Xinxiang Shenma shut PVC plant in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Xinxiang Shenma Zhenghua Chemical has shut its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant for maintenance turnaround, reported Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant was shut on April 16, 2014. It is likely to remain off-stream for around one month.

Located in Henan province, China, the plant has a production capacity of 50,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote previously, Erdos Chlor-Alkali Chemical took off-stream its PVC plant for maintenance turnaround on April 1, 2014. It is likely to remain off-stream for around one month. Located in Inner Mongolia, the plant has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year.

Earlier this year, Japanese petrochemical producer - Taiyo Vinyl Corp., a subsidiary of Tosoh Group, has recently shut down its PVC plant for maintenance turnaround. It was shut down on March 13, 2014. The plant is likely to remain off-stream for around one month. Located in Yokkaichi, Japan, the plant has a production capacity of 310,000 mt/year.
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Lubrizol forms new energy and water business

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lubrizol is expanding its new global energy and water (E&W) business unit, said Hydrocarbonprocessing, citing the US-based specialty chemicals company press-release.

The announcement was made by John Uhran, vice president of Lubrizol's industrial specialties business group.
"We've always been active in the energy and water segments, but we were calling on these industries from different business groups within Lubrizol," said Uhran. "We pulled everything together to create the energy and water business unit in early 2013. This allowed us to focus on the oilfield, refinery process and industrial water treatment chemicals markets."

"The expansion and growth of this business unit exemplifies Lubrizol's commitment to making our chemical services customers' more competitive in their markets while creating safer working environments for their employees and the communities where they work," Uhran continued.

"Lubrizol's investment in the energy and water business unit will allow us to continue to provide innovative solutions for our customer's end-users."

Lubrizol says it is adding additional resources to grow the new business unit, with emphasis placed on hiring new scientists, along with additional sales and product management staff.

This will accelerate the delivery of Lubrizol innovations to the market to help make Lubrizol's specialty chemical-services customers more successful in their businesses.

The company noted that it has also added capital resources for the expansion o flaboratory facilities in Houston. The lab features testing equipment that enables a higher level of technical support to our customers. The new lab also increases R&D capability that will help Lubrizol develop a broader specialty additives portfolio, according to company officials.

As MRC wrote before, Lubrizol, an innovative specialty chemical company, is planning a four-year, USD400 million global expansion of its chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) resin and compounding manufacturing sites.

The Lubrizol Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is an innovative specialty chemical company that apart from its production develops and supplies technologies to customers in the global transportation, industrial and consumer markets. Lubrizol"s advanced polymer technology delivers exceptional performance for the plumbing, fire sprinkler, industrial and other building and construction related applications. Lubrizol is providing innovative solutions for its customers" high-performance application needs and remains committed to ongoing investment in its CPVC capabilities that support future growth.
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March ethylene output falls in Japan by 8.1%

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Japanese production of ethylene fell 8.1% in March on the year to 510,900 tonnes, reported Reuters with reference to the data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Ethylene, made from naphtha, is a basic feedstock for petrochemicals that are made into products such as plastics.

As MRC wrote before, Japan-based Sumitomo Chemical will permanently wind up the operations of an ethylene plant at its Chiba Works in Ichihara, Chiba, in or before September 2015, following a decline in domestic demand for ethylene derivatives.

We also remind that, as informed previously, ethylene production from export-oriented steam crackers associated with advantaged gas-based feedstocks is set to alter the global ethylene markets, according to analysis from energy research firm Wood Mackenzie's new Chemical Markets Service.

Ethylene producing assets that have access to low cost gas feedstocks, such as the ones in North America, will lead the competition with total ethylene and derivative investment set to reach USD40-50 billion in the next decade. Over the same time period, global ethylene demand will grow by 3.3% per year, on average, according to Wood Mackenzie. The Dow Chemical Company, LyondellBasell Industries N.V. and Exxon Mobil Corporation are among the leading companies engaged in the ethylene industry in North America.
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Eastman brings innovative copolyesters to water filtration industry

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Brand owners can now select Eastman Tritan copolyester and Eastar copolyester from Eastman Chemical Company for carbon filtration and reverse osmosis systems, reported the company on its site.

Brands that market point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (POE) water filtration systems and components know that the ability to clearly see the filter at work can result in more frequent filter media replacement - and greater sales.

Tritan and Eastar meet the requirements of the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) for water filtration units and deliver the benefits of transparent filter housings with excellent durability, improved chemical resistance and toughness. Unlike polycarbonate (PC), both materials are made without bisphenol A (BPA), a big advantage for brand owners looking to answer consumers’ needs for BPA-free products.

Growing consumer concerns about water quality and lack of confidence in municipality processes have led to a growing market for POE and POU water filtration products.

Opaque products are the most common material in the water filtration housing market. Clear or transparent housings make up less than 10 percent of the market because most clear materials fall short of NSF performance requirements for hydrostatic and burst pressure, and pressure fatigue. Consumers prefer a transparent housing that allows them to see the filter working and indicates filter replacement timing.

Eastman Tritan copolyester and Eastar copolyester meet NSF performance standards, a critical part of fitness for use. Tritan and Eastar provide a clear view of the filtration media, without the breakage and durability issues associated with some clear plastics, including styrene acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN). The glasslike clarity of Tritan and Eastar also allow for greater tinting flexibility, compared with the noticeable blue cast of SAN.

The toughness of Eastman Tritan copolyester and Eastar copolyester helps ensure longer filter housing life and can reduce issues related to breakage, cracking and product failure. Certain housings are designed with replaceable media, requiring the housing to be sanitized with each filter change, which is ideal for the dishwasher durability of Tritan.

In addition, when put up against two competitive materials - talc-filled polypropylene and SAN - in a rigorous drop-impact test, Eastman Tritan copolyester outperformed.

As MRC wrote previously, earlier this year, Eastman Chemical Company, a global specialty chemical company, enhanced its medical packaging portfolio with Eastalite copolyester, the company’s first opaque offering, which is styrene-free and can be a sustainable alternative to high-impact polystyrene (HIPS).

Eastman (headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA) is a global specialty chemical company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With a portfolio of specialty businesses, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. Its market-driven approaches take advantage of world-class technology platforms and leading positions in attractive end-markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables.
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Solvay publishes its 2013 Sustainable Development Report

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Solvay has published its 2013 Sustainable Development Report, showing a variety of concrete measures that the Group has put in place to become a model in sustainable chemistry, supporting its long term growth, said the company in its press release.

"Sustainable development is a driving force of Solvay’s strategy. It is part of our vision and integrated into the way we conduct our business, ranging from the day-to-day work on the sites to our investment decisions, to ensure that our solutions will answer to global challenges," said Jacques Kheliff, Group General Manager Sustainable Development.

"Sustainable development is also a lever for growth: a portion of our business is already oriented towards markets driven by the demands and opportunities associated with society’s challenges." Solvay last year developed five priorities for 2020 to answer to social, societal and environmental challenges:
To achieve excellence in safety, health and occupational hygiene for everyone on all our 117 sites in 56 countries.
To increase the share of our sales in markets or with activities meeting the requirements of sustainable development. To relentlessly improve the performance of our technologies, processes and products so as to avoid any harm and to limit their environmental impact throughout the lifecycle of our products.
To lower greenhouse-gas emissions, energy and water consumption, to reduce negative impacts on soil, water, air quality and the use of resources.

As a first important step in its sustainability commitment, Solvay in 2013 signed a global agreement on social and environmental responsibility with the IndustriALL Global Union, which reflects the Group’s aim to develop a rich and balanced dialogue with its employees and their representatives worldwide.

As MRC wrote before, Solvay has signed an agreement to sell its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compound business Benvic Europe to U.S. investment company OpenGate Capital. The closing of this transaction is expected in the first half of 2014 and is subject to the approval of the anti-trust authorities. The deal was announced in late December of the year.

Solvay S.A. is a Belgian chemical company founded in 1863, with its head office in Neder-Over-Heembeek, Brussels, Belgium. The company has diversified into two major sectors of activity: chemicals and plastics. Solvay supplies over 1500 products across 35 brands of high-performance polymers – fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, aromatic ultra polymers, high-barrier polymers and cross-linked high-performance compounds.
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