PVC import to Ukraine down by 5% in fist months of 2017

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Ukraine decreased in January-November 2017 by 5% year on year, totalling 94,800 tonnes. The resumption of production at the domestic plant after a long outage was the main reason for lower imports, as per MRC's DataScope report.


Last month's SPVC imports to Ukraine dropped to 5,900 tonnes from 6,500 tonnes in October because of seasonal factors. Local producers of plasticized PVC reduced their purchasing of resin under the pressure of seasonal factors. Overall SPVC imports were 94,800 tonnes in January-November 2017, compared to 100,500 tonnes a year earlier. The resumption of the domestic production in July after several years of shutdown at Karpatneftekhim allowed to reduce dependence on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) imports.

The structure of PVC imports into the Ukrainian market looked the following way over the stated period.


Last month's imports of US PVC were 3,200 tonnes versus 4,100 tonnes in October, the largest cable plastic compounds producer significantly reduced its shipments. Imports of North American resin totalled 47,900 tonnes in January-November 2017 versus 54,500 tonnes a year earlier.

November shipments of European PVC to the Ukrainian market virtually remained at the level of October and were 2,100 tonnes. Overall imports of European PVC fell to 31,500 tonnes over the stated period from 37,900 tonnes a year earlier.

Last month's SPVC shipments from Russia rose to 460 tonnes from 260 tonnes in October, Russian producers substantially reduced their export sales in the autumn months because of a shortage in the Russian domestic market. Imports of Russian resin totalled 13,400 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2017, compared to 7,300 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

PVC imports into Russia fell by 62% in eleven months, exports increased by 44%

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Russia totalled about 46,900 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2017, whereas last year's figure exceeded 123,900 tonnes. At the same time, Russian producers managed to increase their exports by 44%, according to MRC's DataScope report.

November PVC imports into the country grew to 4,000 tonnes, compared with 581 tonnes in October. A serious drop in export prices for acetylene PVC in China was the main reason for the increase in imports last month. Thus, January-November SPVC imports into the country totalled about 46,900 tonnes compared with 123,900 tonnes year on year; the peak of imports in 2017 was seen in May with 11,800 tonnes imported. The reduction in domestic demand and the high level of capacity utilisation of local producers led to a serious reduction in the dependence on imports of PVC, while the increased supply of tar in the domestic market forced producers to export more actively.

Chinese producers traditionally were the key foreign PVC suppliers for the past several years. The volume of imports of acetylene Chinese PVC A significant increased in November to 3,300 tonnes against 77 tonnes a month earlier due to a drop in export prices.
Quite a big volumes of acetylene PVC are expected to arrive in December. Thus, imports of Chinese resin were 42,800 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2017, compared to 95,700 tonnes a year earlier.

European producers shipped small quantities of suspension, overall imports of European PVC fell to 3,500 tonnes over the stated period from 6,400 tonnes a year earlier. Weaker demand for PVC from the domestic market forced Russian producers to export material more actively, especially in winter.

9,100 tonnes were shipped to foreign markets last month (excluding deliveries to the countries of the Customs Union) versus 1,200 tonnes in October. Some producers have begun to increase exports to countries in Asia, in particular, India since November. PVC exports in December are also expected to be quite significant. 77,900 tonnes of SPVC were shipped in the first eleven months of 2017, compared to 54,000 tonnes a year earlier.


MRC

Clariant selected for new propane dehydrogenation unit in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant, a company in specialty chemicals, announced an agreement with Xuzhou HaiDing Chemical Technology Co. Ltd. to develop a custom-built CATOFIN catalyst and propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit in cooperation with its technology partner CB&I, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The project includes the license and engineering design of the unit, which is to be built in Pizhou, Jiangsu Province, China.

The Xuzhou HaiDing plant is designed to produce 600 KTA of propylene and will be based on Clariant’s CATOFIN catalytic dehydrogenation technology, which employs the company’s CATOFIN catalyst and Heat Generating Material (HGM).

CATOFIN is a dehydrogenation catalyst used for the production of olefins, such as propylene or isobutylene, from light paraffin feedstocks. HGM is a patented metal-oxide material loaded with the catalyst that increases the selectivity and yield of CATOFIN units. To maximize the yield of propane to propylene, the process operates at thermodynamically advantaged reactor pressure and temperature and utilizes a highly selective catalyst.

Globally, nine CATOFIN propane dehydrogenation units have been successfully commissioned and continue to reliably produce more than 4,500 KTA of propylene.

As MRC informed earlier, in March 2017, Clariant announced that it had been awarded a contract by Dongguan Grand Resource Science & Technology Co. Ltd. to develop a new propane dehydrogenation unit in cooperation with CB&I. The project includes the license and engineering design of the unit, which is to be built in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China. The Dongguan plant will be one of the largest single-train dehydrogenation units in the world.

Clariant AG is a Swiss chemical company and a world leader in the production of specialty chemicals for the textile, printing, mining and metallurgical industries. It is engaged in processing crude oil products in pigments, plastics and paints. Clariant India has local masterbatch production activities at Rania, Kalol and Nandesari (Gujarat) and Vashere (Maharashtra) sites in India.
MRC

Sabic presents tough high-impact filament for fused deposition modeling

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sabic, a global leader in the chemical industry, is launching new LEXAN EXL AMHI240F filament, as per the company's press release.

This unique product is based on Sabic’s LEXAN EXL polycarbonate (PC) copolymer technology, which delivers high impact performance and low-temperature ductility. The new filament addresses the need for higher-performing materials in the industrial sector, and is designed for use in Stratasys Fortus Classic industrial printers. It is a potential material of choice for demanding aerospace, consumer electronics and automotive applications. LEXAN EXL AMHI240F filament is the first of several new materials with distinctive performance characteristics that the company plans to launch in the coming year.

"LEXAN EXL AMHI240F filament is an excellent example of how Sabic is delivering on its promise to help our customers lead the additive manufacturing industry into the future by providing the high-performance filament technologies they need to succeed," said Stephanie Gathman, director, Emerging Applications, Sabic. "By raising the bar with new additive manufacturing products that perform better than currently available materials, we are opening up new possibilities and allowing OEMs to meet the specification requirements of their applications."

New LEXAN EXL AMHI240F filament features a high level of toughness, as well as improved ductility at room temperature and at temperatures down to -30 C. Compared to standard PC, this material delivers up to four times better notched Izod impact at room temperature, and up to three times better at -30 C, depending on print orientation. LEXAN EXL filament has a heat deflection temperature of 140 C, which is higher than that of general-purpose acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) filaments. This makes the new Sabic filament a great candidate for use in applications that operate at elevated temperatures.

LEXAN EXL AMHI240F filament complies with Underwriters Laboratories’ UL94 V-0 flammability standard at 3.0 mm in flat (XY) and on-edge (XZ) orientations, making it appropriate for a broad range of applications requiring fire resistance. It is available globally for sampling. It is initially offered in black, with plans to launch additional colors, including white, in the near future.

The new product is the first LEXAN EXL-based filament commercially available for use in Stratasys Fortus Classic printers, as well as other printers with sufficient temperature capability and an open-format architecture. The material processes at standard Stratasys print settings for PC.

In 2018, Sabic plans to launch several more differentiated products based on its high-performance materials portfolio, including filaments based on ULTEM polyetherimide (PEI) and EXTEM thermoplastic polyimide (TPI) resins. The new filaments are designed for applications that require higher temperature performance.

In addition to innovative materials, the company offers expertise and resources for design, application development and testing for additively manufactured parts. Importantly, Sabic’s filament solutions offer a single chain of custody from raw materials through filament supply.

As MRC reported previously, this autumn, Sabic developed new materials for customers producing LED automotive lighting parts. LEXAN HF4010SR resin is one of the new offerings. This PC material can make it possible for customers to develop complex headlight bezels with enhanced aesthetics. Sabic has also added new grades to its existing LEXAN XHT resin line, which can offer improved flow at high temperatures compared to other high-heat
polycarbonate materials available today.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) ranks among the world's top petrochemical companies. The company is among the worldпїЅs market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
MRC

Russian oil refining seen at 280 MMt in 2017 and 2018

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russian oil refining is expected at around 280 MMt this year, remaining at around the same levels in 2018, deputy energy minister Kirill Molodtsov told reporters, said Reuters.

Russia is the world’s top oil producer and the second biggest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia.

As MRC informed before, Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, will supply full contractual volumes of crude to five North Asian refiners in January 2018, unchanged from the previous month, five sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday. Steady supply of Saudi oil to Asia will help meet robust demand in the region, with flows from places such as Europe and the United States slowing.
MRC