AkzoNobel to build demo plant for new ethylene amines technology in Sweden

MOSCOW (MRC) -- AkzoNobel has announced that it has broken ground for a demonstration plant to showcase a more sustainable technology platform for producing ethylene amines and their derivatives from ethylene oxide, as per GV.

Located at its Stenungsund site in Sweden, the facility is said to mark the next step towards commercialisation of the patented technology.

In parallel to the construction, the company said it has already started to explore options for a world-scale manufacturing facility. According to AkzoNobel, the new technology will significantly reduce raw material consumption and improve cost and environmental performance when compared with existing processes. The flexibility of the technology will allow for a selective production of a wide range of end products, enabling the company to expand its amines product offering, said AkzoNobel.

"The demonstration plant is an important step in further maturing the technology, aiming to prove that the technology meets performance expectations on an industrially relevant scale," said Hendrik van Dam, Innovation Project Manager of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals’ Ethylene Amines business. "It will also produce significant quantities of final product for customer validation."

The range of ethylene amines targeted by the new technology platform includes diethylenetriamine (DETA) and triethylenetetramine (TETA), which are building blocks in a number of growth applications such as epoxy curing, lube oil additives, and oil field chemicals.

"This promising technology is a clear example of the company’s commitment to growth through the introduction of new products and processes that better serve our customers," said Joppe Smit, General Manager of the Ethylene Amines business. "The ability to extend the ethylene oxide-based ethylene amine product portfolio and selectively produce compounds like TETA has always been one of the major opportunities in our industry."

"We strongly believe the newly developed technology has the potential to become a game-changer in the industry. In fact, in parallel to the construction of this demonstration plant we have already started to explore options for a world-scale manufacturing facility," said Werner Fuhrmann, CEO of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals.

As MRC informed before, in February 2018, India’s fourth largest paint company, Akzo Nobel India Limited commissioned its new powder coatings facility at Thane (near Mumbai, Maharashtra).

Akzo Nobel N.V., trading as AkzoNobel, is a Dutch multinational, active in the fields of decorative paints, performance coatings and specialty chemicals. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company has activities in more than 80 countries, and employs approximately 55,000 people.
MRC

Production of polymer products in Russia increased by 2% in January-May


MOSCOW (MRC) - May production of polymer products in Russia increased by 2% year on year. Total output of these products showed an increase of 3.2% in January - May of this year, according to analysts of the company MRC.

According to the Federal State Statistics Service of Russia, May output of unreinforced and uncombined films was 98,900 tonnes against 90,700 tonnes a month earlier. The production of film products increased by 9.8% in the first five months of this year year on year and amounted to 432,900 tonnes.

Last month, the production of plates, sheets and polymer non-porous films was 31,600 tonnes against 27,800 tonnes in April. Thus, January-May output of this product reached 137,000 tonnes, up 2.4% year on year.

May production of plastic bottles and bottles rose to 2.0 million units against 1.747 million units. a month earlier. During the period under review, the total production of these plastic products amounted to about 8.281 million units, which actually corresponds to the indicator of 2017.

May production of plastic windows and door blocks amounted to 2.12 million square meters and 105,000 square meters, respectively, against 1.68 million square meters and 81,700 square meters a month earlier. For the first five months of the year, the total output of this product was 7.49 million square meters and 357,400 square meters, respectively, an increase to the same indicator in 2017 was 13% and 12% respectively.

May of production of plastic pipes, hoses and fittings rose to 52,400 tonnes against 46,300 tonnes a month earlier. January - May output of these products amounted to 205,900 tonnes, up 3.2% year on year.

MRC

Azelis to be bought by EQT and PSP Funds

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Antwerp, Belgium-based specialty chemicals and food ingredients distributor Azelis said its private equity owner Apax Partners has received a binding takeover offer from two other funds, EQT VIII and PSP Investments, and is in exclusive negotiations to transfer its holding, as per Chemanager-online.

The transaction, for which financial terms were not disclosed, is subject to regulatory approvals, and other conditions including consultation with employee representatives. A closing is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2018.

Established in 2001, Azelis, which fields a high-end technical sales force, supplies a diverse range of products and services to more than 43,000 customers in over 40 countries. The distributor also operates more than 50 of its own application laboratories.

Private equity investor 3i acquired a majority stake in Azelis in 2007. Since its acquisition by Apax in 2015, the distributor said it has successfully executed its targeted growth strategy through focusing the business on product development and innovation, as well as developing its M&A platform.

Over past three years, the company has more than doubled sales revenue and tripled EBITDA while at the same time making nine acquisitions to broaden its geographic reach and product offering.

By its own account, Azelis’ most significant deal to date was the 2015 takeover of Koda Distribution Group, whose North American presence was complementary to its own European and Asian reach. This, it said, expanded the company into a "truly global player."

In 2016, Azelis acquired 100% of Milan-based distribuor Ametech and in 2017 alone picked up four more companies, including US distributor Ross Organic, Denmark’s LCH, Chemcolour, based in Australia and New Zealand and Georges Walther, a family-owned specialty chemicals distributor. So far in 2017, it has bought South Korea’s Sammi Chem and taken full ownership of Distralim, a Moroccan distributor of food ingredients.

Going forward, the distributor said its strategy is to continue to leverage its diversified business model.
MRC

INEOS Shale seeks new Drill Permit in Yorkshire

MOSCOW (MRC) -- After winning its appeal against a decision by the Rotherham Council in Yorkshire to deny the company permission for test drilling at a greenbelt site in Harthill, INEOS Shale has submitted a second planning application, as per Chemanager-online.

The new application is for a drill site at nearby Woodsetts, where the council has also refused drilling permission.

The UK subsidiary of the Swiss-headquartered chemical producer said it has done additional survey work and can disprove claims put forward by the council on its first application, namely that the subsequent project does not meet ecological standards and also would present hurdles to highway safety.

Like the previous permit, which Ineos has now secured, the new application would provide temporary permission for drilling activity for a maximum of five years. The work would involve months of investigation surveys at various sites as well as site preparation, followed by a period of drilling, coring and testing.

INEOS argues that the activity would be small scale, have no significant impact and would take place on agricultural land with “little ecological value.” The second site, however, takes in a Site of Special Scientific Interest – protected by law to conserve wildlife or geology – in addition to a golf course. Ineos said the golf course, would be restored after drilling has been completed.

Planning consultants who submitted the application on the company’s behalf said it is a re-submission of the rejected application. They insist that the national planning Inspector who overruled the decision “clearly made his decision based on the technical evidence” and that the points raised by local planning officials “were not supported by evidence of any harm."

The resubmission on the same basis allows the opportunity to “rectify the Council’s decision” and avoid the potential for a second appeal with its associated costs, the consultants said, adding that, “we consider that the ecology reason put forward can no longer be substantiated."

According to Drill or Drop, a website that monitors the shale industry, Rotherham’s rejection of the Ineos plans was the seventh this year by councils across the Midlands and the north of England.

Before the decision against the chemical company was overturned, the only green light had been given for another drllling company, Cuadrilla, to test oil flows in West Sussex in southern England.

Along with planning delays, the UK shale gas industry is chafing at new requirements that require a check of potential drillers’ economic potency. The industry complains that it now takes 58 weeks on average to get a planning decision on the drilling of a vertical well for exploration, compared with 13 weeks five years ago.

INEOS is leveraging the fast-track powers created by the British government in 2015 to kick-start the country’s nascent shale gas industry. These allow national planning inspectors to bypass local councils that fail to make a decision within the mandated 16-week timeframe and in some cases override decisions.

The shale gas industry meanwhile has been condemned by an international tribunal for harming humanity, violating human rights and damaging nature. The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal established in Italy in 1979 to defend human rights has accused drilling companies and governments of failing in their duties to protect the environment.

“The processes of fracking contribute substantially to anthropogenic harm, including climate change and global warming, and involve massive violations of a range of substantive and procedural human rights and the rights of nature,” the tribunal said.

Along with environmental NGOs, two professors from the University of Stirling in Scotland have given the tribunal evidence of the dangers of fracking. “The arguments of the UK industry about the alleged safety of fracking do not stand up to scrutiny,” one said, while the other, accused the industry of a “moral and legal failure.”
MRC

Dow collaborates with vending machine manufacturer to refresh sustainability of refrigerated beverage machines

MOSCOW (MRC) -- As a trusted supplier to high-quality vending machine manufacturers for over 25 years, The Dow Chemical Company has created a brand new low-global-warming-potential polyurethane foam insulation solution that also delivers weight reduction and improves thermal insulation, said the producer on its site.

The insulation will help a cold-drink vending machine manufacturer meet the more stringent ENERGY STAR version 4.0 with a solution that will be compliant with global blowing agent regulations.

The custom formulated polyurethane insulation solution’s excellent mechanical properties, good flow, and superior curing profile delivered a 15 percent weight reduction and 10 percent thermal insulation improvement over the incumbent low-global-warming-potential system, helping ensure the cold-drink vending machines meet the qualifications for ENERGY STAR version 4.0. Compared to competitive solutions using hydrofluorocarbon foam blowing agents, Dow's solution delivers the same or better performance with a global warming potential 99.9 percent lower, providing a more sustainable solution that will be compliant with upcoming global regulations on foam blowing agents.

"We know how challenging it can be for companies and brand owners to keep up with U.S. Department of Energy standards, SNAP regulations, and end-user requirements," said Robert York, market manager for Dow Polyurethanes. "Dow is fully committed to staying ahead of these changes, and bringing more sustainable, SNAP compliant formulations to the marketplace for our customers."

Polyurethane rigid foam is one of the best insulation materials available to help achieve energy efficiency targets, reduce costs and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. For companies and brand owners impacted by SNAP regulations, Dow has developed polyurethane-based solutions that will fully comply with all applicable regulations once they become law.

With decades of technical experience, Dow is proud to offer solutions to meet the specific needs of each customer and help manufacturers meet increasingly demanding energy standards in the commercial appliance industry.

As MRC reported earlier, in January 2018, the company announced that the technologies of Dow Corning Polyurethane Additives (PUA) will be incorporated into the Dow Polyurethanes portfolio under the Vorasurf polyurethane additives brand name.

Dow Polyurethanes develops and delivers a broad portfolio of technologies and customized solutions to customers in a variety of industries under its DurableScience, ComfortScience and InsulationScience category brands. Applications range from industrial and infrastructure solutions, to consumer comfort solutions in flooring, furniture bedding and footwear, to automotive solutions for vehicle interior, and energy-efficient insulation materials. The business manufactures and sells key chemical components as well as fully-formulated polyurethane systems for rigid, semi-rigid and flexible foams, and coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers and composites. Dow is the world's largest producer of propylene oxide (PO), propylene glycol (PG), and polyether polyols, and is a leading producer of quality aromatic isocyanates, such as MDI. Striving to meet the specific needs of its customers in their local geographic regions, Dow Polyurethanes operates a global network of production sites and systems houses, as well as innovation and service centers.
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