Anchorage Investments picks Lummus Novolen Technology as PP licensor for major project in Egypt

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lummus Technology has announced that its Novolen business has been selected as the polypropylene (PP) licensor by Anchorage Investments for its Anchor Benitoite project in Suez, Egypt, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Lummus' scope includes the technology license for a 590,000 tonnes/year PP unit as well as basic design engineering, training and services, catalyst supply and operator training simulator services.

"The Anchor Benitoite project will include a 590 KTA Novolen PP unit as the main derivative of the propylene produced within the complex," said Dr. Ahmed M. A. Moharram, Founder and Managing Director of Anchorage Investments. "The low investment and operating costs for Novolen technology based on its efficiency, combined with the process simplicity and the robustness of operation while offering a wide product slate, were the key drivers for our selection of the PP technology."

The Anchor Benitoite project will encompass production units producing several different petrochemical products and intermediates. Located near the Suez Canal, an area that provides distinctive advantages in terms of its geographical location, port connectivity and associated capital and operating costs, Anchor Benitoite is envisioned to be a gateway to petrochemical activity on regional and global scales, increasing Egypt's competitiveness and position as a petrochemical hub.

As MRC reported earlier, in April, 2021, Lummus Technology announced that its Novolen business had been awarded a PP contract by Jin Guo Tou (Jinzhou) Petrochemical Co., Ltd. at its petrochemical facility in Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, China.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 410,890 tonnes in January-March 2021, up by 56% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased.

Anchorage Investments Ltd. comprises of separate entities in the fields of: development of petrochemicals projects, mining/quarrying, project management, and development of beneficiation/building materials manufacturing projects. The company's petrochemicals division was established with the objective of developing, owning and operating petrochemicals projects in the Middle East region. These projects will produce basic petrochemicals building blocks, intermediates, derivatives and final products that would fill-in market gaps domestically, regionally and globally.

Lummus Novolen Technology GmbH licenses polypropylene technology and provides related engineering and technical support/advisory services. Novolen also supplies NHP catalysts for the production of high-performance polypropylene grades in the Novolen process and NOVOCENE metallocene catalyst for the production of special polypropylene grades.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Topsoe and Shchekinoazot have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to synchronize vison and plans on developing blue and green methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen production and reducing CO2 emissions, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

At the online signing ceremony, parties agreed to inform each other on latest technological developments and jointly explore opportunities of implementing Topsoe’s technologies at Shchekinoazot’s plants to efficiently and safely produce high quality chemicals with the lowest rates of greenhouse gas emission.

"Our company’s vision is to be recognized as the global leader in carbon emission reduction technologies by 2024, and we are excited to share our groundbreaking technologies with our long-term partner Shchekinoazot,” says Roeland Baan, CEO and President of Haldor Topsoe A/S.

Topsoe is already engaged in several projects to produce green hydrogen, green ammonia, eMethanol, and efuels. An example is the Helios project in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, announced in July 2020, which includes the world’s largest ammonia loop (1.2 million tons per year) delivered by Topsoe. With the highly efficient SOEC electrolysis technology and decades of experience as a world-leading technology provider within ammonia, methanol, gasoline, jet-fuel, diesel, and hydrogen, Topsoe is one of the very few companies that can deliver insights, technology and catalysts along the entire value chain for low carbon emission fuels and chemicals.

"We believe that with Haldor Topsoe’s support we’ll be able to lead the green transformation and be one of the frontrunners who will blaze the trail for the Russian chemical industry. Saving the natural resources is an extremely important issue for all countries. Working for the world’s prosperity, which is one of our key principles, we keep on buying into environmental, ecological, human safety, and climate protection programs on an annual basis. I’m confident that working together with Topsoe in this area and practical steps towards reducing CO2 emissions are the key to proper development for ecology and industry,” says Boris Sokol, President of Shchekinoazot.

Shchekinoazot and Topsoe have worked together for the last 15 years and have successfully implemented five projects together related to ammonia, methanol and hydrogen production, applying technologies and catalysts developed and supplied by Topsoe.

As per MRC, Topsoe has been chosen as the licensor and supplier of basic engineering, proprietary equipment, catalyst, and technical services for Seaboard Energy’s renewable fuels complex in Hugoton, Kansas, US. The project is based on HydroFlex, a world-leading, industry-proven Topsoe technology to produce renewable fuels from a wide variety of renewable feedstocks.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of PE and PP, respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia"s estimated PE consumption totalled 576,270 tonnes in the first three month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 410,890 tonnes in January-March 2021, up by 56% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased.

Haldor Topsoe is a global leader in supply of catalysts, technology, and services to the chemical and refining industries. Topsoe aims to be the global leader within carbon emission reduction technologies by 2024. By perfecting chemistry for a better world, we enable our customers to succeed in the transition towards renewable energy. Topsoe is headquartered in Denmark and serves customers around the globe.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Neste, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. and Toyota Tsusho Corp. announced they are joining forces to enable Japan’s first industrial-scale production of renewable plastics and chemicals from 100% bio-based hydrocarbons, as per Neste's press release.

In this collaboration, Mitsui Chemicals will use Neste RE, 100% bio-based hydrocarbons produced by Neste, to replace a part of the fossil feedstock in the production of a variety of plastics and chemicals at its crackers within Osaka Works during 2021. In doing so, Mitsui Chemicals will become Japan’s first company to use bio-based feedstock in its crackers. The collaboration between Neste, Mitsui Chemicals and Toyota Tsusho will enable brand owners and other potential clients in the Asian market, particularly in Japan, to start incorporating renewable plastics and chemicals into their products and offerings.

For this collaboration, Neste, a forerunner in producing renewable and recycled feedstock alternatives for the plastics and chemicals industry, will produce its Neste RE feedstock entirely from renewable raw materials, such as bio-based waste and residue oils, without any fossil oil. By using Neste RE, Mitsui Chemicals is able to produce plastics and chemicals with significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions over their life cycle - spanning from the raw materials stage all the way through to product disposal - when compared to products made using fossil feedstock, such as petroleum naphtha.

The introduction of Neste-produced bio-based hydrocarbons as feedstock at the crackers will allow Mitsui Chemicals to produce renewable ethylene, propylene, C4 fraction and benzene, among others, and process them into basic chemicals such as phenol, or plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene, without altering the high-quality of these derivatives; the quality will be on par with conventional products.

Mitsui Chemicals and Toyota Tsusho intend to acquire International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), which is widely accepted in Europe as a system for the certification of products from bio-based feedstock. Mass balance based ISCC Plus certification aims at driving up adoption of renewable content even in supply chains that feature complex production processes, such as those common in the chemical industry.

“Aiming to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, Mitsui Chemicals is looking to help bring about a circular economy by pursuing the two pillars of recycling and the use of bio-based alternatives for its chemical and plastic products,” said Hirahara Akio, Managing Executive Officer for Corporate Sustainability at Mitsui Chemicals. “Switching fossil feedstock to bio-based feedstock helps combat global warming, and it is regarded as an important strategic focus in the push for reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. With this in mind, Mitsui Chemicals will not only go about developing materials from high-quality bio-based feedstock and processes but also work with stakeholders toward getting biomass widely used in society.”

As MRC informed earlier, Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co Ltd said in March, 2021, it would invest in the development of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Britain. The Japanese company will take a 15.4% share in Storegga Geotechnologies which is developing the Acorn CCS project to store carbon dioxide emissions in depleted North Sea oil and gas reservoirs.

We remind that Neste announced in March, 2021, that it would acquire Bunge Loders Croklaan's refinery plant in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 576,270 tonnes in the first three month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 410,890 tonnes in January-March 2021, up by 56% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- ExxonMobil is advancing a carbon capture and storage project along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico through talks with rivals and government officials, Chief Executive Darren Woods said in an interview, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The largest U.S. oil producer this month floated a public-private initiative that would collect and sequester planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from petrochemical plants along the Houston Ship Channel, a 50-mile (80-km) long waterway that is part of the Port of Houston.

Woods declined to identify by name the businesses Exxon hopes to attract to the project, saying he aims to lure the region's top 50 CO2 emitters, and is lobbying federal, state and local officials for support. "I've been very involved with conversations with the mayor and the local government officials in Houston, with the governor and officials here in Texas, and at the federal level in the administration on this opportunity," Woods said in an interview.

It would cost at least USD100 billion from companies and government agencies to finance a project that could store 50 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030 and double that amount by 2040, Exxon has said. Exxon and U.S. rivals Chevron Corp and Occidental Petroleum are "uniquely positioned to scale" carbon capture and storage technology, said Morgan Stanley analyst Devin McDermott in a report on Friday. The Houston Ship Channel proposal would require "new policies to drive investment," he said.

The project faces enormous hurdles, including financing and support from government agencies for permitting and carbon regulations. Woods compared the project to "starting a new business, like we did in Papua New Guinea, like we're doing in Guyana, where you've got to bring together a lot of different factors to make those concepts work," Woods said.

The proposal arose as Exxon faces a proxy fight over its plan to increase fossil fuel production that could greatly expand its carbon emissions. Activist hedge fund Engine No. 1 is battling the company over four board seats and the company's strategic direction.

"We're basically working and using the channels that we've exercised real well over the years in terms of how do you bring together these large scale, complicated project opportunities to move the needle," Woods said.

As per MRC, two senior crude oil traders will be leaving ExxonMobil Corp's trading team in Singapore next month. Ruddin Dhilawala will join Norwegian energy major Equinor, while Edward Ang will go to Hengyi Petrochemical, which runs a refinery in Brunei, the sources said. Exxon Mobil said it does not comment on personnel matters. Equinor and Hengyi did not respond to requests for comment.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of PE and PP, respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 576,270 tonnes in the first three month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 410,890 tonnes in January-March 2021, up by 56% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased.

ExxonMobil is the largest non-government owned company in the energy industry and produces about 3% of the world"s oil and about 2% of the world's energy.
MRC

1. Idemitsu halves its profit outlook for 3 years to March 2023 as COVID-19 pandemic hits fuel demand

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Japanese oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan Co more than halved its profit forecast for the three years to March 2023 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit fuel demand, forcing it to make a tougher assumption for longer-term demand, reported Reuters. Idemitsu revised its 3-year business plan unveiled in November 2019, now predicting an accumulated net profit of 220 billion yen (USD2 billion) for the three years ending March 2023, instead of its earlier target of 480 billion yen. “It has only been a year and a half, but the environment has undergone tremendous changes with the unprecedented crisis of coronavirus pandemic, green recovery and carbon-neutral declaration by the Japanese government,” Idemitsu President Shunichi Kito told a news conference.

MRC