MRC Annual report "Polyethylene in Russia 2010" - now in English

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The latest MRC Annual report "Polyethylene in Russia 2010" is available in English - the company said on Wednesday.

This Annual Report presents the in-depth analysis of the polyethylene market in Russia. In this Report we are offering a new format of analytics. The text of the Report contains the most important considerations (bullet points) written by our analysts, while the appendix represents all market statistics that could be generated. The Report describes the key trends in the polyethylene market in the context of technologies, sectors and types of finished goods. Forecast has been made by sectors and processing technologies. A great attention has been paid to analysis of investments into production and polyethylene processing.

The Report includes analysis of consumption, production, exports and imports of PE in Russia by types, processing technologies, consumers, producers and their grades, as well as detailed statistics on operations of all large market players (producers, traders, equipment suppliers and converters) in each processing sector. All data refer to the period of 2000-2009. Furthermore, we present forecast till 2026. We continue to provide sales rating of the top 40 PE producers and top 40 PE grades. The Report includes profiles of top 20 PE suppliers in Russia, as well as the rating of top 50 PE converters.

For more information about the report click here.

Russian polymers' market prospects are going to be discussed at Russian Polymers Summit on October 14 2010 organized by ICIS and MRC. For more information please refer to http://www.polmersummit.ru/ Summit official web page.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Albemarle Corporation announced that it has begun its largest capital investment in the fast growing Asia Pacific region of Yeosu, South Korea. The Yeosu site will be capable of producing mPO catalyst lab samples followed by pilot samples for qualification trials with local customers this year. Intermediate commercial operations will begin in mid-2011, with the commercial facility being fully operational in 2012. The site will produce finished catalysts, activators like methylaluminoxane (MAO) and organoborons, as well as metallocene components. The site will also purify metal organics, creating a portfolio of HPMOs for electronic applications. TMG production will begin in early 2011, with other HPMOs phased into the project throughout 2011. The Yeosu site contains existing R&D as well as pilot plant equipment that will be modified to enable customer qualification efforts in 2010. The site will effectively mirror Albemarle's world scale metallocene polyolefin catalyst and Trimethyl Gallium (TMG) capabilities located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Albemarle will build on its leading supply and technology position in metallocene catalysts by leveraging its breakthrough ActivCat technology for polyolefin production. The company will also leverage its 50+ years of production experience in metal organics to supply High Purity Metal Organics (HPMOs) such as TMG to the High Brightness LED (HBLED) market.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Purac announces the investment in a new manufacturing facility for its biomedical polymers. The plant is meant to support the growing resorbable polymers business of Purac Biomaterials. Purac currently operates a plant for biomedical polymers in The Netherlands. This second facility will be built in the USA. The investment for this new plant will be EUR 15 million. The construction of the facility will start in 2011 and is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

Arno van de Ven, Purac Vice President Chemicals & Pharma comments: "This represents an important step in the biomedical polymer business and shows Purac's continued commitment to this market. It provides us with the capability to support the growth of our existing and new business partners. Besides an increase in the production capacity, the new facility will bring Purac Biomaterials more flexibility and a more balanced presence in its global markets.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Braskem inaugurated today operations of its green ethylene plant, taking an important step forward in its strategy of becoming the global leader in sustainable chemicals. The ethylene was specified approximately 12 hours later, which means that it presents adequate conditions for conversion into green polyethylene (green plastic).

The plant is the largest industrial-scale operation in the world producing ethylene made from 100% renewable raw materials, i.e., sugarcane. The project was conceived and installed in less than two years, which proved extremely challenging and drew on Braskem's proprietary technology. Located at the Triunfo Petrochemical Complex in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the plant will produce 200,000 tons of green ethylene, which will be transformed into an equivalent volume of green plastic. The plant will be officially inaugurated on Sept. 24.

MRC

(PlasticsToday) -- W. R. Grace & Co. is buying Sythetech Inc. for $19.2 million, augmenting its capacity for specialty single-site and polypropylene (PP) catalysts. Synthetech, which is a manufacturer of chemicals that specializes in organic synthesis, biocatalysis, and chiral technologies, also has some business in the pharmaceutical sector. Greg Poling, VP W. R. Grace & Co. and president of Grace Davison said in a release that the acquisition gives the company immediate production capacity for specialty single-site and PP catalysts, "significantly enhancing our ability to supply our large global customers with these specialized catalysts", while eliminating the need for a grass-roots facility.

Synthetech's products will join Grace's line of PP and polyethylene (PE) catalysts, which include Polytrak, Sylopol, and Magnapore. Grace recently announced a multi-year agreement to supply PP catalysts to polyolefins giant Borealis AG. The previously announced expansion of Grace's PP catalyst manufacturing capacity at its Worms, Germany facility is expected to be in operation in mid-2011.

The transaction has been approved by both companies' boards, but is subject to Synthetech shareholder approval and clearance from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Grace anticipates that the transaction will be completed during the fourth quarter. Synthetech, which has 63 employees, operates its primary facility out of Albany, OR. That operation includes production and R&D., while a second location in San Diego is dedicated to R&D. It will be integrated into Grace Davison's Specialty Technologies business. On June 28, Synthetech announced that it had hired Brocair Partners LLC to conduct a strategic review of its business.

MRC