Orpic picks LyondellBasell PP technology at new plant in Oman

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Co. (Orpic) has selected LyondellBasell's Spheripol polypropylene process technology for a new 300,000 tpy polypropylene (PP) plant to be built in Sohar, Sultanate of Oman, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Start-up of the Liwa plastics project is planned for 2018.

"We selected the LyondellBasell Spheripol process for its ability to cost-effectively produce a wide range of high-quality products that are demanded by our customers throughout the Middle East and South East Asia," said Henk Pauw, Orpic's general manager for the Liwa plastics project.

LyondellBasell is a leading licensor of polypropylene and polyethylene technologies with more than 250 polyolefin process licenses. The Spheripol process is a leading polypropylene technology to produce high-quality homopolymer, random and heterophasic copolymers.

"Orpic's detailed bidding process and resulting selection of our Spheripol process technology has again demonstrated LyondellBasell's leading position in polypropylene," said Bob Patel, LyondellBasell's executive vice president of olefins and polyolefins in Europe and Asia.

"Based on this first license, we are looking forward to establishing a strong long term relationship with Orpic," he added.

As MRC informed previously, in July 2014, LyondellBasell announced that CNOOC Oil and Petrochemicals Co., had selected the LyondellBasell Spherizone technology for a 400,000 tons per year PP plant planned to be built at Huizhou, China.

Spherizone offers a multi-zone circulating reactor process providing an economical and efficient method of manufacturing a wide range of high-quality polypropylene and novel polyolefins resins all on a single-line with capacities of up to 500 KT per year. Low manufacturing and investment cost make Spherizone very attractive in the marketplace. Since the launch of the Spherizone process in 2004, more than 3.5 million tons of capacities have been licensed.

LyondellBasell Industries NV is a manufacturing company. The company produces chemicals, fuels, and polymers used for packaging, clean fuels, durable textiles, medical applications, construction materials, and automotive parts. LyondellBasell Industries operates globally and is headquartered in the Netherlands. LyondellBasell is also a leading licensor of polypropylene and polyethylene technologies. The more than 250 polyolefin process licenses granted by LyondellBasell are twice that of any other polyolefin technology licensor.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lubrizol Corp. has ventured into the medical device market by acquiring Vesta Inc., a maker of catheters and tubing based on silicone and thermoplastics, said Plasticsnews.

No purchase price was disclosed in an Aug. 1 news release that announced the deal. Franklin, Wis.-based Vesta had been owned by RoundTable Healthcare Partners, an investment firm in Lake Forest, Ill.

Vesta now will be part of Lubrizol Advanced Materials, which includes market-leading Estane-brand thermoplastic polyurethane. Vesta operates three U.S. manufacturing sites that perform silicone molding, extrusion, sheeting, dip-casting and assembly, as well as thermoplastic tubing extrusion, assembly and secondary operations.

The 42-year-old firm has a long history of medical design engineering experience with clinical device applications in cardiology, urology, wound care and bariatrics, officials said.

Vista was acquired by RoundTable in 2007 and grew by acquiring thermoplastic medical tubing maker ExtruMed LLC in 2009 and silicone products maker SiMatrix in 2011. After acquiring ExtruMed, Vesta built a new production site in Corona, Calif., to replace nearby ExtruMed plants in Placentia and Temecula. In 2011, Vesta also completed an expansion that doubled the size of its Franklin plant to 120,000 square feet.

Lubrizol employs 7,500 worldwide and posted sales of USD6.4 billion in 2013. The firm expanded beyond its core lubricants market in 2004 when it acquired specialty plastics maker Noveon Inc. Lubrizol has been owned since 2011 by the Berkshire Hathaway investment firm.

By acquiring Vesta, Lubrizol “will gain control over quality and capture value-added,” he said, adding that Lubrizol will gain silicone technology through the deal while being able to offer a range of polymers to the medical segment.

As MRC wrote before, Lubrizol announced the groundbreaking for a new TempRite chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) compounding plant in Dahej, India. Construction of this plant is an integral component of the company's previously announced USD400 million global expansion of its resin and compounding manufacturing capacity.

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.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Borealis, an Austrian petrochemical company controlled by Abu Dhabi, signed a long-term ethane supply contract with Antero Resources as it pushes ahead with a plan to import cheaper US feedstock for its plant in Sweden, reported Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Navigator Holdings will undertake the shipping of ethane from the US, with the construction of a new vessel underway, the Vienna-based company said in a statement.

Borealis’ steam cracker in Stenungsund will see a multi-million investment to upgrade the facility and the construction of an ethane storage tank, it said without giving further details.

"We need to take advantage of the significant shift in ethane availability triggered by the US shale gas boom,” Borealis CEO Mark Garrett said in the statement. “In an increasingly challenging environment in Europe, this is an exciting opportunity to increase the competitiveness of our integrated polyolefins business."

Borealis is joining INEOS, Europe’s other owner of flexible crackers that can operate on ethane rather than naphtha, in tapping cheap feedstock from the US Marcellus and Utica shale formations as North Sea energy supplies wane.

A rennaissance in the US chemical industry, fueled by shale, and increased production in the Middle East and China poses a threat to European plants. While BASF’s petrochemical facilities are fully integrated into its naphtha cracker, helping maximize efficiency, isolated petrochemical plants will face the greatest cost presssure.

As MRC informed previously, in May 2014, Jacobs Engineering Group received a contract from Borealis to provide engineering, procurement, project management and construction management services for a project to increase cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) capacity at its manufacturing site in Stenungsund, Sweden. Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs is working to debottleneck an existing XLPE compounding and soaking train and increase the intermediate storage capacity of the XLPE base resin in the upstream polymerization plant.

Borealis is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. The only polyethylene (PE) producer in Sweden, Borealis’ Stenungsund facilities include a PE plant, a cracker for ethylene and propylene production, and an innovation center focused on research and development for infrastructure markets.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Borealis AG is buying out DuPont Co.’s two-thirds share in their Specialty Polymers Antwerp NV joint venture, said the producer in its press release.

No purchase price was disclosedl. Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont will continue to sell ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and acrylate compolymers made at the JV’s plant, which is in Zwijndrecht, Belgium.

"The acquisition…is in line with our strategy to grow our polyolefin business in specific market areas," Borealis CEO Mark Garrett said in the release. "Acrylate polymers…are an important building block for our value-added products sold into our core energy and infrastructure market."

As MRC informed before, last summer, Borealis and Borouge announced the dedicated roll-out of the technology platform Borlink in Russia, according to the company's press release. Borlink was introduced by Borealis and Borouge as a technology platform offering a complete global package of power cable compounds and expertise serving applications for medium and high voltage (MV, HV), including extra high voltage (EHV) and high voltage direct current (HVDC).

DuPont is an American chemical company that was founded in July, 1802. The company manufactures a wide range of chemical products, leading extensive innovative research in this field. The company is the inventor of many unique plastics and other materials, including neoprene, nylon, Teflon, Kevlar, Mylar, Tyvek, etc. DuPont was the developer and main producer of Freon used in the production of refrigeration equipment.

Vienna-based Borealis is a leading producer of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. The firm posted sales of more than USD10 billion in 2013. Borealis is majority-owned by state-owned International Petroleum Investment Co. of Abu Dhabi. IPIC also owns North American ethylene and polyethylene producer Nova Chemicals and Middle Eastern petrochemicals firm Borouge.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Japan's ethylene production in July rose 14.6% from June to 553,400 mt, and was up 2.1% on the year, said Apic-online, citing the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The steep month-on-month increase in output was attributed to two steam crackers returning from their maintenance shutdowns in July.

Mitsubishi Chemical has on July 1, restarted its No. 2 naphtha-fed steam cracker at Kashima from a turnaround that started May 9. The No. 2 cracker is able to produce 526,000 mt/year of ethylene and 260,000 mt/year of propylene. And Keiyo Ethylene restarted its naphtha-fed steam cracker at Chiba in late June, from a scheduled maintenance that began May 11. The Chiba cracker can produce 700,000 mt/year of ethylene and 400,000 mt/year of propylene.

Japan's ethylene output figure could further increase in August, with another steam cracker having restarted from its turnaround in early August.

Mitsui Chemicals has restarted its naphtha-fed steam cracker at Sakai, western Japan early August after it was shut on June 20 for maintenance. The cracker is able to produce 500,000 mt/year of ethylene and 280,000 mt/year of propylene.

Mitsui Chemicals,a Japanese chemical company, is a part of the Mitsui conglomerate. The company has a turnover of around 15 billion USD and has business interests in Japan, Europe, China, Southeast Asia and the USA. The company mainly deals in performance materials, petro and basic chemicals and functional polymeric materials.
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