of 10% to 4.4 mt. Four percent of this growth is attributable to joint programmes between SIBUR and customers, such as import substitution of polymers, expansion of processing capacities, and substitution of conventional solutions with those based on polymers. In 2023, SIBUR completed 330 programmes with more than 270 partners, which is equivalent to 176 kt of products.

Off the back of growing demand from Russian processors, in 2023 SIBUR's domestic sales of polypropylene and polyethylene increased by 11% year-on-year, while sales of BOPP films, elastomers, plastics and organic synthesis products grew by 16%, 8%, and 11%, respectively. As the main raw material for polymers and elastomers is LPG, SIBUR's facilities have quadrupled its consumption over the last five years to more than 70% of the fractionation volume, which translated into lower exports of this product.

In 2023, transport showed the most impressive growth in polymer consumption. Since early 2022, SIBUR has developed new grades of polypropylene, polyethylene, ABS, polycarbonate, and rubbers for the transport industry with a potential of more than 90 ktpa. Polymer products are widely used in compounds, batteries, fuel tanks, vibration and noise insulation, and many other car parts to reduce vehicle weight and make it eco-friendlier.

Consumer goods producers also increased their demand for polymers by 7% due to the growth in the country's output of footwear, household appliances, and toys.

The construction industry's demand for polymers exceeded 1.6 mtpa. Since 2022, SIBUR has introduced over 15 new grades to substitute conventional solutions and imports of more than 100 kt of products. The use of polymer materials with their increased energy efficiency and durability in the construction industry and housing and utilities sector eliminates losses and offers additional benefits, including by reducing GHG emissions.

2023 also saw an increase in polymer consumption by agriculture and healthcare, up 1.5% and 6%, respectively.

We remind, Russian Registry of Carbon Units has welcomed three new climate projects by SIBUR implemented at its facilities in Nizhnekamsk, Tomsk, and Dzerzhinsk. Their implementation is expected to secure a combined GHG reduction of over 6 million tonnes of CO2-eq. until 2032. According to the Russian Registry of Carbon Units, SIBUR now holds the largest portfolio of projects to reduce СO2 emissions among Russian businesses.

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Chevron Lummus Global LLC announced the successful commissioning of the world's largest white oil hydroprocessing unit for Hongrun Petrochemical Co., Ltd. in Weifang, Shandong Province, China, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The new plant, which utilizes CLG's ISODEWAXING and ISOFINISHING technologies, consists of two units: a 500,000 metric tons per annum (MTPA) nameplate capacity API Group III lubricating base oil unit with the capability to produce industrial-grade white oil, and a 200,000 metric tons per annum nameplate capacity food grade white oil unit.

"We are proud to have worked with Hongrun on this project, and we have full confidence that this new unit will propel them to the forefront as a leading manufacturer of premium white oil and food-grade white oil products in China," stated Arun Arora, CLG's Chief Technology Officer. "CLG's hydroprocessing expertise, complemented by our commitment to innovation, once more proves to be instrumental in helping our partners achieve their production objectives."

White oil is a highly refined mineral oil that is used in a wide variety of applications, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food processing and industrial lubricants. Food-grade white oil is a special type of white oil that is manufactured to meet the strict purity requirements of the food and beverage industry.

CLG's all-hydroprocessing technology route for base oil production outperforms all other processing schemes by selectively concentrating and isomerizing the molecular structure of wax into desirable isoparaffins. Using CLG's technology for base oils, refiners maximize product yields while producing superior product qualities.

We remind, Chevron Lummus Global LLC announced the award of a new licensing contract by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited for the development of a grassroots integrated hydrocracker and catalytic dewaxing unit and a full catalyst reload of their existing lube oil upgrading program at the Mumbai Refinery in India.

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