Turkmenistan started selling PE and PP from a new polymer plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BP Refining and Petrochemical (BPRP) has brought on-stream its No.3 cracker at Gelsenkirchen, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Europe informed that the company has resumed operations at the cracker earlier this week. The cracker remained off-line for repair work for around 10-12 days.

Located Gelsenkirchen, Germany, the No. 3 cracker has ethylene capacity of 550,000 mt/year and propylene capacity of 335,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed before, in April 2018, BP announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding to explore areas of cooperation with Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras). Through this strategic alliance, Petrobras and BP have committed to exploring potential joint commercial agreements in areas of mutual interest in upstream, downstream, trading and across low carbon initiatives, inside and outside Brazil. The alliance is also expected to include the transfer of technology, as well as joint training and research.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF is presenting its broad portfolio of innovative solutions for the aerated concrete industry under its brand name of Master Builders Solutions® at the 6th International Conference on Autoclaved Aerated Concrete, which is being held in Potsdam from September 4 to 6, 2018, as per the company's press-release.

Visitors can learn about the benefits of concrete additives that improve the entire AAC production process.

MasterCast allows faster and more efficient production. The benefit to the customers is a shorter pre-curing time. In the pre-curing phase of the production, the concrete is expanding and at the same time setting. The reduction in the water content of the concrete ensures shorter setting times. “Concrete additives from the MasterCast series for the production of autoclaved aerated concrete disperse the binder particles efficiently, allowing the water content of the fresh concrete to be significantly reduced,” says Nicoletta Zeminian, Segment Manager Manufactured Concrete at BASF. In addition, MasterCast improves the rheology without impairing the pore formation process. This leads to a significant reduction in the setting time with considerable time savings. By shortening the duration of the pre-curing phase, it is possible to achieve a faster turnover of the molds, leading to an overall acceleration of the manufacturing process and an increase in the productivity of the plant.

Another benefit to the customer is the cost saving, as a result of the composition of the material, which can be changed to a less expensive one. At many plants, the individual production steps have been harmonized with each other to achieve maximum efficiency, therefore the target is not always to accelerate production. In this case, the main advantage of MasterCast is the possible reduction of up to 15 percent in the cement and lime content, with no change in the pre-curing time – resulting in significant material cost savings.

Other products from Master Builders Solutions reinforce this effect and offer additional benefits to AAC producers. The MasterFinish range of release agents allow easier formwork removal and more efficient cleaning and maintenance of formwork in the long term. MasterPel gives the AAC a hydrophobic effect; as a result, it absorbs significantly less water but remains open to the diffusion of air and water vapour, preventing moisture accumulations in the material. Master X-Seed acts as a hardening accelerator, allowing superior efficiency of the production and
MasterFiber reduces drying shrinkage and cracking, improves stability and reduces the risk that aerated concrete may fracture during the handling.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- In August 2018, Idemitsu Kosan Co.,Ltd began commercial operation for mixed xylene at its Aichi Refinery, as per the company's press release.

Under its Fifth Consolidated Medium-term Management Plan, which calls for promotion of the fuel-to-chemical business, Idemitsu has made progress on installation of new equipment at the Aichi Refinery. The Aichi Refinery recently completed and began commercial operation of its mixed xylene equipment*2. With production capacity of 170,000 t/year, this equipment not only will contribute to expansion of the petrochemical business but also will enable us to flexibly deal with changing supply and demand trend of petroleum products and petrochemical raw materials.

This product is used widely as a base raw material in products commonly used in everyday living, such as polyester textiles and PET plastic bottles. Plans call for selling it chiefly in Asian markets, where demand is booming (with growth of 5%/year).

Through deeper integration of our strengths in the petroleum business and the petrochemicals business, we will continue to contribute to more enriched society and living while also supporting the social infrastructure as an energy supplier.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Yeochun NCC Co., a joint venture between Daelim Industrial and Hanwha Chemical, said it plans to spend 740-billion won to increase ethylene and butadiene capacity in South Korea, according to Apic-online.

The project involves construction of a second naphtha cracking plant, which will increase ethylene capacity to 915,000 t/y from 580,000 t/y, and setting up a new butadiene plant to expand capacity to 370,000 t/y from 240,000 t/y. Commercial operations are scheduled to begin in the fall of 2020.

Yeochun NCC said the new capacity will allow it to provide stable raw materials to its affiliates, and increase its competitiveness. In addition, the project is expected to create 1,000 new jobs a year over the next three years.

As MRC wrote before, YNCC plans to undertake planned maintenance at its No.3 naphtha cracker at Yeosu in October-November 2018 for a period of one month. Located in Yeosu, South Korea, the No.3 cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 470,000 mt/year and propylene production capacity of 230,000 mt/year.

South Korea’s Yeochun NCC (YNCC) pyrolyzes naphtha to produce basic feedstock materials for the petrochemical industry. YNCC, a joint venture between South Korean firms Hanwha and Daelim, is a key exporter of ethylene and propylene in the country.
MRC