Japanese ethylene production falls

(Plastemart) -- Japanese ethylene production has fallen by 12.1% to 557,100 tons in September 2010 vs 633,500 tons September 2009.

This is partly due to the scheduled plant maintenance shutdown at a naphtha cracker. Output in September 2010 was down 7.3% from 600,700 tons in August.

MRC

(Plastemart) -- In a bid to capitalise on the single-market Asean Economic Community in 2015, Thailand's PTT plans to move more aggressively in expanding its existing businesses in ASEAN countries.

The AEC, with a population of 580 million, promises huge investment and trade potential.

PTT aims to boost the non-oil business in the domestic retail market from 10% of total profit to 50% within 5 years. Exports have commenced to test the market in countries such as Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as southern China.

MRC

(European Plastics News) -- Chemical giant BASF is terminating its Envirocare oxodegradable additive business, which it acquired through its purchase of Ciba last year, to focus on products which comply with European standard EN 13432.

Envirocare was part of the Ciba range and was used to manufacture degradable polyethylene mulch films for agricultural applications.

⌠BASF has opted for biodegradable plastics that are fully biodegradable and compostable in accordance with standards such as European norm EN 13432, spokesperson Jurgen Keck said in a statement.

BASF will instead focus on its Ecoflex and Ecovio biodegradable plastics and is expanding capacity at an Ecoflex plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany, by 60,000 tonnes.

MRC

(European Plastics News) -- Composite materials maker Gurit is investing CHF5m (┬3.7m) in doubling manufacturing capacity for its PVCell G-Foam materials in China. PVCell is a range of PVC-based materials, manufactured at China Tech Foam in Qingdao.

Rudolf Gerber, general manager of wind energy at Gurit, says the increase in manufacturing capacity will allow Gurit to meet local demand from wind turbine blade manufacturers in the country.

PVCell G-Foam is specifically designed for the wind turbine rotor blade market in China, a very important market for Switzerland-based Gurit.

MRC

LONDON (ICIS) -- Rosneft has chosen INEOS Technologies' Innovene S slurry process technology for the production of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) at its JSC Angarsk Polymer Plant, INEOS said on Monday.

The 345,000 tonne/year plant, currently in the engineering phase of construction in Angarsk, Russia, will produce a full range of commodity and specialty, monomodal and bimodal products, the Switzerland-headquartered INEOS Technologies said.

Due to its location in central Asia, Rosneft's JSC Angarsk Polymer Plant is expected to sell products into the Russian and Chinese markets, INEOS said.

This is the first time INEOS has licensed its Innovene S process technology in Russia.

MRC