Qatar aims to double its gas-derived petrochemical output by 2020

(downstreamtoday) -- After focusing on LNG and GTL, Qatar is now aiming to spend USD25 billion to double its gas-derived petrochemical output by 2020

Qatar's giant gas reserves have transformed the fortunes of the small Arabian peninsula state. The country has, by some metrics already become the richest place on earth.

Having mastered the upstream business, attentions are now being turned to its downstream dreams, a logical next step to further monetise its hydrocarbon riches, and diversify its economy beyond the cash-for-gas model.

"In the hydrocarbon area, we are now focusing on petrochemicals," says Abdulrahman al-Shaibi, managing director of the Qatar Financial Centre Authority. "We will spend USD25 billion on creating additional petrochemical industries as an important feedstock for small and medium-sized companies," al-Shaibi adds.

As part of its ambitious petrochemical programme, Qatar aims to further expand its throughput by 2020. "We aim to more than double our annual petrochemical production capacity from currrent 9.2 million tonnes to 23 million tonnes by 2020," says Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada, minister of energy and industry, managing director and chairman of the board of Qatar Petroleum (QP).
MRC

(downstreamtoday) -- In January this year the company declared itself insolvent and went into administration. O'Malley is back in the United States, pursuing another project in the same industry.

"He was trying to replicate the business model of independent refining in Europe based on his prior success in the U.S.," said
Gergely Varkonyi, analyst at Deutsche Bank. "O'Malley underestimated the challenges in European refining restructuring."
Shockwaves from the collapse of Petroplus spread beyond the oil industry as the closure of its Petit-Couronne refinery on the Seine became an issue in the French election campaign.

President Nicolas Sarkozy, struggling to hold onto power as unemployment climbs, brokered a deal for Shell to supply the plant and allow it to reopen at least temporarily.

In Britain, panic buying of gasoline broke out in January as motorists feared disruption to supplies when the Coryton plant came under threat - although it uniquely among the five Petroplus sites has kept refining without a break.

MRC

(canplastics) -- In the past nine months, several dozen Canadian plastics processing companies have signed onto Operation Clean Sweep (OCS), a U.S.-developed series of rules for pellet containment.

Introduced in Canada in July 2011, OCS is one of the initiatives of the North American Plastics Alliance (NAPA), an organization comprised of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA), SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association (SPI), and the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council (ACC).

SPI launched OCS in 1992 and now partners with ACC and CPIA to help every plastic resin handling operation implement what the Toronto-based CPIA describes as ⌠good housekeeping and pellet containment practices that result in zero pellet loss as well as keep the environment clean and save resources. All registrants at the NPE2012 trade show in Orlando, Fla., are getting an OCS pledge form, and the three organizations are working together to promote participation throughout the NPE trade show.

⌠Pellet containment efforts have increased six fold with new Canadian manufacturers participating in the program, the CPIA said. ⌠The three organizations are also holding joint webinars to promote the program throughout North America.
MRC

(plastemart) -- Cereplast, Inc. has unveiled a new Cereplast Hybrid Resins grade -- Hybrid 106D -- a high starch, high melt flow polypropylene (PP) starch compound. Hybrid 106D is a proprietary formulation of high quality PP and starch blend that offers a unique combination of mechanical properties, ease of processing, and a highly aesthetic surface.

Designed to have an excellent balance between impact strength, rigidity, and processability, Hybrid 106D also provides a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to conventional PP.

Cereplast Hybrid Resins products are proprietary biobased compounds containing a significant amount of renewable, ecologically sound sources such as industrial starches from corn, tapioca and potatoes, which are compounded on state-of-the-art mixing equipment. The reduction in petroleum-based plastic content compared to conventional plastics provides a significant carbon footprint reduction in the final product.

Hybrid 106D can be processed on existing conventional electric and hydraulic reciprocating screw injection molding machines for the manufacture of consumer goods, furniture, toys, fashion accessories, packaging, automotive applications and more.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Old World Industries, LLC has concluded the sale of its Chemical Business, including the Ethylene Oxide/Ethylene Glycol manufacturing facility in Clear Lake, Texas, to Indorama Ventures PCL of Bangkok, Thailand. The deal was first announced publically in February 2012.

"With the close of this deal, Old World will now embark on the next significant phase in our 39-year history," saidTom Hurvis, Old World Industries' chairman and CEO. "We will focus all of our time and resources on expanding the PEAK family of products in the automotive and heavy duty marketplaces worldwide." PEAK products are marketed in more than 30 countries around the world utilizing NASCAR driver Danica Patrickas their long-term spokesperson.

In addition, Old World recently launched an eco-friendly diesel emissions exhaust treatment fluid under the BlueDEF brand name. Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) is the fastest growing functional fluid in the North American heavy duty marketplace and is expected to reach more than one billion gallons of yearly consumer demand. Old World is investing heavily in the infrastructure necessary to capture the leading position in this growing market.
MRC