Nouryon expands capacity for dialkyl peroxide in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Nouryon increased production capacity for dialkyl peroxide at the company’s Ningbo, China site by 25 percent after completing a major expansion project, said Coatingsworld.

The product, branded as Perkadox 14, is essential in the manufacture of many elastomer-based products, ranging from sports goods to industrial wires and cables.

“Demand for Perkadox 14 in Asia and worldwide is on the rise because it has less odor compared to other organic peroxides on the market, which is ideal for consumer products such as athletic shoe soles and yoga mats,” said Markus Majoor, global market segment lead at Nouryon. “We manufacture a significant share of the dialkyl peroxide that is used in the market today, and through this expansion, we are ready to meet growing customer demand and strengthen our leadership position.”

“Since 2018, we have invested more than €100 million to build organic peroxides production capacity across the globe, and as a global leader we’ll continue to invest in expanding our operations to maintain our world-class level of customer service," added Johan Landfors, managing director Polymer Chemistry at Nouryon.

As MRC informed earlier, Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals) will license its innovative continuous initiator dosing (CiD) technology to Karpatnaftochim, Ukraine’s largest polyvinyl chloride (PVC) producer/
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Nghi Son Refinery & Petrochemical has shut its Polypropylene (PP) unit owing to technical issues, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Vietnam informed that the company has undertaken an unplanned shutdown at its unit on June 21, 2019. The exact duration of the shutdown could not be ascertained.

Located at Nghi son, Vietnam, the PP unit has a production capacity of 400,000 mt/year.

As MRC reported earlier, Vietnam’s Nghi Son oil refinery officially begun commercial production from 14 November 2018, following months of tests, Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical LLC said in a statement, while a source at the refinery told Reuters the refinery was operating smoothly. The USD9 billion refinery is 35.1 percent owned by Japan’s Idemitsu Kosan Co, 35.1 percent by Kuwait Petroleum, 25.1 percent by PetroVietnam and 4.7 percent by Mitsui Chemicals Inc.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Greenkote PLC introduced its newest licensee, Elettroplast S.r.l., who will be providing Greenkote coating services and equipment for all of Italy, as per Coatingsworld.

Elettroplast is based in Brescia, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy.

“Elettroplast has been providing quality surface enhancement for many years, and they are respected by a significant base of customers across Italy, Europe, and around the world," Greenkote CEO Mark Gore said.

“Elettroplast's connection with Greenkote began through a project we worked on with Cromatura Cassanese and the University of Brescia,” Elettroplast CEO Gian Franco Donina said. “As part of that program, funded by the region of Lombardy, we built a coating system specifically to evaluate Greenkote. And when we saw its performance first-hand, we definitely wanted to add Greenkote to our capabilities at Elettroplast.”

“It is particularly appropriate that a new Greenkote facility should be based in Brescia,” added Gianluca Donina, manager of the Greenkote operation at Elettroplast. “This area has long been known for its iron, steel and rubber industries; and one special Greenkote advantage is the unique microroughness of its surface, which enhances bonding between metal and rubber parts.”

Elettroplast now operates a complete Greenkote coating system, enabling them to provide a range of coating services for customers. The company has already begun accepting orders. In addition to coating services, Elettroplast is also able to supply all the equipment needed by companies who may wish to add Greenkote coating processes within their own facilities.

Greenkote is a proprietary family of high-performance zinc-based anti-corrosion coatings that can be applied to ferrous metals and alloys by a patented thermal diffusion process for a broad range of applications.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- The alkylation unit involved in a massive fire on Friday at Philadelphia Energy Solutions Inc's oil refinery has been completely destroyed, which will hamper the supply of gasoline from the US East Coast's largest refinery, reported Reuters with reference to sources.

The destruction of the unit, coupled with damage from the fire that ripped through the 335,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) refining complex, could force the 200,000 bpd Girard Point section of the two-section complex to remain shut for an extended period.

Major units in the Point Breeze section of the plant were also shut down due to unrelated repairs, sources said.

Even when the Girard Point section restarts, it will run at reduced rates due to the loss of the alkylation unit, two sources told Reuters on Sunday.

It could take several years for the company to rebuild the unit.

The damage will test the resolve and the finances of the struggling refiner, which emerged from bankruptcy roughly a year ago and has embarked on a number of cash-saving measures in recent months. It will also have to contend with growing concern from the local community and public officials over whether it can safely operate amid its financial woes.

The fire, which began in a tank and involved several explosions that sent a huge fireball into the sky, engulfing the surrounding areas in smoke early on Friday morning, was extinguished Saturday afternoon, the Philadelphia Fire Department said on Sunday in a statement.

The gas valve that had been fueling the fire was shut off, and the tank involved in the blaze was isolated, the fire department said.

The department's hazmat unit and Philadelphia's department of public health are continuing to monitor the air quality around the refinery.

A source familiar with plant operations said one explosion occurred at the 30,000 bpd alkylation unit that uses hydrofluoric acid (HF), one of the deadliest chemicals in the refining business and a source of controversy for its use to make high-octane gasoline at refineries located in densely populated areas.

Hydrofluoric acid can form a toxic cloud at room temperature, with exposure leading to severe health problems and even death.

PES confirmed the fire at the alkylation unit has been extinguished and that the company and a third party are monitoring the air quality insider the facility each hour.

Philadelphia Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said in a press conference on Friday that the cause of the fire was unclear.

Federal officials including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board on Monday will begin an investigation into the cause and origin of the fire, according to the fire department statement.

Four workers were injured and treated on-site, according to a company statement, while city emergency workers treated one person, who did not need to go to a hospital.

The fire comes as the company has faced financial headwinds. Philadelphia Energy Solutions emerged from bankruptcy last year, after filing because of the costs of complying with the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard, a 2005 law that requires refiners to either blend biofuels into their product or purchase credits from competitors who do.

The refinery has been financially struggling since then, Reuters has reported.

As MRC informed before, a small fire was burning at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions plant on Saturday, a day after a massive blaze ripped through the largest oil refinery on the US East Coast.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) is in plans to brought on-stream its polypropylene (PP) plant in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source informed that the company is expected to resume operations at the plant in end-June or early-July, 2019. The plant was shut for maintenance in mid-April, 2019.

Located in Mangalore in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, the plant has a PP production capacity of 440,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote before, in June 2015, MRPL successfully commenced commercial production of PP from its polypropylene plant as part of its phase-III refinery expansion and upgradation project in Mangaluru. The plant has a capacity to produce 4,40,000 tonnes of PP per annum. Feedstock for the PP plant - polymer grade propylene - is being produced from upstream petrochemical fluidised catalytic cracking unit of the refinery. Technology provider for the PP plant is Novolen of Germany. The plant has been engineered and constructed by Engineers India Ltd.

Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), is an oil refinery at Mangalore and is a subsidiary of ONGC, set up in 1993. The refinery is located at Katipalla, north from centre of Mangalore city. The refinery was established after displacing five villages of Bala, Kalavar, Kuthetoor, Katipalla, and Adyapadi.
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