Biden to name Michael Regan EPA commissioner

MOSCOW (MRC) -- President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Michael Regan, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and former member of the federal government's air quality office, to lead EPA, according to Chemweek with reference to multiple media outlets' reports.

Regan was previously Associate Vice President, US Climate and Energy & Southeast Regional Director and worked in the federal EPA during the Clinton and Bush administrations, reaching National Program Manager of EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards.

ACC president and CEO Chris Jahn congratulated Regan on the appointment. “Our industry looks forward to engaging with him and the dedicated civil servants at the agency to help ensure the nation’s key environmental statutes are administered in a way that protects human health and the environment, especially among the most vulnerable people and places in America,” he says, adding that ACC and its members have “a particular interest” in the full, effective and efficient implementation of the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act as Congress envisioned.

“We look forward to working with Mr. Regan and the Biden Administration as well as other stakeholders to protect human health and the environment while enabling our industry to continue to innovate, create jobs and grow the economy,” Jahn adds.

As MRC wrote before, in October, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a federal strategy for addressing marine litter that includes broad efforts to incentivize recycling and build infrastructure both domestically and overseas. “Internationally, up to 28 billion pounds of waste makes it into our oceans every year, harming marine life and coastal economies,” says EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Marine litter is a top priority for this Administration, and working together with our global partners, we aim to solve the current growing marine litter problem in our shared oceans.” According to EPA, five countries in Asia - China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam - account for over half of the plastic waste input into the ocean. The majority of marine litter comes from land-based sources, such as littering and the mismanagement of waste, and the most effective way to combat marine litter is to prevent and reduce land-based sources of waste from entering the oceans in the first place.

We remind that Braskem has formed first partnership for removing household plastic waste from landfill in Greater Sao Paulo. The partnership forged between Braskem and Tecipar, the Brazilian company specializing in environmental engineering, will avoid some 2,000 tons of plastic waste annually from being discarded in the landfill of Santana do Parnaiba, a city in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo. This volume is equivalent to 36 million units of plastic packaging made from polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The partnership reinforces Braskem's commitment to the Circular Economy and is aligned with the business strategy of the company, which is engaged in supporting the development of the recycling chain and its market.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,760,950 tonnes in the first ten months of 2020, up by 3% year on year. Only high density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 978,870 tonnes in January-October 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports plus imports minus producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively of PP random copolymer increased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The supervisory board of BASF has today appointed Melanie Maas-Brunner as a member of the company’s executive board, effective 1 February 2021, under a wider redistribution of BASF's executive responsibilities, said Chemweek.

She will succeed Wayne Smith, who is leaving the company on 31 May 2021. Maas-Brunner has been with BASF since 1997 and has headed the company’s nutrition and health division since 2017. She will also take over the position of chief technology officer from BASF chairman Martin Brudermuller and assume responsibility for the three research divisions: advanced materials and systems research, bioscience research, and process research and chemical engineering, as well as the BASF New Business operation on 1 February.

Smith has been with BASF for 16 years and been a board member since 2012. He is currently responsible for North America and the monomers, performance materials, petrochemicals, and intermediates divisions, as well as process research and chemical engineering.

Michael Heinz will take over Smith’s responsibilities in North America on 1 June 2021 after a transition period and retain his responsibilities for South America. Maas-Brunner will additionally take over the the European site and Verbund management responsibilities, as well as global engineering services and corporate environmental protection, health, and safety, and the role of industrial relations director from Heinz on the same date.

Effective 1 June, Brudermuller will also be responsible for corporate legal, compliance, tax, and insurance; corporate development; corporate communications and government relations; corporate human resources; and corporate investor relations. BASF vice chairman, CFO, and chief digital officer Hans-Ulrich Engel will additionally be responsible for corporate finance, corporate audit, global business services, global digital services, and global procurement.

BASF’s other board members are Saori Dubourg and Markus Kamieth. From 1 June, Dubourg will be responsible for agricultural solutions, nutrition and health, care chemicals, and Europe. Kamieth will be responsible for dispersions and pigments, catalysts, coatings, and performance chemicals; Greater China, south and east Asia, Asean, and Australia/New Zealand; and mega projects in Asia.

We remind that BASF restarted its No. 1 steam cracker following a maintenance turnaround on September 30, 2019. The plant was shut for maintenance in mid-August, 2019. Located at Ludwigshafen in Germany, the No. 1 cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 235,000 mt/year and a propylene production capacity of 125,000 mt/year.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,760,950 tonnes in the first ten months of 2020, up by 3% year on year. Only high density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 978,870 tonnes in January-October 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports plus imports minus producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively of PP random copolymer 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) -- Global capex spending on renewables is poised to bounce back in 2021, rising 8.5% to USD255 B—in line with 2019 levels, according to Roger Diwan, vice president, financial services and the IHS Markit Energy Advisory Service, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Annual spending is expected to remain at those levels through 2025. This adds up to a USD1.3 T cumulative 2021-2025 spend—a 9% increase over cumulative capex in 2015-2019. At the same time, sharply declining capital costs across renewable technologies mean that just a 9% increase in spending will be associated with a 45% increase in cumulative gross renewable capacity additions in 2021-2025 vs. 2015-2019.

The findings are part of the new IHS Markit Energyview – Climate and Cleantech and Climate and Cleantech Advisory Briefing services. The expected recovery follows a 2020 that saw the renewables sector hit by supply chain disruptions and construction delays stemming from COVID-19 lockdowns and mobility restrictions, among other factors. IHS Markit expects 2020 global non-hydro renewables capex will be USD235 B, down 7% from 2019 levels.

IHS Markit expects the global benchmark capital cost for solar PV (both utility scale and distributed generation) in 2025 to be roughly 40% below 2017 levels. Meanwhile, global benchmark capital costs for onshore wind and offshore wind in 2025 are forecast to be 20% and 15% below 2017 levels, respectively.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) will continue to account for the majority of cumulative global new investment and gross capacity additions in 2021-2025. IHS Markit expects solar PV to account for approximately 54% (nearly USD700 billion) of global cumulative investment in the renewables sector.

Global offshore wind investment will accelerate swiftly during the 2021-2025 period. Cumulative investment of USD170 billion is expected—a nearly threefold increase from cumulative 2015-2019 levels.

Meanwhile, onshore wind capex is forecast to slow, reflecting a deceleration in onshore wind installations globally post-2021. Cumulative investment in offshore wind is expected to be USD320 billion for 2021-2025, down from the 2015-2019 level of nearly USD365 billion.

The overall growth in capex and capacity additions is expected to push combined global wind and solar PV installed capacity beyond that of global installed natural gas-fired capacity in 2023 and installed coal-fired capacity in 2024. In terms of global electricity generation, renewables will rise to an 18% share in 2025, up from 11% in 2019.

As per MRC, Australia has moved into the three most attractive countries in the world for renewables investment for the first time due to rapid solar photovoltaic (PV) deployment, research shows. In a bi-annual index of the top 40 renewable energy markets worldwide by consultancy EY, the United States held on to top spot, followed by China. Australia rose to third place, from fourth in the last ranking in May, while India climbed to fourth from seventh due to record low solar tariff bids and a new target for renewables generation, EY said.

We remind that 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 ever since after the blaze at the plant on 10 May, which was subsequently brought under control the following day.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing PE and PP.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,760,950 tonnes in the first ten months of 2020, up by 3% year on year. Only high density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 978,870 tonnes in January-October 2020 (calculated using the formula: production minus exports plus imports minus producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively of PP random copolymer increased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Agilyx Corporation (AGLX), a pioneer in the advanced recycling of post-use plastics, and A.Eon Holdings Pty Ltd, a market leader in the development of sustainable energy solutions, have announced the initiation of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to evaluate the construction of a 50 ton per day commercial scale plastics to energy facility utilizing Agilyx technology, according to CISION.

This announcement is further progress of Agilyx’s target of 260 tons per day of projects in development by year end 2020.

The planned facility will be located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and will convert mixed waste plastic to Agilyx Synthetic Crude Oil ("ASCO") through Agilyx proprietary advanced plastics recycling technology. The output ASCO would be used by A.Eon to generate electricity for the Victorian State Government’s redeveloped Footscray Hospital project, local industry, as well as to supply peak energy demand. This initial 50 ton per day focus is a starting point, with an option for additional commercial scale facilities to be developed in Australia by A.Eon.

“We are delighted to be working with A.Eon on this truly impactful project,” said Tim Stedman, CEO of Agilyx. “Having an already proven track record in the U.S. converting mixed waste plastics to ASCO, we are looking forward to replicating this for A.Eon in Australia.”

“An exciting start to a great partnership,” said Andrew Lawson, A.Eon’s Managing Director. “A.Eon is pleased to be working with Agilyx. We look forward to seeing this project come to fruition, which will see up to 20,000 tons of waste plastic diverted from landfill and converted into more than 60,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year.”

As MRC reported before, earlier this month, Agilyx Corp., Tigard, Oregon, and Toyo Styrene Co. Ltd., a Toyko-based affiliate of Denka Co. Ltd., announced they are 30% complete with the final phase of developing the front-end loading design to deploy Agilyx's technology near Toyo Styrene’s facility in the Chiba prefecture of Japan. According to a news release from Agilyx, the facility will focus on recycling postuse polystyrene (PS) plastic back to a styrene monomer. In April, Agilyx had announced the licensing of its technology to Toyo Styrene.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated consumption of PS and styrene plastics totalled 410,780 tonnes in the first ten months of 2020, which corresponded to the same figure a year earlier. High impact polystyrene (HIPS) and general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) shipments increased, whereas demand for other PS grades subsided.

Agilyx (AGLX), is a pioneer in the advanced recycling of difficult-to-recycle post-use plastic streams. With Agilyx's chemical recycling technology and intelligent feedstock management system, mixed plastic waste can be converted to new virgin-equivalent plastics, as well as chemical products and fuels – creating the opportunity for true circularity. The company has not only developed these first-to-market products, but has also developed a feedstock management company Cyclyx International, Inc. and is working with many waste service providers, municipalities, petrochemical, and brand and retail companies to develop closed-loop advance recycling solutions for mixed waste plastics.

A.Eon Holdings Pty Ltd, is a market leader in the development of sustainable energy solutions through the utilization of end-of-use plastics to energy. Established in 2013, the Australian based company has been working to create a comprehensive end-of-use diversion process to meet Australia’s demand for landfill diversion of end-of-use plastics and energy production.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Agilyx (Tigard, Oregon) and Braskem say they are studying the feasibility of an advanced recycling project in North America that would provide feedstock for polypropylene (PP), said Chemweek.

Agilyx would provide the recycling technology, and mixed waste plastic would be sourced through Cyclyx International, a feedstock management company founded by Agilyx in June 2020. Advanced, or chemical, recycling would allow Braskem to convert waste plastic into circular PP with properties identical to virgin material.

"Braskem is committed to evolving its feedstock portfolio to leverage more sustainable input sources and is currently evaluating various supply agreements and innovative projects to drive this shift,” says Mark Nikolich, CEO of Braskem America.

In late November, Toyo Styrene said it is on target to bring online a new polystyrene (PS) recycling plant based on Agilyx's pyrolytic depolymerization technology in early 2022. In September, Styrolution and Americas Styrenics (AmSty) announced plans build a 100-metric tons/day PS recycling facility in Channahon, Illinois, using the Agilyx technology. In May, Lucite International announced an exclusive agreement with Agilyx to use the technology for the chemical recycling of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).

According to MRC's DataScope report, Russian companies increased external purchases of polypropylene in November, imports reached 20,400 tonnes against 17,900 tonnes a month earlier. Thus, overall PP imports into Russia reached 202,000 tonnes in January-November 2020, compared to 167,400 tonnes a year earlier. Purchasing of all grades of propylene polymers in foreign markets increased, with homopolymer PP imports accounting for the most noticeable rise.

MRC