(Plastemart) -- Shin-Etsu Chemical is operating its expanded PVC plant in Plaquemine, Louisiana, at 100% capacity, as per Platts. Shintech's Plaquemine PVC plant's capacity was doubled to 600,000 tpa during the expansion after which the plant was restarted in September.
Shin-Etsu's PVC business in USA is operated by Shintech, Shin-Etsu Chemical's wholly owned subsidiary.
MOSCOW (MRC) -- PVC imports in Russia remained at a high level in September and reached 53,5 kt over the three weeks of the month - according to MRC analysts.
Chinese PVC supply was not stable in September. One of the reasons was joint counter-terrorist excercise of China and Kazakhstan, which disrupted cargo transportation through these countries. Some exporters also switched to suspension supplied from North America due to more attractive prices.
State holidays are being held in China between October 1 and 10, and the resumption of systematic PVC supply is expected in H2 October only. The Chinese government has limited the production at hazardous chemical plants, including those that produce acetylene-based PVC.
The increase of buying activity in Asian markets, including China, and low capacities utilization at acetylene PVC facilities in September led to price increase. Traditional Chinese PVC suppliers have increased October resin prices on average USD 30-50/mt.
Russian polymers market prospects will be discussed at Russian Polymers Summit on October 14, 2010 organized by ICIS and MRC. For more information please refer to http://www.icisconference.com/russianpolymers/ Summit official web page.
More information about PVC market in Russia is available in MRC Price reports.
(ethanolproducer) -- Brazilian Braskem A.S. inaugurated the first commercial-scale plant in late September to produce ethylene from ethanol in Triunfo, in the Brazilian southern state of Rio Grande. With a production capacity of 200,000 tons of green polyethylene per year, the landmark project is equipped with technology developed by the petro-chemical company requiring investments worth $278 million.
⌠Braskem's green plastics are made from CO2 sequestered from the atmosphere through sugarcane photosynthesis. It is also the most competitive of all plastics made from renewable sources. And this has been widely acknowledged by the market, which recorded demand three times greater than the plant's capacity, says the company's CEO Bernardo Gradin.
Ethylene specification took place 12 hours after the plant's start up, on Sept. 3, and green polyethylene production began a week later. The polymerization process, which converts ethylene into resin, is carried out in Braskem's existing plants in the Triunfo Complex. The final product has the same properties and characteristics as conventional polyethylene, enabling clients to process it without the need for any adjustments in their machinery.
Over the past year, Braskem has established several partnerships to supply green polyethylene to domestic and international clients who have adopted sustainable development as a pillar of their market strategy including Tetra Pak, Toyota Tsusho, Shiseido, Natura, Acinplas, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble and Petropack. The most common applications of plastics from renewable sources are personal care and cleaning products, food packaging, toys and home appliances.
(PlasticsNews) -- LC Industries has purchased three Engel all-electric presses and expanded its plastics processing to Durham.
The 550-ton e-motion injection molding presses and three Engel erp sprue removal robots were installed during the summer and production of biodegradeable cutler for U.S. military and commercial customers is under way, said Mike Farmer, manufacturing engineer with Durham-based LC Industries.
LCI previously was molding polypropylene, polystyrene and biodegradeable cutlery at its plastics plant in Hazelhurst, Miss.
(plastemart) -- A fire engulfed a synthetic paper plant owned by a group company of Taiwan's Formosa Petrochemicals Corp, as per Reuter. The fire broke out at the plant in southern Taiwan run by Nan Ya Plastics early on Sunday and was not extinguished as of 0900 GMT. Though there are no casualties, but it is too early to assess the damage.
The fire follows two fires in a month in July at Formosa's Mailiao oil refinery, for which it was fined US$31,000 and ordered to close the refinery for a time.
Icis
en