SABIC expands post-consumer recycled engineering thermoplastics for consumer electronics and E&E applications

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Responding to calls from major brands in the consumer electronics business and electrics and electronics (E&E) industry as a whole for more sustainable materials, SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, announced that its engineering thermoplastics business is expanding its portfolio of CYCOLOY and LEXAN resins containing high levels of post-consumer recycled material (PCR), as per the company's press release.

Typical applications for the portfolio will include consumer electronics and accessories such as chargers and adapters, printers, copiers and laptop housing.

The new PCR material is blended with the virgin material to create compounds with PCR levels of initially up to 30%. According to an internal SABIC LCA Study, these compounds offer potentially significant reductions in carbon footprint of up to 25% and in energy consumption of up to 30% compared to virgin material.

SABIC hopes to be able to offer materials with PCR content of up to 60% in 2021. The compounds and their properties will be tailored according to different industry requirements.

“The initiative to produce a broader portfolio of engineering thermoplastics with PCR content complements our existing efforts in making base resins from certified renewable feedstock. Together, our circular solutions from our TRUCIRCLE portfolio and services can help to improve plastic recyclability, lower emissions and drive towards closing the loop on used plastic,” said Sergi Monros, Vice President of Performance Polymers & Industry Solutions for Petrochemicals at SABIC. “Our vision of a circular economy requires collaboration across the value chain, and we are committed to working with downstream and upstream partners to drive the transformation needed.”

The extended range of materials will contain PCR polycarbonate coming from applications such as five-gallon water bottles and optical media. “Such products are made with clear polycarbonate, and they are easy to obtain, sort and clean,” continued Monros. “We are also investigating use of PCR polycarbonate from end of life automotive applications such as head-lights and dashboards.”

Within the expanded portfolio, SABIC will also develop materials to meet the various needs of different players in the market, grades with different levels of flame retardance, reaching up to 5VB @ 1.5 mm, targeting various business equipment applications and electrical applications such as internal components. The company will also offer grades with PCR content for applications that require good clarity. The new portfolio will therefore encompass both unfilled grades and grades containing filler.

SABIC has set very strict requirements on the quality of the incoming PCR material, which it will acquire by partnering with approved suppliers who will source feedstock from around the world. SABIC will obtain the PCR material in ready-to-process granular form, to be compliant with China’s policies on plastics waste.

The new PCR materials form part of SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio and services, which showcases the company’s circular innovations and can help to provide manufacturers with access to more sustainable materials. In doing so, SABIC aims to help manufacturers give the end-consumer more confidence about buying products with the knowledge that the material can be recycled and repurposed, or that it has been produced in a way that can help protect our planet’s natural resources. The TRUCIRCLE portfolio spans design for recyclability, mechanically recycled products, certified circular products from feedstock recycling of used plastic and certified renewables products from bio-based feedstock.

As MRC informed previously, in early November, 2020, SABIC announced that BOPP film based on the company’s certified circular PP from feedstock recycling of used plastics will be introduced in primary pet food brand packaging by Mars.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 880,130 tonnes in the nine months of 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports plus imports, exluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) ranks among the world's top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world's market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
MRC

Venture Global LNG awards KBR EPC contract

Venture Global LNG awards KBR EPC contract

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Venture Global LNG announces that KBR has been awarded the EPC contract as lead contractor for Phase 1 of the Plaquemines LNG export project currently under development in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

KBR will integrate highly modularized, owner-furnished equipment for the 10 MMtpy nameplate facility, identical to the systems being successfully delivered and installed at Venture Global LNG’s Calcasieu Pass project.

Mike Sabel, executive co-chairman and CEO stated, “KBR has an exceptional record in the LNG industry, having designed and delivered approximately a third of the liquefaction capacity worldwide. They recognize that our innovation of mid-scale, modular trains manufactured in a factory setting and delivered complete to site is revolutionizing this industry. Plaquemines LNG will deploy Venture Global’s liquefaction trains 19 through 36, identical to the 18 trains currently being fabricated and delivered to our Calcasieu Pass LNG project. This contract with KBR will allow us to bring a second world-class, mechanically complete LNG production facility to the market, on our schedule and budget."

Executive co-chairman Bob Pender added, “KBR brings more than a century of global experience to the Plaquemines LNG project and shares our commitment to on-time, on-budget execution and the safest possible work environment for our employees and partners. As we approach the commencement of early site works for Plaquemines LNG, we are excited to use the experience gained at Calcasieu Pass – where we are already connecting our first liquefaction trains – to further improve upon the successful approach we’ve developed."

The Plaquemines LNG project has received all required regulatory approvals and has signed binding 20-year offtake agreements with PGNiG (2.5 MMtpy) and EDF (1 MMtpy) for (3.5 MMtpy) of the project’s capacity.

As MRC informed earlier, KBR and Johnson Matthey (JM), announced that they have signed an alliance agreement to license a groundbreaking ammonia-methanol co-production process that combines their market-leading ammonia and methanol technologies.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,594,510 tonnes in the first nine months of 2020, up by 1% year on year. Only high denstiy polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 880,130 tonnes in the nine months of 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.

KBR is a global provider of differentiated professional services and solutions across the asset and program life cycle within the government services and technology sectors. KBR employs approximately 28,000 people worldwide with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries. KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, and long- term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver.
MRC

ACC chemical activity barometer continues to rise

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The ACC’s Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB) for November showed continued economic recovery in the US, with the three-month moving average (3MMA) rising 0.8% sequentially, versus a 1.0% gain in October and a 1.5% gain in September. The figure last declined in May, reported Chemweek.

Year-over-year (YOY), the October 3MMA CAB declined 2.4%.

Production-related indicators were positive in November, says ACC: “Trends in construction-related resins, pigments and related performance chemistry were mixed. Resins and chemistry used in light vehicles and other durable goods were strong. Gains in plastic resins used in packaging and for consumer and institutional applications were positive. Performance chemistry for industry rebounded and US exports were mixed.”

Equity prices rebounded, ACC adds, and product and input prices were positive. Inventory and other supply chain indicators were also positive.

The CAB provides an indicator of overall economic activity with a lead of 2-14 months.

As MRC wrote before, CAB, a leading economic indicator and composite of industry activity, rose 0.9% in October on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis. This is significantly smaller than the 1.5% increase in September, and a 2.6% gain in August, indicating a continued economic recovery, albeit at a slower pace.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,594,510 tonnes in the first nine months of 2020, up by 1% year on year. Only high density polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 880,130 tonnes in the nine months of 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports plus imports, exluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.
MRC

COVID-19 - News digest as of 24.11.2020

1. Japan oil refiners chief expects gasoline demand to fall and OPEC+ to delay plan to boost output

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sugimori, who chairs Japan's biggest oil refiner Eneos Holdings Inc, said that Japan's gasoline demand may fall deeper again in December and January due to the recent surge in the COVID-19 infections, reported Reuters. Japanese gasoline demand is expected to decline only by 2% in November from a year earlier. But the drop may expand to as much as 9% in December-January, he said, matching the fall seen in August when the number of coronavirus cases spiked. The head of the Petroleum Association of Japan (PAJ) said on Friday he expects a grouping of OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, will likely delay a plan to boost output in January and stick to existing curbs of 7.7 million barrels per day (bpd). "Given the weaker oil demand amid the resurgence of COVID-19 infections, OPEC+ is likely to keep the current curbs ... after January," Tsutomu Sugimori, president of PAJ, told a news conference.


MRC

Siemens, Deutsche Bahn launch local hydrogen trains trial

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Siemens Mobility and Deutsche Bahn have started developing hydrogen-powered fuel cell trains and a filling station which will be trialed in 2024 with view to replace diesel engines on German local rail networks, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The prototype, to be built by Siemens, is based on electric railcar Mireo Plus which will be equipped with fuel cells to turn hydrogen and oxygen into electricity on board, and with a battery, both companies said. Siemens mobility chief executive Michael Peter told Reuters the train combined the possibility to be fed by three sources in a modular system - either by the battery, the fuel cell or even existing overhead lines, depending on where it would run.

German railway operator Deutsche Bahn has not electrified 40% of its 33,000 kilometer (km) long network, on which it runs 1,300 fossil-fuel emitting diesel locomotives. Rail transport must be decarbonized over the long-term under European Union and national climate targets.

"Our hydrogen trains are able to replace diesel-fueled trains in the long term," Peter said. The new prototype will be fueled within 15 minutes, have a range of 600 km and a top speed of 160 km/hour. It will be tested between Tuebingen, Horb and Pforzheim in Baden Wuerttemberg state.

The main target market are operators of regional networks that typically re-order lots of 10 to 50 trains, Peter said. "We see a market potential of 10,000-15,000 trains in Europe that will need to be replaced over the next 10-15 years, with 3,000 alone in Germany," he said.

Each train will cost between five and 10 million euros (USD5.9-USD11.9 million), creating a market potential of 50-150 billion euros overall. The Berlin government expects green hydrogen to become competitive with fossil fuels over the long term and to play a key role in decarbonizing industry, heating and transport.

As MRC informed earlier, the downstream oil and gas industry is under intense pressure to improve efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, comply with strict environmental regulations, and demonstrate that it can be part of a sustainable future. At the same time, plant operators face the ever-present challenge of lowering costs and maintaining profitable operations.

As MRC informed earlier, in late October, 2020, Siemens Smart Infrastructure and WUN H2 GmbH signed a contract to build one of the largest hydrogen production plants in Germany. It will be built in Wunsiedel in the north of Bavaria. With a power intake of six megawatts in the initial development phase, the plant will run solely on renewable energy and will be CO2-free. The electrolysis plant from Siemens Energy will have the capacity to produce over 900 tons of hydrogen per year in this first phase. When fully expanded, it will be able to supply up to 2,000 tons. Groundbreaking is scheduled for the end of this year and commissioning at the end of 2021.

We remind that in mid-October, 2020, Linde GmbH and Shell announced an exclusive collaboration agreement on ethane-oxidative dehydrogenation (E-ODH) technology for ethylene production. The catalytic process is an alternative route to ethane steam cracking, offering the potential of economic advantages, acetic acid co-production and significantly lower overall carbon footprint through electrification of power input.

Ethylene is the main feedstock for the production of polyethylene (PE).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,594,510 tonnes in the first nine months of 2020, up by 1% year on year. Only high denstiy polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased.
MRC