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RELEASED ON 20/06/13 (DD/MM/YY)
German chemicals major BASF has begun constructing its new 10,000 tonne/year formulation and packaging plant for crop protection products at Rudong in Jiangsu province, China, the company said on Thursday.
The plant is expected to be fully operational in 2014 and will produce BASF’s range of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides, it said in a statement.
“This new plant will enable BASF to react quickly to changes in the market and directly address the needs of our partners and growers in China and enhance sustainable development in China’s agriculture industry in the long term,” added Zheng Daqing, senior vice president, business and market development, BASF Greater China.
SOURCE Icis News
German chemicals major BASF has begun constructing its new 10,000 tonne/year formulation and packaging plant for crop protection products at Rudong in Jiangsu province, China, the company said on Thursday.
The plant is expected to be fully operational in 2014 and will produce BASF’s range of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides, it said in a statement.
“This new plant will enable BASF to react quickly to changes in the market and directly address the needs of our partners and growers in China and enhance sustainable development in China’s agriculture industry in the long term,” added Zheng Daqing, senior vice president, business and market development, BASF Greater China.
SOURCE Icis News
La récente série d'incidents prouve que cette technologie reste très fragile. Un coup dur pour Boeing et certains constructeurs automobiles.
Depuis le 16 janvier, 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliner livrés par Boeing étaient cloués au sol en raison d'un problème avec les batteries lithium-ion. Au début de l'année, pas moins de sept incidents sont survenus à bord de ce long-courrier. Et même si les modifications ouvrant la voie à la levée de l'interdiction de vol devraient être terminées mi-mai, cela reste un coup dur pour l'avionneur américain, qui en a plus de 800 dans son carnet de commandes.
C'est en fait toute la filière du lithium-ion qui est sous pression. Une technologie que l'on retrouve depuis des années dans les batteries des calculettes, ordinateurs portables et smartphones. Et un marché de 11,7 milliards de dollars, selon le cabinet Frost & Sullivan, et qui devrait doubler d'ici à 2016, grâce au boom annoncé des voitures électriques.
Choix industriel contesté
Or, dans ce secteur aussi, le lithium-ion a connu son lot de problèmes: une Mini E prêtée au prince Albert de Monaco et un véhicule de La Poste dont les batteries brûlent inopinément ; des Karma, voitures ultrapremium du constructeur américain Fisker, qui s'enflamment après avoir goûté à l'eau salée de l'ouragan Sandy ; et, le plus dramatique de tous, en Chine, trois passagers d'un e-taxi de la marque BYD ont péri carbonisés après un violent choc sur la route. Ces accidents, et la mauvaise publicité faite par les 787, discréditent-ils la filière lithium-ion?
Il y a trois ans, Michel Armand, ex-directeur de recherche au CNRS et autorité reconnue dans les batteries avec 150 brevets à son actif, avait jeté un pavé dans la mare lors d'une conférence à Montréal en décriant le choix de l'industrie automobile. La plupart des constructeurs, dont Renault et Peugeot Citroën, avaient alors opté pour le lithium-ion basé sur l'oxyde de manganèse, alors que, selon le scientifique, la technologie la plus sûre était celle développée par les industriels chinois, fonctionnant au phosphate de fer. Armand alertait aussi sur les dangers des feux de batteries lithium-ion, "qui dégagent des substances toxiques comme le fluorure d'hydrogène (HF)".
Parades des constructeurs
Il n'est pas le seul à sonner le tocsin. Plus radical, Vincent Bolloré dit que la technologie lithium-ion est tout simplement à rejeter. Ne jurant que sur la sienne, le lithium-métal polymère (LMP), le père de la Bluecar et du service Autolib' assure qu'il ne montera jamais à bord d'une voiture au lithium-ion. Car si toutes les batteries s'échauffent au fonctionnement, "celles au lithium-ion risquent de brûler au-delà de 60 degrés ; celles au LMP tiennent jusqu'à 180 degrés" .
Guy Marlair, référent technique à la direction des risques accidentels de l'Institut national de l'environnement industriel et des risques (Ineris), objecte que la fiabilité des batteries ne dépend pas des seuls matériaux, mais des moyens mis en oeuvre pour les sécuriser. Contenant quatre fois plus d'énergie que les batteries au plomb, les batteries au lithium-ion ne sont pas sans risque (certains appareils électroniques ont flambé. Au lancement de la filière, les assemblages étaient parfois défectueux, car produits dans des environnements inappropriés. Aujourd'hui, les cellules sont développées dans des salles blanches.
Reste que les batteries n'aiment pas les fortes chaleurs (ce qui a incité Renault à ne pas commercialiser ses véhicules électriques dans les pays du Golfe). Les augmentations de température et les surcharges peuvent entraîner une réaction chimique qui provoque un emballement thermique. Alors les constructeurs ont créé des parades: systèmes de refroidissement, calculateurs contrôlant la tension des capteurs, module électrique qui se désactive si l'Airbag se déclenche caisson en acier qui empêche la batterie de brûler pendant vingt minutes... "Avec les véhicules électriques, il ne faut pas qu'un élément défectueux contamine l'ensemble du système", résume Jean-Louis Legrand, coordinateur interministériel du plan véhicules décarbonés.
Côté sécurité, des "tests destructifs" ont été menés par les industriels au côté de l'Ineris. "Lorsque les véhicules ont brûlé, on n'a pas relevé de différences avec les voitures thermiques il n'y a pas eu d'explosion" indique Antoine Bourbonneux responsable de l'électrique à BMW France. "Les émanations de HF ont été les mêmes que celles constatées sur un véhicule classique", note Marc Soulas, directeur de la gamme électrique chez Renault. Quant aux stations Autolib' qui ont été incendiées lors d'actes de vandalisme, "elles n'ont pas dégagé de fumées fluorées", relève Jean-Louis Legrand.
Restrictions en sous-sol
Pourtant des règles strictes ont été édictées. Notamment dans les parcs de stationnement couverts: obligation de les ventiler d'aménager un espace pour les pompiers, de créer des piliers de protection, voire des box aux endroits critiques, de séparer les points de charge d'une distance minimale de 15 mètres, de protéger les emplacements contigus à la station de charge par des parois pare-flamme...
Quant aux bornes de recharge rapides qui provoquent une élévation de la température, elles sont proscrites des parkings souterrains tout comme les espaces dédiés au stockage de batteries. Résultat: la plupart des parkings sont dépourvus de stationnements réservés aux véhicules électriques...
Paranoïa, vu le nombre réduit d'incidents? Comme nous sommes au tout début de l'histoire (seulement 5.663 voitures électriques vendues en France en 2012), le principe de précaution prévaut. "Aucune technologie n'est sûre à 100 %, note Guy Marlair, de l'Ineris. Mais pour le lithium-ion, il n'y a pas d'obstacles insurmontables."
Max Blanchet analyste chez Roland Berger estime que le véhicule électrique n'est pas plus dangereux qu'une voiture à essence: "Il faut arrêter de lui mettre des bâtons dans les roues. L'électrique est une filière d'avenir où la France, avec ses nombreux acteurs, Renault, le CE A, Saft, Bolloré... , doit avoir son mot à dire. Aujourd'hui, les batteries sont majoritairement fabriquées en Asie. Il n'y a aucune raison qu'elles ne le soient pas chez nous." Le cauchemar des thuriféraires de la voiture électrique? Que la contre-publicité causée par ces incidents ne porte un coup fatal à la filière. Ce fut le cas il y a quinze ans pour le GPL.
http://www.challenges.fr/entreprise/20130502.CHA9007/dangerosite-des-batteries-l ithium-ion-la-verite-sur-la.html
Depuis le 16 janvier, 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliner livrés par Boeing étaient cloués au sol en raison d'un problème avec les batteries lithium-ion. Au début de l'année, pas moins de sept incidents sont survenus à bord de ce long-courrier. Et même si les modifications ouvrant la voie à la levée de l'interdiction de vol devraient être terminées mi-mai, cela reste un coup dur pour l'avionneur américain, qui en a plus de 800 dans son carnet de commandes.
C'est en fait toute la filière du lithium-ion qui est sous pression. Une technologie que l'on retrouve depuis des années dans les batteries des calculettes, ordinateurs portables et smartphones. Et un marché de 11,7 milliards de dollars, selon le cabinet Frost & Sullivan, et qui devrait doubler d'ici à 2016, grâce au boom annoncé des voitures électriques.
Choix industriel contesté
Or, dans ce secteur aussi, le lithium-ion a connu son lot de problèmes: une Mini E prêtée au prince Albert de Monaco et un véhicule de La Poste dont les batteries brûlent inopinément ; des Karma, voitures ultrapremium du constructeur américain Fisker, qui s'enflamment après avoir goûté à l'eau salée de l'ouragan Sandy ; et, le plus dramatique de tous, en Chine, trois passagers d'un e-taxi de la marque BYD ont péri carbonisés après un violent choc sur la route. Ces accidents, et la mauvaise publicité faite par les 787, discréditent-ils la filière lithium-ion?
Il y a trois ans, Michel Armand, ex-directeur de recherche au CNRS et autorité reconnue dans les batteries avec 150 brevets à son actif, avait jeté un pavé dans la mare lors d'une conférence à Montréal en décriant le choix de l'industrie automobile. La plupart des constructeurs, dont Renault et Peugeot Citroën, avaient alors opté pour le lithium-ion basé sur l'oxyde de manganèse, alors que, selon le scientifique, la technologie la plus sûre était celle développée par les industriels chinois, fonctionnant au phosphate de fer. Armand alertait aussi sur les dangers des feux de batteries lithium-ion, "qui dégagent des substances toxiques comme le fluorure d'hydrogène (HF)".
Parades des constructeurs
Il n'est pas le seul à sonner le tocsin. Plus radical, Vincent Bolloré dit que la technologie lithium-ion est tout simplement à rejeter. Ne jurant que sur la sienne, le lithium-métal polymère (LMP), le père de la Bluecar et du service Autolib' assure qu'il ne montera jamais à bord d'une voiture au lithium-ion. Car si toutes les batteries s'échauffent au fonctionnement, "celles au lithium-ion risquent de brûler au-delà de 60 degrés ; celles au LMP tiennent jusqu'à 180 degrés" .
Guy Marlair, référent technique à la direction des risques accidentels de l'Institut national de l'environnement industriel et des risques (Ineris), objecte que la fiabilité des batteries ne dépend pas des seuls matériaux, mais des moyens mis en oeuvre pour les sécuriser. Contenant quatre fois plus d'énergie que les batteries au plomb, les batteries au lithium-ion ne sont pas sans risque (certains appareils électroniques ont flambé. Au lancement de la filière, les assemblages étaient parfois défectueux, car produits dans des environnements inappropriés. Aujourd'hui, les cellules sont développées dans des salles blanches.
Reste que les batteries n'aiment pas les fortes chaleurs (ce qui a incité Renault à ne pas commercialiser ses véhicules électriques dans les pays du Golfe). Les augmentations de température et les surcharges peuvent entraîner une réaction chimique qui provoque un emballement thermique. Alors les constructeurs ont créé des parades: systèmes de refroidissement, calculateurs contrôlant la tension des capteurs, module électrique qui se désactive si l'Airbag se déclenche caisson en acier qui empêche la batterie de brûler pendant vingt minutes... "Avec les véhicules électriques, il ne faut pas qu'un élément défectueux contamine l'ensemble du système", résume Jean-Louis Legrand, coordinateur interministériel du plan véhicules décarbonés.
Côté sécurité, des "tests destructifs" ont été menés par les industriels au côté de l'Ineris. "Lorsque les véhicules ont brûlé, on n'a pas relevé de différences avec les voitures thermiques il n'y a pas eu d'explosion" indique Antoine Bourbonneux responsable de l'électrique à BMW France. "Les émanations de HF ont été les mêmes que celles constatées sur un véhicule classique", note Marc Soulas, directeur de la gamme électrique chez Renault. Quant aux stations Autolib' qui ont été incendiées lors d'actes de vandalisme, "elles n'ont pas dégagé de fumées fluorées", relève Jean-Louis Legrand.
Restrictions en sous-sol
Pourtant des règles strictes ont été édictées. Notamment dans les parcs de stationnement couverts: obligation de les ventiler d'aménager un espace pour les pompiers, de créer des piliers de protection, voire des box aux endroits critiques, de séparer les points de charge d'une distance minimale de 15 mètres, de protéger les emplacements contigus à la station de charge par des parois pare-flamme...
Quant aux bornes de recharge rapides qui provoquent une élévation de la température, elles sont proscrites des parkings souterrains tout comme les espaces dédiés au stockage de batteries. Résultat: la plupart des parkings sont dépourvus de stationnements réservés aux véhicules électriques...
Paranoïa, vu le nombre réduit d'incidents? Comme nous sommes au tout début de l'histoire (seulement 5.663 voitures électriques vendues en France en 2012), le principe de précaution prévaut. "Aucune technologie n'est sûre à 100 %, note Guy Marlair, de l'Ineris. Mais pour le lithium-ion, il n'y a pas d'obstacles insurmontables."
Max Blanchet analyste chez Roland Berger estime que le véhicule électrique n'est pas plus dangereux qu'une voiture à essence: "Il faut arrêter de lui mettre des bâtons dans les roues. L'électrique est une filière d'avenir où la France, avec ses nombreux acteurs, Renault, le CE A, Saft, Bolloré... , doit avoir son mot à dire. Aujourd'hui, les batteries sont majoritairement fabriquées en Asie. Il n'y a aucune raison qu'elles ne le soient pas chez nous." Le cauchemar des thuriféraires de la voiture électrique? Que la contre-publicité causée par ces incidents ne porte un coup fatal à la filière. Ce fut le cas il y a quinze ans pour le GPL.
http://www.challenges.fr/entreprise/20130502.CHA9007/dangerosite-des-batteries-l ithium-ion-la-verite-sur-la.html
RELEASED ON 20/06/13 (DD/MM/YY
)
Japan's GS Yuasa, the battery supplier for Boeing's troubled Dreamliner, on Thursday announced a tie-up with German technology giant Bosch to develop lithium-ion batteries. The pair are planning to set up a joint venture early next year with trading house Mitsubishi Corp. that would research and develop "high-performance" powerpacks, GS Yuasa said.
"These batteries are fundamental for future forms of mobility, such as plug-in hybrid or all-electric vehicles," it said in a statement, adding that it hoped the venture's research would "significantly increase energy content". "This will reduce weight and space requirements, and increase the range of electric vehicles."
GS Yuasa's Tokyo-listed shares jumped 7.86 percent to 439 yen ($4.55) in morning trade following the announcement. Bosch would control 50 percent of the venture with the Japanese firms each holding 25 percent of the business, which will have its headquarters in Stuttgart.
Mitsubishi Motors' i-MiEV electric cars have a range of about 180 kilometres (110 miles) per charge, but "we hope to produce batteries that double this distance", a GS Yuasa spokeswoman said.
Production is expected to start by the end of 2017.
GS Yuasa drew global attention following the worldwide grounding of Boeing's next generation Dreamliner aircraft after problems were discovered with its battery systems in January.
The aircraft has since returned to the skies and Japanese investigators said they found no major fault with GS Yuasa's production.
SOURCE Yahoo News
Japan's GS Yuasa, the battery supplier for Boeing's troubled Dreamliner, on Thursday announced a tie-up with German technology giant Bosch to develop lithium-ion batteries. The pair are planning to set up a joint venture early next year with trading house Mitsubishi Corp. that would research and develop "high-performance" powerpacks, GS Yuasa said.
"These batteries are fundamental for future forms of mobility, such as plug-in hybrid or all-electric vehicles," it said in a statement, adding that it hoped the venture's research would "significantly increase energy content". "This will reduce weight and space requirements, and increase the range of electric vehicles."
GS Yuasa's Tokyo-listed shares jumped 7.86 percent to 439 yen ($4.55) in morning trade following the announcement. Bosch would control 50 percent of the venture with the Japanese firms each holding 25 percent of the business, which will have its headquarters in Stuttgart.
Mitsubishi Motors' i-MiEV electric cars have a range of about 180 kilometres (110 miles) per charge, but "we hope to produce batteries that double this distance", a GS Yuasa spokeswoman said.
Production is expected to start by the end of 2017.
GS Yuasa drew global attention following the worldwide grounding of Boeing's next generation Dreamliner aircraft after problems were discovered with its battery systems in January.
The aircraft has since returned to the skies and Japanese investigators said they found no major fault with GS Yuasa's production.
SOURCE Yahoo News
RELEASED ON 16/06/13 (DD/MM/YY)
A major portion of Camlin Fine Chemicals unit at Boisar area here was gutted in fire in the wee hours today. According to police, no one was hurt in the mishap.
The blaze erupted at around 3 a.m. and engulfed the entire godown where the raw material was stored, Boisar police said. The cause for the fire is yet to be ascertained.
At least four fire tenders and over a dozen water tankers were pressed into service which managed to douse the flames after over five hours, they said.
SOURCE The Hindu Business Line
A major portion of Camlin Fine Chemicals unit at Boisar area here was gutted in fire in the wee hours today. According to police, no one was hurt in the mishap.
The blaze erupted at around 3 a.m. and engulfed the entire godown where the raw material was stored, Boisar police said. The cause for the fire is yet to be ascertained.
At least four fire tenders and over a dozen water tankers were pressed into service which managed to douse the flames after over five hours, they said.
SOURCE The Hindu Business Line
RELEASED ON 14/06/13 (DD/MM/YY)
Dairen Chemical Corp. is likely to take its Vinyl Acetate monomer (VAM) plant off-stream for maintenance turnaround.
A Polymerupdate source in Taiwan informed that the plant is likely to be taken off-stream in August 2013. It is likely to remain off-stream for around one month.
Located at Mailiao in Taiwan, the VAM plant has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
Dairen Chemical Corp. is likely to take its Vinyl Acetate monomer (VAM) plant off-stream for maintenance turnaround.
A Polymerupdate source in Taiwan informed that the plant is likely to be taken off-stream in August 2013. It is likely to remain off-stream for around one month.
Located at Mailiao in Taiwan, the VAM plant has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
RELEASED ON 19/06/13 (DD/MM/YY)
Force majeure declared on 9 May 2013 on its acrylic acid, oxo-alcohols and acrylate esters units at in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia has been lifted by BASF PETRONAS effective 3 Jun 2013.
SOURCE Icis News
Force majeure declared on 9 May 2013 on its acrylic acid, oxo-alcohols and acrylate esters units at in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia has been lifted by BASF PETRONAS effective 3 Jun 2013.
SOURCE Icis News
RELEASED ON 18/06/13 (DD/MM/YY)
Fire broke out in the godown area of Camlin Fine Sciences located at plot no. D-2/3, MIDC, Boisar, Tarapur, Dist. Thane- 401506. The past 2 days have witnessed torrential rains in the tarapur region which resulted in flooding in the vicinity of the Company's plant. Camlin Fine Chemicals is the world's second largest manufacturer and marketer of food grade antioxidants TBHQ and BHA. Its mission is to be the largest food antioxidant and ingredient manufacturer worldwide
SOURCE Accord Fintech
Fire broke out in the godown area of Camlin Fine Sciences located at plot no. D-2/3, MIDC, Boisar, Tarapur, Dist. Thane- 401506. The past 2 days have witnessed torrential rains in the tarapur region which resulted in flooding in the vicinity of the Company's plant. Camlin Fine Chemicals is the world's second largest manufacturer and marketer of food grade antioxidants TBHQ and BHA. Its mission is to be the largest food antioxidant and ingredient manufacturer worldwide
SOURCE Accord Fintech
RELEASED O 18/06/13 (DD/MM/YY)
Major European Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) producer Lucite International has placed its customers on sales control, with effect from 17 June, because of an unplanned outage, a source from the company said on Tuesday. The company said an imminent shutdown was required to resolve a technical issue at its Cassel site, in northeastern England.
“Lucite has no option but to implement a sales control on MMA, Methacrylic acid [MAA] and n-Butyl Methacrylate [NBMA] from its Cassel site to its customers and to allocate available volume on a fair and reasonable basis, and in compliance with contract commitments,” the company said in a letter to its customers.
The allocation will remain in force for an initial period until 31 July 2013, the company said. Lucite said it would keep its customers informed of the progress being made during the outage.
An MMA buyer told ICIS: “It is severe, and we will be significantly impacted.”
A major consumer of acetone for the production of MMA said that because of technical problems it will be taking less volume in July. The source said: “Because of technical issues, we will be reducing acetone purchasing. We will take what we have ordered for June, but due to the technical issue, we will be reduced in July.”
Europe June MMA contract prices rolled over, but some players expect to see price rises in July. “We have had more enquiries,” one MMA seller said. “The July price is going to go up. The European balance is going to be significantly affected because a big plant is having severe problems.”
UK-based Lucite International has the capacity to produce 200,000 tonnes/year of MMA from its Cassel site, based in Billingham, Teesside.
Nearly all MMA is polymerised to make homopolymers and copolymers, with the largest application being the casting, moulding or extrusion of Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or modified polymers. PMMA is a transparent thermoplastic, often used as a lighter, shatter-resistant alternative to glass.
SOURCE Icis News
Major European Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) producer Lucite International has placed its customers on sales control, with effect from 17 June, because of an unplanned outage, a source from the company said on Tuesday. The company said an imminent shutdown was required to resolve a technical issue at its Cassel site, in northeastern England.
“Lucite has no option but to implement a sales control on MMA, Methacrylic acid [MAA] and n-Butyl Methacrylate [NBMA] from its Cassel site to its customers and to allocate available volume on a fair and reasonable basis, and in compliance with contract commitments,” the company said in a letter to its customers.
The allocation will remain in force for an initial period until 31 July 2013, the company said. Lucite said it would keep its customers informed of the progress being made during the outage.
An MMA buyer told ICIS: “It is severe, and we will be significantly impacted.”
A major consumer of acetone for the production of MMA said that because of technical problems it will be taking less volume in July. The source said: “Because of technical issues, we will be reducing acetone purchasing. We will take what we have ordered for June, but due to the technical issue, we will be reduced in July.”
Europe June MMA contract prices rolled over, but some players expect to see price rises in July. “We have had more enquiries,” one MMA seller said. “The July price is going to go up. The European balance is going to be significantly affected because a big plant is having severe problems.”
UK-based Lucite International has the capacity to produce 200,000 tonnes/year of MMA from its Cassel site, based in Billingham, Teesside.
Nearly all MMA is polymerised to make homopolymers and copolymers, with the largest application being the casting, moulding or extrusion of Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or modified polymers. PMMA is a transparent thermoplastic, often used as a lighter, shatter-resistant alternative to glass.
SOURCE Icis News
RELEASED ON 19/06/13 DD/MM/YY)
Yeochun Naphta Cracking Centre (YNCC) is operating its Butadiene plant at curtailed capacity levels. A Polymerupdate source in South Korea informed that the plant was presently operating at 80% of production capacity levels.
The plant restarted on June 3, 2013. It was shut on May 9, 2013 for a maintenance turnaround. Located in Yeosu, South Korea, the plant has a production capacity of 240,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
Yeochun Naphta Cracking Centre (YNCC) is operating its Butadiene plant at curtailed capacity levels. A Polymerupdate source in South Korea informed that the plant was presently operating at 80% of production capacity levels.
The plant restarted on June 3, 2013. It was shut on May 9, 2013 for a maintenance turnaround. Located in Yeosu, South Korea, the plant has a production capacity of 240,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
RELEASED ON 18/06/13 (DD/MM/YY)
CPC Corp is in plans to start operations at a new Butadiene extraction unit (BEU). A Polymerupdate source in Taiwan informed that the unit is planned to start in end-June 2013.
The new unit has a production capacity of 100,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
CPC Corp is in plans to start operations at a new Butadiene extraction unit (BEU). A Polymerupdate source in Taiwan informed that the unit is planned to start in end-June 2013.
The new unit has a production capacity of 100,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
BASF today announced more than €50 million in investments to expand its crop protection production capacities in the Guaratinguetá chemical complex, about 170 kilometers from São Paulo, Brazil. As result, the company will increase local production and formulation capacities of its latest blockbuster products. Another positive consequence of the investments is the creation of 70 new jobs. Furthermore, a new plant for biological products is scheduled to be opened by August this year in Chile. These products will add further value to the portfolio of the company’s recently established business unit Functional Crop Care.
“This initiative will considerably enhance local production and build on the investments BASF has made in South America in recent years. It also reinforces our commitment to accelerate business growth in the region through innovation and new technologies,” stated Markus Heldt, President, BASF’s Crop Protection division, on a recent visit to Brazil. Heldt also stressed that after the investment is completed, the company will increase exports of products from Brazil to other BASF units globally. This expansion demonstrates the company’s strategic commitment to strengthening its agricultural solutions segment. “With these investments, we will further balance the production capacity of BASF across the world,” said Heldt.
Part of the investment is allocated to the expansion of the manufacturing plant for the fungicide Boscalid. Boscalid is an extremely important active ingredient used to fight diseases in crops such as canola, cereals, coffee, fruits and vegetables. The expansion is planned to be completed by the end of June 2013.
Additionally, the company will invest in a formulation plant for its latest fungicide innovation, Xemium®. Xemium is BASF’s next generation carboxamide, poised to further strengthen the company’s leading position in the fungicide market. The innovative product, which is in its final phase of registration in Brazil, will help growers to control soybean rust and diseases affecting more than 20 crops. The plant is expected to be ready by mid-2014.
The Guaratinguetá complex will also receive a new plant investment to formulate Heat®, BASF’s latest blockbuster herbicide which recently received registration in Brazil. The product is part of the Kixor® family of herbicides and highly effective against difficult to control broadleaf weeds, including those that have become resistant to other herbicides. The plant is expected to be ready in the second half of 2014.
With these latest investments, the BASF Crop Protection Unit reinforces its strong commitment to deliver innovation and strengthen its position in continuously growing agricultural markets as Latin America.
http://news.agropages.com/News/NewsDetail---9763.htm
RELEASED O 13/06/13 (DD/MM/YY)
Taiwan’s Formosa Chemicals & Fibres Corp (FCFC) plans to shut two of its Styrene monomer (SM) units in August for maintenance, a company source said. The 250,000 tonne/year No 1 and 350,000 tonne/year No 2 units in Mailiao are expected to be shut for around 40 days.
The company operates a separate 600,000 tonnes/year No 3 SM plant at the same location and has a combined output of 1.2m tonnes/year. The other two SM producers in Taiwan are Grand Pacific Petrochemical Corp and Taiwan Styrene Monomer Corp.
SOURCE Icis News
Taiwan’s Formosa Chemicals & Fibres Corp (FCFC) plans to shut two of its Styrene monomer (SM) units in August for maintenance, a company source said. The 250,000 tonne/year No 1 and 350,000 tonne/year No 2 units in Mailiao are expected to be shut for around 40 days.
The company operates a separate 600,000 tonnes/year No 3 SM plant at the same location and has a combined output of 1.2m tonnes/year. The other two SM producers in Taiwan are Grand Pacific Petrochemical Corp and Taiwan Styrene Monomer Corp.
SOURCE Icis News
RELEASED ON 13/06/13 (DD/MM/YY)
Germany-based chemicals major BASF has declared force majeure on Butyl Acrylate (butyl-A) production from its Ludwigshafen facility, a source from the company confirmed on Thursday. “We officially declared force majeure on butyl acrylate this morning due to unplanned production problems,” the source said.
The company will not be able to fulfil its contractual supply obligations entirely, it said in a letter to its customers. “Orders can only be carried out on a pro rata basis. We are currently putting together an allocation plan,” it said.
The source added that BASF would provide further information to its customers on how the situation is developing. All other esters production at the facility is running as usual, the source confirmed.
BASF has the capacity to produce 110,000 tonnes/year of butyl-A from its Ludwigshafen facility in Germany
SOURCE Icis News
Germany-based chemicals major BASF has declared force majeure on Butyl Acrylate (butyl-A) production from its Ludwigshafen facility, a source from the company confirmed on Thursday. “We officially declared force majeure on butyl acrylate this morning due to unplanned production problems,” the source said.
The company will not be able to fulfil its contractual supply obligations entirely, it said in a letter to its customers. “Orders can only be carried out on a pro rata basis. We are currently putting together an allocation plan,” it said.
The source added that BASF would provide further information to its customers on how the situation is developing. All other esters production at the facility is running as usual, the source confirmed.
BASF has the capacity to produce 110,000 tonnes/year of butyl-A from its Ludwigshafen facility in Germany
SOURCE Icis News
RELEASED ON 12/06/13 (DD/MM/YY)
German chemical producer Evonik has shut down its 220,000 tonne/year Butadiene (BD) plant in Marl for maintenance, a company source said on Wednesday. The planned turnaround is expected to last for around three weeks.
This shutdown is the last in the spring maintenance season. Previous maintenance shutdowns have included BD units in Moerdijk, the Netherlands (Shell), Wesseling in Germany (LyondellBasell) and Ravenna in Italy (Versalis).
The restart of Netherlands-based LyondellBasell’s unit is imminent, while Italy-headquartered producer Versalis’ unit is due back online next week.
SOURCE Icis News
German chemical producer Evonik has shut down its 220,000 tonne/year Butadiene (BD) plant in Marl for maintenance, a company source said on Wednesday. The planned turnaround is expected to last for around three weeks.
This shutdown is the last in the spring maintenance season. Previous maintenance shutdowns have included BD units in Moerdijk, the Netherlands (Shell), Wesseling in Germany (LyondellBasell) and Ravenna in Italy (Versalis).
The restart of Netherlands-based LyondellBasell’s unit is imminent, while Italy-headquartered producer Versalis’ unit is due back online next week.
SOURCE Icis News
RELEASED ON 12/06/13 (DD/MM/YY)
Japan’s Nippon Shokubai is likely to restart its 80,000 tonne/year acrylic acid (AA) line at its Himeji facility by the end of June, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The company recently restarted its 160,000 tonne/year AA line at the same site in early June after receiving approval from the government.
The company has not decided on the exact date for the restart of its acrylate esters facility and plans to resume operations at the Himeji site on a step-by-step basis, the source added.
Nippon Shokubai’s total AA capacity at the site is 460,000 tonnes/year. According to several market participants, the company is likely to restart its acrylate esters facility in the next one to two months.
SOURCE Icis News
Japan’s Nippon Shokubai is likely to restart its 80,000 tonne/year acrylic acid (AA) line at its Himeji facility by the end of June, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The company recently restarted its 160,000 tonne/year AA line at the same site in early June after receiving approval from the government.
The company has not decided on the exact date for the restart of its acrylate esters facility and plans to resume operations at the Himeji site on a step-by-step basis, the source added.
Nippon Shokubai’s total AA capacity at the site is 460,000 tonnes/year. According to several market participants, the company is likely to restart its acrylate esters facility in the next one to two months.
SOURCE Icis News