Sinopec Guangzhou Petrochemical to restart No. 1 PP line in China in early November

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sinopec Guangzhou Petrochemical, part of China's petrochemical giant - Sinopec, is expected to bring on-line its No. 1 PP unit after maintenance in early November 2019, reported CommoPlast with reference to market sources.

Based in Guangzhou, China, this unit's production capacity is 140,000 tons/year. This is the old PP line. The company also operates a new No. 2 PP line at the site with a production capacity of 200,000 tons/year.

Both units were shut down for a turnaround on 9 October 2019.

Meanwhile, its 60,000 tons/year old PP line 2 is still running regularly at the moment.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, the estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 976,790 tonnes in January-September 2019, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation or Sinopec Limited is a Chinese oil and gas company based in Beijing, China. Sinopec's business includes oil and gas exploration, refining, and marketing; production and sales of petrochemicals, chemical fibers, chemical fertilizers, and other chemical products; storage and pipeline transportation of crude oil and natural gas; import, export and import/export agency business of crude oil, natural gas, refined oil products, petrochemicals, and other chemicals.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Material supplier Nova Chemicals Corp. has become the first Canadian-based company to publicly pledge its commitment to Operation Clean Sweep Blue (OSC Blue) and verify compliance within all program parameters by January 1, 2022, as per Canplastics.

The program is an enhancement to Calgary-based Nova’s ongoing sustainability efforts to further eliminate plastic pellet spills and reduce plastic waste in the environment. OCS Blue is an international product stewardship program aimed at the prevention of plastic pellet, flake, and powder leakage to the environment, and requires enhanced company engagement, transparent reporting, and formal audit. Moving forward, OCS Blue metrics for all Nova’s facilities will be reported in compliance with the program in Nova’s annual Sustainability Report.

Nova has been a partner of Operation Clean Sweep since the early 1990s.

"We know plastic products have great value, making our everyday lives healthier, easier and safer,” Sarah Marshall, Nova’s director of sustainability, said in a statement. “We also agree that plastic waste does not belong in our oceans or the environment. Our commitment to Operation Clean Sweep Blue is another important step toward supporting the plastics circular economy, and creating a world free of plastic pollution, starting with the pellet."

The move is the latest in a series of sustainability initiatives undertaken by Nova. The firm recently joined the Alliance to End Plastic Waste as one of its founding members. The growing group of more than 40 global companies is one of the most comprehensive business consortiums across the entire plastics and consumer goods value chains. The Alliance has pledged more than USD1 billion with a goal of investing USD1.5 billion over five years to help eliminate plastic waste in the environment and especially the oceans.

Nova has also been a strategic partner to global Project STOP initiative since 2018, pledging nearly USD2 million over three years to prevent plastic debris from reaching the ocean.

As it was reported earlier, Nova Chemicals was ordered by a Canadian court to settle CSD1.43 bn (USD1.08 bn) to Dow for the ethylene feedstock dispute between the companies.

We also remind that in January 2017, NOVA Chemicals Corporation, a leading supplier of polyethylene in the Americas, announced the start up of its new world-scale linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) gas phase reactor at its Joffre, Alberta site.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,589,580 tonnes in the first nine months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased.

Nova Chemical is one of the largest world's petrochemical companies, a manufacturer of polyethylene, styrene polymers, monomers, and many other related products.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) – The American Chemistry Council (ACC) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes ended the third quarter on soft note, falling 0.1 percent in September after rising 0.2 percent in August, said Americanchemistry.

Of the 28 specialty chemical segments that ACC monitors, 11 expanded in September, off from 18 in August. Fourteen markets declined in September and three were flat. In September, large market volume gains (1.0 percent and over) occurred only in foundry chemicals. On a sequential basis, diffusion was 45 percent, off from 70 percent in August, but up from 38 percent in July. All changes in the data are reported on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis.

Performance chemistry reflects trends in manufacturing. In the first quarter, specialty chemical market volumes fell and the second quarter was flat. For the third quarter as a whole, volumes fell and were off from fourth quarter 2018 levels.

During September, the overall specialty chemicals volume index was up only 0.3 percent on a year-over-year (Y/Y) 3MMA basis. Year-earlier comparisons have eased after the third quarter of 2018. In September, the index stood at 114.1 percent of its average 2012 levels. This is equivalent to 7.78 billion pounds (3.52 million metric tons). On a Y/Y basis, there were gains in 12 market and functional specialty chemical segments. Compared with last year, volumes were down in 16 segments. On a year-earlier basis, diffusion was 43 percent.

Specialty chemicals are materials manufactured on the basis of the unique performance or function and provide a wide variety of effects on which many other sectors and end-use products rely. They can be individual molecules or mixtures of molecules, known as formulations. The physical and chemical characteristics of the single molecule or mixtures along with the composition of the mixtures influence the performance end product. Market sectors that rely on such products include automobiles, aerospace, agriculture, cosmetics and food, among others.

Specialty chemicals differ from commodity chemicals. They may only have one or two uses, while commodity chemicals may have multiple or different applications for each chemical. Commodity chemicals make up most of the production volume in the global marketplace, while specialty chemicals make up most of the diversity in commerce at any given time and are relatively high value, with greater market growth rates.

This data set is the only timely source of market trends for 28 market and functional specialty chemical segments. Chemistry directly touches over 96 percent of all manufactured goods, and trends in these specialty chemical segments provide a detailed view of trends in manufacturing. The data also shed light on how various consumer end-use markets are performing compared with others in the marketplace.

As MRC informed earlier, the Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), fell 0.4 percent in October on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following stable activity during the third quarter. On a year-over-year (Y/Y) basis, the barometer was off 0.5 percent (3MMA).

As MRC informed earlier, Russia's output of products from polymers rose in September by 5.2% year on year. However, this figure increased by 1.7% year on year in the first nine months of 2019. According to the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, September production of unreinforced and non-combined films was slightly over 107,300 tonnes, compared to 110,000 tonnes a month earlier. Output of films products grew in January-September 2019 by 9.1% year on year to 893,000 tonnes.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SIBUR and Tatneft have closed the sale and purchase of certain production and other assets that to date have been registered in the name of SIBUR Togliatti and Togliattisintez legal entities, said the company.

After the deal, Tatneft intends to further develop the acquired assets in line with its gas and petrochemical strategy, while SIBUR will concentrate efforts on establishing and developing global-scale production of basic polymers, high-potential medium-tonnage products and premium special chemicals.

"Our main focus is on the long-term development of our core business and operational excellence,” said Pavel Lyakhovich, member of the Management Board and Managing Director at SIBUR. “At the same time, we will continue to cooperate with the Togliatti-based companies as partners."

As it was infortmed earlier, SIBUR Holding's Biaxplen has purchased a 50% stake in Manucor SpA, an Italy-based biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films maker. Under the deal, Manucor and Biaxplen will share their greatest practices in terms of sales and marketing, RandD, technical support and production. The transaction is predicted to open new opportunities for Biaxplen in Europe.

Besides, in October 2019,, ZapSibNeftekhim affiliate produced the first batch of polyethylene (PE) granules using its own ethylene feedstock at its Tobolsk complex in Siberia. Earlier this year, ZapSib produced a test batch of PE from imported feedstock, "while today the process is running smoothly using our own feedstock," SIBUR said. Commissioning and start-up are "well under way", and after ramping up to its full capacity, the petrochemical facility will produce 1.5m tonnes/year of PE - making ZapSib’s Tobolsk project Russia’s largest polymer production facility.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,436,390 tonnes in the first eight months of 2019, up by 9% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, the PP consumption in the Russian market was 909,260 tonnes in January-August 2019, up by 10% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.

PAO SIBUR Holding is the largest petrochemical company in Russia and Eastern Europe with full coverage of the industry cycle from gas processing, production of monomers, plastics and synthetic rubbers to plastics processing.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- JG Summit Petrochemical, a major petrochemical producer in the Philippines, is expected to restart its polyethylene (PE) unit at Batangas after maintenance in late November, reported NCT with reference to market sources.

The turnaround at this facility began on 6 October, 2019.

The company produces 325,000 tons/year of high density polyethylene (HDPE)/linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) at its facility.

As MRC wrote previously, in November 2017, JG Summit Olefins Corp. awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract to Posco Engineering & Construction to expand an existing naphtha cracker and build a hydrogenation unit in Simlong, Batangas, Philippines.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,589,580 tonnes in the first nine months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased.
MRC