Invista introduces thermoplastic resin that acts like a thermoset

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Invista’s Chemical Intermediates Division has introduced a new thermoplastic material that acts more like a thermoset resin, as per Plastermart.

The new nylon-1,6 resin (formaldehyde-hexanedinitrile copolymer) has spectral features and thermal behavior aspects similar to features historically known in resins such as UF, melamine, Bakelite and others, according to Senior Research Advisor William J. Tenn.

A high density of amide residues in the polymer makes it significantly more hydrophilic than other nylons; it can be used in combination with other thermoset and thermoplastic materials to modify properties such as water and hydrocarbon absorbance. Nylon 1,6 can provide a more rapid cure response than other polyamides in epoxy applications. It is being evaluated as a fortifier for use in UF-, PF- and melamine-based formulations, and as a composite material in combination with other thermosets and thermoplastic materials.

As MRC wrote previously, in 2015, Invista, a world leader in fibers, resins and chemical intermediates, successfully started up a new 215,000-t/y hexamethylene diamine (HMD) facility at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in China.

Invista is one of the world's largest integrated producers of polymers and fibers, primarily for nylon, spandex and polyester applications. With a business presence in over 20 countries, Invista's global businesses deliver exceptional value for their customers through technology innovations, market insights and a powerful portfolio of global trademarks.
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MOSCOW (MRC) - An explosion rocked a petrochemical plant in China's eastern province of Shandong on Monday, killing eight people and injuring nine, said Reuters.

Deadly accidents are common at industrial plants in China, where anger is growing over lax standards after three decades of rapid economic growth marred by incidents ranging from mining disasters to factory fires.

Monday's blast took place about an hour after midnight, triggering fires at the loading area of Linyi Jinyu Petrochemical Co. Ltd. in the Linyi Lingang economic development zone, the state news agency, Xinhua, said.

The toll rose to eight, as authorities confirmed the deaths of seven people who had been reported missing, in addition to one death reported earlier, the local government said on its microblog.

Nine people were injured and the fires have been put out, the government said. The "responsible person" at the company that runs the plant has been detained, Xinhua added, without giving details.

In 2015, huge chemical explosions in the port city of Tianjin killed more than 170 people, prompting a vow by President Xi Jinping that the authorities would learn the lessons paid for in blood.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Air Products announced it has recently received multiple, long-term supply awards from semiconductor and flat panel display manufacturers in China as the country’s electronics manufacturing industry continues to boom, said the company on its website.

Industrial gases supply contracts awarded to Air Products over the past 12 months call for the investment in six industrial gas plants and a pipeline network for the supply of gaseous nitrogen and oxygen, as well as other bulk gases. These facilities will support existing and new customers in key electronics clusters and industrial parks in China’s major economic regions, including the Yangtze River Delta in Eastern China, Pearl River Delta in Southern China, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in Northern China.

"We are greatly honored to be selected by our existing as well as new customers to support their growth plans in China. These wins speak volumes about their confidence in our capabilities," said Saw Choon Seong, China president, Industrial Gases at Air Products. "Air Products has been serving the China market for 30 years. These recent strategic investments reflect our continued commitment to supporting the fast-paced development of electronics manufacturing customers here who are gaining new momentum for growth under the country’s 13th Five-Year Plan and 'Made in China 2025’ initiative. We will continue to bring our scale, innovation, and reliable and safe supply to enable them to thrive."

The Chinese Government has a strong commitment to boosting development of the electronics industry. One initiative is the establishment of the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, commonly known as the Big Fund, to invest roughly USD 20 billion from 2014 through 2017 in the country’s semiconductor industry. In addition, local governments have also set up regional-level funds totalling around USD 100 billion to promote key technologies and major projects.

Air Products is a world-leading Industrial Gases company in operation for over 75 years. The Company’s core industrial gases business provides atmospheric and process gases and related equipment to manufacturing markets, including refining and petrochemical, metals, electronics, and food and beverage. Air Products is also the world’s leading supplier of liquefied natural gas process technology and equipment.
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MOSCOW (MRC)—US oil refineries are processing record volumes of crude, but stocks of refined fuels remain well contained thanks to strong exports and demand at home, sa per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

US refineries processed 17.5 MMbpd of crude in the week ending on May 26, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Throughput was more than 1.2 MMbpd higher than at the same point in 2016, and 2.2 MMbpd above the 10-yr seasonal average.

Record refinery runs have helped pull down US crude stocks by 31 MMbbl since the end of March, with inventories drawing down much faster and earlier in the year than normal.

However, despite fears that record processing would result in a buildup of unsold products, stocks of gasoline and diesel have generally moved in line with normal seasonal patterns.

Part of the explanation lies in the strength of exports, mostly to markets in Central America, South America and the Caribbean, where aging and inefficient refineries have struggled to meet growing demand from consumers.

US refineries are increasingly geared towards meeting demand from the rest of the hemisphere. US refiners and traders exported 640 Mbpd of gasoline in the week ending on May 26, and a near-record 1.25 MMbpd of distillate fuel oil.

US domestic fuel consumption is also now running at record or near-record levels, according to an analysis of EIA data. Gasoline supplied to domestic customers in the US hit a record 9.8 MMbpd last week, an increase of roughly 330 Mbpd compared with the same period in 2016.

Distillate supply averaged 4.1 MMbpd, significantly higher than in 2016, though still below the record set in 2007.

New methodology. Beginning August 2016, the EIA introduced a new and more accurate methodology for calculating exports and estimating weekly gasoline and diesel consumption ("Statistical methodology of estimating petroleum exports using data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection", EIA, August 2016).

The new methodology uses real-time information obtained from US Customs to estimate weekly exports, where the prior methodology relied on a two-month lagged model to derive estimated values, which in turn introduced a potential source of errors into estimates for domestic consumption.

So, estimates for consumption before and after August 2016 are not strictly comparable, but the older data can be corrected in retrospect using reliable monthly export data from the US Census Bureau.

The export-corrected time series show that consumption of both gasoline and distillate fuel oil has been running at a high level since March. The increase in gasoline and distillate demand is consistent with more comprehensive monthly data showing consumption of both rising strongly in March after being relatively weak in January and February.

Resilient margins. Strong fuel demand in export markets and at home explains why US refining margins have held up well despite the surge in processing rates. Refinery margins in most of the US have changed little during 2Q 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, despite much higher throughput.

According to the EIA, US refiners have added almost 500 Mbpd of atmospheric crude distillation capacity since the start of 2016. Building and expanding crude units is expensive, so once these units were commissioned there was a strong incentive to use them to start recovering the cost.

US refineries are generally more efficient than their rivals in Europe, and certainly more so than refineries in Latin America. US-based refiners also have lower transportation costs given their proximity to sources of crude from Texas, New Mexico and North Dakota, and by being closer to major fuel customers than rival suppliers in Europe and Asia. Thus, US refiners are well placed to capture market share from weaker and less flexible rivals in other parts of the Atlantic Basin.

With so much fuel entering the supply chain, there is some risk that either the domestic or export markets will become saturated. But the resilience of refining margins indicates that the risk is not thought to be high at the moment, and this is giving refiners a continued incentive running at record volumes.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Automotive component manufacturer Toyota Boshoku, part of the Toyota group, will partner with Mitsui Chemicals to commercialize a high impact-resistant plastic as a resin modifier, reported Plastemart.

Under a recently concluded license agreement, Mitsui Chemicals will use Toyota Boshoku’s patented technology to manufacture and market the plastic from 2018. The agreement follows a memorandum of understanding signed in November 2016.

Developed by Toyota Boshoku and Toyota Central R&D Labs, the material is a polymer alloy made from PA 11, PP and a Mitsui Chemicals’ compatibilizer. By controlling the phase structure of the PA and PP at the nano-level, an efficient impact absorbing structure is created that is claimed to achieve top level impact resistance. Toyota Boshoku has developed a method of using the plastic as a resin modifier, not just for interior car parts such as seating and door trims but also for other automotive parts that demand high impact resistance. The parts maker believes its technology can contribute to increased safety in cars but also expects increasing applications in other non-automotive applications.

Mitsui Chemicals said it plans to also sell the plastic in the industrial and consumer goods markets and will use its technical expertise and sales channels in the years ahead to expand the material’s use as a modifier.

As MRC wrote before, Germany-based Linde, a leading industrial gases company, and Japan’s Mitsui Chemicals plan to invest USD4 billion into petrochemical projects in Iran.

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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