CTCI and Invista sign framework agreement to collaborate on potential PTA projects

MOSCOW (MRC) -- CTCI and Invista have entered into a Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement to collaborate on possible purified terephthalic acid (PTA) projects around the world, and have agreed to work closely in pursuit of PTA licensing opportunities, according to Apic-online.

"With Invista's connection with clients in the polyester value chain, CTCI could have early involvement during client's project development stage," said CTCI, noting that it has worked with Invista in Taiwan and China for decades, and would like to expand the cooperation into new areas of the world.

"Over the past several years, we have been working closely with CTCI to execute major capital investments in PTA," said Mike Pickens, president of Invista Performance Technologies. "The signature of this agreement is another milestone in our evolving relationship. I look forward to a strong collaboration of both parties in creating long-term value in the PTA industry worldwide."

As MRC informed previously, Frames has recently been awarded an order from CB&I and CTCI to design and supply an acid gas treatment unit for the Liwa Plastics Industries Complex (LPIC) in the Sultanate of Oman. The unit, which is based on solid bed scavenger technology, will prevent hydrogen sulfide being emitted into the atmosphere. The unit is expected to be completed and handed over in the first half of 2018. The LPIC project involves developing a new petrochemical complex - split into four EPC Packages - for the Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic). Its primary goal is to further increase the value-added that can be derived from Omani crude oil and natural gas. It will also enable Oman to produce polyethylene for the first time.

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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Hanwha Total says naphtha cracker in Daesan shut after lightning strike

MOSCOW (MRC) -- South Korea's Hanwha Total said on Monday its naphtha cracker in Daesan has been shut due to power outages caused by a lightning strike, reported Reuters.

No injuries were reported, it said.

The lightning strike happened in the afternoon at its plant in Daesan, some 81 mi southwest of Seoul, a company spokesman said.

It was unclear when the 1-MMtpy naphtha cracker would restart, the spokesman said. Naphtha is mainly used to make plastics.

The outages however did not impact operations at a condensate splitter that produces mostly naphtha and some distillates, the spokesman said.

As MRC informed before, in July 2015, Hanwha Chemical merged two of its chemical compounds businesses, Hanwha Next and Hanwha Compound. The combined entity, named Hanwha Compound, produces polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. The company operates manufacturing plants in Yeosu and Suncheon, with an annual capacity of 100,000 tons.

Hanwha Group is one of the largest business conglomerate in South Korea. Founded in 1952 as Korea Explosives Inc., the group has grown into a large multi-profile business conglomerate, with diversified holdings stretching from explosives, their original business, to retail to financial services.
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ExxonMobil and University of Wisconsin-Madison to advance research into fuel from biomass

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The University of Wisconsin-Madison and ExxonMobil have announced a 2-yr renewal of an agreement to research the fundamental chemistry of converting biomass into transportation fuels. The research is part of a broad effort to identify scalable and commercially viable solutions to help meet increasing global energy demand with a renewable resource, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

UW-Madison has long been known for its expertise in biomass conversion. George Huber, the Harvey D. Spangler professor of chemical and biological engineering at UW-Madison, is working closely with ExxonMobil’s scientists to build a stronger understanding of the basic chemical transformations that occur during biomass conversion into diesel and jet fuels.

Over the past 2 yr, research has focused on a multistep approach for converting cellulosic biomass to transportation fuels. A new approach with the potential to reduce the number of processing steps will be explored in this collaboration. This approach using solvents could potentially dissolve the entire biomass, which might make it possible to convert the whole biomass into fuel-sized molecules in a single reactor.

Another potential process that will be studied in this collaboration involves the catalytic transformation of bio-derived ethanol into bio-derived diesel and jet fuel. Ethanol is currently produced from a range of sources and is widely used as an additive to gasoline. This technology could potentially allow larger diesel and jet fuel molecules to be produced from renewable sources. Our research continues to focus on non-food sources like corn stover and other cellulosic feedstocks.

ExxonMobil’s work with UW-Madison is a recent addition in a series of partnerships the company has established with leading universities around the world as part of its ongoing research into early-stage innovative projects. This area of biofuels research adds to ExxonMobil’s broader advanced biofuels research portfolio, which includes joint research collaborations focused on algae-based biofuels with Synthetic Genomics, Inc., Colorado School of Mines and Michigan State. ExxonMobil is also exploring a variety of biomass-to-fuels conversion processes, which could be used with non-food based feedstocks such as cellulose-derived sugars, in collaboration with REG Life Sciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of Renewable Energy Group (REG).

ExxonMobil also partners with MIT, Princeton, Michigan State, Stanford, University of Texas and Georgia Institute of Technology in a range of areas from the development of lower-carbon energy sources to energy-efficient plastics manufacturing.

As MRC informed earlier, in November 2016, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. announced it received a contract from ExxonMobil Chemical Company to provide engineering, design and construction management services as part of a new 650 kTa polyethylene facility to be located at ExxonMobil’s Beaumont polyethylene plant.

ExxonMobil is the largest non-government owned company in the energy industry and produces about 3% of the world's oil and about 2% of the world's energy.
MRC

Dutch competition watchdog investigates possible shipping fuel cartel

MOSCOW (MRC) — The Dutch competition watchdog said on Wednesday it was investigating a possible illegal, price-fixing cartel by fuel companies in ports in the Netherlands and Belgium, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The watchdog, known by its Dutch acronym ACM, said it had visited some of the dozens of companies active in fuel production, transportation, storage and trading in Rotterdam, Antwerp and Amsterdam after receiving information from the police.

The ACM, which did not name any of the companies, said in a statement it had asked anyone with relevant information to come forward.

The port of Rotterdam is Europe's largest bunkering port, as well as one of the top three bunkering ports worldwide. Listed Dutch tank storage company Vopak is among the companies active in the sector, but said in an email it didn't expect to be impacted by the investigation, since it's not involved in "the pricing and trading of bunker fuels."

Fines for participants in a cartel can amount to 40 percent of a company's worldwide annual revenue, or to 900.000 euros for people in charge of the deals. Fines can be lowered for companies that admit wrongdoing, the ACM said.

The possible shipping fuel cartel is not the first on the radar of the ACM in the port of Rotterdam, Europe's largest.

In recent years, it opened inquiries into possible price-fixing schemes involving tugboat companies and a large container terminal. These investigations are still ongoing, a spokesman for the ACM said on Wednesday.
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BASF and Haier launch joint Innovation Lab in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF is teaming up with Haier to offer high quality polyurethane-based solutions to customers jointly developed at a new Innovation Lab in Qingdao, China, reported GV.

The lab, housed within the Haier Industrial Park, will further strengthen innovation collaboration between the two companies. It will conduct joint research and development projects as well as oversee tests and quality control of polyurethane-based home appliances, including hot water boilers.

"The new lab brings together the expertise of both partners to improve operational efficiencies through the utilization of shared resources. The collaboration will be instrumental in enhancing various quality parameters of polyurethane products in order to meet the ever-demanding consumer need for energy saving, yet efficient, home appliances," said Jingchun Wang, Manufacturing Director, Haier Zhongyi plant.

The lab, located near Haier’s training center for engineers, will also serve as a learning facility for both companies. It will provide theoretical and practical training, as well as act as a platform for technicians to share best practices and ideas for future projects.

"Through a holistic training program, BASF and Haier will have the opportunity to learn from each other about our unique technologies. Together, we aim to create solutions that will benefit our customers. BASF will bring to the table its expertise in material innovations and competences, which can help Haier’s designers and technical experts make more informed decisions about material innovations used in polyurethane-based projects," said Manfred Pawlowski, Vice President, Consumer, Performance Materials Asia Pacific, BASF. "Similarly, Haier can help us better understand market needs by sharing technical knowledge about advanced technologies in home appliances."

The lab will house several instruments such as a heat conductivity coefficient screening instrument, water quantity controller, viscosity detector, universal tester, foam cutting machine, high accuracy electronic scale, and explosion-proof blender to accommodate all quality aspects of polyurethane products.

In March 2017, BASF was awarded Best Supplier by Haier for the third consecutive year.

As MRC wrote previously, in August 2016, BASF celebrated the inauguration of its new facilities for the production of Ucrete in Bukit Raja, Klang/Malaysia. It is the first manufacturing hub in Asia Pacific to produce all components of Ucrete.

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.
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