Lanxess is presenting high-performance ion exchange resins

(Lanxess) -- Specialty chemicals company Lanxess is presenting high-performance ion exchange resins from its successful Lewatit range together with a complete line of services at Aquatech 2011, taking place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from November 1 to 4. Another focus of the event is on Lewabrane-brand membrane elements, produced at the new manufacturing facility in Bitterfeld, Germany. The first reverse osmosis membrane elements from Lanxess, they are scheduled for launch on the market in early 2012.


Lewatit is one of the leading brands in the field of ion exchange resins. Reflecting the relevant customer applications, the range of exchange resins, adsorbers and functional polymers is divided into three main segments: water, foodstuffs and catalysis/biotechnology/chemical processes. Lanxess offers new and established products from the Lewatit range for all these sectors. In combination with Lewabrane membrane elements, they meet the highest demands in the industry.


Ion exchange resins or membranes can be used to desalinate water for chemical processes or power generation. The decision to combine the two methods depends on the respective conditions. While membrane technology is very cost-efficient for water with a high salt content, only ion exchangers can purify water with low salt concentrations to the point where purely trace amounts remain. With both methods connected in series, water of the highest purity can be produced even from very poor-quality water.


MRC

Russia's Lukoil set to award further West Qurna 2 contracts

(Arabian oil and gas) -- Lukoil, Russia's largest private sector company, is on the cusp of awarding several contracts to engineering and services firms as part of its multi-billion dollar development of the supergiant West Qurna 2 oil concession.


Dow Jones Newswires, citing a senior Lukoil executive, reports that the company is in the final stages of evaluating commercial and technical bids for contracts competing to build the central processing facility, export pipelines, tank farms, and a 126-megawatt power station.


Lukoil, which operates the field for partners Statoil and Iraq's South Oil Company, is locked into a 20-year technical services contract to develop the field at fee-per-barrel remuneration of $1.15 before tax once a production capacity threshold is reached.


According to other sources, five companies had been shortlisted: Saipem , SNC Lavalin, Punj Lloy , Globalstroy and South Korea's Samsung Engineering. Two other bidders, Petrofac and Technimont, are reported to have been dropped, according to a Reuters report.


MRC

BP reported a 16.8% year-on-year drop

(ICIS) -- BP reported on Tuesday a 16.8% year-on-year drop in replacement cost profit before interest and tax at its refining and marketing division to $1.49bn (┬1.07bn) in the third quarter of 2011 on the back of higher crude prices and negative foreign exchange effects. The segment's profit before interest and tax fell by 34.7% year on year to $1.12bn in the third quarter of 2011, the UK-based oil giant said in a statement.


⌠The third quarter saw a return to strong operations, relative to the weather-related power outages that impacted our second-quarter results, the company said. Compared with the same period a year earlier, the results in the third quarter reflected an improved refining environment, partially offset by increased turnaround activity, it said.


BP's refining and marketing division also benefited from strong refining feedstock optimisation in the US due to BP's location advantage in accessing WTI-priced crude grades, the company said.


MRC

IMCD Deutschland announced a distribution of a new purging compound

(PressReleaseFinder) -- IMCD Deutschland announces a distribution of a new product by Emery, Loxiol Quickclean. This is a purging compound suitable to purge thermoplastics converting equipment from remaining polymer/colour and deposits which build up during the running period. It is a sophisticated well developed product which will save time and effort in many purging operations. The deal includes Germany, Austria and UK.


Loxiol Quickclean 350 will reduce cleaning time and effort significantly and can be used for interims purging creating a minimum loss of production capacity and a minimum amount of scrap. The amount of waste after the purging process is low in many cases and it can be sold to a recycler or even re-used depending on the process and polymer used.


Malaysia based, Emery Oleochemicals is one of the world's largest oleochemicals producer with a worldwide distribution. With its global presence on 3 continents and over 160 years of experience and expertise, Emery Oleochemicals provide high performance system solutions for improving productivity, and the environmental compatibility of complex manufacturing processes in the plastics industry, oil and gas exploration and other specific industrial applications.


MRC

Mexico City bag ban piques PLA interest

(Plastics Today) -- Extrusion equipment supplier Ghioldi set up and ran polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastic on a blown-film line at the recent Plastimagen event, looking to capitalize on the local market's interest in biodegradable bags, spurred in part by an on again off again plastic bag ban. "We see a lot of interest in Mexico," explained Filippo Ghioldi. "No one really knows what biodegradable, oxodegradable, etc. films are so we wanted to have a machine running at the show."


The Ghioldi line processed a Novamont Mater Bi PLA resin in a single-layer blown-film set up. The 65-mm extruder had a machine output of 110 kg/hr through a 200-mm die, producing a 1.2m wide web, which was wound. The system had been sold into the local market and will be the first of its kind in Mexico, according to Ghioldi.


Ghioldi noted that his business has been a long-time collaborator with fellow Italian firm, Novamont, working to optimize that company's material for the extrusion process. Ghioldi has actually supplied several extrusion lines for Novamont's lab.


MRC