DATE : 2014-02-11
South Korea’s Asia Acetyls Co (Asacco) shut its 210,000 tonne/year vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) plant in Ulsan on Monday following a power failure, a company official said on Tuesday.
“Power failure happened on Monday morning in the Ulsan petrochemical complex,” the source said, adding that the outage is expected to last several days.
But the plant will resume production this week, the source said.
“Our [VAM] inventory went down below critical level because we kept low levels even before the plant shut,” the source said.
“So we have to cut export volume and re-arrange shipping schedule for February and March,” he added.
Prior to the outage, the VAM plant was operating at 90-95% of capacity since January amid buoyant domestic demand in South Korea.
An upstream 600,000 tonne/year acetic acid plant operated by Samsung BP Chemicals Co at the site was not shut by the power outage, but it is currently operating at below half its capacity, the source said.
“The acetic acid plant did not shut, but went down to very low production rate,” he said, adding that the plant’s run rate should improve to pre-power outage levels within the week.
SOURCE Icis News
DATE : 2014-02-07
Lucite International will shut its 100,000 tonne/year methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant in Shanghai in mid-March for a scheduled turnaround, a company source said on Friday.
The plant is expected to be offline for 45 days until end April, the source added.
The company currently operates another MMA plant in Singapore which can produce up to 130,000 tonnes/year of MMA.
Lucite International is a subsidiary of Japanese producer Mitsubishi Rayon Co (MRC), which is one of the largest MMA producers in Asia.
SOURCE Icis News
DATE : 2014-02-07
LyondellBasell has declared force majeure on European butadiene (BD) supplies and placed customers on allocation, market sources said on Friday.
One customer said that LyondellBasell placed it under a 90% volume allocation at the end of January.
The reason for the force majeure is unknown.
A LyondellBasell spokesman said on Friday the company does not comment on communications with customers or day-to-day plant operations.
The producer operates a 238,000 tonne/year BD unit at Wesseling, Germany, and an 80,000 tonne/year plant in Berre, France, according to ICIS data.
SOURCE Icis News
DATE : 2014-02-10
Styrindo Mono Indonesia (SMI) is likely to shut its No.2 styrene monomer (SM) plant for maintenance turnaround.
A Polymerupdate source in Indonesia informed that the plant is likely to be shut in end-February 2014. It is expected to remain off-stream for around one month.
Located in Merak, Indonesia, the plant has a production capacity of 250,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
DATE : 2014-02-10
Taiwan’s Grand Pacific Petrochemical Corp (GPPC) plans to restart its 130,000 tonne/year styrene monomer (SM) unit in Kaohsiung by the end of February or in early March, following scheduled maintenance, a company source said on Monday.
“Based on schedule, the plant will restart after three weeks,” the source added.
The SM unit was shut in the weekend of 8-9 February.
It has another SM unit at the same Kaohsiung site with a capacity of 250,000 tonnes/year, which is operating at 100% currently.
SOURCE Icis News
DATE : 2014-01-31
According to Research and Markets, the Chinese butadiene market is set to grow at a CAGR of around 6.2% from 2013 to 2018. The Asia Pacific region will be a significant source of demand, as the European and North American markets are considered mature with demand growth below market growth. The largest consumers of butadiene are SBR producers, followed by PBR producers. PBR is the fastest growing end-use segment of butadiene with CAGR at around 4.9% from 2013 to 2018.
SOURCE : European rubber Journal
DATE : 2014-02-06
- Laboratory focuses on electrolytes and electrode materials for lithium ion batteries
- Application Technology Center to better serve the needs of customers in Japan with customized solutions
- Extends R&D co-operation with leading Japanese research institutes and battery manufacturers
BASF today inaugurated its Research and Development Laboratory and Application Technology Center for Battery Materials in Amagasaki, Japan.
The facility, located in the Amagasaki Research Incubation Center (ARIC), is BASFjavascript:void(0);"s first combined battery materials research and development (R&D) and application technology operation in Asia Pacific.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by the mayor of Amagasaki City along with government officials, customers, researchers and BASF employees.
"The new Amagasaki Battery Materials Lab will enable us to extend our successful R&D network with research institutes and the battery manufacturing industry into Japan," said Dr. Peter Schuhmacher, President Process Research and Chemical Engineering at BASFjavascript:void(0);. "The addition of Amagasaki to this global network demonstrates our ongoing commitment to advancing the battery materials industry." The Amagasaki laboratory will focus on developing electrolytes and electrode materials for high-performance lithium ion batteries as part of BASF"s global R&D network, leveraging technology platforms from around the world. In addition, the Amagasaki laboratory will run development programs jointly with Japanese customers. This will allow BASF to serve customer"s needs in Japan more quickly.
Dr. Joerg-Christian Steck, Representative Director & President of BASF Japan, stated: "Japan is a leader in battery manufacturing and development.
Amagasaki, in the Kansai area, is the ideal location for the new battery materials laboratory. Our R&D presence in Japan brings us closer to our customers, enabling us to better serve their needs." The total investment for the new Amagasaki facility, which covers new offices and laboratories located at a 600 square meter site, is several million euros. The laboratory will combine organic and inorganic synthesis, analytics and electrochemical testing within one group. This facilitates understanding of how different materials such as electrodes and electrolytes interact with each other in battery applications, thus supporting materials optimization. In addition, the company will benefit from increased synergies with existing BASFjavascript:void(0); teams that are researching chemistry for use in organic photovoltaic cells and electronic materials.
In July 2013 the Battery Materials Lab was selected by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as a "Project Promoting Asian Site Location in Japan" as part of a program supporting global companies" establishment of new, high-value-added business locations in the country.
Global Network Expansion
In the battery materials segment, BASFjavascript:void(0); currently operates six production plants and pilot production sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany; Elyria and Beachwood, Ohio; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Troy, Michigan; and Suzhou, China; as well as six R&D sites in Ludwigshafen; Beachwood and Independence, Ohio; Rochester Hills, Michigan; Suzhou, China; and Amagasaki, Japan.
BASFjavascript:void(0); is investing several hundred million euros in leading edge battery materials research, development, and manufacturing projects, between 2011 and 2016. To strengthen its global position in this field, BASFjavascript:void(0); announced in October 2013 that it will invest $25 million in renovating and expanding its research and development facility in Beachwood, Ohio. As one of the battery industry"s leading suppliers, BASF will have R&D facilities in all three markets ( North America, Europe and Asia Pacific) that support customers" individual requirements. BASFjavascript:void(0); expects global sales from the battery materials business of at least EUR500 million by the year 2020.
To achieve this, BASFjavascript:void(0); has been implementing a strategic business plan since the founding of the Battery Materials business unit in 2012, acquiring and entering licensing agreements with various cathode material and electrolyte businesses and strengthening its battery materials technical infrastructure and access to the global market.
SOURCE BASF.com
DATE : 2014-02-04
Tosoh Crop is likely to take off-stream a butadiene plant for maintenance turnaround.
A Polymerupdate source in Japan informed that the plant is likely to be taken off-stream in mid-March 2014. It is slated to remain off-stream for about one month.
Located in Yokkaichi, Japan, the butadiene plant has a production capacity of 500,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
DATE : 2014-02-04
Denki Kagaku Kogyo (Denka) is likely to shut a styrene monomer (SM) plant for maintenance turnaround.
A Polymerupdate source in Japan informed that the plant is planned to be taken offstream in May-June 2014.
It is likely to remain off-stream for around one month.Located in Chiba, Japan, the plant has a production capacity of 270,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
DATE : 2014-02-03
Idemitsu SM (Malaysia) is likely to shut its styrene monomer (SM) plant for maintenance.
A Polymerupdate source in Malaysia informed that the plant is plant is planned to be shut in August 2014. It is likely to remain off-stream for around one month.
Located at Pasir Gudang in Malaysia, the SM plant has a production capacity of 600,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
DATE : 2014-01-27
French chemicals group Arkema has signed a major contract with Sunvic Chemical's subsidiary Jurong Chemical (the world's fifth largest acrylic acid producer and the market leader in China). Arkema and Jurong are to turn Jurong's acrylic acid operations in Taixing, China into a joint venture called Sunke). The Taixing factory employs 400 people and has 2 production lines each with 160,000 tonnes/y capacity (making it the largest of its type in China). A third production line will be added at start 2015 taking the factory's capacity to 480,000 tonnes/y. Arkema will invest $240 M in the joint venture in return for an initial stake of 55% after the deal is finalized in summer 2014. This will give it 160,000 tonnes/y acrylic acid capacity. When the new line enters service in 2015, Arkema will make a further payment of $235 M giving it a 67% stake in Sunke and 320,000 capacity. At this stage, Arkema expects turnover from the first 2 lines to reach $600 M.
Arkema will also have a 5-year option on acquiring the final 33% of acrylic acid capacities for $165 M (which would make it the Taixing factory's sole owner). The deal with Jurong Chemical gives Arkema immediate access to modern, operational acrylic acid capacities in China ensuring reliable feedstock supply for its own coating resins production. It will also provide reliable feedstock supply for Arkema's subsidiary Coatex' vast platform in Changshu and for its subsidiary Sartomer's operations in Guangzhou. The group will also be able to supply its Chinese and Asian customers with acrylic monomers (targeting the dynamic superabsorbents, paints, adhesives and water treatments market). The choice of Taixing is also of strategic important because Asia accounts for 53% of worldwide acrylic acid consumptions (estimated at 4.8 M tonnes in 2013). China alone accounts for 25% of the market and is enjoying growth of 7-8%/y. Asia is a priority region for Arkema's acrylic acid business and the group is considering building a new factory on the continent. Meanwhile Arkema recently increased its acrylic acid capacity in Clear Lake, TX to 270,000 tonnes/y. It also has 65,000 tonnes/y capacity thanks to its 50% stake in a joint venture with Nippon Shokubai in Bayport, TX. In Europe, its site in Carling, France has 275,000 tonnes/y capacity. At start 2015 (thanks to its increased stake in Sunke), Arkema will become the world's third largest producer of acrylic acid. The deal with Jurong Chemical is also in line with Arkema's strategy of achieving a better geographical balance between its operations by increasing the proportion of its 2016 turnover it makes in emerging nations to 30%.
SOURCE Pharma Chimi Hebdo
DATE : 2014-02-02
The next breakthrough smartphone, or maybe the one after that, might not have a traditional battery as its sole source of power. Instead, it could pull energy from the air or power itself through television, cellular or Wi-Fi signals.
Engineers at Apple even tried for many years to build a smarter battery by adding solar charging to iPhones and iPods, a former Apple executive said. And they have continued to experiment with solar charging, two people who work at the company said.
Batteries, long the poor cousin to computer chips in research-obsessed Silicon Valley, are now the rage.
As tech companies push their businesses into making wearable devices like fitness bands, eyeglasses and smart watches, the limitations of battery technology have become the biggest obstacle to sales and greater profits. Consumers are unlikely to embrace a wristwatch computer like the one being worked on by Apple, or Google’s smart glasses, if they work only a few hours between charges and must be removed to be plugged in.
So the race is on — both to find alternatives to the traditional battery and to discover ways to make battery power last longer.
Consumers are going to say, “Give me a better battery because it doesn’t last long enough,” said Mujeeb Ijaz, chief technology officer at A123 Systems, a company that makes batteries for electric cars and invests in start-ups that are developing new battery technologies.
“That need wasn’t there five years ago,” he continued. “Now it’s a matter of the market and the developers coming together and saying, what is the need and how many R&D dollars do we put in?”
Although computer chips have doubled in speed every few years, and digital displays have become significantly brighter and sharper, battery technology is largely stuck in the 20th century. Device makers have relied on incremental improvements to battery power, now usually supplied by a decades-old lithium-ion concoction, in combination with more energy-efficient chips and screens.
The problem, in part, is that it is hard to ensure the safety of many new power technologies. A faulty battery could potentially turn into a miniature bomb. So the products require exhaustive testing by regulators before hitting store shelves.
Even if a new power system is approved, it often requires adoption by reputable brands like Apple, Samsung or Microsoft before everyday consumers start to trust it.
Some in Silicon Valley, like Tony Fadell, the former Apple vice president who led iPod and iPhone development, think it is smarter to focus on improving batteries and other components by taking small steps, rather than trying to reinvent the battery itself.
“Hoping and betting on new battery technology to me is a fool’s errand,” said Mr. Fadell, who is now the chief executive of Nest, which makes household technology and was bought by Google last month. “Don’t wait for the battery technology to get there, because it’s incredibly slow to move.”
Mr. Fadell, who is often referred to as “one of the fathers of the iPod” for his work on the first version of Apple’s venerable music player, said Apple tried for many years to build a smarter battery by adding solar charging to iPhones and iPods. But the method never proved practical, he said, because mobile devices often stay inside pockets when people are outdoors, and indoor artificial light generates only a tiny amount of energy.
These days, Apple’s latest products, including its newest MacBook Airs, iPads and iPhones, rely more on energy-efficient processors and software algorithms to save power than on the battery itself. A spokeswoman for Apple declined to comment on future products and technologies. But there are clues that the company is looking into ways to improve battery technology.
Over the past few years, Apple has hired engineers with expertise in power technology and battery design from companies like Tesla, Toyota and A123 Systems. Last year, Apple acquired Passif Semiconductor, a start-up that developed low-energy communication chips.
For its wristwatch, Apple has been testing a method to charge the battery wirelessly with magnetic induction, according to a person briefed on the product. A similar technology is already used in some Nokia smartphones — when a phone is placed on a charging plate, an electrical current creates a magnetic field, which creates voltage that powers the phone.
Apple has also experimented with new power-charging methods for a potential smartwatch, people close to the efforts said, though such experiments are years from becoming a reality. The watch is expected to have a curved glass screen, and one idea is to add a solar-charging layer to that screen, which would give power to the device in daylight, they said.
In the fall, Apple posted a job listing seeking engineers who specialize in solar energy.
Another experiment at Apple has involved charging the battery through movement, a method that is already used in many modern watches. A person’s arm swinging could operate a tiny charging station that generates and pushes power to the device while walking, according to a patent filed by Apple in 2009.
In July, Apple was awarded a patent for a flexible battery that could fit in a wristwatch or tablet. Although the battery would be traditional, it would have a thin and curved form that could easily couple with a flexible solar panel layer.
Google also has been looking at new battery technologies, trying to figure out ways to extend the life of smartphones. “People do not want to have to go run and find a charger at 3 p.m. every day,” said Mark Randall, senior vice president for supply chain and operations at Motorola, which Google announced last week it would sell to Lenovo.
Samsung, too, has been designing new types of batteries with wearable computers in mind. The company has introduced compact curved batteries that can be installed inside wristbands. And last year, it introduced Dream Battery, which uses solid electrolytes, instead of the liquid or polymer used by lithium-ion batteries, to eliminate the risk of explosions and other safety problems for flexible electronics.
Universities and start-ups are also making their own efforts — some just as ambitious as Apple’s and, perhaps, a little pie in the sky. Nonetheless, they are attracting attention and venture capital.
For example, prominent investors like the Founders Fund; Yahoo’s chief executive, Marissa Mayer; and the Andreessen Horowitz firm are backing uBeam, a start-up in Mountain View, Calif., that is trying to develop a system in which devices pull energy from the air. The technology involves piezoelectricity — a form of charge that is created in vibrations of certain crystals and ceramics.
“Battery technology advancements are lagging far behind advancements in mobile tech, while power consumption rate is increasing as consumers demand more from their devices,” said Meredith Perry, founder of uBeam.
“When wireless power is everywhere, battery life and charging rates will no longer be critical factors in mobile devices as our devices will always be charging,” Ms. Perry said.
Yi Cui, a Stanford professor who founded the start-up Amprius, is developing a way to replace the carbon anodes in lithium ion batteries with silicon. Silicon, he said, has 10 times the storage capacity of carbon, but it expands and breaks. So Mr. Cui and his team coated the silicon with polymer, a soft and stretchy substance similar to the material used in contact lenses, that spontaneously heals tiny cracks during battery operation.
Researchers at the University of Washington have also been working on a method for wireless devices to communicate without using any battery power. The technique involves harvesting energy from TV, cellular and Wi-Fi signals that are already in the air, said Shyamnath Gollakota, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering who is working on the project.
“The idea is basically you have signals around you,” Mr. Gollakota said. “So why do you have to generate new signals to communicate?”
In a commercial smartphone, a battery would still be necessary for powering the screen and other functions, but the signal-harvesting method would allow phone calls or text messages to be placed without using any power, he said.
At Google, building a better battery is so important that the quest goes all the way to the top. During an earnings call last year, Larry Page, Google’s chief executive, said battery life on mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones, was prime for reinvention. “There’s real potential to invent new and better experiences,” he said.
SOURCE New York Times