DATE : 2014-12-19
Indonesia’s Chandra Asri has shut down its 100,000 tonne/year butadiene (BD) extraction unit following an unplanned outage at its 600,000 tonne/year naphtha cracker in Cilegon in West Java, market sources said.
“We expect the BD unit to be offline till the end of the month,” market sources said.
The unexpected shutdown may result in a BD production loss of about 3,000 tonnes, if it is shut till the end of the month, according to market sources.
SOURCE Icis News
DATE : 2014-12-19
L'énergéticien canadien Hydro-Québec a choisi l'Aquitaine pour mener des recherches sur le stockage d'énergie via la création d'une filiale à 100%, baptisée SCE France (pour Stockage, Conversion d'Energie). En janvier, SCE implantera un laboratoire de recherche visant notamment à développer des batteries lithium-fer-phosphate. Des subventions à hauteur de 5,5 millions d'euros En échange de ses brevets et du transfert de R&D mené par l’Institut de recherche d’Hydro-Québec (IREQ), le canadien doit bénéficier de subventions pour un montant de 5,5 millions d'euros, dont la moitié sera apportée par la Région Aquitaine. Hydro-Québec, qui appartient à 100% à l'Etat québécois, cherche aussi à obtenir une aide européenne."La première étape de ce projet, c'est le laboratoire de recherche, explique Karim Aghib, directeur général de SCE France. A Hydro-Quebec, nous travaillons sur les batteries lithium-fer-phosphate depuis 1997. La technologie est maintenant mature et prête à être commercialisée.
Nous allons faire de l'accompagnement sur le transfert de R&D et nous travaillerons avec des partenaires qui s'occuperont du montage des batteries et de la commercialisation." Encore en négociations, Hydro-Québec ne révèle pas le nom de ses futurs partenaires mais précise que ce sont "des acteurs importants en Aquitaine ou en France". Le laboratoire fera également de la recherche sur des matériaux innovants de batteries. Porte d'entrée pour le marché européen Les principaux domaines d’application de ces nouvelles batteries sont l’intégration des énergies renouvelables dans les réseaux, la recharge rapide de véhicules électriques ou hybrides et les systèmes d’alimentation de secours. Pour Hydro-Québec, ce partenariat est aussi une porte d'entrée pour accéder au marché européen. "Nous sommes bien implantés sur le marché américain, au Canada et aux Etats-Unis, nous cherchons maintenant le complément européen", appuie Karim Aghib.SCE France s'installera temporairement dans deux locaux dans les Pyrénées-Atlantiques : à l'Institut des sciences analytiques et physicochimie pour l'environnement et les matériaux (IPREM) à Pau et à Chemstart'up, un incubateur pour les jeunes entreprises de chimie situé à Lacq. Elle emploiera 6 personnes à ses débuts et envisage de passer à 25 d'ici trois ans. "Lors de la phase de développement, nous resterons à Lacq. La Région travaille pour y créer un gros campus sur le stockage et la conversion de l'énergie, ce qui nous intéresse", précise Karim Aghib. Un pôle industriel et de recherche de 600 personnes L'Aquitaine développe en effet un campus à Lacq, spécialisé sur le stockage de l'énergie, en coopération avec les universités de Pau et de Bordeaux. "Le stockage de l'énergie, c'est le Graal de la recherche, s'enthousiasme Alain Rousset, président PS du Conseil régional d'Aquitaine. Nous voulons avoir un pôle visible à l'échelle européenne. Avec Hydro-Québec, la Région intervient en amont pour sortir un démonstrateur améliorant la performance de la batterie. Il y aura ensuite des coopérations avec des industriels sur ce pôle, comme Arkema, Schneider et peut-être Sony." A terme, ce nouveau pôle industriel et de recherche pourrait employer 600 personnes, estime la Région, pour un investissement de 330 millions d'euros.
SOURCE GreenUnivers
DATE : 2014-12-18
German chemicals group BASF announced it has agreed to sell its 50% stake in the styrene monomer and propylene oxide production joint venture Ellba Eastern to partner Shell.
The venture is operated by Shell and is fully integrated into the company`s site on Jurong Island, south-western Singapore. It launched operations in 2002 and has has an annual capacity of 250,000 metric tons of propylene oxide and 550,000 metric tons of styrene monomer.
The transaction will not affect the two companies` Netherlands-based joint venture Ellba.
At the same time, BASF and Shell have signed a supply contract, under which Shell will provide BASFwith propylene oxide.
SOURCE SeeNews Germany
DATE : 2014-12-17
Mitsubishi Rayon Co (MRC) is on schedule to restart its No.2 butane-based methyl methacrylate (MMA) line.
A Polymerupdate source in Japan informed that the line is planned to be restarted on December 19, 2014. It was shut for a maintenance turnaround.
Located at Otake in Japan, the line has a production capacity of 55,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
DATE : 2014-12-17
Thai MMA has restarted its No.2 methyl methacrylate (MMA) line.
A Polymerupdate source in Thailand informed that the line was restarted on December 12, 2014. It was shut for a maintenance turnaround.
Located in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, the line has a production capacity of 90,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
DATE : 2015-12-17
LG Chem is in plans to take off-stream its butadiene (BD) plant for maintenance turnaround.
A Polymerupdate source in South Korea informed that the plant is planned to be shut in March 2015. It is likely to remain shut for around one month.
Located in Daesan, South Korea, the plant has a production capacity of 145,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
DATE : 2014-12-17
Tongsuh Petrochemical is likely to shut its No 4 acrylonitrile (ACN) plant for maintenance turnaround.
A Polymerupdate source in South Korea informed that the plant is likely to be shut in May 2015. It is likely to remain off-stream for around one month.
Located in Ulsan, South Korea, the plant has a production capacity of 245,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
DATE : 2014-12-17
Shandong Ke Luer Chemical Co, a Sinopec and Wanda Group joint venture (JV) has started production at its new acrylonitrile (ACN) plant.
Located at Dongying in Shandong province of China, the new plant has a production capacity of 130,000 mt/year.
The company started commercial production at the plant recently. The company achieved on-spec production at the plant on December 3, 2014, according to a Polymerupdate source in China.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
DATE : 2014-12-16
South Korea's Taekwang Petrochemical is expected to shut down its 290,000 tonne/year acrylonitrile (ACN) plant for scheduled maintenance from late February, a company source said on Tuesday.
The plant will be taken off line from 25 February to 16 March for around three weeks, according to the source.
The plant is located in Ulsan, South Korea.
SOURCE Icis News
DATE : 2014-12-12
South Korea’s Tongsuh Petrochemical is expected to shut its Ullsan-based 245,000 tonnes/year No 4 acrylonitrile (ACN) plant in May 2015 for scheduled maintenance lasting a month, a company source said on Friday.
The company’s No 3 ACN line with the same capacity at the same site is going to be taken offline in October next year for a month-long maintenance, the source said. .
The two plants are running at 90-95 % currently.
SOURCE Icis News
DATE : 2014-12-12
Lucite International is on track to shut its 100,000 tonne/year methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant in Shanghai, China, by early next week, a company source said on Friday.
The plant will be taken off line for around 50 days of scheduled maintenance, the source said.
The plant’s capacity will be expanded during the turnaround, the source said. However, no further details were immediately available.
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 : 2014-12-12
Thai MMA has resumed production at its 90,000 tonne/year No 2 methyl methacrylate (MMA) line in Map Ta Phut after completing a scheduled maintenance at the unit, a source close to the company said on Friday.
The plant, which was taken off line around mid-November, restarted early this week, the source said.
Thai MMA is a joint venture between Japan's Mitsubishi Rayon Corp (MRC) and Thailand's Siam Cement Group.
SOURCE Icis News
DATE : 2014-12-12
South Korea’s Tongsuh Petrochemical is running its two 245,000 tonne/year acrylonitrile (ACN) units at 90-95% of capacity, a company source said on Friday.
"Our No 3 and No 4 units are running at 90-95% currently," the source said.
The company has no plan to ramp up the plant’s operating rates to 100% despite falling costs of feedstock propylene.
Its smaller ACN No 2 unit with a 70,000 tonne/year capacity has been shut since end-March.
SOURCE Icis News
DATE : 2014-12-11
Taiwan’s Grand Pacific Petrochemical Corp (GPPC) reduced production at its two styrene monomer (SM) plants this week because of negative margins, a company source said on Thursday.
Run rates at the 130,000 tonne/year and 250,000 tonne/year SM units in Kaohsiung were reduced by less than 10% from 100% previously, the source said.
“Margins are negative now. We have to cut operations,” he said, adding that it remained unclear how long the reduced production will last.
SOURCE Icis News
DATE : 2014-12-11
Taiwan Styrene Monomer Corp (TSMC) has been operating only one of its two styrene monomer (SM) facilities in Linyuan, Kaohsiung, this month, citing squeezed margins, a company source said on Thursday.
The SM unit that is currently operating has a nameplate capacity of 180,000 tonnes/year, the source said.
The smaller 160,000 tonne/year SM unit, which previously had some mechanical issues, was taken off line in early December.
SOURCE Icis News