Lotte Chemical resumed operations at cracking reactor

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lotte Chemical Titan Holding Bhd’s KBR Catalytic Olefins Technology catalytic cracking reactor (K-COT) resumed operations on 16 December 2017, following a stop-work order in early October 2017, as per GV.

The group said in a statement that K-COT within its TE3 project, now known as Fluidized Naphtha Cracker (FNC), began commercial operations on Saturday (16 Dec 2017) after successful test runs.

The Department of Environment issued a stop-work order on Lotte Chemical’s Pasir Gudang factory identified as the source of a stench, which had reached Singapore’s shores.

Lotte Chemical said it has constructed a stand-alone FNC, which is integrated to the existing Naphtha Cracker (NC) 2 plant pipeline in Pasir Gudang, Johor, but NC2 and FNC can operate independently.

"FNC is expected to increase the plant’s performance and efficiency, further improving ethylene and propylene production by utilizing existing recycled products."

With the increase in capacity, Lotte Chemical president and CEO Lee Dong Woo noted that the group will be able to deliver greater volume of ethylene to the Indonesian plants as feedstock, and the PP3 Project is undertaken to complement the additional propylene produced by FNC.

The project is expected to produce up to 93,000 t/y of ethylene, 170,000 t/y of propylene, and 134,000 t/y of BTX.

As MRC reported before, Lotte Chemical Titan, part of Lotte Chemical, shut down its Low density polyethylene (LDPE) unit for a 15-20-day maintenance turnaround in February 2017. Located at Pasir Gudang, Malaysia, the LDPE unit has a production capacity of 230,000 mt/year.

Lotte Chemical Titan produces Malaysia's most comprehensive portfolio of olefins and polyolefins which contribute to the enhancement of everyday life. Lotte Chemical Titan's production site in Malaysia consists of eleven process facilities, two co-generation plants and three tank farms. They are located on 2 sites in Pasir Gudang and Tanjung Langsat in the state of Johor. In 2006, Lotte Chemical Titan acquired PT Lotte Chemical Titan Nusantara, Indonesia’s first and largest polyethylene plant in the country. This acquisition boosted the polyolefins capacity by approximately 50%, thus making the company one of the largest producers in South East Asia. Lotte Chemical Titan was acquired by Lotte Chemical Corp., forming part of the Lotte conglomerate of Korea, in 2010. The company thus became one of Lotte Chemical Corp.’s largest overseas subsidiaries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Tikkurila have successfully taken a great step forward in the introduction of Tikkurila industrial water-borne solutions to the German marketsaid the company.

Three customers there are already using coatings. Following global trends and in line with Tikkurila’s decision to focus on sustainable water-borne products, the German industrial management team, in cooperation with Swedish colleagues, did a great job obtaining new industrial customers. Tikkurila would like to present one of the cases here.

“We made our first contact with the Bohrtec company in October 2016. We had to fight against famous and well-known competitors such as PPG and Osnatol,” says Mr. Carsten Hummel, Tikkurila Group key account manager.

The main challenge during the negotiation and preparation work was that Tikkurila, as a producer of industrial coatings, is almost unknown in the German market. Further, our task was not only to demonstrate that our water-borne coatings perform sufficiently well, but also to prove that we offer the best water- borne solution on the market at the moment.

Bohrtec carried out three internal tests according to its own requirements: a fire test, a saltwater test and an abrasive test. The results showed that our paint systems were the best. Bohrtec accepted two paint systems, one hybrid and another one-component acrylic. The drilling area on this machine, which goes inside the hole, is painted with Fontecryl SC 50. It is a water-borne topcoat with nice performance.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF invests in the expansion of its mobile emissions catalysts production site in Sroda Slaska, Poland. The expansion includes new production lines and additional infrastructure to equip light duty diesel and gasoline vehicles with BASF’s innovative catalyst and filter solutions, as per the company's press release.

The investment will increase the existing production site by approximately 14,000 square meters - adding more than 50% to the current production area and creating new jobs within the Lower Silesian region.

"The additional capacity and our best-in-class technology further enables BASF’s customers to meet tightening NOx and particulate emissions standards for diesel or gasoline engines, such as Euro 6d," said Tilo Horstmann, BASF Vice President Mobile Emissions Catalysts Europe. "Our Sroda Slaska production is BASF’s largest emissions catalysts production site in the region Europe, and with this expansion we strengthen our commitment to our customers and to the business growth strategy in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region."

Automobile manufacturers began working with new regulations effective September 2017, when the Euro 6d “Real Driving Emissions” (RDE) regulations for the European Union were introduced. The Euro 6d emissions regulations define the specific emissions limits that must be met in real driving cycles.

"The introduction of RDE regulation-based limits ensures better air quality. Our technologies for both diesel and gasoline powered vehicles are designed to meet even the strictest regulation standards." said Dirk Demuth, BASF Senior Vice President, Mobile Emission Catalysts. "BASF’s new state-of-the-art technologies make diesel a competitively clean technology. Diesel is also crucial in the engine mix to achieve the overall fleet CO2 targets of modern mobility," he added.

The expansion will create state-of-the-art lines with a full range of catalysts and filter technologies, including Selective Catalytic Reduction on Filter (SCR.2F). This is a patented technology combining SCR with a diesel particulate filter to control nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter emissions from diesel engines on a single substrate. In addition, the nitrogen oxides adsorbers technology, Lean NOx Trap (LNT) and the innovative Four-Way conversion catalysts (FWC) will be produced.

As MRC informed before, in July 2016, BASF closed the previously announced transaction to divest its global Polyolefin Catalysts business to W. R. Grace & Co., a global leader in specialty chemicals and materials.

BASF’s Catalysts division is the world’s leading supplier of environmental and process catalysts. The group offers exceptional expertise in the development of technologies that protect the air we breathe, produce the fuels that power our world and ensure efficient production of a wide variety of chemicals, plastics and other products, including advanced battery materials. By leveraging our industry-leading R&D platforms, passion for innovation and deep knowledge of precious and base metals, BASF’s Catalysts division develops unique, proprietary solutions that drive customer success.

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) -- Songwon has announced that it has commissioned a second thermoplastic polyurethane production line at its site in Suwon, South Korea, extending the plant's production capacity from 7,000 t/y to 12,000 t/y, as per GV.

With more than 35 years’ business and manufacturing experience in the field of urethanes, Songwon says it is a market leader in South Korea, specialising in TPUs, ink binders and adhesives for flexible packaging laminates. The company has established sales organisations in Asia, Europe and North America, and now plans to expand its global business by offering a broad portfolio of technically advanced, customised urethane products. According to Songwon, the new production line will allow the manufacture of an extended range of TPU extrusion grades for wire and cable as well as film and sheet applications.

"Songwon is strongly committed to continuous innovation," said Kyuyeol Lee, Leader of the Performance Polymers business. "We are making use of our extensive R+D capabilities, industry knowledge and manufacturing experience to develop and produce new, groundbreaking TPUs. The second production line in Suwon will enable us to meet the demand for these products and help our customers worldwide to fulfill their end-use requirements."

Having exhibited its TPU solutions at the K 2016, Songwon says it has been working on further developments and recently introduced Songstomer P-8185 AI, a TPU resin with good anti-blocking properties. Blown films produced using the material are said to have exceptional strength as well as good resistance to abrasion, oil, fuel, solvents and high temperature. These properties make the TPU suitable for demanding applications such as automotive car seat systems, says Songwon.

As MRC informed previously, in August 2017, South Korean specialty chemicals company Songwon Industrial Co Ltd launched its new pilot plant in Panoli (Gujarat), thereby strengthening the organisation’s overall specialty chemicals development capability.

Headquartered in Ulsan (South Korea), Songwon Industrial Co is a leader in the development, production and supply of specialty chemicals. The second largest manufacturer of polymer stabilisers worldwide, Songwon operates group companies all over the world, offering the combined benefits of a global framework and readily accessible local organisations.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Statoil has awarded Aibel the contract for the implementation of extensive modifications to the Snorre A platform as a part of Statoil’s “Snorre Expansion Project” - SEP, said Drillingandproduction.

The contract is a so-called EPCIC contract, which means that Aibel will have an overall responsibility for engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of the project.

The contract is valued at approx. NOK 1.6 billion, and will continue until the autumn of 2021. Engineering starts immediately, and will at its peak involve around 160 engineers based at the headquarters in Stavanger, where Aibel recently concluded the FEED study for the modification contract.

“We are obviously very pleased with the confidence Statoil has shown in us. In this project we will employ Aibel’s broad expertise in the entire value chain, from initial studies to finished project. It is also confirmation that the study team has carried out thorough preparations and developed a competitive concept. This provides an excellent basis for the actual execution,” says CEO and President of Aibel, Mads Andersen.

Among other things, the modifications include removal of excess weight and equipment from the Snorre A platform. Thus the initial activity offshore will start as early as January 2018 in parallel with starting in Stavanger.

The contract also comprises the installation of a new 650 ton support module for risers. This module will be built at Aibel’s yard in Haugesund. The start of prefabrication is planned for January 2019, while the actual installation of the module is scheduled for the spring of 2020. Around 70 to 100 people will be involved in fabrication work in Haugesund.
MRC