DSM to invest to launch of US technology firm

MOSCOW (MRC) -- DSM is investing USD100 mln to back the launch of Hologram Sciences (Chicago, Illinois), a consumer-facing health technology company, said the company.

Royal DSM, a global science-based company in nutrition, health and sustainable living, announced the launch of Hologram Sciences, a consumer-facing company that will create brands targeting various health conditions. By combining health diagnostics, digital coaching and personalized nutrition, Hologram Sciences brands will provide consumers with more holistic solutions to manage their health. The mission-driven company combines top Silicon Valley talent, formerly of Uber, Fitbit and Facebook.

Hologram Sciences is backed with a USD100 million investment by Royal DSM, which has made personalized nutrition a key pillar in its nutrition strategy, allowing the company to combine a range of capabilities and resources to cover the entire personalized nutrition value chain all the way to the consumer. Hologram Sciences will provide state-of-the-art consumer-facing personalized nutrition solutions that have been clinically proven to address a variety of consumer health needs. As solutions are validated in-market, they will be available to DSM customers. Hologram will also work to incubate products with DSM customers and partners, based on the latest consumer insights and leveraging their agile approach.

As per MRC, DSM agreed another collaboration in 3D printing, coming after deal last week with US firm Nexa3D. The latest collaboration is with Nedcam, which originated as a spinoff from the Marine Research Institute Netherlands. Under that deal, Nedcam will offer “Fused Granulate Fabrication” (FGF) 3D printing, using DSM materials. The partners will also explore new applications in tooling, large-size and circular end-use parts.

As per MRC, Russia's output of chemical products rose in February 2021 by 5.3% year on year. Thus, production of basic chemicals increased year on year by 7.5% in the first two months of 2021. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, mineral fertilizers accounted for the greatest increase in the January-February output. Production of benzene dropped to 113,000 tonnes in February 2021, compared to 120,000 tonnes a month earlier. Overall output of this product reached 241,000 tonnes over the stated period, down by 7.5% year on year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, is looking at converting plastic waste into a form of oil as part of its circular economy push and also plans to establish its first chemical recycling project after signing an initial agreement with Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC), a unit of the Public Investment Fund, reported ArabNews.

“This strategic collaboration will help us in our efforts to contribute to fulfilling the Kingdom’s waste management objectives aligned with Saudi Vision 2030,” said Yousef Al-Benyan, SABIC vice chairman and CEO.

“This also reinforces the Saudi G20 Presidency’s commitment to Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) ensuring a sustainable future focusing on environment, energy and climate,” he added.

Mixed plastic waste is aimed to be used by SIRC as feedstock to be converted into pyrolysis oil. The company will source, collect, sort and supply the feedstock for the chemical recycling facility from municipal solid waste.

Pyrolysis oil can be used for several purposes including producing heat, cooling and general electricity.

As MRC wrote previously, SABIC has also announced the launch of a new recycled material made from ocean bound plastic which has been recovered from ocean-feeding waterways and inland areas within a 50 kilometer radius of the ocean. The ocean bound material is mechanically recycled and converted into components for new consumer goods and electronics applications, such as TV remote controls and electronic razors. It has the potential to also be used in other industries in the future, such as automotive. Part of SABIC’S TRUCIRCLE portfolio and services, the new recycled material is a XENOY PC/PET compound comprising of a minimum 10% recycled ocean bound PET blended with polycarbonate (PC).

According to MRC' ScanPlast report, Russia's overall consumption of PC granules (excluding exports from Belarus) totalled 8,100 tonnes in January 2021, up by 20% year on year (6,800 tonnes a year earlier).

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

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Italian energy group Eni is evaluating conversion of its Livorno refinery in northwest Italy into a biorefinery, as part of the Italian company's wider strategy to make its activities more environmentally sustainable, reported S&P Global with reference to a company spokesperson's statement.

Eni has already converted two of its Italian refineries and is looking to almost double its biorefining capacity to around 2 million mt/year by 2024, and expand this to at least five times by 2050, as part of its pledge to achieve complete carbon neutrality by 2050.

As MRC informed earlier, in March 2020, Eni made no decision or announcement about a potential closure of the Milazzo refinery in Sicily.

We remind that Versalis, the petrochemical division of Italy's Eni SpA, shut is cracker in Priolo, Sicily, for repairs in the last days of December, 2019. The capacity of the cracking unit at this complex is 490,000 tonnes of ethylene and 130,000 tonnes of propylene per year. The maintenance works lasted until February 2020.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,220,640 tonnes in 2020, up by 2% year on year. Only shipments of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) increased. At the same time, polypropylene (PP) shipments to the Russian market reached 1 240,000 tonnes in 2020 (calculated using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Guangxi Huayi Energy Chemical expects to start up a new coal-fed methanol plant at China's Qinzhou port in May or June 2021, according to Apic-online.

This facility with the capacity of 1.8-million-t/y will be the largest methanol plant along China's coastal regions and will source around 2.7-million t/y to 3-million t/y of coal to feed the plant.

Guangxi Huayi also expects to start up a 500,000-t/y downstream acrylic acid (AA) unit around the same time as the methanol plant, and a 700,000-t/y AA unit at the end of 2021.

The AA plants will use the methanol as feedstock.

As MRC reported earlier, in February 2021, Versalis S.p.A. (San Donato Milanese), the chemical company of Italian energy major Eni, licensed to Enter Engineering Pte. Ltd. a low density polyethylene/ethyl vinyl acetate (LDPE/EVA) swing unit to be built as part of a new gas-to-chemical complex based on MTO-methanol to olefins technology to be located in the Karakul area in the Bukhara region of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The plant is part of a global complex that will have a major importance in Central Asia due to its size and the technologies involved. Enter Engineering Pte. Ltd., one of the largest construction companies in the region, will act as licensee on behalf of the Uzbek Company Jizzakh Petroleum JV LLC, who will own and operate the LDPE/EVA unit and the entire Gas to Chemical Complex once built and made ready for operation.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,220,640 tonnes in 2020, up by 2% year on year. Only shipments of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) increased. At the same time, polypropylene (PP) shipments to the Russian market reached 1 240,000 tonnes in 2020 (calculated using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Thaniland's PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited’s (PTTGC) plans to acquire minority shares of Vinythai Public Company Limited (VNT) through a delisting tender offer, according to Kemicalimfo with reference to Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Kongkrapan Intarajang's statement to the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET).

Through this acquisition, PTTGC aims to strengthen its tie with downstream chemicals business that is essential to Thailand’s industry, and also to expand its business to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam (CLMV) markets.

The company's Board of Director’s special meeting on 18 March 2021 has resolved to approve PTTGC to, subject to certain conditions, proceed a delisting tender offer of all common shares of VNT to delist the securities of VNT from the SET, at the offer price of THB 39 per share, which is subject to price adjustment in accordance with the laws and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Thailand.

VNT’s majority shareholder, AGC Inc., has agreed not to tender any of its majority stake in VNT through the DTO. VNT is and continues to be a core business and subsidiary of AGC after the DTO.

Following the delisting of VNT’s securities from the SET, GC together with AGC has a potential plan to amalgamate VNT and AGC Chemicals (Thailand) Company Limited.

AGC-TH”, which will become a major shareholder of AGC Chemicals Vietnam Company Limited (AGC-VN), to form a new non-listed public company. AGC will hold a majority stake in the new company.

This partnership aims to strengthen competitive position and build synergies for VNT, AGC-TH and AGC-VN, under an integrated PVC and Chlor-Alkali business operator in Thailand and Vietnam. The amalgamation will enable the new company to have a cost effective and better competitive advantage in key production facilities including 450,000 tons per year of polyvinyl chlorie (PVC), 720,000 tons per year of caustic soda and 120,000 tons per year of bio-based epichlorohydrin (ECH). After the completion of the amalgamation, the newly non-listed public company may increase its capital by issuing new share to GC via private placement.

As MRC reported earlier, in February 2021, PTT Global Chemical awarded Samsung Engineering a USD127-MM EPC contract to modify the Map Ta Phut olefins complex in Thailand. Samsung"s scope is to increase the throughput of propane for the production of propylene by building propane-propylene split and distillation towers and modify the current facilities. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2023. According to Business Korea, Samsung Engineering is currently carrying out two plant projects of PTT GC - the Olefin Project and the Propylene Oxide Project.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall PVC production reached 169,200 tonnes in the first two months of 2021, down 4% year on year. All producers decreased production volumes over the reported period.

PTT Global Chemical is a leading player in the petrochemical industry and owns several petrochemical facilities with a combined capacity of 8.45 million tonnes a year.
MRC