Arkema inaugurated a solar power plant in France

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Michael COUDYSER, CEO of Corsica Sole, an innovator in photovoltaics, and Pascal MILLET,
Director of the Arkema plant in Saint-Auban, has inaugurated a solar power plant within this plant, in the
presence of Rene MASSETTE, President of the Departmental Council of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, said the company.

With a power of 10 MWp, its annual production will be equal to 19 GWh. It covers 10 of the 51 hectares of the
plant, itself specialized in the production of solvents for the manufacture of fluoropolymers. The Saint-Auban
site has the special feature of being fully located within the perimeter of an operating Seveso-classified
industrial site.

Much of the industrial brownfield land at the plant has been repurposed in this way, solar power offering it a
second, more environmentally friendly, life. This contaminated land formerly served as the location of solvent
production workshops.

The energy produced is used for local consumption to power the operation of the Arkema plant. This
environmentally fragile industrial site thus becomes a driver of clean solutions, producing and consuming green
energy.

More generally speaking, this innovative project shows that the operation of Seveso sites offers promising
solutions for dealing with the lack of land in France available for the installation of photovoltaic units.

"This plant,” explains Michael COUDYSER, “is proof of Corsica Sole’s capacity to provide new responses to
complex problems. Innovation is in our DNA. We have already shown this with the opening of the first plant with
energy storage in 2015 in Corsica and construction of the first solar parasol in the world by our subsidiary,
Driv’Eco, in 2016."

For Chantal DEGRENDELE, Environmental Director of Arkema, “this project is part of the sustainable
development and energy transition policy of Arkema. It’s why we supported the Corsica Sole project and
participated actively in its implementation. We are also in charge of maintenance for Corsica Sole. We would like
to build on this experience to implement renewable energy solutions on other sites of the Group.”
Winner of the 2016 call for tenders of the Commission de regulation de l'energie (the French energy regulation
commission), the Saint-Auban plant represents an investment of 13 million euros with a 20-year fixed–rate
power purchase agreement.

MRC

Goodyear Chemical expands ultra high purity dicyclopentadiene capacity

MOSCOW (MRC) – The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced that it has completed the de-bottlenecking of its world-scale Ultra High Purity Dicyclopentadiene (UHP-DCPD) Recovery Unit at its chemical plant in Beaumont, Texas, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The DCPD concentration unit was constructed in late 2016 to purify DCPD up to the 99+ percent purity levels. The Goodyear-Beaumont facility has been refining crude C5s into High Purity Isoprene monomer, Piperylenes and DCPD since the 1970s.

Ultra High Purity DCPD is used in the manufacturing of Reaction Injection Molded poly-DCPD tractor truck fascia, hoods, fenders and air deflectors. It is also used to manufacture specialty chemicals such as time release fertilizer coatings, thermoset electrical circuit boards, aroma chemicals for laundry detergents and antioxidants. UHP-DCPD is also used to make EPDM rubber and ENB, a diene monomer in EPDM.
MRC

Global economy heading for trouble as manufacturing and construction shrink

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Global manufacturing and construction sectors have already entered a downturn; the service sector is all that now stands between the economy and a full-blown recession, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Global manufacturers reported new export orders fell for a 10th month running in June, with the most widespread decline for six years, according to the JPMorgan global purchasing managers survey.

Even in the United States, which has escaped relatively mildly so far from the downturn hitting Europe and Asia, there are now clear signs growth has stalled across the manufacturing and construction industries.

U.S. manufacturers reported only a small increase in activity in June, with the net positive balance the lowest for almost three years, according to the Institute for Supply Management.

U.S. manufacturers’ new orders have been decelerating for more than a year and were flat for the first time since the end of 2015, which suggests activity is likely to slow further in the short term.

Durable goods orders for non-defence capital equipment excluding aircraft were up by just 2.1% in the three months from March to May compared with a year earlier, less than a third of the growth rate a year ago.

Private sector construction activity is falling, with the value of new buildings and structures put in place down by 4.1% in the three months from March to May compared with the same period a year earlier.

Residential construction activity was down by more than 8% year-on-year in the three months from March to May, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Private non-residential construction was still up by 1.5% year-on-year between March and May, but the growth rate has slumped from more than 5% between August and October.
MRC

Venezuela to blend domestic, imported oil to keep exports afloat

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Venezuela will stick to its plan of blending domestic and foreign crude to maintain and even increase oil production and exports in the face of sanctions prohibiting U.S. companies from buying the country's oil, oil minister Manuel Quevedo said, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

State-run oil company PDVSA in June began tests to focus exports almost entirely on the crude grade preferred by some Asian markets, Merey heavy crude, after shipments of oil and refined products fell in May following U.S. sanctions, according to internal documents seen by Reuters.

"Our plan is to recover. We have internal strategies... One of them is to continue blending (to produce) the product we export the most, Merey crude. We will continue blending our own crudes and will also import crude," Quevedo said on the sidelines of a meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC countries in Vienna.

Quevedo said sanctions imposed in late January have affected PDVSA's financial transactions, shipping and procurement, and have delayed a plan to boost Venezuela's crude output by 1 million bpd.

On top of sanctions, power outages in March also knocked down PDVSA's crude output to 400,000 bpd, Quevedo sad, also affecting exports to most PDVSA's customers.

"We have done nothing wrong. We don't deserve to have any country watching over us," he said.

Venezuela's oil exports recovered in June from a sharp drop the month before, helped by increased deliveries to China, which is now state-run oil firm PDVSA's primary destination for its crude, according to company records and Refinitiv Eikon data.

Washington in January imposed the toughest sanctions yet on PDVSA to pressure socialist President Nicolas Maduro to step down, after recognizing the head of congress, Juan Guaido, as the country's legitimate leader.
MRC

Perstorp drives forward project to produce recycled methanol

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Perstorp, a global leader in the specialty chemicals market, will investigate the potential production of recycled methanol, using carbon dioxide and residual streams, at its Swedish facility in Stenungsund, as per the company's press release.

The Swedish Energy Agency (SEA) will partly finance this ambitious feasibility study.

Methanol is one of Perstorp’s major raw materials, used to produce polyols and formates, the building blocks of many consumer goods such as coatings and paints, composite materials, detergents, adhesives, cosmetics and synthetic lubricants. Methanol is also used for Perstorp’s next generation, phthalate free, plasticizer, Pevalen.

Industrially, methanol is mainly produced from fossil materials like natural gas or coal. This project not only aims to reduce process related carbon dioxide emissions but, at the same time, produce a more sustainable, recycled methanol to replace fossil methanol as a raw material in Perstorp?s production. The methanol would for example be used in Perstorp’s renewable, Pro-Environment products and solutions.

Funding from the Swedish Energy Agency is supporting Perstorp to undertake this feasibility study that will evaluate the concept, including: a new plant, the integration of raw materials, fuel, energy and residual streams and new logistical solutions for the methanol.

The methanol project will, if successful, significantly support Perstorp’s strive to contribute to, and be a part of, a sustainable society. In 2017 the company announced its ambition to become Finite Material Neutral which, in part, means shifting from using finite, fossil raw materials to renewable, reused or recycled ones.

Perstorp’s President and CEO, Jan Secher, said, "We have taken on a tough sustainability ambition. This methanol project is a development that supports the growing global demand from end consumers and brand owners for more sustainable products and materials. In the chemical industry, Perstorp is a leader in this transition and we are proud to have the support of the SEA in developing this important and innovative project."

In line with the ambition to become Finite Material Neutral, Perstorp has developed a unique product range of renewable, low carbon footprint Pro-Environment products and solutions. These are based on the same molecules as their fossil equivalents, but produced from renewable or recycled origin. The first products were launched in 2017. Since then the portfolio has extended and production has expanded from Sweden to Germany.

As MRC reported earlier, in December 2017, Perstorp announced world’s first portfolio of renewable alternatives to the essential polyols Pentaerythritol (Penta), Trimethylolpropane (TMP), and Neopentyl glycol (Neo).

Perstorp is one of the world leaders in various sectors of the specialty chemicals market, it's pioneer in formalin chemistry, plastics and surface materials. Perstorp was founded in 1881 and is controlled by PAI partners,a major European private equity company. The company has around 1,500 employees in with 22 production plants in Europe, Asia and North America.
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