Asahi Kasei Chemicals to construct new acetonitrile plant in South Korea

(chemicals-technology) -- Asahi Kasei Chemicals will build a new acetonitrile plant at the site of Tong Suh Petrochemical's Ulsan plant grounds in South Korea.

The new plant, with a production capacity of 11,000 tons per year, is expected to come onstream in January 2014.
The proposed acetonitrile plant will use crude acetonitrile byproduct from other acrylonitrile plants in Korea.
The facility, along with the company's Japanese acetonitrile plant, will help Asahi Kasei Chemicals to meet the growing demand for acetonitrile.

Produced by refining the crude acetonitrile obtained as a by-product of acrylonitrile, acetonitrile is used to manufacture pharmaceuticals and agrichemicals. Asahi Kasei Chemicals operates an acetonitrile plant in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan, which has a production capacity of 14,000 tons per year.

The company is currently building a new acrylonitrile plant in Ulsan with start up slated for January 2013.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Asahi Kasei has plants in Japan, China, Singapore, Thailand, the US and Germany.
MRC

Cereplast plans to release several advanced bioplastic resin grades

(plastemart) -- Cereplast plans to release a number of advanced bioplastic resin grades at NPE 2012. The new products include an EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) Hybrid grade, Hybrid 106D, Compostable 4008D and Sustainable 1020D. The Hybrid 106D is a high starch and high melt flow injection molding bioplastic resin grade, whereas the Sustainable 1020D is a transparent injection molding grade. Compostable 4008D from Cereplast is a paper extrusion coating resin grade.

In addition, the company will display the Cereplast Compostables line of resin products, including newly added Compostable 3020, Compostable 3010 and Compostable 3002 grades. The Compostable products are used on blown film extruder lines to manufacture compostable bags.


Cereplast Compostables resins are ideal for applications where high levels of biobased content and excellent compostability are required, particularly in the food service industry. Cereplast Sustainables resin portfolio, which includes the new Hybrid 105D and Hybrid 102D grades, will also be featured at NPE 2012.

These resins combine high biobased content with survivability and durability of traditional plastic, which make them suitable for applications in packaging, consumer electronics, automotive and other industries. Frederic Scheer, Chairman and CEO of Cereplast, stated that NPE 2012 is an excellent platform for the company to showcase its technologically advanced biobased materials to the global market.



MRC

Sibur and Gazprom Neft to set PP production in Omsk

(steelguru) -- Mr Levan Kadagidze head of Gazprom Neft commercial division said that Sibur and Gazprom Neft were looking at the possibility of setting up the production of polypropylene in Omsk at the under-construction plant Poliom.

The companies already have a joint venture that makes polypropylene NPP Neftekhimiya, which operates as part of Moscow Oil Refinery. Mr Kadagidze said "The partnership has proved successful, and now we, Sibur and the Titan group are working on the next project for the production of polypropylene in Omsk at the under-construction plant Poliom."

He said that Gazprom Neft is now in the active phase of negotiations with a leading world film producer over the possibility of joint production at production facilities on the premises of Moscow Oil Refinery.

The company is also keeping with its plans to set up the production of terephthalic acid and polyethylene terephthalate. Mr Kadagidze said "Sibur and Gazprom Neft in December of 2010 signed a memorandum that concerns the development of [terephthalic acid and polyethylene terephthalate] production. The assumption is that production will be based at Gazprom Neft's Omsk oil refinery."

Titan began building the Poliom polypropylene factory in 2008. In December of 2011, the plant turned out its initial test batch of product, but it has not yet been put in to industrial production. Production capacity is 180,000 tonnes per year. Titan is also looking at the possibility of building a second, 85,000-tonne-per-year line at the plant.
MRC

PP production in Ukraine reduced by quarter

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Ukrainian producer Linik in February reduced the production of polypropylene by a quarter compared with January. In March, the company plans to keep capacity utilization at the February level, according to MRC ScanPlast.


Ukrainian producer Linik last month reduced the output of polypropylene to 6,170 tonnes. Since March the company has stopped to work by tolling scheme due to non-expediency of further work. By mid-March the oil refinery will have stopped completely its work. The unit for the production of PP will continue to work on imported feedstock (PPF).


In March, Linik will produce polypropylene with imported feedstock. As per market participants, this month the company plans to produce about 6,000 tonnes of polypropylene. The main volume of the polymer will be suupplied to the domestic market, export sales were suspended for indefinite period.


Last two weeks, Ukrainian producer did not ship polypropylene to the domestic market. Due to the switching to the new scheme of work the company was busy with the execution of export contracts, though some of contracts had been cancelled. Since March 1, the shipments of polypropylene to the domestic market were resumed.

MRC

Petchem price trends in Asia

(yarnsandfibers) -- Asian paraxylene market spiked day on day Friday driven by a surge in ICE Brent crude futures as it rose USD2.35 a barrel day on day. Further reports of maintenance shutdown also influenced the market. Japan's top refiner JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp plans to shut its 400,000 ton a year paraxylene unit at Chita plant in west Japan in May-June for scheduled maintenance.

With sentiment for PTA relatively passable and MEG market stalemated and tossed between strong PTA futures and weak demand from downstream, the polyester chips markets in Asia appeared mixed this week. Prices variation greatly depended on sellers or volumes.

Asian monoethylene glycol prices were driven by some spot demand amid firmer futures on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange. In China, tanks were still fully covered implying overall supply will be relatively abundant in future. Sharp rises in ethylene prices, production issues and sustained offtake from the PET market helped pull European monoethylene glycol prices higher this week.


Ethylene prices rebounded on the last day of the week in Asian markets after two flat days of trade, propelled by tightening of supplies and higher crude and naphtha prices. In Europe, ethylene spot prices touched new highs, bolstered by rallying naphtha prices and various production issues in the European cracker system.


MRC