Evonik expands fumed silica capacities in Antwerp

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Evonik is investing an amount in the upper double-digit million EUR range in the expansion of its Aerosil fumed silica capacities in Antwerp, Belgium, reported GV.

A modernisation of the silane capacity is intended to secure the raw material supply for the fumed silica production as well as for silanes used in tyre production. Based on the expansion, the company will be able to supply customers not only with hydrophilic but also hydrophobic silica from Antwerp in the future.

The production complex is scheduled to become operational in the summer of 2019.

No details on the capacity of the plant were disclosed. Typical applications of fumed silica include coatings and paints, adhesive systems, transparent silicones as well as non-flammable insulation materials. According to Evonik, the global market for fumed silica shows growth rates exceeding 4 %, which outpaces the global economy as a whole.

As MRC wrote previously, Evonik Resource Efficiency has invest in a capacity expansion of its performance foams business at its production site in Darmstadt, Germany. The investment will increase the output of the facility by about 20% as a first step. The group will be adding production equipment to its operations complex that manufactures products marketed under the Rohacell brand. The expanded production capacity was expected to be operational by the second half of 2017.

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell announced that Nanjing Chengzhi Yongqing Energy Technology Co. Ltd. will build its second Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) process unit, which converts methanol from coal and other sources into the olefins that are the essential ingredients for making plastics, said the producer.

The technology from Honeywell UOP produces superior yields at lower cost compared to competing technologies. The new unit, located in the provincial capital of Nanjing, will have a capacity of 600,000 metric tons per year -- nearly double the capacity of Chengzhi's existing unit which went into service in 2013.

"Honeywell UOP's MTO technology is a proven and growing process in China, where more than $100 billion is expected to be invested in coal-to-chemicals technology in the next five years," said John Gugel, vice president and general manager of UOP's Process Technology and Equipment business. "This technology has the highest yield of olefins with the lowest consumption of methanol and catalysts, as well as the lowest operating and capital costs of any MTO solution."

MTO produces olefins including ethylene and propylene -- the two most widely used components to make plastics – and butadiene precursors that are used to make rubber products. Demand for these olefins is expected to grow by 6 to 7 percent per year for the next decade, driven by strong demand for plastics and other chemicals. Much of this demand will be met by domestic production from resources in China, including MTO technology. These components traditionally have been derived from crude oil. For regions lacking domestic sources of crude oil, the Advanced MTO Technology allows for the use of other more economical feedstocks such as coal and natural gas.

Honeywell UOP's MTO process converts methanol from coal and natural gas into ethylene and propylene. At the heart of the technology are UOP's proprietary catalysts, which make it possible to efficiently adjust the ratio of propylene and ethylene produced so operators can most effectively meet demand for those products. In addition, the MTO process offers the lowest operating cost, quick and efficient start-up and operational reliability.

Chengzhi, formerly known as Wison Clean Energy, was the first licensee of UOP's MTO technology, which went into operation in 2013. Wison Clean Energy was acquired by the investment arm of the Tsinghua University in 2016.

Honeywell UOP is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. Honeywell UOP is part of Honeywell's Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell Process Solutions, a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries.

Honeywell is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo), a global materials solutions provider and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, has announced that effective October 16, 2017 the company is increasing the prices of all Styrene Butadiene and Styrene Acrylate products sold into the carpet, paper, adhesives, construction, and functional non-woven latex markets in North America, said the producer on its site.

The increase will be USD0.07/dry lb. for all indexed and non-indexed customers, as contracts allow.

The increase is necessary due to the changes in market conditions and to offset rising costs to manufacture and transport our products, and to remain a strong and reliable supplier.

As MRC wrote earlier, Trinseo increased prices for all polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (SAN) grades, effective September 1, 2017, as follows:

- STYRON general purpose polystyrene grades (GPPS) - by EUR210 per metric ton;
- STYRON and STYRON A-TECH high impact polystyrene grades (HIPS) - by EUR210 per metric ton;
- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR140 per metric ton;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR160 per metric ton.

Trinseo is a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber. Trinseo's technology is used by customers in industries such as home appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. Formerly known as Styron, Trinseo completed its renaming process in 1Q 2015. Trinseo had approximately USD3.7 billion in net sales in 2016, with 15 manufacturing sites around the world, and nearly 2,200 employees.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PT Lotte Titan Nusantara Indonesia, part of Lotte Group, has brought on-stream its No.1 Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) unit at Cilegon, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Indonesia informed that the company has resumed operations at its unit early this week. The unit was shut on September 11, 2017 owing to shortage of feedstock.

Located in Cilegon, Indonesia, the No. 1 unit plant has a production capacity of 125,000 mt/year.

As MRC reporeted earlier, Lotte Chemical Titan, a local petrochemical unit of South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group, plans to start construction of a USD4 bln naphtha cracker plant in Indonesia next year. The project, which has been delayed for three years due to land acquisition problems, will help Indonesia reduce expensive chemical imports. The plant will have a capacity to produce 1 million tons of ethylene and 600,000 tons of propylene annually.

The Lotte Group currently has a presence in Indonesia via its subsidiary, Honam Petrochemicals, which acquired Malaysia’s polyolefin major Titan Chemicals in July 2010. Included in the acquisition was Titan’s Indonesian subsidiary - PT Titan Petrokimia Nusantara (TPN), which has a polyethylene (PE) production capacity of 450,000 tonnes/year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- ExxonMobil announced an enhanced program to reduce methane emissions from its production and midstream facilities across the United States, said the company on its website.

The program, which builds on the company’s longstanding commitment to emissions reduction, prioritizes actions at sites operated by subsidiary XTO Energy and includes efforts to develop and deploy new, more efficient technologies to detect and reduce facility emissions.

"We are implementing an enhanced leak detection and repair program across our production and midstream sites to continually reduce methane emissions, and are also evaluating opportunities to upgrade facilities and improve efficiency at both current and future sites," said XTO president Sara Ortwein. “Our comprehensive initiative is underscored by a technology research and testing effort, and includes personnel training, equipment phase out and facility design improvements."

The program includes a commitment to phase out high-bleed pneumatic devices over three years, extensive personnel training, research, and facility design improvements for new operations.

XTO recently completed a pilot project in the Midland Basin that tested new low-emission designs that use compressed air instead of natural gas to operate pneumatic equipment that helps regulate conditions such as level, flow, pressure and temperature. The results successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using similar designs for new and existing central tank batteries and satellites, to reduce the potential for methane emissions.

XTO’s efforts also include research conducted with ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company and third-party equipment manufacturers to continue development of more efficient, state-of-the-art equipment to detect, quantify and reduce emissions at production sites. These research efforts build on an extensive portfolio of more than two dozen existing methane research projects and pilots already under way.

Earlier this year, ExxonMobil, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and others evaluated the use of aircraft-mounted leak detection surveys to guide equipment repair, and continue to assess the use of satellite, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and mobile and ground-based technologies to refine the company’s methane monitoring.

"Combining our field experience with the research capabilities at ExxonMobil upstream research provides us with unique insights as we look to develop and deploy new, more efficient technologies," Ortwein said.

As part of the company’s efforts to better understand the magnitude and characteristics of oil and gas industry-related methane emissions, ExxonMobil participated in studies conducted by the University of Texas and Environmental Defense Fund.

ExxonMobil remains active in ongoing methane research, including participation in a methane measurement reconciliation study with the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and in supporting research currently underway at Harvard, the University of Texas Energy Initiative, and Stanford University’s Natural Gas Initiative.
MRC