China - Sinopec Wuhan ethylene project back on track

(Yarns and Fibers) -- China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. the country's largest refiner by capacity, has put back on track its 800,000-ton-a-year ethylene project in central China's Wuhan city and plans to complete construction by the end of 2012, its parent China Petrochemical Corp. said in an in-house newsletter Wednesday.

The progress of the project has been delayed for around one year from its initial schedule. The new plan is to bring the project online in the first half of 2013. The plant, 65% owned by Sinopec, is part of the government's plan to build major ethylene production capacity in central and western parts of the country and is aimed at helping the central region meet its demand for petrochemicals.

SK Energy Co. (096770.SE), South Korea's largest refiner by capacity, holds the remaining 35% of the complex. The project will also produce key petrochemical products including 300,000 tons of high-density polyethylene, 300,000 tons of linear low-density polyethylene and 400,000 tons of polypropylene.

MRC

SHANGHAI (DuPont) -- DuPont highlights its latest initiatives to support its customers in Asia Pacific at the 24th International Exhibition on Plastics and Rubber Industries to be held April 19-22, 2010 in Shanghai.

⌠Growing markets in Asia Pacific, and in particular in emerging markets like China, offer tremendous opportunities for DuPont to provide innovative solutions to regional needs. said James Hay, Regional Director for Asia Pacific, DuPont Performance Polymers. ⌠We are pleased to introduce our latest - materials innovations, and update our customers about our investment initiatives such as new facilities at the DuPont China R&D Center and additional production capacity .

DuPont is launching Zytel╝ PLUS, a new family of nylon products. Zytel╝ PLUS is the result of several technology breakthroughs by DuPont researchers, aimed at cost-effectively delivering excellent properties and, most importantly, maintaining its performance much longer than traditional nylons when exposed to hot oil, hot air, calcium chloride and other aggressive automotive chemicals.

MRC

(prw) -- Sabic has signed a long-term research and innovation agreement with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust). The agreement calls for the construction of the Sabic Research and Innovation Center at University campus, scheduled to begin operations in 2012.

The agreement, signed on behalf of Sabic by Dr Abdulrahman bin Saleh Al-Ubaid, executive vice-president, technology and innovation, and on behalf of Kaust by Dr. Mohamed Samaha, senior vice-president for economic and technology development, creates the framework under which Sabic provides construction funding for the Sabic Research and Innovation Center, as well as support for research on the jointly agreed industry/academic projects to be undertaken there.

Kaust president, professor Choon Fong Shih, said: ⌠From its early commitment as a founding member of our Industrial Collaboration Programme, Sabic has demonstrated its understanding of Kaust's unique capabilities which enable us to build synergies among research, education, innovation and enterprise, as well as to harness science and technology to address global challenges of our time - for the benefit of the Kingdom and beyond.

MRCСправка Маркет Репорт

Sabic. The share in the Russian market in 2008:
PE - 0.2%;
PP - 0.4%;
PS - 0.2%.

Annual sales growth in Russia over the last 5 years:
PE - 33%;
PP - 62%.

(Yarns and Fibers) -- Reliance Industries is moving ahead with its Jamnagar cracker project and is looking at completing it in 2014. Preliminary activity on the project, which was put on hold after the 2008 economic crisis, has resumed. Discussions are on for technology selection and a firm start up date will be set after contracts have been awarded.

The cracker, which would have a capacity to produce 1.3m-1.6m tonnes/year of ethylene and small volumes of propylene, would use offgases from Reliance's two refineries at the same site as the primary feedstock. Other refinery feeds would also be cracked. The derivative slate includes mono ethylene glycol (MEG), low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear-low density polyethylene (LLDPE).

It is not only the cracker project that is being revived. Reliance is also refreshing plans for new capacities in purified terephthalic acid (PTA), polyester, styrene butadiene rubber and butadiene rubber (BR). The company had said last year after the completion of its second refinery that it would renew its focus on the olefins and derivatives project.

With Indian petrochemical demand showing very healthy growth prospects it makes sense for Reliance to expand in the country. And as its effort to grow the petrochemicals business inorganically by acquiring LyondellBasell has failed its time for Reliance to return to something that it is very good at - building mega projects.

MRCMRC Reference

LyondellBasell. The share in the Russian market in 2008:
PE - 1.4% (including HDPE - 2.5%, LDPE - 0.3%);
PP - 4.1% (including block-copolymers - 9.5%).

Annual sales growth in Russia, during the recent 5 years:
PE - 27%;
PP - 88%.

The leader in the following polymers processing technologies:

pipe extrusion;

film extrusion;

injection molding.

(Omnexus) -- Quadrant Techtron╝ PPS is enabling BioChem Fluidics, a micro-pump manufacturer to promote their line of micro-pumps. Designed for use as miniature fluid handling components, these units include micro-pumps, isolation valves, pinch valves, relief valves and rotary valves, and are used by the analytical instrument manufacturers and laboratories in the bio-tech industry.

The water absorption of Techtron PPS is among the lowest of all polymers and has no known solvents below 392F. BioChem utilizes Techtron PPS for both pump bodies and manifolds when other polymers such as PEEK, fluoropolymers (like PTFE and FEP) and POM failed prematurely as fluid contact components.

BioChem Fluidics, a Halma Company, specifies Quadrant Techtron PPS because of its purity, ability to maintain tight machined tolerances and broad size and shape availability.

BioChem micro-pumps, incorporating Techtron PPS are designed for continuous duty and are suitable for up to 20 million actuations or nearly 3,000 hours of continuous use at a 2Hz cycle rate. They can be cycled at up to 4Hz for the smallest version and 1.6Hz for the largest. Bio-Chem products are employed as critical components by instrument manufacturers in chromatography, chemical research, biotechnology, hematology, pharmaceutical analytical research, industrial quality testing, printing and environmental monitoring.

MRC