Tetra Pak launches package made entirely from plant based, renewable packaging materials

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Tetra Pak today announces the launch of the industry’s first carton made entirely from plant based, renewable packaging materials, said the company in its press-release.

The new Tetra Rex carton will be the first in the market to have bio-based low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films and bio-based high-density polyethylene (HDPE) caps, both derived from sugar cane, in addition to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paperboard.

"Environment excellence is one of Tetra Pak’s strategic priorities and a driver of our product development activities," said Charles Brand, VP Marketing & Product Management at Tetra Pak. "Together with suppliers, customers and other stakeholders, we are leading the industry towards 100% renewable packaging. We believe that increasing the renewable content of our packages is not only good for the environment, but also offers our customers a competitive advantage in the overall environmental profile of their products."

As MRC wrote before, Braskem SA, the world's largest biopolymer producer, in January 2014 launched a new line of green low density polyethylene. Annual production of the new LDPE line will be approximately 66 million pounds.

Developed in partnership with Braskem, one of the world’s leading biopolymers producers, the new Tetra Rex package will be commercially available in early 2015. Tetra Pak customers using the standard 1 litre Tetra Rex with TwistCap OSO 34 can easily transfer to the new version without the need for any additional investment or modification to their existing filling machines.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Imports of polypropylene (PP) to the Belarusian market were 53,400 tonnes in the first eight months of this year, remaining at the level of the previous year, according to MRC.

According to the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus PP imports in Belarus fell to 6,600 tonnes in August, compared to 7,200 tonnes in July on the back of a significant reduction in PP supplies from Russia (deficit in the Russian market). Total PP imports in the country were 53,400 tonnes in the first eight months of this year, which was practically equal to the same indicator in 2013 (53,300 tonnes).

A significant increase in demand for propylene copolymers from the local converters offset a decrease in the delivery of homopolymer PP, which is in more demand usually. Structure of PP delivery over the reported period looked as follows.

August imports of homopolymer PP in the country fell to 4,300 tonnes, compared with 5,100 tonnes in July, because of 32% reduction in supplies from Russia. Imports of homopolymer PP in Belarus totalled just over 36,000 tonnes in January - August 2014, compared with 39,000 tonnes year on year. Key suppliers of homopolymer PP in Belarus were Russian producers, with 70% from the total imports in the country over the reported period.

August imports of propylene copolymers seasonally increased to 2,300 tonnes, compared to 2,100 tonnes in July.
Imports of propylene copolymers in Belarus increased to 15,400 tonnes in the first eight months of the year, up 22% year on year. The main suppliers of propylene copolymers in the local market were producers from Germany with a share of about 61%, the share of Russian producers in this segment did not exceed 8%.

As it was written earlier, the import duty on all grades of polypropylene was reduced to 6.5% on 1, September 2014 from the previous (introduced on 2 September 2013), 9.1% for PP-homo and 8.3% for copolymers of propylene.
Import of all grades of PP from the CIS countries are not subject to import duty.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF, the world's petrochemical major, has presented its latest solutions for applications in the home care and industrial & institutional Cleaning (I&I) markets as well as personal care, reported the company on its site.

In Home Care, there is an increasing demand for detergents and cleaners that clean quickly and efficiently, provide care, are safe and easy to use, and that save resources. BASF enables various choices for its customers to meet these needs. With Sokalan HP 20, BASF is presenting a special polymer for the formulation of liquid detergents. Even at low temperatures, it actively disperses particulate soil from clothes and prevents graying - this ensures clean laundry with low energy consumption.

Trilon M is a high-performance product that contributes to more sustainable dishwashing. The readily biodegradable chelating agent actively binds water hardness ions and also removes stubborn tea and coffee stains. The chelating agent thereby offers an environmentally-friendly alternative to phosphates in dishwashing tablets without compromising on performance.

When it comes to cleaning hard surfaces, BASF has various choices of nonionic surfactants to present at SEPAWA which meet the market’s demand for safer, faster, and more convenient cleaning. Additional benefits such as spot-free drying, gloss, and easy-to-clean-again effects can be achieved by adding surface-modification polymers to premium products. They enable time-saving in cleaning making consumers household tasks easier to fulfill.

In the I&I sector, the focus is on the convenient and safe use of cleaners that efficiently achieve their cleaning results while saving resources. BASF will present a new solution at SEPAWA for the cleaning of membranes which are used in various applications in the dairy and beverage production. The BASF innovation consists of the use of readily biodegradable, nonionic surfactants that offer advantages in terms of cleaning performance as well as in application.

Besides, BASF has introduced its innovative SWOP technology, an emulsion concept that enables the formulation of personal care products with new textures and unusual sensory perception. SWOP emulsions are oil-in-water emulsions that become water-in-oil emulsions during application and thus combine the advantages of both. Products based on this technology moisturize, nourish and protect the skin. They absorb quickly and produce a fresh and light skin feel during application.

Cetiol Ultimate answers to the rising market demand for new textures with excellent skin feel in cosmetics industry. Here, this ultrafast- spreading, 100 percent natural based, fresh and dry emollient meets a wide range of claims - from ultra-thin water-in-oil formulations and dry face oils to pleasant feeling face and sun creams. Personal care products with Cetiol Ultimate are easy to apply, absorb quickly and leave a smooth skin feeling. At the same time, the emollient provides good pigment wetting and enhances color shade stability. Thus, it also performs well in color cosmetics formulations - like light foundations with improved coverage and a powdery sensation. As it is readily biodegradable and approved by Ecocert, COSMOS and Natrue, Cetiol Ultimate is also suitable as a sensory booster for natural cosmetics.

As MRC reported earlier, in April 2014, BASF unveiled that it had developed new ingredients and innovative concepts for the personal care market. Driving forward the development of the brand Care Creations, the company is taking a more and more science based approach to explore consumer needs: the focus is on a validated typology system with which users can define different consumer personalities.

BASF is the leading chemical company. It produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Expansion by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd’s Kochi (BPCL-Kochi) refinery is 60% complete, and scheduled for completion in December 2015, said Plastemart.

Total investment outlay of Rs 20,000 crore is expected by BPCL-Kochi. BPCL Kochi’s integrated refinery expansion project (IREP), which will see the refining capacity increasing by 60% from the present 9.5 mln tpa to 15.5 mln tons. The project would produce 0.5 mln tpa of propylene.

As MRC wrote before, Technip has been awarded a contract by Air Products for a new industrial gas complex in Kochi, India. The contract covers project management, as well as engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for the new industrial gas complex for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited – Kochi Refinery (BPCL-KR) located in the state of Kerala.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is an Indian state-controlled oil and gas company headquartered in Mumbai, India. Bharat Petroleum owns refineries at Mumbai, Maharashtra and Kochi, Kerala (Kochi Refineries) with a capacity of 12 and 9.5 million metric tonnes per year.

MRC

МOSCOW (MRC) -- Mexican state-owned oil giant Petroleos Mexicanos said Wednesday it has signed a letter of intent with San Antonio, Texas-based NuStar Energy to form a pipeline infrastructure joint venture, Pemex said in a statement.

The proposed venture would help meet the growing demand in Mexico for liquefied petroleum gases and refined products.

Although NuStar and PMI, Pemex's oil trading arm, have previously partnered to ship propane into Mexico, this proposed deal would be the first joint venture between the two companies and would give PMI access to various LPG and refined product suppliers on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Because the agreement involves pipeline transport, it would reduce the cross-border flow of petroleum products via truck and thus result in "more efficient, clean and reliable" shipment of products from the United States to Mexico, Pemex said.

Under the proposed joint venture, the two companies would jointly finance the construction of new pipeline infrastructure and storage assets, which NuStar would manage and operate.

The LPGs and refined products would be delivered from Mont Belvieu and Corpus Christi, Texas, to Nuevo Laredo and Burgos-Reynosa, Mexico.

"This landmark alliance is one of the very first commercial agreements between energy companies from the U.S. and Mexico to create a JV focused on infrastructure, and it resulted from Mexico's recently enacted energy reforms, which call for major investments in energy infrastructure and attracting foreign investment in Mexico's energy sector," PMI Director General Jose Manuel Carrera said.

NuStar Energy is one of the United States' largest independent liquids terminal and pipeline operators with nearly 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles) of pipeline and 82 terminal and storage facilities that store and distribute crude oil, refined products and specialty liquids.

As MRC informed before, The PMI Trading arm of Pemex will build the first solidifying sulfur plant in Mexico,seeking to ensure the movement of sulfur from different refineries and gas processing complexes in the country. The new plant will be located in the Port Authority of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, with a processing capacity of 360,000 tpy and over USD38 million in investment.

Pemex, Mexican Petroleum, is a Mexican state-owned petroleum company. Pemex has a total asset worth of USD415.75 billion, and is the world's second largest non-publicly listed company by total market value, and Latin America's second largest enterprise by annual revenue as of 2009. Company produces such polymers, as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS).

MRC