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(Reuters) -- Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical Corp said on Friday that it aims to restart the No.2 naphtha cracker at its Kashima plant, with capacity to produce 453 Kta of ethylene, around May 20, marking the reopening of the plant after it was shut by a massive quake on March 11. The company, a wholly owned unit of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings , also said it was set to restart the other 375 Kta No.1 cracker at the plant on June 27, after planned maintenance is completed.
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Mitsubishi Chemical Corp to restart naphtha cracker at its Kashima plant
Daelim Industrial to build a petrochemical plant in Philippines
(Plastemart) -- South Korea's Daelim Industrial Co Ltd said in a regulatory filing that it had signed a USD 317 mln deal to build a petrochemical plant in Limay, Bataan, under a deal with Petron, the Philippines' largest oil refining firm. Daelim plans to complete the plant by November
Philippines is one of the few among ASEAN countries without an integrated petrochemical industry. Currently, the Philippines' petrochemicals industry is dependent on ethylene imports, thus is vulnerable to external factors, particularly exchange rate fluctuations.
Dow Chemical introduced new polypropylene resin
(BusinessWire) -- The Dow Chemical Company introduced Dow soft touch polypropylene (PP) Resin, a family of breakthrough single-pellet resin solutions for the efficient production of mono-component spunbond nonwoven fabrics that exhibit remarkable softness and drape while retaining the physical properties of polypropylene nonwoven fabrics.
The health and hygiene industry's drive to identify softer nonwoven fabrics has triggered the development of a range of raw materials solutions in recent years, from resin additives, mechanical alteration, and blends to bi-component fibers. Each solution offers some degree of softness, but often at only marginal perceptibility, higher cost or increased operational complexity.
Nonwoven fabrics made with Dow soft touch resin overcome these challenges through a single pellet solution that can be used in existing mono-spunbond lines. The new resin solutions offer noticeably improved comfort for end-users of nonwoven products in the form of tactile softness, improved drape (ductile softness) and a reduction in noise intensity.
Russian companies don't hurry to increase HDPE imports
MOSCOW (MRC) -- In March import supplies of HDPE remained at February level and made 23.2 KT, while in February the figure was 23.8 KT, according to MRC DataScope. Over the first three months import supplies didn't exceed 23.3 KT per month.
Low demand and sufficient HDPE production by Russian producers still limit imports in some sectors of consumption. In March imports of molding, film and pipe HDPE were reduced, and supplies of blown HDPE remained at the previous level.
Low demand and sufficient HDPE production by Russian producers still limit imports in some sectors of consumption. In March imports of molding, film and pipe HDPE were reduced, and supplies of blown HDPE remained at the previous level.
In April situation with import supplies is hardly to be changed. An insignificant growth of pipe HDPE imports is expected, in particular, from Asia, as well as that of polyethylene for extrusion coating of steel pipes of large diameter.
Asia PX may extend falls as May supply grows
(ICIS) -- Spot paraxylene (PX) prices in Asia are under strong downward pressure with a flood of supply seen hitting the market in May, market players said on Tuesday.
Offers for May deliveries are at around USD1.630-1.635/tonne (EUR 1.125-1.128/tonne) CFR (cost and freight) Taiwan and/or CMP (China Main Port), while buying notions from end-users are pegged slightly under USD 1.600/tonne CFR Taiwan and/or CMP, market sources said.
PX prices have fallen nearly 10% since mid-March, when it reached a record high of USD 1.815/tonne (EUR 1.252/tonne) CFR (cost & freight) Taiwan and/or China Main Port (CMP), according to ICIS data.
Supply will get a boost from South Korea's S-Oil, which just achieved on-spec aromatics production at its new unit in Onsan. The plant can produce 300 KTa of benzene and 900 KTa of PX.
Meanwhile, Japanese aromatics major, JX Nippon Oil & Energy, is expected to resume 100% delivery of contracted PX volumes in May, although its available spot material will likely remain limited.