Dow to scale PE production based renewable naphta

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The US-based producer Dow announced the commercialization of a plastics packaging made from a bio-based renewable feedstock, said Nctww.

In partnership with UPM Biofuels, a Finland-based advanced biofuels producer, Dow is now planning to scale its bio-based PE production and address the increasing global demand for renewable plastics.

Dow has been successfully using the wood-based renewable provided by UPM BioVerno as feedstock to produce bio-based PE at its facility in Terneuzen, the Netherlands.

As MRC informed earlier, Dow Chemical began major maintenance on the LHC 1 cracker at Terneuzen, Netherlands from 9 September.

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

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Customers who rely on super-accurate and effortless color matching and retrieval can now take advantage of three new digital tools for the industrial sector introduced by AkzoNobel, said Coatingsworld.

They all work with the Salcomix system, an on-site facility which enables customers to mix paint on-demand with superior color accuracy.

The trio includes Salcomix PaintFinder Cloud (which provides remote access to more than 600,000 color formulations); the high-end Automatchic Vision measuring device; and the ColorFinder, a color-matching system which works via a dedicated app.

Salcomix is designed for small and medium batch sizes and is used in a variety of industrial applications, including agriculture, construction, and earth-moving machinery and equipment.

"We put a lot of effort into improving our products, but we’re also focused on going beyond the coatings themselves when it comes to providing digital innovations that benefit our customers," said Daniela Vlad, managing director of AkzoNobel Powder Coatings, which includes the Salcomix brand.

Salcomix PaintFinder Cloud is based on an existing web-based solution used by other AkzoNobel businesses. Accessible from anywhere, it enables color formulations to be uploaded and accessed immediately.

“One of the many great things about Salcomix PaintFinder Cloud is that it’s fast, requires no local installation of software and is always up-to-date,” said Tomasz Kluczewski, regional commercial director for Powder Coatings, North Europe. “So within minutes of us developing a new color formula in one product line, it’s already globally available for around 19 different Salcomix product lines. That’s the kind of service we’re looking to offer our customers by using the latest technology.”

Automatchic Vision is a premium hand-held device offering the highest standards in supremely accurate color matching. It’s particularly suited to creating special colors for designer furniture, vases, lamps, architectural facades and any application that requires high design standards.

The ColorFinder system is a smaller, hand-held device which scans colors wirelessly via Bluetooth and pairs with an iOS or Android device, enabling users to instantly search for the right color match.

“Efficiency, convenience and right-first-time color matching are vital in helping our customers to build a competitive advantage and improve the speed of service,” said Kluczewski, who adds that the initial launch is underway in Europe. “I’m sure these digital tools will help to make a difference.”

The Salcomix portfolio includes easy-to-apply topcoats and primers in a range of technologies for various substrates, including steel, aluminum, zinc and plastics.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF will expand the capacity of ethylene oxide and ethylene oxide derivatives at its Verbund site in Antwerp, Belgium, said the company.

The total investment adds about 400 000 tpy to BASF’s production capacity for the corresponding products with an expected investment amount exceeding EUR500 million. “This significant capacity expansion will enable BASF to support the continuous growth of customers in Europe,” says Hartwig Michels, President Petrochemicals, BASF. The sequential start-up is expected to begin in 2022. The expansion comprises an investment in a second world-scale ethylene oxide line, including capacity for purified ethylene oxide.

Additional investments in several ethylene oxide derivatives plants are part of the project and will be pursued in line with the ethylene oxide expansion. These derivatives include non-ionic surfactants, glycol ethers for automotive applications, and various other downstream alkoxylates. “This expansion will benefit our customers by significantly enhancing the supply of our industry leading portfolio of alkoxylates,” says Ralph Schweens, President Care Chemicals, BASF. “The increase of our methyl triglycol capacity enables us to support the growing demand for high-performance brake fluids in Europe and Asia. The increasing number of automated cars, relying on systems such as cruise and distance control, requires brake fluids that perform well – even under tough conditions,” explains Anup Kothari, President Performance Chemicals, BASF.

It was earlier said, in Europe, BASF currently operates ethylene oxide plants in Antwerp and Ludwigshafen with a combined capacity of 845 000 tpy. The company is the largest producer of ethylene oxide derivatives in the region. Major ethylene oxide derivatives are non-ionic surfactants, ethanol amines, glycol ethers, polyether polyols and other specialty products used in a wide range of industries such as home and personal care, industrial applications and the automotive industry.

In September 2019, SIBUR, the largest petrochemical comples in Russia and Eastern Europe, and BASF, Geman petrochemical major, agreed to closely cooperate on sustainable development to share their best practices.

Ethylene is a feedstock for producing polyethylene (PE).

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.

BASF is the leading chemical company. It produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Imports of injection moulded PET chips to the Russian market in August decreased by 20% compared to August 2018 and amounted to 8,900 tonnes (excluding supplies from Belarus), according to MRC DataScope.
Nevertheless, the total volume of imports of bottle grade PET grew by 26% to 105,400 tonnes in January-August of this year against 84,000 tonnes in the same period last year.

As it was earlier said, supply of imported material in July decreased by 7% compared to July 2018 and amounted to 15,580 tonnes of PET.

Imports of PET to Russia increased to 117,840 tonnes in seven months of 2019, up 19% year on year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - MOL Petrochemicals Company (formerly known as TVK, part of the MOL Group), the only Hungarian producer of olefins and polyolefins, on 23 September announced force majeure on the supply of polypropylene (PP) from plant No. 4 at the petrochemical complex in Tiszaujvaros (Tiszaujvaros, Hungary), said Nctww.

No details were disclosed regarding the reason or the duration of the force majeure. This enterprise with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes/year was closed for unscheduled repairs on 20 September for unknown reasons.

According to the company’s website, MOL’s total PP production capacity is 535,000 tonnes/year.

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.

MOL Hungarian Oil and Gas PLC is an integrated oil and gas company. The Company produces crude oil, petroleum products, bitumens, lubricants and natural gas. MOL owns and operates refineries, oil and gas pipelines, service stations, and natural gas storage facilities.
MRC