Arlanxeo presents new high viscosity EVM rubber for most demanding applications

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Arlanxeo, a leading global manufacturer of synthetic elastomers, has launched Levapren PXL, a new ethylene-vinyl acetate rubber (EVM), as per the company's press release.

The new EVM products are characterized by a particularly high viscosity and easier processing, which is needed when manufacturing high-quality hoses, cable sheathings and floor coverings.

Arlanxeo utilizes reactive extrusion for the production of this new EVM series. In contrast to precrosslinking via radiation, this technology uses very small amounts of peroxide to precrosslink the polymer, while ensuring that no traces of the crosslinker are left in the finished product. The result is a homogeneously precrosslinked, free-flowing granulate with very good rheological properties. "Levapren PXL can be processed quickly and easily in various mixing procedures; extrudates show very good surface quality,: says Jorg Stumbaum, Technical Manager at the Arlanxeo High Performance Elastomers business unit.

Higher Tensile Strength, Less Adhesion

Reinforcing fillers, such as highly active carbon blacks, can be efficiently dispersed with Levapren PXL. A dual advantage: "This allows for the production of hoses with a tensile strength up to two megapascals higher than those with conventional EVM types," says Stumbaum. The PXL variants also show a significantly reduced tack and adhesion to metal, which is good for processing in internal mixers and on rolling mills.

With Levapren PXL, Arlanxeo now offers a precrosslinked EVM variant that is tailor-made for high-quality, oil and fuel-resistant rubber hoses. In addition to the use in the wire and cable or automotive industries, the free-flowing granulates are also suitable for rubber and plastics processors with continuous mixing processes, who were previously unable to use Levapren. This means that the EVM rubber from Arlanxeo can now be used in an even more flexible and versatile manner.

The Levapren 500 PXL, 600 PXL, 700 PXL and 800 PXL variants with vinyl acetate contents between 50 and 80 percent have been introduced to the market since early 2018.

As MRC informed before, in March 2018, Arlanxeo signed an agreement with Saudi Aramco Products Trading company, headquartered in Dhahran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, pertaining to the marketing and sales of EPDM rubber.

Arlanxeo was established in April 2016 as a joint venture of Lanxess - a world-leading specialty chemicals company based in Cologne, Germany - and Saudi Aramco - a major global energy and chemicals enterprise headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The two partners each hold a 50-percent interest in the joint venture. The business operations of ARLANXEO are assigned to the High Performance Elastomers and Tire & Specialty Rubbers business units.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China's Fujian Jinjiang Petrochemical is expected to start commercial production at its new 200,000 mt/year caprolactam plant in Putian, in eastern China's Fujian province, by August, after major construction work was completed earlier this week, reported Apic-online with reference to industry sources with knowledge of the matter.

Fujian Jinjiang Petrochemical was unavailable for comment.

Fujian Jinjiang Petrochemical, owned by Fujian Eversun Group, has phase two of the project at the same site currently underway. Once it gets completed in 2019, the company will add another 400,000 mt/year of caprolactam capacity, bringing its total capacity to 600,000 mt/year, sources said.

Caprolactam is primarily used in the production of nylon 6 fibres.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical has undertaken a planned shutdown at its No. 2 high density polyethylene (HDPE) unit in Jiangsu, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the company has commenced turnaround at the unit on July 2, 2018. Further details on duration of the shutdown could not be ascertained.

Located in Jiangsu province, China, the No.2 HDPE Unit has a production capacity of 80,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote previously, Sinpec Yangzi also runs polypropylene (PP) plant at the same site. Located in Jiangsu province, China, the plant comprising three units have a production capacity of 200,000 mt/year, 100,000 mt/year and 100,000 mt/year. The company conducted maintenance at this plant in May 2017.

Sinopec Corp. is one of the largest scale integrated energy and chemical companies with upstream, midstream and downstream operations. Its refining and ethylene capacity ranks No.2 and No.4 globally. The Company has 30,000 sales and distribution networks of oil products and chemical products, its service stations are now ranked third largest in the world.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The contract price of propylene in Europe was agreed at a rollover from June, as a result European producers announced a rollover of June export prices of polypropylene (PP) for July shipments to the CIS markets, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

Negotiations on July prices of European PP have begun this week, with deals done actively. All market participants reported the rollover of June export prices for propylene polymers from all producers for July supplies.

Deals for July supplies of homopolymer PP were discussed in the range of EUR1190-1245/tonne FCA, which corresponds to the June deals. Some producers kept temporary restrictions on the export of injection moulding homopolymer PP, which will be resolved after 20 July.

Deals for copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) were discussed in the range of EUR1 240-1 300/tonne FCA.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- A joint venture with a history of producing on-time and on-budget for important engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects has been picked to develop an ethylene terminal facility in the United States, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Black & Veatch and JV partner PCL Industrial Construction Co. – together known as BPC – were picked by Enterprise Products Partners L.P. and Navigator Holdings Ltd. to provide full EPC services for their new ethylene export facility on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Ethylene, a byproduct of natural gas processing, is important to the production of plastic and other chemicals. Located on the Houston Ship Channel at Enterprise’s Morgan’s Point location, the ethylene terminal will have a capacity to export approximately 2.2 billion pounds of ethylene per year. Commercial operations are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2019.

“Our clients sought an EPC solution that would allow them to fulfill increasing calls for ethylene export with an aggressive execution schedule and performance guarantees,” said Gary Martin, Regional General Manager for Black & Veatch’s Oil & Gas business. “Black & Veatch, together with PCL Construction, has an established track record of delivering safely, on-time and on-budget, even with accelerated production timelines."

“BPC has had an eight-year history of pursuing and successfully completing very challenging projects in the power market,” said Kent Free, Senior Director at PCL Industrial Construction Co. “We are very proud to expand our solution provider culture into the oil, gas and petrochemical arena."

The Morgan’s Point project continues the Black & Veatch/PCL joint-venture work under the BPC banner. This will be the third award for the joint venture. The JV has performed over 4,500,000 workhours to date with zero lost-time incidents.
MRC