BASF introduces FCC catalyst to help refiners increase liquid product yields with heavy resid feeds

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF has announced the launch of Fortress NXT, the next generation of the industry-leading Fortress Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) catalyst for heavy residuum (resid) oil feedstock applications for the refining market, as per the company's press release.

Fortress NXT has been optimized to deliver superior metals passivation and activity maintenance, while keeping hydrogen and coke production low. For refineries, this creates the opportunity for profit maximization.

Fortress NXT has shown excellent results in refinery trials. Refineries that used Fortress NXT in their FCC units achieved optimal results with lower coke and gas. Refineries also sustained Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and gasoline outputs and bottoms upgrading while exploring new feedstocks with higher resid content. It builds on the BASF Fortress FCC catalyst technology that has been established in the Refinery markets for many years, and has been successfully used in FCC units all over the world.

"The introduction of Fortress NXT adds an innovative new product to BASF’s advanced refinery catalysts portfolio," said Detlef Ruff, Senior Vice President, Process Catalysts at BASF. "Customers that already used Fortress NXT during plant trials have seen clear gas and coke reduction and the ability to increase the residue content of their feeds by up to 7%. This shows Fortress NXT’s capability to help refiners optimize their operations and maximize profits."

Fortress NXT resumes the path of continuous innovation of BASF’s refinery catalysts portfolio and builds on successful product introductions. The unique BoroCat™ technology, introduced in 2016, was recently awarded with the 2017 Hydrocarbon Processing Award for best catalyst technology and the 2017 Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award for outstanding environmental contributions. In 2017, Borotec was introduced in the market, the second innovation using BASF’s unique Boron-Based Technology (BBT) platform.

"Our goal is to make our refining customers worldwide more successful by offering catalysts that minimize unwanted side reactions and increase their output. That is why we will continue to work on innovative FCC catalyst solutions with unique properties," added Jim Chirumbole, Vice President, Refining Catalysts at BASF.

As MRC wrote previously, within the next five years, BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) plans to invest globally more than EUR200 million in its plastic additives business, approximately half of which in Asia, focusing on capacity expansions and operational excellence. Plastic additives improve product properties such as scratch resistance or light stability, and optimize plastics manufacturing processes. As the leading global supplier of plastic additives with manufacturing assets in all regions, BASF is a major partner to the plastics industry.

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.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo, a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, and its affiliate companies in Europe has announced price increases for all polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (SAN) grades, as per the company's press release.

Effective December 1, 2017, or as existing contract terms allow, the contract and spot prices for the products listed below increased as follows:

- STYRON general purpose polystyrene grades (GPPS) - by EUR95 per metric ton;
- STYRON and STYRON A-TECH high impact polystyrene grades (HIPS) - by EUR95 per metric ton;
- CALIBRE Polycarbonate Resins - by EUR200 per metric ton;
- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR60 per metric ton;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR85 per metric ton.

As MRC informed before, Trinseo last raised its contract and spot prices for all PS, ABS and SAN grades in Europe effective 1 September, 2017, or as existing contract terms allowed, as follows:

- STYRON GPPS - by EUR210 per metric ton;
- STYRON and STYRON A-TECH 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) — Petrochemical giant Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) plans to open an office in Iraq soon, Saudi Arabia's energy minister said during a visit to Iraq's southern oil city of Basra, as relations between Riyadh and Baghdad thaw, said Reuters.

Speaking at an oil and gas conference in Basra, Khalid al-Falih called for increased economic cooperation and praised existing coordination with Iraq to help balance the oil market and boost crude prices. "I would like to announce that SABIC is in the final stages of reopening its office in Iraq, which will result in the availability of petrochemical materials and offers opportunities for (the company) to expand its investment in this sector," Falih said in a speech late on Monday.

Saudi Arabia's Industrialization & Energy Services Co (TAQA) is also opening an office in Iraq which will "enhance the presence of the Saudi private sector in Iraq and support initiatives to expand investments," he added. Falih, who is also the minister of industry and mineral resources, said that soon the two countries would discuss a power-grid link initiative and investments in renewable energy and power generation projects.

"Cooperation and integration with Iraq represents a strategic direction in the top priorities of the kingdom," Falih said. Saudi Arabia is wooing Baghdad in an effort to halt the growing regional influence of arch-foe Iran.

The two countries began taking steps towards detente in 2015 after 25 yr of troubled relations starting with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Tension remained high after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, which toppled Saddam Hussein. The American occupation of Iraq empowered political parties representing Iraq's Shi'ite majority, close to Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran.

Iraq is seeking economic benefits from closer ties with Riyadh while Saudi Arabia hopes a stronger relationship with Baghdad would help rollback Iran's influence in the region. In August, the two countries said they planned to open the Arar land border crossing for trade for the first time since 1990.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq are respectively the biggest and second biggest producers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

OPEC and non-OPEC producers led by Russia agreed on Nov. 30 to extend oil output cuts until the end of 2018 to help lower global inventories and support prices.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China has issued crude oil import quotas of 1.5 MMt to three independent refiners, three sources familiar with the situation said, the latest sign Beijing is easing its policy towards these companies sometimes known as teapots, reported Reuters.

Shandong Qingyishan Petrochemical Technology Co was granted a quota of 800 Mt, Zibo Xintai Petrochemical Co was given 500 Mt and Shandong Yuhuang Shengshi Chemical Co a quota of 200 Mt, the sources said, citing a Ministry of Commerce notice. They declined to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the press.

As MRC informed earlier, in late November 2017, a newly formed group of China's independent oil refiners filed an application with the country's Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday for fuel export quotas next year.

The government has excluded independent plants this year from exporting refined fuel, having granted quotas only to state refiners. In September, a group of six independent oil refiners set up the USD5 B joint venture, named the Shandong Refining & Chemical Group, to compete with the state-owned oil companies and privately owned chemical companies.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Specialty chemicals company Lanxess is expanding its Additives segment and plans to acquire the phosphorus chemicals business with a US production site from Belgian chemical group Solvay, said the company on its site.

Both companies have signed an agreement to this effect.

The transaction is projected to conclude in the first half of 2018, subject to customary regulatory approvals. The acquisition fully complements Lanxess' strategy to grow its business in mid-sized markets and in the regions North America and Asia.

The site in Charleston, South Carolina, includes six production units, where roughly 90 employees manufacture phosphorus chloride plus numerous derivative products such as flame-retardants and intermediates for the agrochemical industry. The business represents annual sales of around EUR 65 million.

"With this acquisition, we are benefitting from a North American platform for phosphorus-based specialty chemicals - a key component of our additive business - and are able to further drive our growth in this key region," said Anno Borkowsky, General Manager of the Additives business unit at Lanxess.

With annual sales of around EUR 2 billion and roughly 2,000 employees around the globe, the additives business is an important pillar of the Lanxess group.

As MRC reported earlier, following the completion of the acquisition of US chemical company Chemtura at the end of April 2017, specialty chemicals company Lanxess has subsequently adjusted its group structure. In September 2017, Lanxess reported on five segments comprising a total of twelve business units. Thus, flame retardant and lubricant additives are the two main pillars of Chemtura’s business and they now complement the current Lanxess portfolio combined in a new “Additives” business unit. These two business activities are integrated with Lanxess’s 'Rhein Chemie” business unit to form a new segment - 'Specialty Additives'.

Lanxess is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 7.7 billion in 2016 and about 19,200 employees in 25 countries. The company is currently represented at 74 production sites worldwide. The core business of Lanxess is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. Through Arlanxeo, the joint venture with Saudi Aramco, Lanxess is also a leading supplier of synthetic rubber.
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