Solvay partners with the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Solvay is joining the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions, created by Solar Impulse founder Bertrand Piccard, to promote efficient technologies, processes and systems that help improve the quality of life on earth, as per the company's press release.

The Alliance members consist of start-ups, companies, institutions and organizations.

"Solvay’s joining of the Alliance, naturally flows from our 13-year partnership with Solar Impulse when we provided a variety of break-through technologies essential to the plane’s success. This Alliance will show again how collaboration and open innovation will turn visions into daily applications for a more sustainable planet and growth," said Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, CEO of Solvay.

Solar Impulse flew around the world day and night on solar energy, with many Solvay innovations, including in batteries and lightweighting materials, on board. Following its succes, the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions was created by the Solar Impulse Foundation, which fully administers and funds the Alliance thanks to partners and private donors.

As MRC wrote previously, in late December 2016, Solvay completed the sale of its 70.59% stake in Solvay Indupa to Brazilian chemical group Unipar Carbocloro, following the approval earlier this month of the Brazilian antitrust authority CADE.

Besides, earlier, in July 2016, Solvay completed the divestment of its shareholding in Inovyn (London), bringing to an end Solvay's chlorvinyls joint venture with Ineos. Solvay received exit cash proceeds amounting to EUR335 million (USD370.7 million). The dissolution of the jv follows regulatory clearances from the relevant authorities. Inovyn was formed on 1 July 2015 as a jv between Ineos and SolVin, a subsidiary of Solvay. Solvay and Ineos signaled their decision to end their chlorvinyls jv in March last year.

Solvay, with a market share 27%, is the second largest PVC manufacturer in Europe, after Kerling with 29% of the market. Solvay is headquartered in Brussels with about 30,900 employees spread across 53 countries. It generated pro forma net sales of EUR12.4 bn in 2015, with 90% made from activities where it ranks among the world’s top 3 players.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- AkzoNobel has officially opened the world’s most advanced and sustainable paint plant in Ashington, in the UK, as per the company's press release.

The hi-tech facility - which cost more than EUR100m to build - represents the largest ever global investment by the company’s Decorative Paints business. It will become the new center of production for Dulux, the UK’s leading decorative paint brand.

The Ashington plant uses a variety of renewable energy sources, including photovoltaic cells and a biomass boiler, alongside a highly automated manufacturing process which saves water, waste and energy. The company estimates that the carbon footprint per liter of paint produced at the site will be reduced by 50% compared with the production facilities at the plants it is replacing.

"This is a significant investment in the UK - a vital strategic market for us - and an important milestone for AkzoNobel," said CEO Thierry Vanlancker. “We continue to invest in highly innovative and sustainable production facilities to maintain and grow our leadership position, ensuring the best products for our customers in the UK and around the world.

"Our growth strategy means that we will continue to lead the paints and coatings industry, both in terms of the strongest brands and the most advanced technology."

The factory will be capable of doubling AkzoNobel’s current UK production levels to 200 million liters a year - approximately enough paint to redecorate every living room, bathroom and kitchen in the UK. Covering an area of 100,000m2, the facility also has capacity to expand in order to support future growth plans.

Added Ruud Joosten, COO of Paints and Coatings at AkzoNobel: "Ashington secures AkzoNobel’s future as a manufacturer of cutting-edge products, including paints that improve air quality, increase energy efficiency and protect against bacteria. We have taken the best technology available globally, improved on it and put it all under one roof, ensuring that this new facility represents a significant step forward for the whole industry."

Commenting on the new plant, Secretary of State for International Trade, Dr Liam Fox, said: "The huge investment by AkzoNobel in Ashington has delivered the most advanced paint factory in the world, and an important boost to the local economy. As an international economic department, we encouraged AkzoNobel to choose Northumberland because the UK has the right skills base, infrastructure and supply chains to grow their business. Their decision is a vote of confidence in the Northern Powerhouse as a destination for foreign investment, and demonstrates the rock solid relationship between the Dutch and UK economies."

As MRC reported earlier, in December 2016, AkzoNobel finalized the acquisition of BASF’s global Industrial Coatings business, which supplies a range of products for industries including construction, domestic appliances, wind energy and commercial transport, strengthening its position as the global number one supplier in coil coatings. The transaction includes relevant technologies, patents and trademarks, as well as two manufacturing plants in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Approximately 400 employees from BASF’s Industrial Coatings business join AkzoNobel, bringing expertise to innovate and serve an expanded customer base worldwide.

Akzo Nobel N.V., trading as AkzoNobel, is a Dutch multinational, active in the fields of decorative paints, performance coatings and specialty chemicals. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company has activities in more than 80 countries, and employs approximately 55,000 people.
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MOSCOW (MRC) — The US Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency are working with Texas state regulators to clean up oil and chemicals spilled from a dozen industrial facilities after flooding from Hurricane Harvey, authorities said, said Reuters.

The spills came from oil refineries, fuel terminals and other businesses, but EPA spokeswoman Terri White said it was not possible to provide an estimate for the amounts spilled. "Initial reports were based on observation," White said. "Some spills were already being cleaned up by the time EPA or other officials arrived to assess them and others had already migrated offsite."

Refineries owned by Valero Energy Corp in Houston, Motiva Inc in Port Arthur, and ExxonMobile Corp in Baytown, were among the facilities that had reported spills, according to White. Representatives for those companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Officials also reported spills at Kinder Morgan Inc's Pasadena fuel storage terminal and at an oil terminal in Texas City owned by NuStar Energy LP.

Kinder Morgan spokeswoman Lexey Long said on Monday the company reported a spill of 500 bbl of gasoline on Aug. 27. Workers covered the spill with a foam blanket and set up a barrier to keep the public away. "The spill has been fully remediated," she said.

NuStar spokesman Chris Cho said a small amount of petroleum contact water spilled out of a storage tank into a containment area and was quickly cleaned up. "There were no injuries and no environmental impact," he said.

Two wastewater treatment plants—Integrity Golden Triangle Marine Services of Port Arthur and San Jacinto River and Rail in Beaumont—also appeared on the list of spill response locations that EPA provided to Reuters. A San Jacinto River and Rail spokesman said the plant had spilled a "foamy emulsion" when floodwaters overtopped the berms around its facility but its operators did not expect any health or environmental impacts.

Integrity Golden Triangle President Robert Goolsby said a wastewater pit at his plant overflowed into a concrete moat designed to contain such spills, and plant workers were already cleaning it up when state regulators and the Coast Guard arrived.

The liquid spills come in addition to more than a million pounds of toxic emissions above legal limits that spewed from industrial facilities following Harvey, according to reports from companies filed with the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality.

The EPA and other authorities had warned people affected by the flood that waters could contain bacteria and toxic chemicals, but have said little yet about the specific origins or quantities of substances. Residents in Baytown, where houses sit along the Houston Ship Channel next to several major refineries and chemical plants, said they were concerned about the impact of the spills and releases on health.

"I'm against the sword and the wall, what can I do?" said Carlos Caban, one of the residents, whose son had taken pictures of contaminated-looking floodwaters in nearby refinery site.

Several residents reported seeing a metallic sheen on water flowing near the plants during the heaviest flooding, posting videos to YouTube.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shandong Shougang Luqing Co. has chosen LyondellBasell's Hostalen ACP polyethylene (PE) process technology for a new high-density PE (HDPE) facility in China, according to GV.

The 350,000 t/y HDPE plant will be built within Shandong Shougang's petrochemical complex at Bohai Industry Park in Shouguang, Shandong province. No other details of the project were available.

"With this contract, LyondellBasell has licensed 1.5 million tons of annual Hostalen ACP capacity this year," noted Dan Coombs, executive vice president, global manufacturing, refining, projects and technology at LyondellBasell.

As MRC informed before, in March 2017, LyondellBasell PE process technology ‘LyondellBasell Hostalen ACP’ was chosen by Shandong Yuhuang Shengshi Chemical for a 200,000 tpa HDPE unit at its petrochemical complex in Heze, Shandong, China.

LyondellBasell is one of the world's largest plastics, chemical and refining companies. The company manufactures products at 57 sites in 18 countries. LyondellBasell products and technologies are used to make items that improve the quality of life for people around the world including packaging, electronics, automotive parts, home furnishings, construction materials and biofuels.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) — The largest US refinery was restarting production on Monday for the first time since being shut nearly two weeks ago by Hurricane Harvey, said sources familiar with plant operations, said Reuters.

Motiva Enterprises restored the 325,000 bpd VPS-5 crude distillation unit at its 603,000 bpd Port Arthur, Texas, refinery to minimum production levels early in the day, the sources said.

After bringing VPS-5 online, Motiva began restarting the 105,000-bpd Hydrocracking Unit 2, the sources said. The HCU-2 is a lucrative source of motor fuel exports for Motiva. Motiva confirmed the refinery was restarting units on Monday.

"Motiva can confirm that the restart of the Port Arthur Refinery is progressing well, and we expect to continue to ramp up production rates over the next few days as the area’s logistics infrastructure continues to improve," the company said.

The refinery was shut Aug. 30 due to flooding from Harvey. Last Thursday, VPS-5, HCU-2 and the 110,000-bpd coking unit were ready to resume production after being placed on circulation in which the units were at operating temperatures and circulating feedstock, the sources said.

However, Motiva had been waiting for adequate crude supply to be restored to VPS-5 before restarting production, according to the sources. Motiva said last week the Port Arthur refinery would resume production at 40% capacity by Monday. Motiva did not give a timeline for fully restoring output.

Sources have said it will take four to eight weeks to return to full production at the refinery. CDUs do the initial refining of crude oil and provide feedstock for all other units.

Hydrocrackers use hydrogen to produce motor fuels, especially diesel, from gas oil. Cokers produce motor fuel feedstocks and convert residual crude to petroleum coke, a coal substitute.
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