Honeywell helps refiners meet Euro V standards With new catalyst

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell UOP has introduced a new catalyst that can more efficiently remove sulfur and nitrogen from lower-value diesel blending components, allowing them to meet Euro V clean fuels specifications, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Honeywell UOP’s ULTIMet catalyst, the newest addition to its Unity hydrotreating portfolio, has more active sites for chemical reactions and can be used as a drop-in reload to "debottleneck" a unit, resulting in increased plant capacity with no additional capital expense. The new catalyst also can be loaded in combination with conventional hydrotreating catalysts to further improve their performance.

"The ULTIMet catalyst enables refiners facing stricter fuel requirements to achieve higher quality product specifications and greater profitability," said Jose Carrazza, Vice President and General Manager of Honeywell UOP’s Catalysts, Adsorbents & Specialties business. "This new catalyst also delivers greater operating flexibility than conventional catalysts in hydrotreaters, so it can handle more challenging, lower-priced feedstocks."

The ULTIMet catalyst also has the high strength and attrition resistance necessary to prevent breaking, which ensures a more reliable operation and helps extend the operating cycle by as much as 50 to 75 percent.

Hydrotreating is a critical step in the refining process where hydrogen and a proprietary catalyst are used to remove sulfur and other contaminants before conversion into transportation fuels. The process produces a cleaner-burning diesel fuel product that meets new fuel regulations such as the Euro V standard, which specifies sulfur content of less than 10 parts per million in transportation fuels.

Honeywell UOP’s line of Unity catalysts includes more than two dozen hydrotreating catalysts for hydrocracking and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) pre-treat, and diesel, kerosene and coker naphtha hydrotreating. Honeywell UOP also offers catalysts for naphtha hydrotreating and FCC gasoline desulfurization.

Honeywell UOP inaugurated the use of catalysts in the refining industry in 1931, beginning with solid phosphoric acid. This and subsequent processes significantly raised the yield of high-octane transportation fuels. Today, Honeywell UOP is recognized as a leading developer of advanced catalysts for the refining industry.

As MRC informed before, in January 2018, Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) announced that BASF had opened a state-of-the-art control room equipped with Honeywell Experion technology at its waste incineration complex in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The control room was officially inaugurated on November 28, 2017, by Dr. Uwe Liebelt, president, BASF European Site and Verbund Management, and Vimal Kapur, president of HPS.
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ELIX Polymers selected by Gigaset for its new home alarm system

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Gigaset, one of the world's largest manufacturers of cordless (DECT) phones and the clear market leader in Europe, has chosen ELIX M201AS from ELIX Polymers, a leading manufacturer of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resins and derivatives, for the housings of various components in its new Gigaset Smart Home Alarm system, as per ELIX Polymers' press release.

Three key properties called for by Gigaset for the housings were UV stability, chemical resistance and high gloss surface finish, without the need for any post-moulding treatments. ELIX M201AS, coloured in a customized white, best met the company’s requirements.

"ELIX M201AS has been our material of choice for many years for our DECT phones because it offers an excellent surface quality combined with chemical resistance and perfect processability, as well as very good mechanical properties," says Johannes Benning, an engineer at Gigaset. "It also has very good antistatic properties, so that products do not attract dust. It made sense for us to extend its use into our complementary range of products in home safety."

In fact, ELIX M201AS is used in many electrical and electronics applications around the home. Its physical and chemical properties are ideal for parts in continuous, long-term use, for which high-quality surface appearance is especially important. The compound contains special additives, not only to give it extra UV stability, but which also enable parts to be marked by lasers for identification and decorative purposes.

"We are very proud of the long cooperation with Gigaset and for being considered as a reliable and preferred partner for high quality ABS," comments Joachim Kroeger, Sales Manager ELIX Polymers. "We believe that the close collaboration that we have with the technical department at Gigaset - and indeed at many other customers and partners - enables us to analyse and identify their technical needs and to provide the best technical solutions and service."

ELIX Polymers backs up its comprehensive offering in ABS with customer services based on flexibility, proactivity, proximity to customers, a global perspective, and tailor-made solutions. Its multidisciplinary technical service team is equipped with the capabilities and resources to support customers throughout their product development processes. Whether it is a new colour development or the selection of the right material to comply with complex regulations, ELIX Polymers can provide highly experienced professionals with specialist knowledge in market segments that span automotive, appliances, E&E, consumer goods, healthcare, and beyond.

The Gigaset Smart Home Alarm system provides protection solutions for homes of all sizes, keeping owners up to date about the security status of their properties via a combination of small local sensors, cloud-connection and smartphone app. The Gigaset elements alarm system S contains base station, door sensor, motion sensor and siren and can be individually extended by a Wi-Fi-indoor camera and several other sensors.

As MRC wrote 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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CCL Industries buying Treofan Americas film operations for USD255 million

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Toronto-based packaging supplier CCL Industries Inc. is buying the Treofan Americas operations in Canada, the U.S., and Latin America from M&C SpA of Italy for USD255 million, as per Canplastics.

In a statement, CCL said its purchase includes a plant that produces biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film in Zacapu, Mexico, and a sales office and distribution centre in North Carolina, along with other offices.

When it finalizes the deal in the second quarter, CCL will fold the operations into the Innovia business it acquired in early 2017. Its Innovia business already runs BOPP extrusion plants in Atlanta, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Australia, and Mexico.

CCL said the purchase will give it access to Treofan’s expertise in cavitated film for labels and packaging and its emphasis on wrap-around and in-mold decoration. Innovia has been targeting pressure-sensitive labels. The combination covers the major label growth technologies with the exception of sleeves.
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LyondellBasell and SUEZ Begin Jointly Operating Plastics Recycling Venture

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell, one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world, and SUEZ, a global leader in smart, sustainable resource management, have announced the successful completion of a transaction making each company a 50/50 partner in Quality Circular Polymers (QCP), a premium plastics recycling company in Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands, as per LyondellBasell's press release.

LyondellBasell and SUEZ will today begin jointly operating Quality Circular Polymers, a plastics recycling venture in Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands. The innovative joint venture marks the first time that a major plastics and chemicals company has partnered with a leader in resource management to contribute to circular economy objectives.

"Partnering with SUEZ allows us to contribute to the circular economy in a way that no plastics company has before," said LyondellBasell CEO Bob Patel. "For several years, we have seen increased demand for recycled and reused plastics, especially in Europe. With QCP, we have combined our respective expertise with SUEZ to create an innovative system that can be scaled as the circular economy grows."

"The circular economy will increasingly develop into a critical part of the plastic value chain. Moving forward, we will bear in mind the economics of operating our businesses must be balanced with environmental awareness," said SUEZ CEO Jean-Louis Chaussade. "As we move towards becoming value players in the circular economy, we will continue to seek opportunities for future growth."

The joint business will leverage the two partners' strengths. SUEZ will utilize its leading-edge technology solutions to improve the identification, separation and preparation of materials to be used as feedstock at QCP. LyondellBasell will apply its long-standing leadership in innovative plastic production technology, vast experience in product development and deep knowledge of important end markets such as consumer goods, where the company has a strong presence.

The QCP plant located in Sittard-Geleen will transform used plastic material into virgin-replacement quality PE and PP materials. The plant is capable of converting consumer waste into 25,000 tons of polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with an objective of 35,000 tons later in 2018 and 100,000 tons by 2020. The production capacity of the plant will address a growing need for improving the sustainability profile of high-quality plastics in Europe.

LyondellBasell will add QCP's recycled products to its range of existing PE and PP materials to help meet increasing customer demand and in line with the EU's Plastics Strategy.

Plastics recycling is also a key market for SUEZ, which operates nine dedicated facilities in Europe. In 2017, SUEZ processed 400,000 tons of plastic waste and produced 150,000 tons of new plastic resources. The company has set an objective of increasing its processing capacity by 50 percent to 600,000 tons in 2020.

As MRC informed before, in September 2017, LyondellBasell announced the successful startup of a new 20 ktpy polypropylene (PP) compounding plant in Dalian, China. This is the company's third facility in China, strategically located to serve the region's growing automotive market.

LyondellBasell is one of the world's largest plastics, chemical and refining companies. The company manufactures products at 57 sites in 18 countries. LyondellBasell products and technologies are used to make items that improve the quality of life for people around the world including packaging, electronics, automotive parts, home furnishings, construction materials and biofuels.
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BP expects strong compliance for marine sulfur emissions caps

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Oil major BP Plc expects more than 90 percent of the world's shipping fleet will comply with new regulations slashing sulfur levels ships are allowed to burn starting 2020, as per Reuters.

Upcoming International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules will cut the amount of sulfur emissions that ships worldwide are allowed from 3.5 percent to 0.5 percent by 2020.

"Potential non-compliance is a significant issue that the market has been contending with," Jason Breslaw, who leads BP's distillate trading origination across the Americas, said at an industry conference in New Orleans.

Breslaw said BP expects only about 9 percent of the industry is likely to be non-compliant as the rule takes effect. The compliance level has significant implications for demand for high-sulfur fuel oil; BP's estimates fall well short of other analyst estimates of about 30 percent non-compliance.

The IMO has said there would be no delays or exceptions to the coming rules, whether or not the industry takes the steps it needs to comply, and warned that all parties face consequences if they do not play their part.

Energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie estimates about 30 percent non-compliance, said Alan Gelder, vice president of refining, chemicals and oil markets. "At the moment nobody is really doing anything ... with a number of the shippers playing chicken with the regulator, does the regulator blink? We don't know," Gelder told Reuters.

One way ships can comply with upcoming standards is to retrofit vessels with costly scrubbers, which can reduce sulfur emissions even if ships continue to burn dirty fuel.

But there are significant concerns with this process as well, industry participants said. The cost of installing scrubbers is about USD3 million to USD10 million, said Anil Rajguru, vice president of process safety at Fluor Corp.
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