Total Petrochemicals demonstrates new UOP technology

(plastemart) -- Total Petrochemicals has successfully demonstrated UOP technology that will enable the use of feedstocks other than petroleum to produce plastics and other petrochemicals.

A demonstration unit built by Total Petrochemicals at its complex in Feluy, Belgium, used UOP/Hydro MTO methanol-to-olefins technology to convert methanol to ethylene and propylene. The propylene was then successfully converted to polypropylene product. This demonstration proves that propylene produced from methanol at a semi-commercial scale is suitable for plastics production. Methanol is commonly produced from natural gas and coal.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Saudi Arabia's Petro Rabigh has inked a deal with Tasnee and Saudi Advanced Industries (SAIC) to supply propylene oxide to their planned joint-venture polyether polyol project. Rabigh will supply 100,000 tons of propylene oxide to the project, which will produce 120,000 tons of polyether polyol and will cost up to SR 400 mln (US$106.7 mln). Polyether polyol is a feedstock of polyurethane. The project will be built in the Red Sea city of Rabigh, west of Saudi Arabia, and will start production in Q4-2013.

MRC

(plastemart) -- In a bid to increase revenue from overseas markets, South Korea's second-largest ethylene maker Honam Petrochemical Corp has agreed to pay 1.5 trillion won (US$1.25 bln) to buy Malaysia's Titan Chemicals Corp. Honam has inked a deal to acquire a 37.3% stake in Titan from Chao Group and a 35.3% holding from Permodalan National Bhd. It will make an unconditional takeover offer to Titan's remaining shareholders. The acquisition will fortify its presence in Southeast Asia, China, the Middle East and Central Asia, and increase its revenue to 12 trillion won this year. Titan is Malaysia's biggest producer of olefins and polyolefins with reported sales of US$1.64 bln last year.

MRC

(NIA Tomsk) -- For high financial results in year 2009, Tomskneftehim Ltd. was acknowledged as the best SIBUR's subdivision in plastics and organic synthez.

In 2009, Tomskneftehim focused on two effective improvements - organization and technology development. As a result, the company reached highest production volumes since the facilities launch. Polypropylene production went up by 3,9%; low-density polyethylene - by 7,7%; monomers - by 7%, comparing with last year.

MRC

By our estimate, in 2009 investments into PVC processing equipment formed $62 mln. In spite of the crisis, total PVC processing capacities went up by 436.000 tpa in 2009. First of all, converters expended blending (+156 kt/year) and profile extrusion (+114 kt/year) capacities.

Today almost half of PVC processing capacities are concentrated in Central region, over 90% of which is in Moscow oblast. It should be mentioned that the second region in capacities is not North Eastern (as in all the other basic polymers processing sectors), but North Caucasian. Here over 9% PVC processing capacities are situated. For example, Turkish profile producers have chosen Krasnodar Krai as proprietary region for business. The attractiveness of this region is going to grow further due to Winter Olympics in Sochi - 2014 infrastructure investments. Analysis of regional investments, launch of Kalush capacities and existing development projects are signs of future changes in resin supply structure.

MRC

More detailed analysis of PVC processing and consumption by sectors, markets, finished goods types and converters is available in ⌠PVC - 2010 Annual report.