Production of HDPE in Russia increased by 2.2% in January-May

MOSCOW (MRC) - Production of high density polyethylene (HDPE) in Russia reached about 414,200 tonnes in January-May of this year, up 2.2% year on year. Not all producers increased the output, as per MRC ScanPlast.

Total production of HDPE in Russia fell to 86,800 tonnes in May, while a month earlier this figure barely exceeded the level of 92,000 tonnes.
The decrease in production volumes was a result of the resumption of linear polyethylene production by Nizhnekamskneftekhim. In general, total output of HDPE reached 414,200 tonnes in the first five months of the year against 405,300 tonnes a year earlier, the production volumes of two Tatar producers - Kazanorgsintez and Nizhnekamskneftekhim - reduced.

The structure of polyethylene production in the context of enterprises for the period under review was as follows.
HDPE production at Kazanorgsintez increased to 48,400 tonnes in May against 40,400 tonnes a month earlier. Total output of HDPE at the Kazan enterprise reached 219,300 tonnes in January - May of this year, down 2% than the same time in 2017.

Stavrolen produced about 25,600 tonnes in January in May against 25,800 tonnes in April. Total production of HDPE at Stavrolen reached 127,700 tonnes during the period under review, up 10% year on year.

Gazprom neftekhim Salavat reduced the capacity utilisation in May; the enterprise produced about 10,300 tonnes against 11,100 tonnes a month earlier. Total production of HDPE at the Bashkir enterprise reached 49,400 tonnes in the first five months of the year, up 19% than the same time in 2017.

Nizhnekamskneftekhim produced HDPE only in April and May over the period under review. Thus, Nizhnekamskneftekhim produced only 17,700 tonnes of HDPE for an incomplete two months of work versus 24,600 tonnes a year earlier.


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Kraiburg offers a broad portfolio of halogen-free thermoplastic elastomers that comply with the UL94 V0 standard

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Kraiburg TPE is responding to the increasing demand for flame-retardant thermoplastic elastomers by providing a diversified portfolio of THERMOLAST K types to meet the highest fire protection requirements, as per the company's press release.

Elmia Polymer, held in Sweden in May 2018, and Plast 2018, held in Italy, are among the trade fairs at which the manufacturer presented its wide portfolio.

If even only a few kilograms of a thermoplastic material catch fire, the spreading flames can easily cause tremendous damage. Flame retardants (FR) containing halogens were therefore frequently used in the past - but if a fire breaks out, these can have serious negative effects on people, furniture and equipment, and the building involved. The effects are primarily due to thick billows of smoke that make people lose orientation on the escape routes, as well as toxic fumes and corrosive conflagration gases, which are detrimental to health and can be dangerous to the fabric of a building. The halogens’ corrosiveness is also considered to be a problem for maintaining a material’s properties during recycling of waste materials such as old vehicles.

Kraiburg TPE is therefore continually working on consistently expanding its range of self-extinguishing thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) that provide halogen-free flame-retardant properties (HFFR). The materials meet the requirements of the UL94 V0 standard, i.e. they extinguish themselves in case of fire and don’t form into burning drops. The certification applies to all degrees of hardness available and all color variations produced at KRAIBURG TPE.

Being free of halogen in accordance with IEC 61249-2-21 also means that the material contributes to a significant reduction of harmful fire gases. KRAIBURG TPE’s flame-retardant compounds thus meet the highest fire protection requirements, including those of the European Construction Products Regulation (EU-CPR) and the EN 45545 standard regulation for fire protection on rail vehicles.

The following series are the highlights of THERMOLAST K’s HFFR types:
- FR1 compound series: injection molding and extrusion compounds providing good adhesion to polypropylene and with UL94 V0 classification, starting from wall thicknesses of 3 mm;
- FR2 compound series: specially developed for thin-walled components providing UL94 V0 classification, starting from wall thicknesses of 1.5 mm, and with good adhesion to polypropylene;
- In addition, KRAIBURG TPE offers a series of special HFFR compounds that is targeted towards direct adhesion to polar thermoplastics such as ABS, PC and selected types of polyamides.

"Our halogen-free flame-retardant TPEs provide plenty of possible applications for flame-retardant multi-component parts with attractive tactile properties such as soft touch and a good grip," emphasizes Dirk Butschkau, Product Marketing Manager EMEA at Kraiburg TPE.

Typical applications are in the fields of electrical engineering and electronics, such as connectors, switch boxes and flush-mounted sockets. The materials are also ideal for use in manufacturing cable coatings, cable bushings and cable clips, as well as for furniture components and door and window gaskets. The natural-colored compounds can easily be colored and provide excellent color stability. All products are manufactured at all KRAIBURG TPE sites in the USA, Germany and Malaysia and are available worldwide.

"The diversified portfolio of our halogen-free flame-retardant TPEs demonstrates our market-driven and customer-oriented competence in developing materials, which is targeted to implementing innovative product ideas of the highest quality," says Franz Hinterecker, CEO of KRAIBURG TPE. "One excellent example of these is the trendsetting cable bushing system from our customer CONTA-CLIP."

As MRC reported earlier, in December 2017, Kraiburg TPE presented a new series of thermoplastic elastomers from its Thermolast K family that was specially developed for excellent adhesion and UV resistance in two-component applications with ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM). The new compounds are intended for automotive applications such as EPDM window trim and sealing profiles with moulded TPE corner joints and end elements.
MRC

Shandong Wonfull Petrochemical to produce on-purpose propylene with Honeywell Technology

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell announced that Shandong Wonfull Petrochemical Co., Ltd. will use Honeywell UOP’s C3 Oleflex propane dehydrogenation technology to produce 250,000 metric tons per year of polymer-grade propylene at its facility in the Huantai Economic Development Zone in China’s Shandong Province, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Honeywell will provide licensing, the process design package, proprietary and non-proprietary equipment, on-site operator training, technical services for startup and continuing operation, and catalysts and adsorbents for the project. This is the 34th award in China for Honeywell’s Oleflex technology.

"The tremendous growth in propylene production in China is being driven by surging demand for polypropylene and other propylene derivatives that are used to make resins, fibers and plastics," said John Gugel, president of Honeywell UOP. "The Oleflex process converts propane into high-quality propylene that meets the strict purity requirements for these products."

Honeywell UOP’s C3 Oleflex technology uses catalytic dehydrogenation to convert propane to propylene and is designed to have a lower cash cost of production and higher return on investment among competing technologies. Its low energy consumption, low emissions and fully recyclable, platinum-alumina-based catalyst system minimizes its impact on the environment. The independent reaction and regeneration sections enable steady-state operations, improved operating flexibility, and a high on-stream factor and reliability.

Honeywell UOP also licenses C4 Oleflex technology, which converts butanes to butylenes, the primary ingredient for making high-octane fuel additives and synthetic rubber. Including this project, Honeywell UOP’s Oleflex technology has been selected for 52 out of 64 propane and isobutane dehydrogenation projects globally since 2011.

Since the technology was first commercialized in 1990, Honeywell UOP has commissioned 29 Oleflex units for on-purpose propylene and isobutylene production. Global production capacity of propylene from Oleflex technology now stands at approximately 6.8 million metric tons per year.

Shandong Wonfull Petrochemical Group Co., Ltd. manufactures and distributes gasoline, diesel, liquefied gas, petroleum coke, sulfur, propylene, and other petrochemicals. Located in Guoli Town, Zibo City, Shandong Wonfull Petrochemical Group also conducts heating, logistics, international trade, and retail terminal businesses.

As MRC informed before, in February 2018, Honeywell UOP announced that its Callidus low-nitrogen oxides (NOx) burner technology had been selected by Sinopec Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (Yanshan) to help meet China's new NOx emission regulations.
MRC

Dow to make phased expansions of Global Glycol Ethers capacity

MOSCOW (MRC) – The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) announced a series of phased, incremental investments to expand its global glycol ethers capacity to meet increasing demand in key end-markets and applications, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Once complete, the Company will have nearly doubled its current capacity of these product lines.

The Company plans to increase its production capacity of select p-series and performance glycol ethers product lines, including DOWANOL™ Glycol Ethers, through a series of seven debottlenecking and incremental expansion projects. These phased investments will begin in 2018 and are expected to continue over the next several years. The first increments of the new capacity will become available by end of 2019.

Demand for glycol ethers continues to rise as a result of urbanization, a growing middle class, evolving and stricter regulations and increasing sustainability challenges. Glycol ethers are used in a variety of applications to help deliver improved performance and reduced health and environmental impacts of the end products.

"Our announcement to increase glycol ethers capacity reflects our long-term commitment to these product lines and the industries that utilize them,” said Ester Baiget, Business President for Dow Industrial Solutions.
MRC

Osaka Petchem shuts naphtha cracker in Japan for maintenance

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Japan’s Osaka Petrochemical Industries Ltd shut its 500,000-tonne-per-year naphtha cracker on Thursday for maintenance, reported Reuters with reference to its parent Mitsui Chemicals.

The cracker, which is to be shut until July 24, is set to be restarted the following day, a Mitsui Chemicals spokesman said.

Osaka Petrochemical is a wholly-owned unit of Mitsui Chemicals.

As MRC wrote earlier, Mitsui Chemicals is likely to take its naphtha-fed steam cracker off-stream for a maintenance turnaround. The plant is likely to be taken off-line for turnaround in mid-June 2018. It is slated to remain under maintenance until end-July 2018. Located in Sakai, Japan, the cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 500,000 mt/year and propylene production capacity of 280,000 mt/year.

Mitsui Chemicals is a leading manufacturer and supplier of value added specialty chemicals, plastics and materials for the automotive, healthcare, packaging, agricultural, building, and semiconductor and electronics markets. Mitsui Chemicals is a Japanese Chemicals company, a part of the Mitsui conglomerate. The company has a turnover of around 15 billion USD and has business interests in Japan, Europe, China, Southeast Asia and the USA. The company mainly deals in performance materials, petro and basic chemicals and functional polymeric materials.
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