Bayer in talks with BASF on sale of vegetable seeds business

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Bayer AG said Wednesday that it is in exclusive talks with BASF SE about the sale of its entire vegetable-seeds business, a move it expects to help it win approval for its acquisition of Monsanto Co., reported MarketWatch.

"Through this and related moves, Bayer is confident of fully addressing all concerns of the European Commission," the company said.

The European antitrust regulator, which has raised concerns that the Monsanto acquisition could pressure farmers, is expected to make its decision on the Monsanto deal by April 5, though it could issue a ruling earlier.

Bayer had already agreed to sell selected crop-science businesses to BASF for 5.9 billion euros (USD7.30 billion) last October. This first deal covers Bayer's global glufosinate-ammonium business and the related LibertyLink technology for herbicide tolerance, essentially all of the company's field-crop seed businesses, and the respective research and development capabilities, it said.

Bayer didn't provide financial details on the potential deal with BASF. It said any sales and licenses would be subject to a successful closing of the proposed Monsanto acquisition, which remains subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals.

Bayer is working with the authorities worldwide to close the transaction in the second quarter.

As MRC wrote before, in September 2017, German drugs and pesticides group Bayer further reduced its holding in Covestro to 31.5% from 40.9% by selling 19 million shares in the plastics business for a total of EUR1.2 billion (USD1.4 billion).

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech polymer materials. As an innovation company, it sets trends in research-intensive areas. Bayer's products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen.

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) -- Axens was recently awarded, by Refineria Isla, a contract to perform pre-FEED Engineering work to supply natural gas from Venezuela to Refineria Isla Curacao B.V. “Refineria Isla”, in Curacao, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The project is part of Refineria Isla modernization project. The overall objective is to provide positive impacts on both the environment and refinery economics.

These benefits will be achieved through the conversion of fired equipment from heavy fuel oil to natural gas. SOx, NOx and particle emissions will be reduced to under the most stringent international standards, contributing to general improvement of the Island air quality.

The associated CO2 emission will be reduced by about 20%. Natural gas will be delivered to Curacao from Venezuela via a new submarine pipeline connected to the Puerto Cumarebo station.

Axens Performance Programs business unit teamed up with Doris Engineering for the offshore gas transportation system to Curacao. The documentation prepared serves as a basis to solicit bids for FEED and includes execution plans for the permitting and regulatory approval.

The required gas treatment facilities comprise molecular sieve dehydration unit, designed by Prosernat, an Axens company, hydrocarbon dew pointing and gas compression. High-performance Axens molecular sieves for water removal (AxSorb 510 and AxSorb 533) have been proposed to achieve the water specification.

Treated gas will be transported through a 16-inch diameter subsea pipeline, approximately 90 kilometers in length. Maximum water depth is 1400 meters.

Pipeline construction and upgrade of fired equipment inside the refinery are expected to be completed by 2021.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC)--In recognition of International Women’s Day, ExxonMobil announced that it is providing USD7 million in grants in 2018 to renew support for local and global organizations working to empower women economically.

Grants made this year will continue ExxonMobil’s longstanding support for efforts to increase research into new methods to advance women economically, assist women, entrepreneurs, to grow their businesses, bolster women’s financial literacy and ability to invest and save, and improve the productivity of women farmers.

"We invest in programs that are proven to provide women with the skills, training and support systems needed to increase their productivity and income,” said Kevin Murphy, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation. “We know from comprehensive research that when women move forward, the world moves with them."

ExxonMobil has invested a total of USD120 million in its Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative since it began in 2015, supporting dozens of initiatives that have benefitted tens of thousands of women in more than 90 countries.

One of this year’s investments will culminate in a new initiative, She Counts, which will be launched at the Council on Foreign Relations on March 22. She Counts will work with financial service providers to help women save securely, invest in their business and transform their lives. Since 2015, ExxonMobil has worked with partners like Women’s World Banking, the Center for Global Development, Technoserve, Mercy Corps, the World Bank and other financial institutions to establish a new platform to put savings and financial tools in the hands of women, enabling them to plan for a more prosperous future.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- State oil giant Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) plans to build the world's largest integrated refining and chemical site in Ruwais, United Arab Emirates, ADNOC's chief executive officer said on Tuesday, reported Reuters.

Speaking at the CERAWeek conference in Houston, Sultan al-Jaber, head of ADNOC, said downstream investments like refining and chemicals represent the company's biggest future opportunity. The company plans on tripling petrochemical production to 14.4 MMtpy by 2025, he said.

"Our goal by 2025 is to transform Ruwais into the largest integrated refining and chemicals site in the world - doubling our refining capacity and tripling our petrochemicals production," said al-Jaber.

Al-Jaber said the company also plans to make unexplored blocks of oil in the UAE available for auction in the near-future.

As MRC informed earlier, in May 2017, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) announced that it would work together with the Austrian producer OMV to help grow Adnoc’s downstream businesses.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- ELIX Polymers, a leading producer of ABS polymers and blends, says important improvements to surface finish are being made by using Roctool’s Heat and Cool technology to mould its ELIX Ultra HH4115HI ABS/polycarbonate blend, as per the company's press release.

The company recently completed a series of tests using this technology, carried out in line with its strategy of providing tailor-made solutions and service to companies processing its specialist materials.

"We are operating in a highly competitive market, so it is important for us to go the extra mile to demonstrate to our customers how they can get the most out of our materials,” says Jose Pedro Abad, business Development Manager Automotive. "We wanted to quantify the possible improvements - in terms of part aesthetics and also processing performance - using Heat and Cool technology. We chose to use Roctool induction heating technology to characterise our innovative ABS/PC blend ELIX Ultra HH4115HI, which is a leader of Heat and Cool technology (H&C), in order to expand the already wide range of applications." continues Abad.

The material characterisation is part of Roctool’s ongoing effort to further develop its High Definition Plastics material database which is designed to help OEM’s to achieve exceptional part quality and increased performance" comments Mathieu Boulanger, Roctool CEO. "Roctool’s H&C can have significant effects on surface quality; it also helps to eliminate evidence of weld lines and flow marks. Mould cavity surface is heated very quickly up to temperatures that can exceed 200 C just before injection. The surface is then cooled quickly, to achieve the necessary demoulding temperature to minimize any increase in total cycle time," continues Mathieu Boulanger.

By heating the mould temperature above the glass transition temperature, we obtain excellent replication of the cavity surface - even surfaces that have the finest laser-made grain structures – as well as an elimination of weld lines and sink marks. It therefore reduces or even eliminates the need for painti-g or in-mould decoration. Furthermore, shear stress in the melt is reduced which can have an important effect on the mechanical properties of the part and thinner walls.

To characterise the innovative ABS/PC blend ELIX Ultra HH4115HI under H&C conditions and according to the HD Plastics process, Roctool characterised the surface replication following three types of surface structures: Chemical grain, EDM grain and laser grain as well as improvements in gloss and colour. Besides surface replication, flow length studies have been also carried out.

"HD Plastics characterisation highlights the improvement made by using Roctool technology with global surface quality improved by the level of gloss and the black intensity. Indeed, Roctool’s technology allows a reduction of the colour lightness and we obtain a ‘piano black’ part with a perfect surface finish." says Abad. In addition, replication of the textured surface was improved by over 50%, and there were significant improvements for each type of surface structure, especially with low roughness. Last HD Plastics characterisations are based on the study of the flow using the Spiral mould for thicknesses of 1 and 1,5mm. This study shows strong improvement using Roctool technology versus conventional technology, in terms of pressure drop reduction which is up to 60% and flow length up to 100%.

As MRC informed before, in February 2016, ELIX Polymers unveiled an upgraded version of P2MC as well as new ABS grades to complete the plating portfolio. Target applications for these electroplating grades include radiator grilles, logos, profiles, tailgate handles, and decorative interior parts.

ELIX Polymers is one of the most important manufacturers of ABS resins and derivatives in Europe, with 40 years of experience in engineering plastics and an installed capacity of 180,000/year from their plant in Tarragona (Spain) to the world. The operation starts in 1975, when the Tarragona ABS and SAN production plant was inaugurated.
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