Lanxess showcases expanded portfolio for paints, coatings industry

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Specialty chemicals company Lanxess will present an expanded offering of products and services for the paints and coatings industry at the 2018 American Coatings Show and Conference, which takes April 9-12 in Indianapolis, according to CoatingsWorld.

LANXESS Inorganic Pigments (IPG) is introducing its new product range of red iron oxide pigments. The new grades, Bayferrox 510, Bayferrox TP 5278 and Bayferrox TP 5279, satisfy demand for more yellow-shade red pigments. At the same time, they are produced by the Ningbo process, a uniquely sustainable manufacturing method based on patented technology, that meets the most stringent environmental standards.

Performance-wise, the new red grades meet the high standards of the well-known Bayferrox brand and provide unique benefits for paints and coatings producers. Some of those product characteristics include high chromaticity and tinting strength; good optical appearance with respect to gloss and haze; and optimized milling parameters for easy dispersability even at low shear energy input. Additionally, the Ningbo process significantly reduces the residual, water-soluble salt content of the pigments, making them suitable for corrosion-resistant coatings.

With the 2017 acquisition of Chemtura Corporation, Lanxess is now a leading global supplier of urethane systems for a range of applications. At the American Coatings Show, the new LANXESS Urethanes Systems (URE) business unit will be highlighting its portfolio of Witcobond polyurethane dispersions, Fomrez polyester polyols, and Trixene urethane prepolymers for the paints and coatings industry.

Water-based polyurethane dispersions from the Witcobond line provide a full range of polymer properties in terms of toughness, hardness, flexibility, weatherability and overall durability for industrial coatings, leather and textile coatings and finishes, and plastic coatings. Additionally, they enable formulators to comply with increasingly demanding regulations on VOC, effluents and other potentially harmful components.

Fomrez polyester polyols lend themselves to surface and substrate protection in coatings, and aid in pigment dispersion and durability in paints. Trixene (solvent-borne and water-borne) blocked isocyanates are used as crosslinkers designed for one-component factory applied heat-cured coatings.

Lanxess is a leading specialty chemicals company with about 16,600 employees in 29 countries. The company is currently represented at 52 production sites worldwide. The core business of Lanxess is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shell EP Middle East Holdings B.V. has completed the sale of the entire share capital of Shell Iraq B.V (SIBV), which held its 19.6% stake in the West Qurna 1 oil field, for $406 million, to a subsidiary of ITOCHU Corporation, as per Euro-petrole.

The purchaser has also assumed debt of USD144 million as part of the transaction. The West Qurna 1 venture will continue to be operated by ExxonMobil. Shell’s other businesses in the country are not affected by this divestment.

The divestment scope covers Shell Iraq BV, which is 100% owned by Shell EP Middle East Holdings B.V. (“SEPMEH”) and holds a 19.6% working interest in West Qurna 1 (“WQ1”) Technical Service Contract (“TSC”) in Iraq. Other partners in the TSC are ExxonMobil (32.7%), PetroChina (32.7%), Pertamina (10%) and Oil Exploration Company (5% state partner).

On completion of the sale of SIBV, Shell will have no participating interest in the TSC and will have completely divested its interest in West Qurna 1.

On 14 September 2017, Shell Iraq Petroleum Development B.V. (SIPD) announced that the Ministry of Oil of Iraq has endorsed its recent proposal to pursue an amicable and mutually acceptable handover of the Shell interest in Majnoon, with timings to be agreed in due course.

Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 70 countries and territories with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of liquefied natural gas and gas to liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- KBR, Inc. has announced that it has been awarded an ammonia plant contract by Toyo Engineering Corporation (TOYO) for the Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd (HURL) greenfield urea project in Gorakhpur, India, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide licensing and basic engineering design (LBED) services for the project.

HURL is a joint venture of three of the most prestigious Indian public sector companies - Coal India Limited (CIL), NTPC Limited (NTPC) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) - in cooperation with Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL) and Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Limited (HFCL) HURL's Gorakhpur plant is an important milestone for the Government of India towards making India self-sufficient in urea production and is the first initiative of its kind by the Indian Government since the last set of plants were built over 10 years ago. The foundation stone of the project was laid by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2016.

"We are pleased that KBR's ammonia technology has been selected for the first greenfield urea plant being set-up by HURL as part of this initiative by the Government of India," said John Derbyshire, President, KBR Technology & Consulting. "This project will be an important milestone for India to meet its urea demand and KBR is honored and proud to be a part of this project."

"HURL project at Gorakhpur shows the commitment and support of Government of India, Niti Aayog, Department of Fertilizer under Indian Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and promoter companies, towards the Indian Fertilizer sector," said Mr. Arun Kumar Gupta, Managing Director, HURL. "We believe that with best technologies and project management practices, this project will fulfill our vision of growth, efficiency and building national self-sufficiency."

As MRC wrote before, in January 2018, KBR, Inc. announced that it had been awarded a contract from Indorama Eleme Fertilizer & Chemicals Limited (Indorama) and Toyo Engineering Corporation (Toyo) for the Train 2 ammonia plant at Indorama's Port Harcourt site in Nigeria.

KBR is a leader in ammonia technology and has been involved in the licensing, design, engineering, and/or construction of more than 230 grassroots ammonia plants and over 100 revamp ammonia projects globally.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, will commission an engineering study to build a world-scale styrene monomer (SM) plant in the US Gulf Coast, as per the company's press release.

The new SM plant will use best-in-class technology and benefit from access to low cost feedstock and energy from shale gas as well as an excellent infrastructure. A specific location is yet to be defined.

Steve Harrington, President Global Styrene Monomer and Asia-Pacific, comments: “The new plant will complement our existing SM production facilities and provide a sustained competitive advantage to enable us to supply the global market."

“This plan supports our ‘Triple Shift’ growth strategy and maintains our leading position as a global styrenics supplier "to our key customers and industries”, adds Kevin McQuade, CEO at INEOS Styrolution.

INEOS Styrolution is the leading, global styrenics supplier with a focus on styrene monomer, polystyrene, ABS Standard and styrenic specialties. With world-class production facilities and more than 85 years of experience, INEOS Styrolution helps its customers succeed by offering the best possible solution, designed to give them a competitive edge in their markets. The company provides styrenic applications for many everyday products across a broad range of industries, including Automotive, Electronics, Household, Construction, Healthcare, Packaging and Toys/ Sports/ Leisure. In 2017, sales were at 5.3 billion euros. INEOS Styrolution employs approximately 3,300 people and operates 16 production sites in nine countries.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Russia's imports of GPPS increased in the first two months of the year, while imports of HIPS, on the contrary, decreased, according MRC DataScope.

February GPPS imports were 1,470 tonnes, compared to 2,120 tonnes a month earlier. GPPS imports rose by two-fold in the first two months of 2018 to 3,590 tonnes from 1,810 tonnes a year earlier.

Shipments of GPPS increased largely due to Styrolution, which increased them by more than 3 times to 1,890 tonnes versus 540 tonnes last year. Styrolution accounted for 55% of the total GPPS imports in January-February 2018. Singapore's Denka Styrol and South Korean LG Chem shipped 510 and 440 tonnes of GPPS, respectively, to the Russian market, whereas these producers' GPPS imports were absent in January-February 2017.
February HIPS imports were 990 tonnes versus 1,900 tonnes a month earlier. HIPS imports fell in the first two months of 2018 by 14% year on year to 2,080 tonnes from 2,420 tonnes in a year earlier.

Styrolution's shipments dropped to 790 tonnes in the first two months of the year from 940 tonnes a year earlier, whereas Polimeri Europa' shipments - from 510 tonnes to 470 tonnes. LG Chem did not import HIPS into the country, whereas Kumho's shipments reached 340 tonnes in January-February.

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