BASF launches new PU slipper system with light soles

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF has presented its latest developments regarding Elastopan PU systems and Elastollan TPU at Simac, the international machinery and technology trade fair for footwear in Milan, Italy, as per GV.

According to the company, light and flexible soles are two central requirements for slippers. With Elastopan ULD (ULD = ultra low density) a density up to 30 % lower compared to conventional slipper systems (from 280 - 200 kg/m3) - depending on the model - can be reached. This system is softer and more flexible, thus leading to an increased wearing comfort, and lighter at the same time. Moreover, despite its low density, the material offers good processing properties thus ensuring more comfort not just when being worn, said BASF.

At the trade show, BASF exclusively presents the latest design creations of students from Politecnico Calzaturiero. Under the motto "Young City Wild", the prospective shoe designers developed unisex sneakers which examine the aspects man and nature, their connection and juxtaposition, in their full spectrum. "Blood Diamond" by Diego Turrin was inspired by the diamond war in Sierra Leone. The model from Greta Concolato connects the urban landscape with the art of recycling. The hybrid shoe from Marco Degan is a sneaker which can also be worn as a sandal or boot and consists of an innovative material mix. The prototype from Nicolo Guido divides the shoe into the two hemispheres man and nature and the connecting middle section is designed as a hand grenade.

In addition, the company is highlighting its new footwear app - a consolidated platform for information regarding the wide range of products for the footwear industry of BASF. It gives a quick overview of which products are suitable for which applications, shows optimal production and processing methods and presents the characteristics of the respective products in detail. Via the app, it is possible to ask experts questions quickly and easily. Besides, the app provides interesting insights into successful customer projects and presents the latest trends regarding footwear, said BASF.

As MRC informed before, in February 2018, BASF and Solvay signed an agreement for the sale of Solvay’s integrated poly­amide (PA) business to BASF. The business has approximately 2,400 employees globally, thereof approximately 1,300 in France, and achieved net sales of more than EUR 1,3 billion in 2016. Worldwide, it operates twelve production sites, four R+D locations and ten technical support centres. The purchase price would be EUR 1.6 billion.

BASF is the leading chemical company. It 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. BASF generated sales of about EUR58 billion in 2016.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- US crude oil production shattered a 47-year output record in November and retreated slightly in December, the US Energy Department said, as oil production from shale continued to upend global supply patterns, reported Reuters.

Oil output rose to 10.057 MMbpd in November, a revision from earlier estimates, the EIA said. December production fell 108 Mbpd to 9.949 MMbpd, it said.

November's figure exceeded the 10.044 million barrels produced daily in November 1970. Output has surged in the last several years due to the shale boom, pushing the United States past Saudi Arabia among top producers. Only Russia now has greater daily oil output.

The new record probably will not last. The US government forecasts production will hit 11 million barrels per day later this year.

"We’ve got a lot more oil to produce and we'll be through that 11 million barrel-per-day threshold much sooner than expected," said Phillip Streible, senior market strategist at RJO Futures in Chicago.

The gains are primarily due to rising production in shale regions in Texas and North Dakota. Output there ramped up sharply at the beginning of the decade as new techniques involving hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, allowed drillers to extract vast quantities of crude from oil fields.

The increase in crude output has cut U.S. oil imports by a fifth over a decade and boosted energy exports.

Soaring US production kept a lid on oil prices this year, even though the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia have reduced output.

In December, production pulled back after three consecutive increases, according to the EIA. The decline was driven by offshore Gulf of Mexico output, which dropped by 131,000 bpd in the month. Four Gulf of Mexico platforms were shuttered throughout the month after a fire.

The EIA said total crude oil and products demand in December was 20.08 million bpd, up about 0.5 percent from 19.98 million bpd a year earlier and down about 1 percent from the previous month.

Americans consumed 0.01 percent less gasoline in 2017 than they did in the prior year, EIA data showed, marking the first year-to-year decrease since 2012.

US gasoline demand was 9.32 million barrels in 2017, the data showed. Demand for gasoline hit record levels in 2016, averaging 9.326 million barrels per day.

U.S. natural gas production in the lower 48 states rose to a monthly all-time high of 87.1 billion cubic feet per day in December, from the prior record of 86.4 bcfd in November, the EIA said.

The increase was driven by a 3.1 percent gain in Pennsylvania to a record 16.2 bcfd, and a 3.7 percent gain in Louisiana to 7.0 bcfd. Output in Texas, the largest U.S. gas producer, eased 0.2 percent to 22.7 bcfd.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Tronox Limited ("Tronox" or the "Company"), a global mining and inorganic chemicals company, today announced the parties have agreed to an extension of the previously announced agreement to acquire the titanium dioxide ("TiO2") business of Cristal, a privately held global chemical and mining company headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as per company's press release.

Pursuant to the amendment, the parties agreed to extend the end date for the transaction from May 21, 2018 to June 30, 2018 with automatic three-month extensions until March 31, 2019, if necessary based on the status of outstanding regulatory approvals. Tronox paid no extension fee for the amendment and has the right to terminate the agreement if it determines regulatory approval of the transaction is not reasonably likely to be obtained, with no fee payable for such a termination of the agreement prior to January 1, 2019. However, Tronox would be required to pay a termination fee of $60 million if either party terminates the agreement on or after March 31, 2019 due to failure to obtain regulatory approval or Tronox terminates the agreement after December 31, 2018 if it determines regulatory approval is not likely to be obtained.

"The extension reflects the commitment of Tronox, Cristal, and its parent company, Tasnee, to this transaction. Although we do not anticipate needing the full extension to consummate the transaction, the amendment provides adequate time to optimize the outcome for the benefit of our collective stakeholders -- our shareholders, customers and employees," said Jeffry N. Quinn, president and chief executive officer of Tronox. "This is a highly synergistic transaction that will lower our cost position and increase supply. While this amendment provides more time for the competition-enhancing nature of this transaction to be determined on its merits, our goal remains to consummate the transaction as quickly as possible. We will continue to work with regulatory authorities in the United States and Europe to find an appropriate and proportionate resolution to any valid concerns."
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- IRPC Europe attendees will get a rare glimpse inside Eni’s EST facility, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The Sannazzaro Refinery was built in 1963 with an initial raw processing capacity of 5 MMtpy. Over the years, the refinery has been enhanced with technological improvements that have increased the processing capacity to 11 MMtpy. The facility now boasts a level of complexity and conversion capacity that is among the highest in Europe.

Technology and efficiency, together with an ideal logistical position and flexibility towards market and environmental requirements, make the 260-hectare Sannazzaro Refinery a keystoneof the Refining & Marketing division of Eni.

The market for petroleum products for energy use is increasingly constituted by fuels of high quality and low environmental impact. Heavy fuels that have a greater environmental impact are gradually being replacedby other sources of energy. The increase in the refinery’s conversion capacity responds to these dual market and environmental requirements: transforming heavier oil products, such as fuel oil, into more valuable products, such as petrol and diesel. The Sannazzaro Refinery has become what is called a "white refinery," i.e., a refinery with a minimum production of heavy products.

The 2006 commissioning of the gasification plant—which uses heavy residues to produce sulfur-free and non-polluting synthesis gas to feed the Eni Power power plant—and the 2008 startup of the deasphalting plant, have already allowed the refinery to reduce the percentage of heavy fuels to below 10%.

The startup of the EST (Eni Slurry Technology) unit, the first industrial unit of Eni's proprietary technology, now allows a further reduction of heavy fuels of up to 4%. The visit of the IRPC delegates includes an initial welcome and presentations by refinery officials, an overview of the EST, and a brief safety briefing. IRPC delegates will then enter the refinery for a tour of the main conversion plants, the entrance into the control room of EST and a more specific tour of the Eni Slurry Technology plant. A buffet lunch hosted by Eni will conclude the half day.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Assam-based Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) has made an entry into the North American market, dispatching a consignment of 80 metric tonnes (MT) of wax to the United States, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The company added that early this month a consignment of 64 MT of wax was exported to Portugal, the second European country after Poland where NRL Wax has been exported. This was followed by the export of 86 MT of wax to Ecuador.

"Ecuador is the seventh South American (Latin American) country where NRL wax has been exported, after Mexico, Nicaragua, Brazil, Guatemala, Chile and Argentina. With the three exports in the month of February 2018, a total quantity of 7,780 MT has been exported by NRL to 25 countries worldwide," the company said.

The company also reported that more exports to existing and new countries are lined up in the coming months in line with its strategy to make NRL Wax a brand to be reckoned with globally.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had dedicated NRL’s wax plant to the nation on February 5, 2016. The 50,000 Metric Tonnes (MT) wax plant, commissioned in March 2015 at a cost of Rs. 676 crore, is the country’s largest wax producing unit with indigenous technology developed by the Indian Institute of Petroleum-Dehradun, Engineers India Ltd and NRL.
MRC