Sinopec chooses Topsoe CATOX catalyst for Asian largest SBR emissions control project

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Haldor Topsoe has delivered the catalyst charge for a new regenerative catalytic oxidizer at the Sinopec Qilu styrene-butadiene rubber plant in Zibo - the biggest rubber producer in China and part of Sinopec Group, the world’s largest oil refining, gas & petrochemical conglomerate, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

"The catalyst performance has been excellent since start up. We have been very happy with the fast catalyst delivery from Topsoe," says Mr. Li, Vice Plant Director of Sinopec Qilu Rubber.

The catalyst has been optimized to meet Sinopec Qilu’s requirements for performance, total investment cost, and pressure drop. Topsoe R&D delivered advanced performance measurements that enabled design for the optimal platinum load in order to meet the required emission limits. This has led to a very competitive product at the lowest possible cost.

The tailor-made catalyst was delivered to Sinopec Qilu in less than three months. The CATOX catalyst is a platinum monolith that oxidizes hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOC) into harmless CO2 and H2O at very low temperatures, saving energy and investment costs. The CATOX catalyst is suited for a number of industries in addition to SBR, including purified terephthalic acid (PTA), formaldehyde, ethylene oxide, and CO2 purification.

As MRC informed before, China's Sinopec group, parent of Sinopec Corp, will invest USD29.05 billion to upgrade four refining bases between 2016 and 2020 to produce higher-quality fuels. Sinopec's upgrades come as China, the world's second-biggest oil consumer, is embracing more stringent fuel standards in its battle against pollution and suffering an overall glut in refining capacity. After the upgrades, the total refining capacity of the four refining sites will reach 130 MMtpy, or 2.6 MMbpd, while ethylene capacity will reach 9 MMtpy.

Sinopec Corp. is one of the largest scale integrated energy and chemical company with upstream, midstream and downstream operations. Its principal business includes: exploring, developing, producing and trading crude oil and natural gas; producing, storing, transporting and distributing and marketing petroleum products, petrochemical products, synthetic fiber, fertilizer and other chemical products. Its refining capacity and ethylene capacity rank No.2 and No.4 globally. Sinopec listed in Hong Kong, New York, London and Shanghai in August 2001.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Austria’s oil and gas group OMV said planned maintenance at its Petrobrazi refinery in Romania will negatively affect its operating profit in the second quarter, as per Reuters.

The full-site turnaround will impact its second-quarter clean current cost of supplies (CCS) earnings in its downstream business by around 35 million euros ($41 million) versus the first quarter, the group said on Wednesday.

The shutdown required OMV to store more crude, leading to not yet realized profits of around 60 million euros, it said.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is analyzing metal shrapnel from an April explosion at a Husky Energy Inc refinery in Wisconsin that forced the evacuation of thousands of residents as it continues to investigate the cause of the blast, the agency’s chief said, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The metal shrapnel blown out from the gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) at the refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, tore through a tank containing hot asphalt, which spread fire through the plant, Kristen Kulinowski, the safety board’s interim executive, said.

The metallurgical analysis may determine what caused the explosion. “It’s a painstaking process as much of the metal is covered with asphalt,” Kulinowski said.

The refinery has remained shut since the explosion on April 26.

Husky spokeswoman Kim Guttormson said there is no date for the restart of the refinery, but the company may provide an update on its July 26 conference call on second-quarter earnings.

The CSB has not released control of the FCCU to Husky, board spokeswoman Hillary Cohen said. Another update on the investigation will be issued in August.

Like the National Transportation Safety Board, the CSB has no regulatory or enforcement authority but recommends changes in industry practices and regulations based on its investigations.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - China's omission of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its vast list of U.S. products that face hefty import duties has preserved a potential weapon should the trade war with Washington deepen, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

It also underscores Beijing's desire to ensure supplies of gas as it pushes to switch millions of households and businesses away from using coal as a key part of its 'war on pollution'.

China will on Friday impose tariffs on USD34 billion of U.S. goods from pork to soybeans to cotton in retaliation for a similar move by Washington as trade relations sour between the world's top two economies.

"If the (trade) war escalates, (I expect) the government will not hesitate to add LNG," a state oil and gas company executive said, declining to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Although U.S. LNG supplies to China have so far been tiny in volume and value compared with the around USD12 billion per year of U.S. crude that arrives in the country, analysts say those levels could be set to shoot up as Beijing forges ahead with its battle to clear its skies.

Morgan Stanley has estimated annual Chinese imports of U.S. LNG could rise to as much as USD9 billion within two or three years, from USD1 billion in 2017. The amount could be even larger if the United States resolves a logistics bottleneck.

That would go a long way to helping balance China's trade surplus with the United States, a major bugbear of Washington's in the trade dispute. But the strategy also hands Beijing another weapon in its arsenal if the spat deteriorates further.

China's Commerce Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- In response to what it said is strong worldwide demand for PA powder in ultra-high performance industrial applications, especially from the coatings, composite and 3D printing markets, French chemical producer Arkema (Colombes) plans to to expand global capacity at its Mont / France site in the Pyrenees by more than 50% by the second half of 2019, as per Plasteurope.

The expansion, costing around EUR 20m, will support steady growth in these industrial applications and underscore its commitment to its global customer base, the company said.

For the speciality powders sold under the "Orgasol" trademark (a range of polymers and PA 6 and PA 12 copolymers), and often specified as ultra-high performing formulation additives, Arkema claims exceptionally tightly controlled particle size distribution and outstanding toughness. The new capacity upgrade follows “substantial” investment in Asia for the French player’s "Rilsan" PA 11 and PA 12 product lines, said Erwoan Pezron, global president of Arkema’s Technical Polymers business.
MRC