MOSCOW (MRC) -- Borealis (Vienna, Austria) has launched a range of circular polyolefin products produced using renewable feedstock derived from waste and residue streams, reported Chemweek.
The company says the alternative to conventional fossil fuel-based feedstocks can help its customers lower their own carbon footprint for products including hygiene and food-contact applications. While fossil fuel-based feedstocks “will continue to be a mainstay of international Borealis polyolefins production operations, significant strides have been made towards the use of more sustainable feedstocks in large-scale commercial manufacture,” it says. Borealis began producing polypropylene (PP) in March this year based on renewably-sourced feedstocks, such as Neste-produced renewable propane, at its manufacturing facilities in Kallo and Beringen, Belgium.
The renewably sourced feedstocks for the new plastic products are derived from waste sources including vegetable oil production, oil waste and residues, the timber industry, and the food industry, Borealis says. The entire range has also been certified using the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification Plus system, which ensures the traceability of sustainably sourced feedstock from its point of origin through the entire chain of custody, it adds.
As MRC wrote previously, the light-feed 625,000-metric tons/year Borealis steam cracker at Stenungsund, Sweden, is expected to restart operations in the fourth quarter this year after a fire broke out at the plant in May, 2020. The cracker has been under force majeure for almost four months after the blaze at the plant on 10 May, which was subsequently brought under control the following day.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall PE production totalled 1,712,400 tonnes in the first seven months of 2020, up by 58% year on year. Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) accounted for the greatest increase in the output. At the same time, overall PP production in Russia increased in January-July 2020 by 24% year on year to 1,063,700 tonne. ZapSibNeftekhim accounted for the main increase in the output.
Borealis is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. With headquarters in Vienna, Austria, Borealis currently employs around 6,500 and operates in over 120 countries.
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