Clariant to expand MA catalysts production in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant, a focused and innovative specialty chemical company, today announced it will significantly expand the capacity of its catalysts production facility in Panjin, Liaoning province, Northeast China, said the company.

A double-digit CHF million investment will further optimize the existing facility and enable the creation of a new state-of-the-art production line for Clariant’s SynDane maleic anhydride (MA) catalyst.

"This investment supports Clariant’s strategy of focusing on its core high-value specialty businesses to intensify growth. Asia-Pacific, and especially China, is a main growth market and therefore it is vital that we continue to enhance our presence and customer proximity," said Hans Bohnen, Clariant's Chief Operating Officer.

The ambitious project will allow Clariant to enable its customers to meet the dynamically growing global demand for MA, as production is expected to jump from 1.75 million tons in 2018 to 2.07 million tons in 2022[1]. MA is a fundamental component of polymers and coatings used in the construction, automotive, marine, and energy industries.

Stefan Heuser, Senior Vice President & General Manager Business Unit Catalysts at Clariant, commented on the development: “With a high-performance MA catalyst range and extensive R&D investment, Clariant is well positioned to support MA producers globally. The expansion of our catalyst production in Panjin will further strengthen our leading role in this market."

Clariant’s SynDane catalysts are optimized for cost-efficient MA production via selective oxidation of n-butane in fixed-bed tubular reactors. Thanks to their innovative microstructure and chemical composition, they offer superior yield, selectivity and operating stability. This greatly reduces the formation of by-products (such as acrylic acid and acetic acid) as well as their downstream polymerization, thus minimizing downtime for equipment.

Since 2007, Clariant has produced SynDane MA catalysts at the Panjin plant as a joint venture with North Huajin Chemical Industries Group Corporation, one of China’s leading petrochemical companies. The sophisticated production site in Panjin engages more than 140 employees in manufacturing catalysts and adsorbents for the production of butane-based maleic anhydride, ammonia, hydrogen, and methanol, as well as other applications.

MA is a fundamental component of polymers and coatings used in the construction, automotive, marine, and energy industries.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- MFG Chemical, a global leader in specialty and custom chemical manufacturing has successfully renewed its ISO 9001:2015 Certifications at each of its three Dalton, Georgia facilities, reported Hydrocarbonprocessing.

MFG was one of the first chemical companies to achieve ISO 9001: 2015 certification in October of 2016, and has now been audited and certified four times.

ISO 9001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system (QMS). Organizations use the standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements. ISO 9001 is based on the plan-to-check-act methodology and provides a process-oriented approach to documentation and reviewing the activities. As part of the ISO9001:2015 certification process, MFG Chemical engaged in a rigorous audit of its business processes, as well as its product quality environments. By maintaining this level of certification MFG Chemical demonstrates a quality management system and continuous improvement of its products and services.

MFG President & CEO Keith Arnold, commented, "We are proud to have our Dalton plants certified for the fourth time, and we plan to achieve the same ISO 9001: 2015 Certification at our recently upgraded Pasadena, Texas plant."
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Chevron Phillips Chemical announces that Gary Piana, plant manager in Pasadena, Texas, will be transitioning to a new role as plant manager in Baytown, Texas, said Bicmagazine.

Chad Jennings, olefins technical manager at the company’s corporate office in The Woodlands, Texas, has accepted the position as plant manager in Pasadena, Texas.

Having spent the last three years as Pasadena’s plant manager, Piana is leaving the facility with the best safety and environmental record its achieved in decades. Known for his active roles in the Pasadena community, Piana will remain chairman of the board of directors of the East Harris County Manufacturers Association until his term expires; however, he will resign from the board of directors of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and the chamber’s legislative affairs committee.


“We’d like to thank Gary for the leadership he has shown in the community during these past three years,” said Bryan Canfield, vice president of manufacturing at Chevron Phillips Chemical. “Our relationships in the Pasadena area are very important to us and Gary has made that a top priority."

Prior to his current appointment, Jennings served as plant manager for Ras Laffan Olefins Company in Qatar, operations manager for S-Chem Jubail Chevron Phillips in Saudi Arabia, and then assumed the role of turnaround manager, where he led the maintenance and contract organization of more than 2,500 contractors. Jennings also has held various engineering and superintendent positions at the company’s Sweeny/Old Ocean facilities in Brazoria County.

Jennings has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Tennessee Tech University. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Susanne, and their children, Sydney and Ethan. They enjoy church activities, traveling, and supporting their children in sports and music pursuits.

After his transition into his new role, Jennings will serve on the board of directors of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and attend the Pasadena Community Advisory Committee meetings on behalf of Chevron Phillips Chemical’s Pasadena Plastics Complex.

As MRC informed earlier, Chevron Phillips restarted tail gas compressors at its 1.725 million tonne/year ethylene/propylene plant in Cedar Bayou, Texas, US. The shutdown on 29 September resulted in two days of emissions. The unit has returned to normal operation.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polyprolypele (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,255,800 tonnes in the first seven months of 2019, up by 9% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, the estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 796,120 tonnes in January-July 2019, up by 11% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC)--Helm will increase the volume of propylene it markets from the PCK refinery at Schwedt in Germany by more than 100,000 tonnes from 1 January, said the company.

An additional shareholder of PCK Schwedt had awarded Helm with the “exclusive marketing and logistic services from one of the most modern refineries in Europe”.

Benjamin Kraatz, head of the propylene department at Helm AG, said: “We are very pleased with this development. The increase in volume will further strengthen our reliability and flexibility towards our partners. Thanks to Helm's excellent logistics and supply chain coordination, we are well equipped to provide the best possible service to our suppliers and customers.”

In January 2019, Helm started to market a “major share” of propylene produced from Rosneft’s German refineries, of which the PCK Schwedt refinery is one. The others are the MIRO refinery in Karlsruhe and the Bayernoil refinery in Vohburg.

Propylene is the main feedstock for producing polyprolypele (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, the estimated consumption of PP in the Russian market totalled 694,210 tonnes in January-June 2019, up by 14% year on year. The supply of propylene block copolymers (PP-block) and propylene homopolymers (PP-homo) increased.

Helm AG is a Hamburg, Germany based family company established in 1900. HELM is one of the world’s largest chemicals marketing companies. The Company secures access to the world’s key markets through its specific regional knowledge and over 100 branches, sales offices and participations in over 30 countries. As a multifunctional marketing organization HELM is active in the chemicals industry (Feedstocks and Derivatives), in the crop protection industry, in active pharmaceutical ingredients, pharmaceuticals and in the fertilizer industry. Helm AG has a total of 1,521 employees.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lotte Chemical Titan has take off-stream its polypropylene (PP) plant for a turnaround, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Malaysia informed that the company has undertaken a planned shutdown at the plant on October 2, 2019. The plant is slated to remain shut for around two weeks.

Located at Pasir Gudang, Malaysia, the PP plant has a production capacity of 200,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote before, in September 2018, Lotte Chemical Titan successfully began commercial operations at its new PP plant in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia. The 200,000-t/y facility is known as PP3. The cost of the project was not given.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, the estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 796,120 tonnes in January-July 2019, up by 11% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.

Lotte Chemical Titan produces Malaysia's most comprehensive portfolio of olefins and polyolefins which contribute to the enhancement of everyday life. Lotte Chemical Titan's production site in Malaysia consists of eleven process facilities, two co-generation plants and three tank farms. They are located on 2 sites in Pasir Gudang and Tanjung Langsat in the state of Johor. In 2006, Lotte Chemical Titan acquired PT Lotte Chemical Titan Nusantara, Indonesia’s first and largest polyethylene plant in the country. This acquisition boosted the polyolefins capacity by approximately 50%, thus making the company one of the largest producers in South East Asia. Lotte Chemical Titan was acquired by Lotte Chemical Corp., forming part of the Lotte conglomerate of Korea, in 2010. The company thus became one of Lotte Chemical Corp.’s largest overseas subsidiaries.
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