Crude oil intake suspension at Rosneft's Tuapse refinery to continue

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Crude oil intake suspension at Rosneft’s Tuapse refinery will continue until April 18, reported Reuters with reference to Russia’s transport monopoly Transneft.

"The Tuapse refinery, which was back from planned maintenance on April 3 and suspended crude oil intake on April 5 for 24 hours, decided to continue the suspension period until April 18," Transneft said in a statement.

Rosneft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

As MRC wrote before, in mid-December 2018, oil loadings were resumed to the Afipsky refinery, Interfax news agency cited Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft. Russia’s Afipsky, a mid-sized private oil refiner, suspended oil refining to carry out maintenance of its two crude units from Oct. 6-17, 2018.
MRC

Fire breaks out at Rosneft Novokuibyshevsk refinery

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russian oil producer Rosneft said a fire that broke out earlier on Monday at a secondary facility at its Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in the Russian region of Samara had been put out, reported Reuters.

It said no one had been hurt in the incident.

The refinery is part of the Samara group of refineries acquired by oil giant Rosneft in May 2007.

As MRC informed before, Russian oil giant Rosneft said its refinery plant in Ryazan stopped a primary crude processing unit to carry out planned maintenance on March 17. The plant remained closed until March 31, according to the energy ministry's statement.

Rosneft became Russia's largest publicly traded oil company in March 2013 after the USD55 billion takeover of TNK-BP, which was Russia’s third-largest oil producer at the time.
MRC

AkzoNobel innovation key to unique energy harvesting project for buildings

MOSCOW (MRC) -- A research project which aims to harness the wasted solar energy absorbed by buildings has been launched by a consortium of 13 partners – including AkzoNobel, as per the company's press release.

The ENVISION initiative is going beyond the solar panels found on roofs in an attempt to harvest energy from all building surfaces (both transparent and opaque), without having to compromise on aesthetics. A solution for absorbing near-infrared light (NIR) via special panels already exists, but these panels are only available in one color – black. So AkzoNobel’s coatings experts got to work and are developing technology which can capture heat using lighter and brighter colors. Dutch company BAM and research organization TNO are also partners in the project.

“Black facades aren’t attractive to most people, so we’ve come up with an innovative solution which allows heat to be captured by colors that traditionally reflect NIR,” explains Anthonie Stuiver, the AkzoNobel senior scientist who is working on the project.

He adds that the company is also looking to create different pigment effects, as well as the more familiar brick and wood patterns found on most houses. “It’s a practical and sustainable solution for making buildings energy positive – and existing houses more climate-friendly – which also gives consumers freedom of color choice,” Stuiver continues.

The ENVISION project is part of Horizon 2020, the biggest ever EU research and innovation program. The project aims to demonstrate a full renovation concept which invisibly harvests energy from all available surfaces. The potential is huge, with an estimated 60 billion square meters of facade surface available to use throughout the EU.

“This is the first time that a concept of this kind has been developed,” says Bart Erich, researcher and project coordinator from partner TNO. “Theoretically the concept is very simple. The challenge has been how to convert and store the energy so that it can be used efficiently."

AkzoNobel’s focus on sustainable innovation has already produced several products that make buildings more climate-friendly. Many of these include KeepCool technology (used in exterior paints) which can reflect up to 85% more infrared radiation than comparable products – leading to significant energy savings related to air conditioning. The ENVISION project is designed to do exactly the opposite – absorb energy.

"Innovation is part of our DNA," adds Stuiver. “Projects such as ENVISION enable us to demonstrate our passion for paint and prove the depth of our expertise. We’re proud to be involved."

Stuiver will reveal more about AkzoNobel’s involvement at the Building Holland trade show – being staged in Amsterdam from April 9 to 11 – when he will take part in an interactive knowledge session organized by BAM Wonen.

As MRC informed before, in December 2016, AkzoNobel finalized the acquisition of BASF’s global Industrial Coatings business, which supplies a range of products for industries including construction, domestic appliances, wind energy and commercial transport, strengthening its position as the global number one supplier in coil coatings. The transaction includes relevant technologies, patents and trademarks, as well as two manufacturing plants in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Approximately 400 employees from BASF’s Industrial Coatings business join AkzoNobel, bringing expertise to innovate and serve an expanded customer base worldwide.

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

Evonik expands production capacities for transparent polyamides in Marl

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Production expansion is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2020. The project will double the specialty chemicals company’s capacity for its transparent, high-performance materials, as per the company's press release.

“Expanding our capacities for transparent polyamides in Marl is a further step along our long-term growth track for high-performance polymers. This will not only strengthen our market position as a reliable partner and solutions provider for specialty applications, but at the same time we will also be creating an important latitude for developing new products,” says Dr. Ralf Dussel, Head of the High Performance Polymers Business Line at Evonik.

The company will be expanding its TROGAMID® CX production in part through targeted debottlenecking efforts, in part through comprehensive optimization initiatives undertaken by production management. The plans for the project are complete and implementation has already begun.

“We’ve been observing consistently high demand, especially in the consumer goods segment, for specialized material solutions that combine highest transparency, quality, and design freedom with the best processing characteristics,” says Dr. Iordanis Savvopoulos, Head of Evonik’s Granules & Compounds Product Line. “The additional production capacity will allow us to provide our customers with long-term support for their growth."

For many years, TROGAMID® CX, a transparent polyamide from Evonik, has been a trusted name in the sports, leisure, automotive, and cosmetics industries, as well as in medical technology and in optical applications. As a lens material for sports and ski goggles, the high performance polymer offers crystal-clear visibility, high UV protection and excellent mechanical strength along with resistance to chemical substances such as those contained in skin creams or hair spray. In the automotive area, TROGAMID CX is well known as a decorative material for interior applications that stands out for its high transparency and scratch-resistance.

As MRC reported earlier, Evonik Industries AG combined its isophorone chemistry and epoxy curing agents business in the new Crosslinkers Business Line effective July 1, 2017. The newly formed Business Line, headed by Min Chong, is part of the Resource Efficiency Segment.

Evonik has just recently developed a new polyamide molding compound for optical applications. TROGAMID® myCX high flow offers crystal-clear transparency, excellent wear comfort and high durability along with improved processing capabilities. This unique property profile makes the high-performance polymer a preferred material for high-end lenses and visors, e.g. in sun visors or ski goggles.

Evonik has over 50 years of experience in developing and manufacturing high-performance plastics. The company's comprehensive product portfolio encompasses solutions for virtually any industrial application.
MRC

Trinseo raises April prices of ABS and SAN in Europe

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo, a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, and its affiliate companies in Europe have announced a price increase for all acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (SAN) grades, said the producer in its press release as of 2 April.

Effective April 1, 2019, or as existing contract terms allow, the contract and spot prices for the products listed below rose as follows:

- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR90 per metric ton;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR90 per metric ton.

As MRC informed before, Trinseo last increased its prices for ABS and SAN grades on March 1, 2019. Thus, February prices for the said products grew, as stated below:

- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR70 per metric ton;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR705 per metric ton.

Trinseo is a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber. Trinseo's technology is used by customers in industries such as home appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. Formerly known as Styron, Trinseo completed its renaming process in 1Q 2015. Trinseo had approximately USD4.4 billion in net sales in 2017, with 16 manufacturing sites around the world, and approximately 2,200 employees.
MRC