CPI announces finalists for 2017 Polyurethane Innovation Award

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) has announced BASF, The Chemours Company, and Covestro as the three finalists for the Polyurethane Innovation Award, reported GV.

The award recognizes the past year’s most inventive commercial technology in the polyurethanes industry and will be presented during the 2017 Polyurethanes Technical Conference in October 2017 in New Orleans, LA, USA.

"When we think about the best aspects of the polyurethanes industry, we mean our commitment to developing and advancing technologies that enhance the quality of life" said Lee Salamone, CPI senior director. "And the Polyurethane Innovation Award aims to honor companies in that pursuit. CPI congratulates BASF, Chemours and Covestro on their innovations, and we look forward to their presentations during the Polyurethanes Technical Conference’s Opening Session."

The innovations as described by the 2017 finalists are:

- BASF’s Irgastab PUR 70: A novel amine-free, aromatic solvents-free, anti-scorch system for Polyol and PUR foams, significantly reducing VOC, s-VOC and aldehyde emissions in automotive interiors.
- Chemours’ Opteon 1100: A hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) blowing agent that addresses critical PU industry needs including formulation stability and flexibility with existing components, excellent materials compatibility, exceptional long-term insulation performance, and a sustainable solution to meet changing regulatory requirements for low GWP products.
- Covestro’s PUReWall: A new, highly structural spray polyurethane foam (SPF) formulation that allows for residential wall panel production, using polyisocyanurate (polyiso) rigid foam board and SPF instead of oriented strand board sheathing for structure.

We remind that, asAs MRC wrote previously, in April 2016, BASF inaugurated 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 four components of the Ucrete polyurethane concrete flooring system in Asia Pacific. BASF has a similar plant in the United Kingdom. Ucrete is a polyurethane resin technology that gives floors resistance to aggressive chemicals, as well as mechanical and thermal conditions. It is ideal for the most demanding industrial environments and non-tainting.

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.

Covestro (formerly Bayer MaterialScience) is an independent subgroup within Bayer. It was created as part of the restructuring of Bayer AG from the former business group Bayer Polymers, with certain of its activities being spun off to Lanxess AG. Covestro manufactures and develops materials such as coatings, adhesives and sealants, polycarbonates (CDs, DVDs), polyurethanes (automotive seating, insulation for refrigerating appliances) etc.

The Chemours Company, commonly referred to as Chemours, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 2015 as a spin-off from DuPont. It has its corporate headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, United States.
MRC

Kaustik Volgograd shut down PVC production

MOSCOW (Market Report) -- Kaustik (Volgograd, part of Nikokhim group) shut down its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production capacities for a scheduled turnaround, according to ICIS-MRC's Price report.

The plant's representatives said the shutdown took place on 24 September. The outage will be quite long, the resumption of PVC production is scheduled for 18 October. The plant's annual production capacity is 90,000 tonnes.

As reported earlier, Kaustik Volgograd's overall output of resin reached 61,300 tonnes in the first eight months of 2017, compared to 57,200 a year earlier.

PVC production was launched at Kaustik Volgograd in December 1972 with the assistance of the Japanese firm Kureh's specialists.

Nikokhim Group is one of the leaders of the Russian chemical industry, the main production assets of which are located in the southern industrial hub of Volgograd.

JSC "Kaustik" is the group's main plant, which produces basic products - caustic soda, chloroparaffins, synthetic hydrochloric acid, chlorine trademark, polyvinyl chloride, sodium hypochlorite, etc.
MRC

Idemitsu shuts Chiba naphtha cracker

MOSCOW (MRC) — Japan's Idemitsu Kosan shut the 414,000 tpy Chiba naphtha cracker on Friday to increase its capacity to process propane, an industry source familiar with the matter said, said Reuters.

The shutdown will last about a month, the source added. The company last year announced the upgrade would boost the cracker's capacity to process propane as feedstock by three or four times.

The company had said the cracker would be shut for more than a month around September–October.
MRC

Braskem establishes partnership with Pegasus Polymers for UHMW PE distribution in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Braskem, the largest resin producer in the Americas, has announced its new partnership with Pegasus Polymers for the distribution of UTEC - Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) - in China, as per the company's press release.

China's resin demand has a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.74% due to its use in key markets, such as battery separators, tubing, and fibers.

"Our partnership with Pegasus Polymers confirms our commitment to the global UTEC market. We are excited to continue to strengthen and expand our business in China, further leveraging our development of new applications and our industrial units to offer our customers a proprietary solution," said Christopher Gee, Braskem's Global Business Director for UTEC.

Pegasus Polymers is a division of the Ravago Group, the top global service supplier in the plastics, rubber and chemicals market, with sales offices in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Fujian, Shanghai, Suzhou, Xi'an, Tianjin and Changchun, as well as distribution facilities and warehouses in Guangzhou, Xiamen, Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao, and Tianjin.

"We are proud to be the official distributor of Braskem's UTEC® products in China. With Pegasus' sales network, the deep industrial know-how in the UHMWPE product and the high-quality UTEC, we believe we are bringing high value-added solutions to the market," said Johnson Huang, Chief Commercial officer of Pegasus for Greater China.

Earlier this year, Braskem began operations at its new UTEC plant in La Porte, Texas, which complements the capacity of the Camacari production line, in Bahia. In addition, the company has enhanced its resin research and development capabilities during 2016 at the company's Innovation and Technology Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These capabilities allow the petrochemical company to expand its technical leadership in UHMWPE.

Braskem has been researching opportunities to expand its presence in this market, aiming to benefit its current and future customers. Since the inauguration of the new UTEC production structure in Texas, two new products have been developed and are currently being tested for potential marketing.

UTEC is an engineering polymer with excellent mechanical properties, such as high abrasion resistance, impact resistance, and low coefficient of friction. It is a self-lubricating, high-strength, lightweight and machinable product used for semi-finished products. UTEC is eight times lighter than steel and lasts ten times longer than High-Density Polyethylene. It is used in a wide range of applications in the following industries: automotive & transportation, electronics, fiber & textiles, industrial & heavy equipment, material handling, oil & gas, piping & mining, porous plastics, and recreation & consumer products.

As MRC informed earlier, Braskem Idesa, a 75-25 joint venture between Braskem and Grupo Idesa, started polyethylene (PE) production at its Coatzacoalcos, Mexico complex on 6 April 2016. The jv started injecting ethane at its Etileno XXI steam cracker on 18 March.

Braskem S.A. produces petrochemicals and generates electricity. The company produces ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene, xylenes, butadiene, butene, isoprene, dicyclopentediene, MTBE, caprolactam, ammonium sulfate, cyclohexene, polyethylene theraphtalat, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It is the largest resin producer in the Americas, with an annual output of 20 million metric tons, including basic chemicals and petrochemicals, and RD55 billion in revenue in 2016. It exports to customers in approximately 100 countries and operates 41 industrial units, located in Brazil, the United States, Germany, and Mexico - the latter in partnership with Mexico-based company Idesa.
MRC

Indias refining capacity expansions lags growth in fuel demand

MOSCOW (MRC) — India may export fewer fuels in the next four years as growth in the demand for oil products is rising faster than new refining to produce them is being added, an Essar Oil company executive said on Monday, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

"Over the next three to four years, other than a few brownfield (refinery expansions), we really don't see any major expansions coming in," said B. Anand, chief executive officer of Essar Oil told S&P Global Platts APPEC conference in Singapore.

India's rising disposable income has helped boost its demand for refined fuels, including gasoline, jet fuel and liquid propane gas (LPG), but its capacity to keep up with this demand may be strained in the coming years.

With only about 350,000 bpd of refining capacity being added through new greefield projects over the next four years, India's dependence on LPG imports may rise while limiting its exports of oil products such as gasoline and diesel so it can cope with its domestic demand, Anand said.

Essar runs an oil refinery in Vadinar, the western Indian state of Gujarat, that can process 400,000 bpd of crude oil. "The possibility is always there but its still early days," said Anand when asked if the company was considering expanding its refining capacity to help meet the increase in India's fuel demand.

With Essar Oil's recent ownership change, Anand told Reuters the company was currently focused on consolidating its businesses. In August, Russian oil major Rosneft and its partners—global trader Trafigura and Russian fund UCP—purchased a 98.26% stake in Essar Oil in a deal announced in October.

India is a net importer of LPG, a fuel used in coking and heating, and a net exporter of other products such as gasoline, jet fuel and diesel.
MRC