DATE : 2016-02-23
Sunchem Group is in plans to startup a new styrene monomer (SM) plant in China. A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant is likely to come on-stream by end-2016. To be located at Dalian, China, the plant will have a production capacityof 400,000 mt/year.
Source Polymer Update
DATE : 2016-02-23
Sunchem Group is in plans to begin commercial operations at its new styrene monomer (SM) plant in China. A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant is likely to come on-stream by end-Feb 2016. Construction of the plant has been completed. The SM produced at this plant is most likely to be used at its downstream EPS facilities in China. The company operates two EPS plants namely 360,000 mt/year plant at Jiangyin in eastern China and 120,000 mt/year plant at Dalian. Located at Hainan, China, the new SM plant has a production capacity of 100,000 mt/year.
Source Polymer Update
DATE : 2016-02-16
For this, the company will modify one of the three polystyrene (PS) producing lines at its Nagothane plant into a swing line capable of producing 42,500 tonne per annum of SMMA.
Supreme Petrochem Ltd has decided to set up a production line for styrene methyl methacrylate (SMMA) at its Amdoshi (Nagothane, Maharashtra) plant. For this, the company will modify one of the three polystyrene (PS) producing lines at the plant into a swing line capable of producing 42,500 tonne per annum of SMMA in addition to PS.
“The technology for the modification of the PS line and production of SMMA will be from Polysty Inc, USA. The cost of the project, including hardware and technology fee should be around Rs 6 crores and will be met from internal accruals. The plant start-up is expected by end of 2016 and the estimated payback period is two years,” said Supreme Petrochem.
Supreme Petrochem Ltd manufactures polymers such as polystyrene, expandable polystyrene (EPS), extruded polystyrene foam boards (XPS), etc at its two facilities in Nagothane and New Manali Town, Chennai (Tamil Nadu).
Source MRC.plast.com
DATE : 2016-02-16
Versalis (Eni), a European producer in the polymers and elastomers industry, and Genomatica, a leader in bioengineering solutions, announced today that they have successfully advanced to pilot-scale production of bio-butadiene (bio-BDE) from fully renewable feedstock. Versalis used this bio-BDE to make bio-rubber, specifically, bio-polybutadiene (bio-BR). These accomplishments represent a remarkable milestone for the rubber industry, by enabling an improved technological and sustainability footprint; and to the broader industry for butadiene, one of the most widely-used chemicals in the world, with over ten million tons produced per year. The success of this innovative undertaking results from a newly-developed process for the on-purpose production ofbutadiene which uses various types of sugars as feedstock, rather than the traditional use of hydrocarbon feedstocks.
The project started with the establishment of a technology joint venture between Versalis and Genomatica in early 2013. The joint venture with Versalis having the majority stake - has developed a complete process to make bio-BDE and plans to license the resulting technology.
The joint venture uses the proven and complementary strengths of both companies. Versalis and Genomatica together determined that 1,3-butanediol (1,3-BDO) was the most suitable intermediate to produce bio-BDE. Genomatica applied its whole-process systems approach to bioengineering to develop a microorganism that produces 1,3-BDO in a way that enables cost-efficient, scalable fermentation, recovery and subsequent process operations. Versalis leverages its industrial process engineering and catalysis capabilities, plus expertise in overall polymer production, to purify the 1,3-BDO, dehydrate it and then purify the resulting butadiene. Versalis has produced several kilograms of butadiene from 1,3-BDO made in 200 liter fermenters at their research centers at Novara and Mantova, and then made bio-polybutadiene, at the Ravenna R&D centre, using both anionic and Ziegler-Natta catalysis.
Initial testing of the bio-BDE and bio-BR demonstrates good compatibility with industry standards. Versalis is continuing to test the bio-BDE within its other proprietary rubber and plastics downstream technologies such as SBR (Styrene-Butadiene Rubber), SBS (Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene Rubber) and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene-Styrene). The accomplishments demonstrates the common vision of the partners on the potential of this project: access to on-purpose butadiene from renewables will establish a competitive advantage and will ensure a strategic raw material from alternative feedstock, contributing at the same time to drive a greater sustainability profile for downstream applications in the plastics and rubber businesses.
About Versalis
Versalis (Eni) is interfacing with markets through globally-oriented strategies and a market-driven product portfolio. It leads the industry in manufacturing intermediates, polyethylene, styrenics and elastomers and has entered the green chemicals and polymers industry partnering also with worldwide biotech companies. Versalis prides itself on its wide range of proprietary technologies, wide-reaching distribution network and after-sales assistance. As part of its new strategy, the company aims to gain a significant position in fast-growing markets by leveraging its technological and industrial expertise. In Asia, Versalis has entered into partnerships with global petrochemical producers for development of its elastomer division.
About Genomatica
Genomatica is a widely-recognized leader in bioengineering. It develops biobased process technologies and solutions that enable its partners to produce chemicals a better way, from alternative feedstocks, with better economics and greater sustainability than using conventional feedstocks and processes. Partners include ENI Versalis, Braskem, BASF, Novamont and Cargill. Genomatica is distinctive in its total-solutions and systems engineering approach. Its bioengineering platform intimately intertwines and co-optimizes microorganism design, process design and economics. This approach has consistently delivered reliable timelines for bioprocess design and scaleup, high product quality, and economic competitiveness.
SOURCE Oreanda News
MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
The Valspar Corporation (NYSE: VAL) announced that it has completed the acquisition of ISVA Vernici, a European coil coatings manufacturer headquartered inTurin, Italy. The ISVA acquisition extends Valspar's manufacturing footprint in Europe and brings customers an expanded product offering and increased customer service capabilities. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
"ISVA's excellent positioning in southern Europe will improve Valspar Coil's global presence and extend our reach into North Africa and the Gulf region," said Howard Heckes, Valspar Executive Vice President and President, Global Coatings. "Both Valspar and ISVA have long histories of innovation, supported by technologies and products that are well-respected in the market. Valspar's customers will benefit from access to coating technologies from ISVA paired with Valspar's technical service and global manufacturing capabilities. We are pleased to welcome the ISVA team to the Valspar family to help deliver these benefits to our customers."
Valspar is one of the leading manufacturers of architectural coil and extrusion coatings in the world. With an enduring commitment to durability, sustainability, and an ever-expanding palette of colors, Valsparoffers unlimited design freedom to countless industries, projects and locations.
Valspar: If it matters, we're on it.®
Valspar is a global leader in the coatings industry providing customers with innovative, high-quality products and value-added services. Our 11,000 employees worldwide deliver advanced coatings solutions with best-in-class appearance, performance, protection and sustainability to customers in more than 100 countries. Valspar offers a broad range of superior coatings products for the consumer market, and highly-engineered solutions for the construction, industrial, packaging and transportation markets. Founded in 1806, Valspar is headquartered in Minneapolis. Valspar's reported net sales in fiscal 2015 were$4.4 billion and its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol:VAL). For more information, visit www.valspar.com and follow @valspar on Twitter.
DATE : 2016-02-09
Arkema had an option, until early 2016, to increase its stake in Taixing Sunke Chemicals, a productionjoint venture which owns and operates acrylic acid and butyl acrylate production units in Taixing, China, and therefore access an additional 160,000 tonnes/y of acrylic acid capacity. As the financial terms of the option no longer reflect current market conditions for acrylics in China, Arkema has decided not to exercise this option. Therefore, Arkema keeps its initial rights to acrylic acid capacities thus supporting the development of its downstream acrylic activities in Asia and its customers' growth in the region. In line with its strategy to further strengthen its High Performance Materials segment, the group could allocate part of the unused funds to make bolt-on acquisitions.
SOURCE SpecialChem Coatings and Inks Formulation
DATE : 2016-02-05
Asahi Kasei is in plans to shut its No.2 styrene monomer (SM) plant permanently. A Polymerupdate source in Japan informed that the plant is expected to be mothballed on February 15, 2016. Located in Mizushima, Japan, the No.2 SM plant has a production capacity of 320,000 mt/year.
SOURCE PolymerUpdate
DATE : 2015-02-03
Dow Chemical will shut down one of five crude acrylic acid (AA) production lines at its Deer Park plant in Texas within the next few weeks, a source close to the US producer confirmed on Tuesday.
Nameplate production at the Deer Park plant is 580,000 tonnes/year, the largest AA production facility in the US, so the closure of one line would effectively take an estimated 116,000 tonnes of acrylic acid out of the domestic and export merchant market.
The measure, which the company is expected to formally announce on Wednesday, is in response to poor economics within the US acrylic acid and acrylate esters businesses, the source said.
“As we are all aware, the acrylates market has been significantly oversupplied for some time. This step was needed to ensure the long-term viability of the acrylatesbusinesses,” the source said.
The capacity reduction will effectively increase Dow Chemical’s captive production to about 70% from its current 55%, the source estimated, conceding that the cutback will have a “trickle-down effect” on the production of both glacial acrylic acid (GAA) and the esters.
Although the plant will be running hard going into the spring peak demand season, supply availability will hinge on how robust seasonal demand for paint and coating turns out to be.
Several sources have predicted year-on-year spring demand improvement of about 5%, but a buyer said it was not yet concerned that supply would be tight this spring.
“I think the way things are now,” the buyer said, “it’s not going to cause any real market disruption.”
Other major US acrylates producers include Arkema and BASF.
SOURCE Icis News