LDPE: limited production restrains fall of prices in Russia

MOSCOW (MRC) -- By the end of October the prices for LDPE from separate Russian producers went down but there was no sharp fall in prices connected with the renewal of two productions, according to MRC Price market reports.


In mid-October along with renewal of LDPE production at Kazanorgsintez, Salavatnefteorgsintez and Polymers Plant in Angarsk after scheduled maintenance, many marketers expected sharp fall in prices. But the market didn't see total fall, moreover the prices for some positions remained unchanged.


The Russian producers renewed PE production after maintenance but not in full. Kazanorgsintez loaded only half of its capacities because of the problems with ethylene. There are no LDPE supplies to the domestic market from Polymers Plant in Angarsk because of technical problems. PE supplies to Russia from the Belorussian producers are not considerable.


Absence of LDPE 158 supplies to the domestic market from Kazanorgsintez restrains the fall in prices though some producers lowered the prices. This week a slight growth of buying activity is observed in the market. Converters renew material assets before state holiday early November. Price offer for LDPE 158 depending on the producer is within the range 56.000 - 59.000 RUB/t, including VAT, FCA.


For more detailed information, see Price Reports ⌠Polyethylene in Russia .


MRC

China imports more 55% of recycled PET bottles in U.S.

(Plastics News) -- China continues to purchase more than half of recycled PET in the U.S., according to the PET recycling report.


55.6 percent of all recycled PET bottles and containers are exported, almost all of it to China ≈ which is similar to a year ago ≈ and the fourth straight year that China has purchased more than half of the PET bottles collected in the United States.


Still, the volume of PET purchased by U.S. recyclers, after dropping slightly in 2008, bounced back to 642 million pounds (291,206 metric tons), the second-highest amount ever.


But those purchases of domestic recycled PET remain well below what would be needed to run all the PET reclamation plants in the U.S. at full capacity.


As a result of the capacity and available supply imbalance, the U.S. recycling industry still continues to need to buy recycled PET from Canada, Mexico and South and Central America, and to use alternative PET feedstock such as pre-consumer bottles, post-consumer strapping and other unprocessed industrial scrap, said the report.


MRC


Sibur looks to Europe and China to broaden its business

(PRW) -- Russian petrochemicals, plastics and rubber producer Sibur is looking to international markets after consolidating its dominance of its home market, company executives said at the K 2010 exhibition on Wednesday.


Dimitry Konov, Sibur's president told journalists that the group had spent the last five years ⌠securing an advantageous position for petrochemical feedstock based on Russia's gas reserves.


Now it has turned its focus on to export markets, particularly in China and Europe, he said. Sibur has its sights on Europe as an area for expansion, particularly in PP.


⌠As for China, we have had a presence there for quite a long time. Of our annual sales of more than $7bn, exports to China account for about $650m, said Konov.


In Russia, Sibur has a market share ranging from 30% to 50% depending on the product, said Vladimir Razumov, senior executive vice president. But the potential for further growth was illustrated by the low per capita consumption rate of styrenics which is well below the European average. So one goal for Sibur is to displace imports of ABS from Europe and China.


Executives also said a joint PVC project with Solvin had been briefly delayed due to a changed outlook for the PVC market. But this project is now in the final stages of financing and should be commissioned in 2013.


MRC


Arkema has turned ecotechnologies into reality

(Plastemart) -- At K 2010, Arkema is showcasing its extensive range of specialty polymers, the concrete embodiment of its R&D (Research&Development) drive to develop innovative chemicals that increasingly focus on the challenges of sustainable development.


Bio-sourced plastics today account for 30% of Arkema's technical polymer business, taking up around 2/3rds of its R&D activity. These plastics feature properties that are equivalent or superior to those of their fossil-fuel-based counterparts.


Arkema's expertise in castor oil chemistry for over 60 years with its Rilsan polyamide 11, 100% derived from this chemistry, recently helped bring out four new polymers: Pebax Rnew, a biosourced elastomer up to 90% derived from castor oil, Platamid Rnew, the first hotmelt adhesive entirely of renewable origin, Rilsan Clear Rnew, the first transparent 54% biosourced polyamide, Rilsan HT, an ultra tough high temperature polymer fulfilling today's general need for lighter materials.


MRC


Kuraray adding cast coextrusion line to tech center

(Plastics News) -- Kuraray Co. Ltd.'s Eval unit plans to install a Davis-Standard 7-layer cast coextrusion film and sheet lab line with a Cloeren NanoLayer feedblock and die at its research and technical center in Pasadena, Texas.


The Osaka, Japan-based company will use the line to help customers develop products such as food and medical packaging, agricultural films, and building and construction products.


The company is investing more than $1 million in the lab line, which will be equipped with five extruders. Installation will begin in December, and the line will be available for trials in April.


Kuraray was founded in 1926 for the purpose of commercializing synthetic rayon, which was cutting edge technology at the time. In 1950, as Japan's first domestic producer of synthetic fiber based on original Japanese technologies, Kuraray became a world leader in the commercialization of PVA (poval) fiber under the KURALON brand, ushering in Japan's pioneering era in the chemical synthetic fiber industry.


MRC