MOSCOW (MRC) -- Dow Chemical began major maintenance on the LHC 1 cracker at Terneuzen, Netherlands from 9 September, said the company on its web-site.
More than 1,500 extra employees from various external companies will carry out maintenance work in the subsequent period.
LHC stands for Light Hydro Carbons, or hydrocarbons. The cracker splits naphtha - a derivative of crude oil - into hydrocarbons such as ethylene and propylene. These are the raw materials for the other Dow factories that make chemicals and plastics from them. Together with two other naphtha crackers, LHC 1 forms the heart of the Terneuzen Dow site.
The maintenance stop is expected to create extra traffic. Together with the Terneuzen Municipality, the Westerscheldetunnel N.V. and the Water Board, we looked at how to direct traffic to the Dow site as well as possible. The Wevelswaaldijk is open to traffic in the morning and evening rush hour.
In order to stop the cracker from the beginning of September and to restart it safely later, the use of the torch installation is necessary. The flame of the torch can be accompanied by a humming sound and a bright glow. Dow will also keep the environment up-to-date via the social media channels about the flares.
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.
Dow believes that plastic waste has value and can be transformed into new products and energy. In addition to plastic roads, Dow is working with key partners in South America to use recycled plastics to develop construction materials for schools in Colombia. Dow is also at the forefront of developing and scaling chemical recycling technology to take recycled plastic waste back to feedstock for the creation of new products. By reimagining new ways to reuse, recycle and repurpose plastic waste, Dow and its partners are leading the way in the development of innovative circular economy solutions.
MRC