Oil companies recover from Isaac, one refinery flooded

(Reuters) – Most oil and gas companies in the U.S. Gulf Coast region on Thursday prepared to gradually restart installations there following Hurricane Isaac, while one refinery reported flooding and scrambled to prevent further damage. Isaac, now a much weaker tropical depression moving north, posed no further threat to most energy infrastructure.

Phillips 66 said its 247,000 barrel per day (bpd) Alliance refinery in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, had been partially flooded. It offered no estimate on when the plant could restart and said personnel were trying to prevent damage by pumping water out.

Royal Dutch Shell and Anadarko were among companies that said they could begin restarting idled offshore production platforms as early as Friday.

Shell said late Thursday it restarted the Capline pipeline, which carries crude between Louisiana and refiners as far north as Illinois.

Most regional refineries appeared unscathed by Isaac. Independent refiner Valero said it detected no structural damage at two Louisiana plants it operates. It was unclear when they would restart.
MRC

(plasticsinfomart) -- Plastic packaging manufacturer Petainer has agreed to a multimillion Euro investment package over the coming 12 months to strengthen its PET container manufacturing plant in Lidkoping, Sweden.

This initiative includes an initial order for a Husky HPP injection machine, which will be followed by additional investments focused on growth and supporting the current customer base.

Petainer, headquartered in the Czech Republic, has manufacturing plants in Sweden, the Czech Republic and Germany. The company also features an R&D center in Sweden and sales offices in Germany and the UK. Earlier this year, Petainer announced that the company had created the “greenest ever” refillable bottle.

This refillable PET bottle is manufactured with more than 25% post-consumer recycled PET plastic. The company claims it has the same performance characteristics as a refillable bottle made entirely from virgin material.
MRC

(plasticsinfomart) -- Indian automotive manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), in collaboration supplier Plastic Omnium, has developed the country’s first injection molded plastic fenders, which are featured on the new XUV500 sports utility vehicle (SUV).

The new car features online paintable Noryl GTX thermoplastic resin from SABIC’s Innovative Plastics, a substitute of steel in the fender. The chemicals supplier says it helps to improve the SUV’s fuel economy, reduce emissions, expand design freedom, and enhance resistance against minor impact.

According to SABIC, the plastic fender on XUV500 is 27% lighter than its steel-made predecessor, reducing the weight by 0.9kg. In day-to-day vehicle operation, Noryl GTX resin’s enhanced resilience compared to steel allows the XUV500?s fender to flex and absorb energy to regain its original shape, reducing repair costs.

The design flexibility provided by Noryl GTX resin also eliminated the multiple steps, tools and operations that are required to manufacture steel fenders.
MRC

(polyestertime) -- Coca Cola and Eco Plastic are joining the hands together to make the plastic bottles reusable and eco-friendly.

Based on a joint venture between Eco Plastics and Coca Cola, the both companies will process the used drink bottles to make new plastic bottles in Hems well, North of Lincoln. Caron footprints will be reduced by continuum recycling venture from every bottle that would be processed, as compared to those bottles which have been produced first
time.

Based on a contract of ten years between Eco Plastics and Coca Cola, this can prove to be a journey towards delivering minimum to nil waste to landfill games. This gives customers a chance to contribute their share in saving the environment and promoting eco-friendly products by using recycled bottles.
MRC

(Reuters) -- Belgian chemicals and plastics group Tessenderlo said on Wednesday it would sell its European PVC profiles business Profialis to a private investment company in order to exit a struggling construction market.

Tessenderlo said the divestment was part of its strategy to focus on specialty chemicals in the food, agriculture, water management sector as well as the recycling of organic waste.

Revenues at Tessenderlo's plastic pipes and profiles business, of which the unit being sold to Los Angeles-headquartered OpenGate Capital is a part, fell by 10 percent in the quarter compared to the same period last year.

Tessenderlo said Profialis had two production facilities in France and Belgium as well as distribution centres in Hungary and Poland. It did not disclose the sale price.

Tessenderlo said it remained cautious for the rest of 2012 and expected that demand for its products should be slightly below year-ago levels in the second half.

Tessenderlo also said it had sold its organic chlorine activities in China in August.
MRC