Project launched to build green methanol, hydrogen plants in Belgium

MOSCOW (MRC) -- A new EUR140-million (USD166-million) project to produce green methanol and hydrogen at Ghent, Belgium, has been unveiled by a consortium of 10 private- and public-sector partners, said Chemweek.

The ‘North-C-Methanol’ project will be located on the Rodenhuize peninsula at Ghent, part of North Sea Port, which combines the cross-border port facilities of Vlissingen and Terneuzen in the Netherlands, with those at Ghent. Up to 44,000-metric tons/year of renewable methanol is planned to start being produced by 2024 at the large-scale demonstration plant, which will be constructed and operated by Proman Group (Wollerau, Switzerland). Proman says it will be the world’s largest green methanol plant.

This will be supplied with green hydrogen by a second unit, a 65-megawatt (MW) electrolyzer to be built on a site owned by Belgian energy producer Engie and powered by wind. Planned future phases include ramping up electrolyzer capacity to 600 MW in 2030, and introducing additional products such as green ammonia.

The green methanol will be used as feedstock by the chemicals and renewables industries, as well as sustainable fuel for ships and trains, according to the companies in a joint statement. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are expected to be reduced by 140,000 metric tons/year, they say.

Proman’s plant—its first in Europe—will use the hydrogen to convert the collected CO2 emissions of local industrial companies, including Yara, ArcelorMittal, and Alco Biofuel, to renewable methanol. Companies including Oiltanking and Fluxys will provide supporting infrastructure such as storage tanks and pipelines, with Mitsubishi Power to oversee the integration and coordination of the overall construction process.

The project is part of a wider collaboration program called North-CCU-Hub, which aims to reduce CO2 emissions at North Sea Port by 1 million metric tons and implement a circular economy process at the port.

Earlier this month Yara and Danish wind farm developer Orsted also announced a separate plan to produce green ammonia based on renewable hydrogen. Yara aims to produce fertilizer based on the renewable ammonia at its production plant in Sluiskil, Netherlands. A 100-MW wind-powered electrolyzer will be installed at Yara’s Sluiskil site, which will substitute hydrogen sourced from fossil fuels with green hydrogen to produce about 75,000 metric tons/year of renewable ammonia, it says. A final investment decision for the construction of the plant will be made in late 2021 or early 2022, with production starting in 2024 or 2025, the companies say.

As MRC informed earlier, The European Commission has recently presented its 2030 climate target plan, in which it sets out a program to reduce EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared with 1990, despite a call from the European Parliament in September for GHG emissions to be reduced 60% by 2030. The raised target puts the EU on a balanced pathway to reaching climate neutrality by 2050 and underlines the EU's continued global leadership in this area, ahead of the next UN climate conference (COP26).

As MRC informed earlier, in October, 2020, the European Commission adopted the EU's chemicals strategy for sustainability, describing it as the first step towards a zero-pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment announced in the European Green Deal.

We remind that Russia's output of chemical products rose in September 2020 by 6.7% year on year. At the same time, production of basic chemicals increased by 6.1% year on year in the first nine months of 2020, according to Rosstat's data. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, polymers in primary form accounted for the greatest increase in the January-September output. Last month's production of primary polymers decreased to 852,000 tonnes from 888,000 tonnes in August due to shutdowns in Tomsk, Ufa and Kazan. Overall output of polymers in primary form totalled 7,480,000 tonnes over the stated period, up by 16.4% year on year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela has restarted gasoline production at the FCC unit of its 310,000 bpd Cardon refinery, reported Reuters with reference to three people familiar with the matter.

The unit was producing between 15,000 and 20,000 bpd of gasoline, according to union leader Ivan Freites, who said the unit started back up on Wednesday evening. PDVSA earlier in the week began producing at least 25,000 bpd of gasoline at Cardon’s reformer unit.

Cardon is the only refinery currently producing gasoline in Venezuela, a once-prosperous OPEC nation which is suffering severe fuel shortages after years of underinvestment and lack of maintenance at PDVSA’s 1.3 MMbpd refining network. US sanctions also complicate the country’s ability to import fuel.

PDVSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

As MRC informed before, Russian state oil company Rosneft's decision to cease operations in Venezuela and sell its assets there to a Russian government-owned company was a "maneuver" made in reaction to collapsing oil prices, a US State Department official said earlier this year.

We remind that Angarsk Polymers Plant, part of Russian oil giant Rosneft, has resumed its low density polyethylene (LDPE) production after an unscheduled shutdown because of a technical issues at the ethylene unit. The plant"s customers said Angarsk Polymers Plant had brought on-stream its LDPE production by 28 August after the forced shutdown due to technical problems at its ethylene production. And the first shipments of polyethylene (PE) to customers began on 31 August. The outage lasted slightly over two weeks and began on 10 August The plant"s annual production capacity is about 75,000 tonnes.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,496,500 tonnes in the first eight months of 2020, up by 5% year on year. Shipments of all ethylene polymers increased, except for linear low desnity polyethylene (LLDPE). At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 767,2900 tonnes in the eight months of 2020 (calculated using the formula - production minus exports plus imports - and not counting producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.

We also remind that 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.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland) has announced the construction of a new state-of-the-art catalyst production site in China, reported Chemweek.

This project represents a significant investment which further strengthens Clariant’s position in China and enhances its ability to support its customers in the country’s thriving petrochemicals industry.

The new facility will be primarily responsible for producing the Catofin catalyst for propane dehydrogenation, which is used in the production of olefins such as propylene. Thanks to its excellent reliability and productivity, Catofin delivers superior annual production output compared to alternative technologies, resulting in increased overall profitability for propylene producers, says the company. Construction at the Dushan Port Economic Development Zone in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province was scheduled to commence in Q3 2020, and Clariant expects to be at full production capacity by 2022.

“As we have defined the right portfolio for Clariant’s focused growth strategy, it is now vital that we invest in these core high-value specialty businesses, such as catalysts, to put them in the strongest possible market positions. China continues to be a growth market with attractive prospects for Clariant. This investment will be of great benefit to our company’s positioning and customer proximity in the entire region and hence, together with the One Clariant campus, marks another cornerstone of Clariant’s “Fringe to Core” strategy execution”, says Hans Bohnen, chief operating officer at Clariant.

The new plant in Jiaxing will be Clariant Catalysts’ most digitized facility todate, incorporating sophisticated automation systems throughout the production process. Once completed, it will be Clariant’s third catalyst production plant in China. It will strengthen Catalyst’s existing network, which comprises a joint venture facility with the North Huajin Group in Panjin, as well as a fully-owned Clariant facility in Jinshan, Shanghai.

Stefan Heuser, senior vice president and general manager at Clariant Catalysts, expressed the importance of the new facility, stating, “The Jiaxing Catofin plant is a key component of our China strategy and further improves our commitments to the country’s growing PDH market. It is another example of how we continue to strengthen our presence in the region in order to expand our local capacity to meet our customers’ needs.”

China is the world’s leading producer of on-purpose propylene. The nation’s production volume accounts for around 50% of total global capacity and is expected to continue rising by 8% annually, according to a 2019 IHS Markit report. Consequently, the first phase of the new plant will focus on meeting China’s PDH requirements through Catofin production. In the future, Clariant may expand manufacturing capabilities at the site to offer further catalyst technologies relevant to China’s chemical industry.

Catofin is said to be a highly reliable and efficient dehydrogenation catalyst for the production of olefins, such as propylene or isobutylene, from light paraffin feedstocks. The catalyst is used in combination with Clariant’s Heat Generating Material, which further increases the selectivity and yield of production units.

As MRC informed earlier, in May 2020, Clariant’s CATOFIN catalysts was selected by Advanced Global Investment Co. (AGIC), a joint venture between Advanced Petrochemical Company (APC) and SK Group, to build a PDH facility in the Middle East.

Propylene is the main feedstocks for the production of polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 767,2900 tonnes in the eight months of 2020 (calculated using the formula - production minus exports plus imports - and not counting producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.

Clariant AG is a Swiss chemical company and a world leader in the production of specialty chemicals for the textile, printing, mining and metallurgical industries. It is engaged in processing crude oil products in pigments, plastics and paints.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Hexpol (Malmo, Sweden), a polymer compounder, says that its board has appointed Georg Brunstam president and CEO, effective 20 Novembe, said Chemweek.

Brunstam is currently chairman of Hexpol’s board and was Hexpol’s president and CEO during 2007-17, the company says.

The company’s board has also decided to appoint Peter Rosen, currently CFO and interim CEO, to deputy CEO for Hexpol. Meanwhile, Alf Goransson, who has been on the board of Hexpol since 2007, has been proposed as chairman by the nomination committee, Hexpol says.

As MRC informed earlier, Hexpol TPE, which has UK operations in Manchester, has launched a new range of materials intended for cable sheathing applications in such sectors are telecommunications and electricity delivery.

We remind that Russia's output of chemical products rose in September 2020 by 6.7% year on year. At the same time, production of basic chemicals increased by 6.1% year on year in the first nine months of 2020, according to Rosstat's data. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, polymers in primary form accounted for the greatest increase in the January-September output. Last month's production of primary polymers decreased to 852,000 tonnes from 888,000 tonnes in August due to shutdowns in Tomsk, Ufa and Kazan. Overall output of polymers in primary form totalled 7,480,000 tonnes over the stated period, up by 16.4% year on year.

Hexpol is a world-leading polymers group with strong global market positions in advanced polymer compounds (Compounding), gaskets for plate heat exchangers (Gaskets) and wheels made of plastic and rubber materials for forklifts and castor wheel applications (Wheels).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- W. R. Grace & Co. licenses UNIPOL PP process technology to Dongguan Grand Resource for two additional lines. This is part of the continued investment in UNIPOL PP Process Technology lines by DGR, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The first license was signed in 2016. Building additional capacity at the same site will help DGR further optimize costs, shorten construction time, and broaden their product portfolio.

In addition to the process technology license, the collaboration includes a long-term catalyst supply agreement between Grace and DGR, giving DGR the ability to produce a wide variety of resin grades and provide more polypropylene options to their customers.

Grace's all gas-phase UNIPOL PP Process Technology provides the broadest range of polypropylene homopolymers, random copolymers, and impact copolymers in the industry. The process technology, coupled with Grace’s proprietary catalyst and donor systems and the UNIPPAC Advanced Process Control System, allow for maximum performance.

“We are excited to partner with Grace once again and continue to build on our existing relationship. Based on our previous UNIPOL PP technology experience, it was an easy decision to put our trust in Grace,” said Mr. Li Hanchu, general manager of GDR. “We have been pleased with the operability of our existing UNIPOL PP plant and the services and support that Grace has provided over the last several years. Choosing to build additional capacity using the UNIPOL PP Process Technology and using Grace catalysts that have been specifically developed to get the most out of the process, enable us to tap into ongoing technical support to achieve even better results.”

Laura Schwinn, president of Grace’s Specialty Catalysts business, said, “We are extremely pleased that DGR has chosen UNIPOL PP Process Technology as the basis for its continued growth in the polypropylene business. We welcome the trust they have placed in Grace and look forward to helping them succeed as a key regional player. Our process technology, our catalysts, and our global technical services team will improve DGR’s ability to produce leading products and meet growing demand for non-phthalate resins in the Chinese market.”

As MRC informed earlier, in April 2018, W. R. Grace & Co. completed the USD416 million acquisition of the Polyolefin Catalysts business of Albemarle Corporation.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 767,2900 tonnes in the eight months of 2020 (calculated using the formula - production minus exports plus imports - and not counting producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.

A leader in polyolefin catalysts and licensing, Grace has the world’s broadest portfolio of polypropylene and polyethylene catalyst technologies used to produce thermoplastic resins for a variety of applications. A leading innovator and strategic partner to its customers, Grace supplies catalyst solutions for all polyolefin processes, as well as polypropylene process technology and process controls. Grace employs approximately 3,700 people in over 30 countries.
MRC