Eastman and Helian Polymers teamed to launch colorFabb XT-Copolyester

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Eastman Chemical Company, a specialty chemical company, and Helian Polymers, a leader in the masterbatch and biopolymer industry, have teamed to launch colorFabb XT-Copolyester made with Eastman Amphora 3D polymer, reported Eastman on its site.

The new low-odor, styrene-free polymer is uniquely suited for the 3D market with benefits in air quality, dimensional stability and regulatory compliance.

The collaboration between Eastman and Helian, brand owner of colorFabb, began in 2013 with the goal of developing a solution for functional 3D products printed using extrusion-based 3D printing. The companies worked to test materials and formulations, utilizing their expertise in high-performance polymers and 3D printing filaments. Eastman’s history with a broad portfolio of solutions and technical expertise complemented Helian’s innovative work with 3D printers and filaments. The resulting colorFabb XT-Copolyester made with Eastman Amphora 3D polymer focuses on functionality and features strength, workability, processing, aesthetics and low odor for 3D printed products.

Eastman Amphora 3D polymers will provide makers of 3D filaments with a consistent, high-quality product. It will empower consumers to create strong, functional 3D products through desktop printing, while ensuring good air quality and dimensional stability with a material that complies with FDA regulations. Looking to the future, Eastman is considering tailoring options - like color and texture - for additional solutions.

As MRC wrote previously, earlier this year, Eastman 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).

Headquartered in Venlo, the Netherlands, Helian Polymers has years of experience in the masterbatch and biopolymer industry. Its goal is to provide the plastic processing market with the best possible solutions with respect to customer needs.

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.
MRC

Russia mulls USD40bn Rosneft aid

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Rosneft could be in line for a $40 billion-plus boost from the Russian state as the oil behemoth looks to fight off the effect of international sanctions against it and the country, according to Upstreamonline.

The Russian government is considering "types of support" for the Moscow-based giant following a request last month from company president Igor Sechin for 1.5 trillion rubles (USD40.45 million today) in a letter sent to the Ministry of Economic Development.

On Monday local newspaper Vedomosti quoted Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as saying that help could be on the way for Rosneft. "This figure (of 1.5 trillion rubles) only looks imposing, but everything doesn't have to be done in one year," Medvedev told Vedomosti.

"I recently held a meeting on Rosneft’s investment programme. The company needs to maintain its production levels, because Rosneft is a major source of tax revenue," he said. "As such, we should help it maintain its level of investment. We are now considering specific variables and types of support.

"I have no doubts about the company's performance in the medium to long term. The investment will certainly pay off," Medvedev continued.

Sechin in mid-August was reported to have laid out five suggestions for support from the federal government, with help from the National Welfare Fund one possibility. Vedomosti reported at that time that Sechin suggested the fund spend 1.5 trillion rubles on Rosneft bonds.

Net debt at the Moscow-based player stood at 1.5 trillion rubles at the end of June.

Rosneft and Sechin himself have found themselves on the end of sanctions imposed by Western governments over the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine earlier this year. Sanctions were stepped up further in the wake of the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in July, killing almost 300 people.

Rosneft became Russia"s largest publicly traded oil company in March 2013 after the USD55 billion takeover of TNK-BP, which was RussiaпїЅs third-largest oil producer at the time.

MRC

PC exports from Russia slumped by 51% from January to August 2014

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Exports of polycarbonate (PC) from Russia to foreign markets totalled 4,800 tonnes from January to August 2014, down by 51% year on year, according to MRC DataScope report.

Kazanorgsintez, Russia's only PC producer and a major PC exporter, has announced a reduction of exports and growth of supplies to the domestic market. The plant started to reduce exports in April, and it did not do any shipments to foreign markets in July and August.

No other producer export PC from Russia, except for Kazanorgsintez. The exceptions are made only in cases of resale of PC stocks from converters' warehouses.
Earlier, Kazanorgsintez's injection molding grades accounted for more than 80% in the structure of exports. Shipments were mainly done to the Chinese market. At present, the producer intends to reduce production of injection moulding PC to meet the needs of the Russian market and to increase its production of PC for sheet extrusion.

mrpclast.com

New anti-Russia sanctions could put ExxonMobil investments in jeopardy - NASDAQ

MOSCOW (MRC) -- If sanctions against Russia broaden in the coming months Exxon may be affected by transfer restrictions on technology, reported RIA Novosti with reference to NASDAQ.

New Western sanctions against Russia may put the USD3.2 billion Exxon agreed to invest in the joint venture at risk, NASDAQ reported. In the long-term Exxon’s investments may be in jeopardy.

But the latest round of US and EU economic sanctions against Russia, targeting important banking and energy companies and preventing them from accessing Western debt and equity financing, as well as from selling and transferring Western technologies and equipment to the Kremlin, will not have near-term impact on ExxonMobil.

"Despite current political difficulties, pragmatism and common sense will prevail," Russian President Vladimir Putin said on August 11 as he gave his assent for Exxon, in partnership with Rosneft, to begin drilling Russia’s northernmost oil well in the Arctic Ocean.

Exxon Mobil Corp., or ExxonMobil is an American multinational oil and gas corporation working closely with Rosneft in various regions of Russia. Unlike BP (BP Russian Investments Limited), which owns 19.75% of Rosneft's registered capital, Exxon doesn’t own an equity stake in Rosneft.

Through its joint venture, Exxon holds 85,000 net acres in Sakhalin and 11.3 million net acres in the Kara and Black Seas. This acreage contains a number of producing wells that contributed an estimated 6% of Exxon's total production last year. Nevertheless, the new round of sanctions will not affect Exxon’s near-term perspectives in Russia.

As MRC wrote before, on 17 July 2014, the United States imposed its most wide-ranging sanctions yet on Russia's economy, including Gazprombank and the Rosneft Oil Co, and other major banks and energy and defense companies. Washington has steadily escalated its financial sanctions on Russia over what it views as Moscow's interference in its neighbor Ukraine.
MRC

Eastman expands its Cyphrex microfibers portfolio with flat PET fiber

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Eastman Chemical Company, a global specialty chemical company, has introduced new product to the Cyphrex microfibers portfolio- a flat PET fibre, as per the company's press release.

New product possibilities are on the horizon for manufacturers of wetlaid nonwovens and specialty papers with the addition of a flat PET fiber to the Cyphrex microfibers portfolio. This fiber, with its novel cross section, enables functional benefits such as uniformity, lightweight strength and improved processability compared with other synthetic microfibers. Flat PET Cyphrex fibers are less than 0.4 denier in size.

"In just over a year since launching, we have begun to build a complementary set of Cyphrex™ microfibers for wetlaid nonwovens manufacturers," said Fred Dulin, director, microfibers platform, Eastman. "By offering round and flat fibers - in addition to the various sizes of Cyphrex - nonwovens producers can more precisely manufacture media to fit their customers’ needs, giving them an advantage in formulation capability."

Because flat PET Eastman Cyphrex™ microfibers disperse easily in water, they are compatible with standard wetlaid and papermaking processes and equipment. These fibers do not require special shear or agitation. In addition, they allow for easy incorporation with a broader range of fibers than most other synthetic microfibers. And the consistent cross section of the fibers can give wetlaid nonwovens manufacturers confidence in fine-tuning media formulations for desired functionality.

"As with the larger, 4.5-micron fiber added to the Eastman Cyphrex microfibers portfolio earlier this year, the flat PET fiber is part of our ongoing effort to create and give our customers innovative microfibers that fit their specific needs," Dulin said. "This is the latest example of how Cyphrex can keep creating new possibilities for wetlaid nonwovens manufacturers."

As MRC wrote previously, responding to a market need for a suitable material to use in hand-held and other electronic medical device housings that is tough and resistant to aggressive cleansers and disinfectants, Eastman Chemical Company is expanding its Eastman Tritan copolyester portfolio for the medical market with the introduction of Tritan copolyester MXF121. Tritan MXF121 is a bisphenol A (BPA)-free alternative to polycarbonate (PC) and PC/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) that can stand up to today’s aggressive disinfectants and withstand the stresses of daily use and handling.

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.
MRC