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14/11/2012
SOURCE http://www.icis.com
SAMPLE Dutch tank storage service provider Vopak and SABIC will jointly build a new terminal at King Fahd Industrial Port in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, Vopak said on Wednesday.Once completed in early 2015, the first phase of the new terminal will have an initial storage capacity of about 250,000 cbm, the company said in a statement.“This capacity can be expanded in the future,” it said.The first phase will consist of around 40 commodity and specialty chemical storage tanks as well as truck-handling and ship-loading facilities for five berths, Vopak said.Vopak and SABIC has established a new joint venture, Jubail Chemical Storage and Services Co, to support the project.Sabic holds 75% of JCSSC while Vopak owns the remaining 25% of the venture.Investment details of the project were not disclosed.
SOURCE http://www.icis.com
SAMPLE Dutch tank storage service provider Vopak and SABIC will jointly build a new terminal at King Fahd Industrial Port in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, Vopak said on Wednesday.Once completed in early 2015, the first phase of the new terminal will have an initial storage capacity of about 250,000 cbm, the company said in a statement.“This capacity can be expanded in the future,” it said.The first phase will consist of around 40 commodity and specialty chemical storage tanks as well as truck-handling and ship-loading facilities for five berths, Vopak said.Vopak and SABIC has established a new joint venture, Jubail Chemical Storage and Services Co, to support the project.Sabic holds 75% of JCSSC while Vopak owns the remaining 25% of the venture.Investment details of the project were not disclosed.
| 13/11/2012 |
SAMPLE Syngenta today announced that it has received European Union (EU) approval for isopyrazam, the first active ingredient from its strong pipeline of next generation fungicides. Approval represents a major step forward in the control of a wide spectrum of damaging fungal diseases, including best-in-class performance against Yellow Rust.
12/11/2012
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13/11/2012
SOURCE http://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.com
SAMPLE The LyondellBasell refinery is under reconstruction and its refining units are being mothballed through to the end of 2013 after the company was unable to find a buyer. The refinery would be the third to stop operations in France over the past years amid low demand in the region. French industry minister Arnaud Montebourg said Tuesday that Indonesia's state-owned oil company Pertamina is interested in the LyondellBasell-owned Berre oil refinery in southern France.The refinery is in the process of being mothballed.
SOURCE http://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.com
SAMPLE The LyondellBasell refinery is under reconstruction and its refining units are being mothballed through to the end of 2013 after the company was unable to find a buyer. The refinery would be the third to stop operations in France over the past years amid low demand in the region. French industry minister Arnaud Montebourg said Tuesday that Indonesia's state-owned oil company Pertamina is interested in the LyondellBasell-owned Berre oil refinery in southern France.The refinery is in the process of being mothballed.
13/11/2012
SOURCE http://www.icis.com
FULL ARTICLE While phenol and nitrobenzene are expected to be key drivers of benzene derivative growth in the coming years, styrene will recover its former importance, a senior industry analyst said on Tuesday.Speaking at the 11th World Aromatics & Derivatives Conference in Berlin, Germany, Stewart Hardy, global manager, petrochemical market dynamics at US-headquartered consultancy firm Nexant, said that while polystyrene has seen stagnation in recent years, it is expandable polystyrene and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene that will drive styrenics between now and 2020.“ABS is the fastest growing sector, despite the cost pressure from butadiene,” said Hardy, adding that the grey EPS grade – which provides 25% insulation gains over other grades – will also drive growth over the next decade.
Hardy also said that styrene butadiene rubber has seen growth, due to product substitution and an overall growth in the tyre and vehicle market in recent years.Globally, styrene consumption will grow in all regions between now and 2020, although Hardy noted that it is the Middle East and Africa where this will be most pronounced.
Growth has been paralysed recently by macroeconomic challenges, and Hardy also noted that there has been a difficulty in passing on higher upstream costs to derivative markets as they face lower consumption.There remain some lingering issues that will affect competitiveness on styrene, Hardy said. Europe is now increasingly dependent on benzene imports, much like the US. The US market is at a disadvantage compared to other regions on benzene, but retains a huge advantage on ethylene and utility costs.
The 11th World Aromatics & Derivatives Conference, organised by ICIS and International eChem, is taking place in Berlin on 13-14 November 2012.
SOURCE http://www.icis.com
FULL ARTICLE While phenol and nitrobenzene are expected to be key drivers of benzene derivative growth in the coming years, styrene will recover its former importance, a senior industry analyst said on Tuesday.Speaking at the 11th World Aromatics & Derivatives Conference in Berlin, Germany, Stewart Hardy, global manager, petrochemical market dynamics at US-headquartered consultancy firm Nexant, said that while polystyrene has seen stagnation in recent years, it is expandable polystyrene and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene that will drive styrenics between now and 2020.“ABS is the fastest growing sector, despite the cost pressure from butadiene,” said Hardy, adding that the grey EPS grade – which provides 25% insulation gains over other grades – will also drive growth over the next decade.
Hardy also said that styrene butadiene rubber has seen growth, due to product substitution and an overall growth in the tyre and vehicle market in recent years.Globally, styrene consumption will grow in all regions between now and 2020, although Hardy noted that it is the Middle East and Africa where this will be most pronounced.
Growth has been paralysed recently by macroeconomic challenges, and Hardy also noted that there has been a difficulty in passing on higher upstream costs to derivative markets as they face lower consumption.There remain some lingering issues that will affect competitiveness on styrene, Hardy said. Europe is now increasingly dependent on benzene imports, much like the US. The US market is at a disadvantage compared to other regions on benzene, but retains a huge advantage on ethylene and utility costs.
The 11th World Aromatics & Derivatives Conference, organised by ICIS and International eChem, is taking place in Berlin on 13-14 November 2012.
09/11/2012
SOURCE http://www.engineeringnews.co.za
SAMPLE South African petrochemicals producer Sasol on Friday unveiled its new state-of-the-art research and technology (R&T) facility at the Sasol One site, in Sasolburg, in the Free State.The R150-million, five-storey building houses Sasol’s research and development, and fuels technology, which form part of the group’s R&T campus.The new facility, consisting of laboratories, analytical equipment, pilot plants, offices and maintenance workshops, would enhance the R&T campus, which houses 14 laboratories, a number of piloting facilities, 150 PhD graduates, close to 100 engineers, over 200 scientists and over 100 chemists and technologists combined.
SOURCE http://www.engineeringnews.co.za
SAMPLE South African petrochemicals producer Sasol on Friday unveiled its new state-of-the-art research and technology (R&T) facility at the Sasol One site, in Sasolburg, in the Free State.The R150-million, five-storey building houses Sasol’s research and development, and fuels technology, which form part of the group’s R&T campus.The new facility, consisting of laboratories, analytical equipment, pilot plants, offices and maintenance workshops, would enhance the R&T campus, which houses 14 laboratories, a number of piloting facilities, 150 PhD graduates, close to 100 engineers, over 200 scientists and over 100 chemists and technologists combined.
PUBLICATION DATE 05-Nov-12
Acetochem plans expansion of pesticides unit at Pandsera in Surat disctrict of Gujarat with an investment of Rs 38.7 million. The project will come up in the existing unit land of 2484 sq.meters. The unit will now manufacture 4 Chloro phtalic acid of 15 mtpm, tetracloro phtalic anhydride (15 mtpm) and 3,5 dichloro aniline (40mtpm) among other chemicals.
SOURCE
http://chemical.industry-focus.net/gujarat-chemical-projects/309-acetochem-expan ds-pesticides-unit-at-pandesara.html
Acetochem plans expansion of pesticides unit at Pandsera in Surat disctrict of Gujarat with an investment of Rs 38.7 million. The project will come up in the existing unit land of 2484 sq.meters. The unit will now manufacture 4 Chloro phtalic acid of 15 mtpm, tetracloro phtalic anhydride (15 mtpm) and 3,5 dichloro aniline (40mtpm) among other chemicals.
SOURCE
http://chemical.industry-focus.net/gujarat-chemical-projects/309-acetochem-expan ds-pesticides-unit-at-pandesara.html
Released on 16/11/12
The European petrochemicals industry will continue to cut production to the point where it only has a handful of customers left, an industry observer caustically remarked during 2011.Behind his tongue-in-cheek gross exaggeration was a serious point: The eurozone’s economic problems seem so deep, so intractable, that the industry perhaps feels unable to do anything other maintain operating-rate discipline and constantly cut costs.The good news in 2011 was that while Europe floundered, the emerging markets were still roaring ahead.But the consensus view over China has shifted since then, with the biggest change in sentiment taking place over the last few months – immediately ahead of Thursday’s leadership handover.It used to be that the majority felt that plus 7% GDP growth over the coming 5-10 years was a given. Now many believe growth will be a great deal less than that, with a welter of economic and political experts coming forward to warn that there is a real possibility of economic implosion.The central concern is whether the new generation of leaders will be willing and/or able to totally dismantle an investment-driven growth model that, at long last, is widely recognised as being well past its sell-by-date.India’s GDP growth might also be on a long-term decline, as a result of political problems that are preventing much-needed investment in new infrastructure.Concerns over corruption and its debilitating effect on the economy have also risen.One can search the emerging markets for havens of stability and, thus, reasons to be cheerful. Indonesia has, for instance, enjoyed eight consecutive quarters of GDP growth of slightly over 6% – not too fast or too slow and maybe, therefore, more sustainable.The country's 2012 demand growth for polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) will be 7.5%, according to the Indonesian Olefin & Plastics Industry Association (INAPLAS).Around 50% of Indonesia's polyolefins demand is covered by imports, with substantial imports of ethylene and naphtha also needed to meet the very steady, and very strong, demand growth.Hence, notwithstanding problems with bureaucracy and an unclear regulatory environment, Chandra Asri, reportedly, plans to build an $8bn refinery and expand ethylene capacity, while also adding a butadiene extraction unit. Honam Petrochemical, which owns PE assets in Indonesia, has plans for a 1m tonne/year grass-roots cracker.Indonesia has done a fantastic job to recover from the economic misery inflicted by the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis. Along with Thailand and South Korea, it suffered enormously from the collapse of its currency against the US dollar. This led to soaring inflation and unsustainable debts dominated in the greenback.Since the crisis, the affected countries have switched from dollar debt to investment by foreigners in local equity markets and lending in domestic currencies.There is also talk of "macro-prudential policies" smoothing out the peaks and troughs of economic cycles.But, as the 10 November edition of The Economist said: "Wise monetary policy was also one of the reasons cited for the Great Moderation enjoyed by the G7 economies."Another was the supposed depth and sophistication of the rich world's financial systems, which, it was said, allowed households to smooth their spending, firms to diversify their borrowing and banks to unburden their balance-sheets."Both of these pillars of stability proved false comforts. Economists had not quite settled on an explanation for the Great Moderation before it inconveniently ceased to exist."The economist, Hyman Minsky believed that drops in volatility allowed firms and households to borrow more of the money they invested, the magazine continued."Stability, in Minsky's formulation, eventually becomes destabilising. Over-leverage does not require excessive optimism, merely excessive certitude; not fast growth, merely steady growth," it added.This sense of certitude might be why leverage is rising in Asia, ex-China and ex-Japan.“Focus on the period starting in early 2007. Back then leverage began to climb again after a painful, 10-year deleveraging process following the Asian Financial Crisis,” writes Fred Neumann, Hong Kong-based economist with HSBC, in a 24 October report.“The reason is straight-forward: monetary conditions eased sharply around that time while macro-volatility stayed low."Leverage continued to climb despite rising economic volatility, which was, in part, due to extraordinarily loose monetary conditions, other than a brief dip in lending in 2009, he added.Volatility then fell after the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), boosting risk appetite, with monetary conditions remaining “hugely supportive”, said Neumann.“The message? For anyone looking into 2013, local demand growth in Asia, whether in terms of consumption or investment, should power ahead,” he continued.“Leverage is driving it all. But for anyone looking a little further out, the combination of easy money and low macro-volatility - a combination eerily reminiscent of the pre-GFC boom that was deemed the Great Moderation – may sit a little more uncomfortably.Asia’s economies ex-China and ex-Japan can be broadly divided into two categories: Those that are highly dependent on export trade because of their relatively small populations, such Singapore and Taiwan, and those that benefit from much-stronger domestic consumption – for instance, Indonesia and Thailand.One can argue that countries such as Singapore are, as a result, much more vulnerable to a weak west and slower growth in China.But as Indonesia is part of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, which was launched in January 2010, it also has no duty protection from low-cost imports of finished and semi-finished goods from China.China’s widely reported huge build-up of inventories of finished goods is a threat, as next year it might be tempted to relieve the pressure by boosting shipments to economies such as Indonesia.The dilemma would then be whether or not to seek trade-protection measures, such as anti-dumping and safeguard duties. Indonesia has a lot to lose from a tit-for-tat response, as it is a major resources exporter to China.It feels as if economic complexity and uncertainty are increasing.“We recognise that these difficult conditions may have extended staying power, as the new reality is that we are operating in a slow-growth and volatile world,” said Andrew Liveris, CEO of Dow Chemical, on the release of the company’s third-quarter results.The positive story, which we shall cover in an article next Thursday, is that many industry executives have long recognised that responding to volatility involves much more than just cost cutting.
SOURCE ICIS News
The European petrochemicals industry will continue to cut production to the point where it only has a handful of customers left, an industry observer caustically remarked during 2011.Behind his tongue-in-cheek gross exaggeration was a serious point: The eurozone’s economic problems seem so deep, so intractable, that the industry perhaps feels unable to do anything other maintain operating-rate discipline and constantly cut costs.The good news in 2011 was that while Europe floundered, the emerging markets were still roaring ahead.But the consensus view over China has shifted since then, with the biggest change in sentiment taking place over the last few months – immediately ahead of Thursday’s leadership handover.It used to be that the majority felt that plus 7% GDP growth over the coming 5-10 years was a given. Now many believe growth will be a great deal less than that, with a welter of economic and political experts coming forward to warn that there is a real possibility of economic implosion.The central concern is whether the new generation of leaders will be willing and/or able to totally dismantle an investment-driven growth model that, at long last, is widely recognised as being well past its sell-by-date.India’s GDP growth might also be on a long-term decline, as a result of political problems that are preventing much-needed investment in new infrastructure.Concerns over corruption and its debilitating effect on the economy have also risen.One can search the emerging markets for havens of stability and, thus, reasons to be cheerful. Indonesia has, for instance, enjoyed eight consecutive quarters of GDP growth of slightly over 6% – not too fast or too slow and maybe, therefore, more sustainable.The country's 2012 demand growth for polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) will be 7.5%, according to the Indonesian Olefin & Plastics Industry Association (INAPLAS).Around 50% of Indonesia's polyolefins demand is covered by imports, with substantial imports of ethylene and naphtha also needed to meet the very steady, and very strong, demand growth.Hence, notwithstanding problems with bureaucracy and an unclear regulatory environment, Chandra Asri, reportedly, plans to build an $8bn refinery and expand ethylene capacity, while also adding a butadiene extraction unit. Honam Petrochemical, which owns PE assets in Indonesia, has plans for a 1m tonne/year grass-roots cracker.Indonesia has done a fantastic job to recover from the economic misery inflicted by the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis. Along with Thailand and South Korea, it suffered enormously from the collapse of its currency against the US dollar. This led to soaring inflation and unsustainable debts dominated in the greenback.Since the crisis, the affected countries have switched from dollar debt to investment by foreigners in local equity markets and lending in domestic currencies.There is also talk of "macro-prudential policies" smoothing out the peaks and troughs of economic cycles.But, as the 10 November edition of The Economist said: "Wise monetary policy was also one of the reasons cited for the Great Moderation enjoyed by the G7 economies."Another was the supposed depth and sophistication of the rich world's financial systems, which, it was said, allowed households to smooth their spending, firms to diversify their borrowing and banks to unburden their balance-sheets."Both of these pillars of stability proved false comforts. Economists had not quite settled on an explanation for the Great Moderation before it inconveniently ceased to exist."The economist, Hyman Minsky believed that drops in volatility allowed firms and households to borrow more of the money they invested, the magazine continued."Stability, in Minsky's formulation, eventually becomes destabilising. Over-leverage does not require excessive optimism, merely excessive certitude; not fast growth, merely steady growth," it added.This sense of certitude might be why leverage is rising in Asia, ex-China and ex-Japan.“Focus on the period starting in early 2007. Back then leverage began to climb again after a painful, 10-year deleveraging process following the Asian Financial Crisis,” writes Fred Neumann, Hong Kong-based economist with HSBC, in a 24 October report.“The reason is straight-forward: monetary conditions eased sharply around that time while macro-volatility stayed low."Leverage continued to climb despite rising economic volatility, which was, in part, due to extraordinarily loose monetary conditions, other than a brief dip in lending in 2009, he added.Volatility then fell after the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), boosting risk appetite, with monetary conditions remaining “hugely supportive”, said Neumann.“The message? For anyone looking into 2013, local demand growth in Asia, whether in terms of consumption or investment, should power ahead,” he continued.“Leverage is driving it all. But for anyone looking a little further out, the combination of easy money and low macro-volatility - a combination eerily reminiscent of the pre-GFC boom that was deemed the Great Moderation – may sit a little more uncomfortably.Asia’s economies ex-China and ex-Japan can be broadly divided into two categories: Those that are highly dependent on export trade because of their relatively small populations, such Singapore and Taiwan, and those that benefit from much-stronger domestic consumption – for instance, Indonesia and Thailand.One can argue that countries such as Singapore are, as a result, much more vulnerable to a weak west and slower growth in China.But as Indonesia is part of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, which was launched in January 2010, it also has no duty protection from low-cost imports of finished and semi-finished goods from China.China’s widely reported huge build-up of inventories of finished goods is a threat, as next year it might be tempted to relieve the pressure by boosting shipments to economies such as Indonesia.The dilemma would then be whether or not to seek trade-protection measures, such as anti-dumping and safeguard duties. Indonesia has a lot to lose from a tit-for-tat response, as it is a major resources exporter to China.It feels as if economic complexity and uncertainty are increasing.“We recognise that these difficult conditions may have extended staying power, as the new reality is that we are operating in a slow-growth and volatile world,” said Andrew Liveris, CEO of Dow Chemical, on the release of the company’s third-quarter results.The positive story, which we shall cover in an article next Thursday, is that many industry executives have long recognised that responding to volatility involves much more than just cost cutting.
SOURCE ICIS News
| 13/11/2012 |
SAMPLE
* First BASF manufacturing facility dedicated to commercial-scale production of advanced cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries
* Significant milestone in company’s ongoing quest to become a leading provider of functional materials and solutions to battery manufacturers worldwide
BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, today celebrated the grand opening of its new cathode materials production plant in Elyria, Ohio. The materials manufactured at the Elyria plant will be used by BASF’s customers to produce advanced lithium-ion batteries that will propel current and next-generation hybrid and full electric vehicles, helping drive the future of electromobility in North America and around the globe.
PUBLICATION DATE
24-Oct-12
Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui", Head office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Masami Iijima) and Sumitomo Corporation ("Sumitomo", Head office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Kuniharu Nakamura) have been negotiating about the integration of their fertilizer business in Japan since the announcement of the basic agreement on March 8, 2012. However, the both companies have reached to a conclusion that integration would not yield the benefits that were initially anticipated, and Mitsui and Sumitomo have therefore canceled their basic agreement concerning the integration of fertilizer business in Japan. The business alliance established in March 2010 in relation to the fertilizer raw material importing business will continue.
SOURCE Sumitomo Press Release
Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui", Head office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Masami Iijima) and Sumitomo Corporation ("Sumitomo", Head office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Kuniharu Nakamura) have been negotiating about the integration of their fertilizer business in Japan since the announcement of the basic agreement on March 8, 2012. However, the both companies have reached to a conclusion that integration would not yield the benefits that were initially anticipated, and Mitsui and Sumitomo have therefore canceled their basic agreement concerning the integration of fertilizer business in Japan. The business alliance established in March 2010 in relation to the fertilizer raw material importing business will continue.
SOURCE Sumitomo Press Release
Released on 16/11/12
Ripples from the US shale gas phenomenon are expanding outwards. And no market will feel the impact more than major trading partner Latin America. As new US crackers using cheap ethane come on line in the years ahead, along with expansions to existing crackers, and restarts due to arrive even sooner, expect greater volumes of US exports of polymers to Latin America. All the buzz at the Latin American Petrochemical Association (APLA) annual meeting was about US shale gas and its impact. Extreme competitive pressure sharpens the focus. In Latin America, large-scale petrochemical projects based on gas, such as Mexico's Ethylene XXI, are the most likely to be built. That project's price formula for ethane feedstock from state-owned oil company Pemex is based on US ethane prices at Mont Belvieu. It is questionable whether such a formula could work for the Comperj project in Brazil, which is planned by Braskem using feedstock from state-operated oil company Petrobras. The companies, along with government officials are in negotiations. But a Petrobras executive noted at APLA that they are trying to find a solution "beyond the price of inputs". Not simple, he said.
SOURCE ICIS News
Ripples from the US shale gas phenomenon are expanding outwards. And no market will feel the impact more than major trading partner Latin America. As new US crackers using cheap ethane come on line in the years ahead, along with expansions to existing crackers, and restarts due to arrive even sooner, expect greater volumes of US exports of polymers to Latin America. All the buzz at the Latin American Petrochemical Association (APLA) annual meeting was about US shale gas and its impact. Extreme competitive pressure sharpens the focus. In Latin America, large-scale petrochemical projects based on gas, such as Mexico's Ethylene XXI, are the most likely to be built. That project's price formula for ethane feedstock from state-owned oil company Pemex is based on US ethane prices at Mont Belvieu. It is questionable whether such a formula could work for the Comperj project in Brazil, which is planned by Braskem using feedstock from state-operated oil company Petrobras. The companies, along with government officials are in negotiations. But a Petrobras executive noted at APLA that they are trying to find a solution "beyond the price of inputs". Not simple, he said.
SOURCE ICIS News
Released on 04/12/12
LyondellBasell today announced that China Shenhua Coal to Liquid and Chemical Co. Ltd. has selected the LyondellBasell Lupotech T process technology for a 270 KT per year low density polyethylene plant to be built in Xinjiang, China.Shenhua, the largest coal company in the world, selected the LyondellBasell Lupotech T for a second time this year, having previously announced plans for a LDPE plant using the technology in Yulin, China.‘Shenhua’s continued confidence in the Lupotech T process technology is another demonstration of why Lupotech is the leading technology for LDPE and EVA production, and we look forward to continuing a strong relationship with Shenhua,’ said Bob Patel, LyondellBasell Senior Vice President of Olefins and Polyolefins for Europe, Asia, International, and Technology.Key features of Lupotech T technology include low manufacturing and investment costs, fast start-up and grade changes, high reliability and capacities of up to 450 KT per year, which makes it today’s technology of choice for the production of LDPE and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers.LyondellBasell is a leading licensor of polypropylene and polyethylene technologies. The more than 250 polyolefin process licenses granted by LyondellBasell are twice that of any other polyolefin technology licensor.In addition to the Lupotech T process, the LyondellBasell portfolio of licensed polyolefin technologies and associated technical services is comprised of:Lupotech A - high pressure autoclave process for the production of specialty LDPE and EVA copolymers.Hostalen - a low-pressure slurry process for the production of high-performance multimodal high density polyethylene (HDPE).Spherilene - flexible, gas-phase process technology for the production of linear low density polyethylene (LLPE), medium density polyethylene (MDPE) and HDPE.Spherizone - latest generation polypropylene technology, based on a multi-zone reactor for the production of high-performance polypropylene and novel polyolefins.Spheripol - leading polypropylene technology for the production of homopolymer, random and heterophasic copolymers.Metocene PP - technology for the production of specialty polypropylene products using single-site catalyst systems.
SOURCE ENP Newswire
LyondellBasell today announced that China Shenhua Coal to Liquid and Chemical Co. Ltd. has selected the LyondellBasell Lupotech T process technology for a 270 KT per year low density polyethylene plant to be built in Xinjiang, China.Shenhua, the largest coal company in the world, selected the LyondellBasell Lupotech T for a second time this year, having previously announced plans for a LDPE plant using the technology in Yulin, China.‘Shenhua’s continued confidence in the Lupotech T process technology is another demonstration of why Lupotech is the leading technology for LDPE and EVA production, and we look forward to continuing a strong relationship with Shenhua,’ said Bob Patel, LyondellBasell Senior Vice President of Olefins and Polyolefins for Europe, Asia, International, and Technology.Key features of Lupotech T technology include low manufacturing and investment costs, fast start-up and grade changes, high reliability and capacities of up to 450 KT per year, which makes it today’s technology of choice for the production of LDPE and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers.LyondellBasell is a leading licensor of polypropylene and polyethylene technologies. The more than 250 polyolefin process licenses granted by LyondellBasell are twice that of any other polyolefin technology licensor.In addition to the Lupotech T process, the LyondellBasell portfolio of licensed polyolefin technologies and associated technical services is comprised of:Lupotech A - high pressure autoclave process for the production of specialty LDPE and EVA copolymers.Hostalen - a low-pressure slurry process for the production of high-performance multimodal high density polyethylene (HDPE).Spherilene - flexible, gas-phase process technology for the production of linear low density polyethylene (LLPE), medium density polyethylene (MDPE) and HDPE.Spherizone - latest generation polypropylene technology, based on a multi-zone reactor for the production of high-performance polypropylene and novel polyolefins.Spheripol - leading polypropylene technology for the production of homopolymer, random and heterophasic copolymers.Metocene PP - technology for the production of specialty polypropylene products using single-site catalyst systems.
SOURCE ENP Newswire
Released on 29/11/12
Between four to six worldscale crackers are likely to be built in the US in the coming years, leading to as many as 35,000 skilled craft labourers working in the US Gulf coast alone by 2015, the head of US-based Fluor’s energy and chemicals business said on Thursday.“Looking at the engineering, procurement and construction aspects, the construction part will be biggest challenge in terms of securing enough skilled labour,” said Peter Oosterveer, president of Fluor’s energy & chemicals business.“We can easily see a peak of 35,000 skilled craft labourers and that will be a challenge. But we believe we can secure substantial craft resources,” he added.One way to alleviate the labour strain is to fabricate components off site, a capability Fluor has developed and expanded in the past few years, said Oosterveer.“We can modulise these complex components complete with piping and instruments anywhere – from Mexico, the Philippines, to Canada and the US,” he said.“This would take the strain away from the peak level of craft resources in the US, reducing dependency on local resources,” Oosterveer added.This offsite modulisation of the construction process will be a major factor in taming cost inflation in the construction phase, he said.“The cost inflation is not going to be as bad as it was in 2007 and 2008, when all the sectors – upstream, downstream, chemicals and offshore – were undergoing an up-cycle,” said Oosterveer.The president sees the craft labour force dedicated to chemical plant construction in the US Gulf coast peaking in early 2015.Most petrochemical companies are in the early part of the front-end engineering design (FEED) phase with respect to their crackers, a process that takes between 10-16 months, noted Oosterveer.Most construction would start in early 2014, with a peak in labour required in early 2015.There will also be a constraint on equipment, so the procurement process is likely to begin even before the FEED phase is complete, he said.“Clients all want to be first, so there is pressure on petrochemical companies to get to the market as soon as they can. And the market for equipment is going to heat up,” Oosterveer said.“Many will order long-lead equipment before the end of their FEED and final investment decision,” he added.Fluor is working with companies such as Dow Chemical and Shell on US petrochemical projects, said Oosterveer.Fluor has already completed the FEED for Dow’s propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant to produce propylene in Freeport, Texas, scheduled to come on line in mid-2015.In September it announced it won the contract for the project’s engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services.“PDH appears to be the preferred route to make propylene, so we expect to see a few more of these facilities being built – from both pure-play chemical companies and [oil and gas] integrated companies,” said Oosterveer.Fluor is also in discussions with Dow on its planned new world-scale cracker and derivative projects in Freeport, he said.“With our track record in the US and in chemicals, we see the shale gas impact on chemicals as very exciting for our business,” said Oosterveer.“We have resources worldwide and can move the work to the people rather than the other way around, mitigating the ups and downs in engineering and construction costs,” he added.
SOURCE ICIS News
Between four to six worldscale crackers are likely to be built in the US in the coming years, leading to as many as 35,000 skilled craft labourers working in the US Gulf coast alone by 2015, the head of US-based Fluor’s energy and chemicals business said on Thursday.“Looking at the engineering, procurement and construction aspects, the construction part will be biggest challenge in terms of securing enough skilled labour,” said Peter Oosterveer, president of Fluor’s energy & chemicals business.“We can easily see a peak of 35,000 skilled craft labourers and that will be a challenge. But we believe we can secure substantial craft resources,” he added.One way to alleviate the labour strain is to fabricate components off site, a capability Fluor has developed and expanded in the past few years, said Oosterveer.“We can modulise these complex components complete with piping and instruments anywhere – from Mexico, the Philippines, to Canada and the US,” he said.“This would take the strain away from the peak level of craft resources in the US, reducing dependency on local resources,” Oosterveer added.This offsite modulisation of the construction process will be a major factor in taming cost inflation in the construction phase, he said.“The cost inflation is not going to be as bad as it was in 2007 and 2008, when all the sectors – upstream, downstream, chemicals and offshore – were undergoing an up-cycle,” said Oosterveer.The president sees the craft labour force dedicated to chemical plant construction in the US Gulf coast peaking in early 2015.Most petrochemical companies are in the early part of the front-end engineering design (FEED) phase with respect to their crackers, a process that takes between 10-16 months, noted Oosterveer.Most construction would start in early 2014, with a peak in labour required in early 2015.There will also be a constraint on equipment, so the procurement process is likely to begin even before the FEED phase is complete, he said.“Clients all want to be first, so there is pressure on petrochemical companies to get to the market as soon as they can. And the market for equipment is going to heat up,” Oosterveer said.“Many will order long-lead equipment before the end of their FEED and final investment decision,” he added.Fluor is working with companies such as Dow Chemical and Shell on US petrochemical projects, said Oosterveer.Fluor has already completed the FEED for Dow’s propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant to produce propylene in Freeport, Texas, scheduled to come on line in mid-2015.In September it announced it won the contract for the project’s engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services.“PDH appears to be the preferred route to make propylene, so we expect to see a few more of these facilities being built – from both pure-play chemical companies and [oil and gas] integrated companies,” said Oosterveer.Fluor is also in discussions with Dow on its planned new world-scale cracker and derivative projects in Freeport, he said.“With our track record in the US and in chemicals, we see the shale gas impact on chemicals as very exciting for our business,” said Oosterveer.“We have resources worldwide and can move the work to the people rather than the other way around, mitigating the ups and downs in engineering and construction costs,” he added.
SOURCE ICIS News
Released on 28/11/12
Lignin could become the main renewable aromatic resource for the chemical industry in the future, according to an analysis by Frost & Sullivan. The first opportunity could emerge as early as 2015 from the direct substitution of phenol in most of its industrial applications: phenolic resins, surfactants, epoxy resins, adhesives or polyester, the study states.“The industry is just beginning to scratch the surface of lignin's potential," explains Frost & Sullivan consultant, Nicolas Smolarski. “It is the only renewable source for industrial aromatics production and is de-correlated from the fluctuating price of oil."Lignin represents 30% of all the non-fossil organic carbon on Earth. Compared to other wood components (cellulose and hemicelluloses), it is a much more complex polymer, but has been considered for a long time a low-quality and low-added-value material.For example, says the Frost & Sullivan analysis, as of 2010, the pulp and paper industry produced an estimated 50 million tonnes of extracted lignin, but only 2% (1 million tonnes) was commercially used for low-value products such as dispersing or binding agents; the rest was burnt as a low-value fuel.Overall, the lignin business today represents roughly 300 million dollars.However, new, developing technologies now allow the extraction of high-purity lignin which can be converted in various high-value chemicals and products, among which are BTX (benzene, toluene, xylene), phenol, vanillin or carbon fibre.Smolarski explains that “one of lignin's unique strength is that it can either be used directly as a “drop in” to replace phenols in an existing petrochemical process, or it can be further processed to create polymer building blocks."Inevitably, unlocking the potential of lignin involves taking down some barriers. “Limited technology maturity, weak links between R&D efforts and the industry, biofuel development draining government mandates and lack of funding options for biochemicals biorefiners are some of the main challenges to the emergence of cost-competitive lignin applications," adds Smolarski.Frost & Sullivan explores these challenges and their potential, and proposes a roadmap for the 10 years ahead. In his analysis, Smolarski also reviews four promising lignin applications and extends a call for action to petrochemical companies.“The petrochemical industry holds by far the highest capacity to accelerate the emergence of lignin-based chemicals. Being the first mover on this market can assure technology leadership, strategic partnerships and a competitive edge," concludes Mr Smolarski.Frost & Sullivan works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation and related growth opportunities.
SOURCE Canada Business News Network
Lignin could become the main renewable aromatic resource for the chemical industry in the future, according to an analysis by Frost & Sullivan. The first opportunity could emerge as early as 2015 from the direct substitution of phenol in most of its industrial applications: phenolic resins, surfactants, epoxy resins, adhesives or polyester, the study states.“The industry is just beginning to scratch the surface of lignin's potential," explains Frost & Sullivan consultant, Nicolas Smolarski. “It is the only renewable source for industrial aromatics production and is de-correlated from the fluctuating price of oil."Lignin represents 30% of all the non-fossil organic carbon on Earth. Compared to other wood components (cellulose and hemicelluloses), it is a much more complex polymer, but has been considered for a long time a low-quality and low-added-value material.For example, says the Frost & Sullivan analysis, as of 2010, the pulp and paper industry produced an estimated 50 million tonnes of extracted lignin, but only 2% (1 million tonnes) was commercially used for low-value products such as dispersing or binding agents; the rest was burnt as a low-value fuel.Overall, the lignin business today represents roughly 300 million dollars.However, new, developing technologies now allow the extraction of high-purity lignin which can be converted in various high-value chemicals and products, among which are BTX (benzene, toluene, xylene), phenol, vanillin or carbon fibre.Smolarski explains that “one of lignin's unique strength is that it can either be used directly as a “drop in” to replace phenols in an existing petrochemical process, or it can be further processed to create polymer building blocks."Inevitably, unlocking the potential of lignin involves taking down some barriers. “Limited technology maturity, weak links between R&D efforts and the industry, biofuel development draining government mandates and lack of funding options for biochemicals biorefiners are some of the main challenges to the emergence of cost-competitive lignin applications," adds Smolarski.Frost & Sullivan explores these challenges and their potential, and proposes a roadmap for the 10 years ahead. In his analysis, Smolarski also reviews four promising lignin applications and extends a call for action to petrochemical companies.“The petrochemical industry holds by far the highest capacity to accelerate the emergence of lignin-based chemicals. Being the first mover on this market can assure technology leadership, strategic partnerships and a competitive edge," concludes Mr Smolarski.Frost & Sullivan works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation and related growth opportunities.
SOURCE Canada Business News Network
Released on 04/12/12
Maire Tecnimont has been awarded a $191.4m (€147.4m) engineering and procurement contract for a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plant being developed by Brazils' Braskem and Mexico's Grupo Idesa, the Italian petrochemicals engineering firm said on Tuesday.The planned 300,000 tonnes/year LDPE plant will be constructed within the Ethylene XXI petrochemical complex being developed near Veracruz, Mexico, by the Braskem Idesa joint venture. Maire Tecnimont estimates that its engineering and procurement activities for the plant will be concluded by the fourth quarter of 2014. The plant will be built using technology developed by LyondellBasell.The Ethylene XXI complex is expected to include a 1.05m tonne/year ethane cracker, two high density polyethylene (HDPE) plants with capacities of 350,000 tonnes/year and 400,000 tonnes/year, and one 300,000 tonne/year low density polyethylene (LDPE) plant.The Braskem Idesa joint venture is 65%-owned by Braskem and 35%-owned by Grupo Idesa.The total cost of the Ethylene XXI complex project is $4.5bn, including construction costs of $3.7bn, plus working capital and interest. The complex is expected to begin operations in June 2015.
SOURCE ICIS News
Maire Tecnimont has been awarded a $191.4m (€147.4m) engineering and procurement contract for a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plant being developed by Brazils' Braskem and Mexico's Grupo Idesa, the Italian petrochemicals engineering firm said on Tuesday.The planned 300,000 tonnes/year LDPE plant will be constructed within the Ethylene XXI petrochemical complex being developed near Veracruz, Mexico, by the Braskem Idesa joint venture. Maire Tecnimont estimates that its engineering and procurement activities for the plant will be concluded by the fourth quarter of 2014. The plant will be built using technology developed by LyondellBasell.The Ethylene XXI complex is expected to include a 1.05m tonne/year ethane cracker, two high density polyethylene (HDPE) plants with capacities of 350,000 tonnes/year and 400,000 tonnes/year, and one 300,000 tonne/year low density polyethylene (LDPE) plant.The Braskem Idesa joint venture is 65%-owned by Braskem and 35%-owned by Grupo Idesa.The total cost of the Ethylene XXI complex project is $4.5bn, including construction costs of $3.7bn, plus working capital and interest. The complex is expected to begin operations in June 2015.
SOURCE ICIS News