Grace licenses process technology to Hengli petchem refinery

MOSCOW (MRC) — W. R. Grace & Co., a supplier of polyolefin catalyst technology and polypropylene (PP) process technology, contracted to license its UNIPOL PP process technology to Hengli Petrochemical Refinery Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Hengli Group, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The installation will be made at the company’s facility in Dalian, Liaoning province, China, and is expected to begin operations in 2019 using Grace’s leading SHAC Ziegler Natta PP catalysts.

Hengli Petrochemical’s PP unit is part of its new refinery complex designed to process 20 MMt of crude oil annually. The facility will produce a total of 450 kilotons per year of homopolymer, random copolymer, and impact copolymer thermoplastic resins in dual reactor lines. The project is one of 22 UNIPOL PP process technology reactor line licenses in China.

Grace’s UNIPOL PP process technology is an all gas-phase technology with the industry’s broadest product capabilities coupled with stable and predictable operation.

"Grace’s UNIPOL PP process and SHAC catalyst system offers us the most advanced PP product capacity available, and provides the most cost-effective technology to rapidly develop our portfolio of products," Hengli Corporation’s Vice Chairman Chen Xinhua said.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- South Korea's Korea Petrochemical Industry Co. is currently struggling to achieve on-spec production from its sole naphtha-fed steam cracker at Onsan, a source close to the company said on Thursday, as per Apic-online.

The steam cracker was shut in mid-April for debottlenecking and a turnaround.

The company restarted the cracker June 6.

The source said it was unclear when the company will achieve on-spec production from the steam cracker.

Under KPIC's expansion program, the steam cracker's ethylene production capacity will rise to 800,000 mt/year from 470,000 mt/year, and its propylene capacity to 500,000 mt/year from 230,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed before, in July 2015, KPIC awarded GS Engineering & Construction a USD270-million contract to increase ethylene capacity to 800,000 t/y and aromatics capacity to 300,000 t/y from 220,000 t/y currently. The project also includes the capacity to produce 150,000 t/y of propylene.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF increased June prices of the polyalcohols products as of 1 June, 2017, or as existing contracts permit in Europe, said the producer on its site.

Thus, June prices for the following products rose, as stated below:

- neopentylglycol (NPG) - by EUR200/mt;
- trimethylolpropane (TMP) - by EUR200/mt;
- 1,6-hexanediol (HDO) - by EUR100/mt.

Neopentylglycol (NPG) is a high-quality intermediate used, for example, to produce polyester resins for coatings, unsaturated polyester resins, lubricants and plasticizers.

Trimethylolpropane (TMP) is a high-quality intermediate used primarily for the production of alkyd resins, which are used in paints and coatings. It also serves to produce lubricants.

1,6-Hexanediol (HDO) is used to manufacture industrial coatings including lower volatile organic compound formulations, polyurethanes, adhesives, and cosmetics. HDO also serves as a reactive thinner in the formulation of epoxy systems, which for example are used for the efficient production of rotor blades for modern wind turbines, as well as construction components for automotive lightweight applications.

As MRC informed previously, effective 1 June, or as contracts allow, BASF increased prices for numerous pigments by up to 15% worldwide. The price increase predominantly affects phthalocyanine and inorganic pigments used in the coatings, plastics and printing industries. The price adjustments are necessary due to higher raw materials costs e.g. copper, TiO2 or cobalt, as well as further challenging environmental, health and safety costs.

BASF is the largest diversified chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF 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. BASF generated sales of about EUR58 billion in 2016.
MRC

Russian companies increased PP imports to 15,400 tonnes last month from 10,600 tonnes in April, with homopolymer PP raffia from Central Asia and propylene block copolymer (PP block copolymer) from Europe accounting for the increase in shipments. Overall, 61,100 tonnes of propylene polymers were imported into Russia in January-May 2017, compared to 64,400 tonnes a year earlier. Shipments of homopolymer PP fell by a third, whereas imports of propylene copolymers, on the contrary, increased.

Overall, the structure of PP imports by grades looked the following way over the stated period.

May imports of homopolymer PP exceeded 7,000 tonnes, compared to 3,300 tonnes a month earlier. Local companies raised their shipments of homopolymer PP raffia grade from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Overall imports of this PP grade reached 21,000 tonnes in the first five months of 2017, compared to 31,000 a year earlier.

Last month's imports of PP block copolymers were 3,300 tonnes versus 2,800 tonnes in April. Local companies reduced purchasing of PP block copolymers for non-pressure pipes extrusion. Imports of PP block copolymers into Russia reached 16,800 tonnes in January-May 2017, compared to 12,600 tonnes a year earlier.

May imports of statistical propylene copolymers (PP-random) were slightly over 2,200 tonnes, which was almost equal to the figure a month earlier. Overall imports of this grade of propylene copolymers were 10,900 tonnes in January-May 2017, compared to 10,500 tonnes a year earlier.

Imports of other propylene polymers totalled 12,300 tonnes over the stated period, compared to 10,300 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Ethylene-polyethylene plant Azerikimya Production Union of Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR will be closed for overhaul in August, said Trend, citing the plant’s Director Ogtay Niftaliyev.

He noted that ground research and the work at the plant as part of modernization of Azerikimya’s enterprises are almost completed.

"In August, production at the plant will be stopped for complete overhaul. In August-September, the first stage of installation of automated control systems should be completed, after which a number of new facilities are planned to be built," said Niftaliyev.

He added that the reconstruction covers a period of three years.

"Its main goal is to increase the efficiency and capacity of ethylene and polyethylene production in order to supply SOCAR Polymer with raw materials in the volume of 150,000 tons of propylene per year. The polyethylene production will be 105,000 tons per year, and this year we are proceeding in line with the production schedule," said the director.

He also expressed confidence that the plan will be implemented.

As MRC informed earlier, SOCAR-Polymer signed an EUR350 mln-agreement on construction of Sumgayit polypropylene (PP) plant at the Azerbaijan-Italy business meeting on 15 April, 2015.

SOCAR Polymer is a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR). The entity was formed at the end of 2013 to run investments at the Sumgait Chemical Industrial Park, a production park which intends to become a chemical hub in central Asia.
MRC