BP to start up Hull biorefinery in UK later this year


(hydrocarbonprocessing) -- BP's planned biofuels refinery in Hull will be commissioned later this year, executive director Byron Grote said. When operational, the plant will have capacity to produce 420 million liters of ethanol and 500,000 tons of high protein animal feed from 1 million tons of locally grown wheat.

BP's planned biofuels refinery in Hull will be commissioned later this year, said executive director Byron Grote.

BP is developing a bio-refinery in the north eastern English city to produce ethanol through its Vivergo Fuels venture with DuPont and British Sugar. "The Hull ethanol facility will be commissioned later this year," said Grote, who was addressing a shareholder question at BP's annual general meeting.

When operational, the plant will have capacity to produce 420 million liters of ethanol and 500,000 tons of high protein animal feed from 1 million tons of locally grown wheat.

BP has said Vivergo could supply over 30% of UK ethanol requirements under its Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.
MRC

Fluor has been contracted by BASF in North America


(process-worldwide) -- American Fluor Corporation has been contracted by German BASF. Fluor has received a service contract for all BASF-sites in the USA, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Engineering-giant Fluor will be developmental partner for german chemical-giant BASF. The american Corporation has signed an umbrella service contract including all sites in the USA, Kanada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Fluor Corporation announced today that Germany-based BASF has chosen the company as its engineering partner for chemicals capital projects across North America. BASF has awarded Fluor an umbrella services agreement for an undisclosed contract value.

Services provided on projects covered by the agreement will include conceptual and front-end engineering and design (FEED), detailed engineering, procurement, project management and construction management services.

Fluor was selected by BASF in mid-2011 as its engineering partner in Asia and Europe. Fluor currently has multiple projects active under the partnering agreements including the FEED phase for BASFs TDI (toluene diisocyanate) project in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

MRC

PET output enhanced by Belarus-based company

(chemmonitor) -- The Belarusian state-run petrochemical company Belneftekhim significantly raised its refining capacity through first 2 months of the current year.

The volumes reached 3.7 million tonnes, up by above 141 percent year on year.

Production volumes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) also grew. Their increase was estimated at around 1.2 times, in comparison with January-February of the previous year.
MRC

Russia-based petrochemical company to complete technical modernization at its unit in 2012

(chemmonitor) -- The Russia-based petrochemical company JSC Gazprom neftekhim Salavat, headquartered in Salavat (Bashkortostan) completed the first phase of technical modernization of ethylbenzene production.

The company is implementing a technical modernization of benzene transalkylation unit at the Monomer plant.

The project will be a transition from the gas-cycle to the liquid-phase transalkylation, which will allow the company to reduce energy and resource consumption, raise the efficiency of the process and receive an additional 10% of ethylbenzene and styrene.
MRC

PS food-contact packaging meets new bans in the USA

(chemmonitor) -- US polystyrene (PS) manufacturers continue to fight against bans on the usage of the material in foodservice ware products as well as grab-and-go packaging.

One of most recent bans was adopted in Hermosa Beach (California).

The new law us to take effect by the end of the current year. It prohibits the utilization of the product in takeout packaging.

MRC