Total resumes normal operations at its Port Arthur, Texas refinery after upset

MOSCOW (MRC) -- TotalEnergies' 225,500-bpd Port Arthur, Texas refinery was operating normally on Wednesday after reporting flaring on Tuesday night, reported Reuters with reference to sources familiar with plant operations.

A Total spokeswoman declined to comment.

The refinery reported flaring following a severe thunderstorm. The flaring was over within two hours of the report, the sources said.

Refineries use safety flares when they cannot process hydrocarbons normally.

As MRC wrote before, earlier this month, TotalEnergies and Novatek signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly work on sustainable reductions of the CO emission resulting from the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) including with the use of renewable power, to develop large-scale carbon capture and storage solutions (CCS) and to explore new opportunities for developing decarbonized hydrogen and ammonia.

We remind that in November 2019, Total disclosed that itis evaluating construction of a new gas cracker at its Deasan, South Korea, joint venture (JV) with Hanwha Chemical.

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 744,130 tonnes in the first four month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, PP deliveries to the Russian market were 523,900 tonnes in January-April 2021, up by 55% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased.

TotalEnergies is a 19.4% shareholder in Novatek and holds a 20% stake in Yamal LNG, a project that started up in December 2017 and produced more than 18.8 million tons of LNG in 2020. The company also holds a 10% stake in Arctic LNG 2, a project currently under construction and on track to deliver its first LNG cargo in 2023.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- President Joe Biden's administration, under pressure from labor unions and US senators including from his home state of Delaware, is considering ways to provide relief to US oil refiners from biofuel blending mandates, reported Reuters with reference to three sources familiar with the matter.

The issue pits two of the administration's important political constituencies against each other: blue-collar refinery workers and farmers who depend on biofuel mandates to prop up a massive market for corn.

It could prompt an about-face for the administration, which had been rolling back former President Donald Trump's dramatic expansion of waivers for US refiners from the Renewable Fuel Standard.

The law requires them to blend billions of gallons of ethanol and other biofuels into their fuel each year or buy credits from those that do. The credits, known as RINs, are currently at their highest price in the program's 13-year history, and refiners have said the policy threatens to bankrupt fuel makers already slammed by sinking demand during the pandemic.

Biofuel advocates counter that fuel makers should have invested in biofuel blending facilities years ago and can pass through added costs for buying credits.

Democratic senators Chris Coons and Tom Carper of Delaware have held at least two discussions in recent weeks with Michael Regan, head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, to discuss providing relief for refiners, according to the three sources.

Merchant refiners like PBF Energy, which operates the Delaware City plant, say biofuel laws could shut down plants and kill thousands of union jobs. The company recently shut most of its refinery in New Jersey, the latest in a series of shutdowns along the US East Coast. The region, which faces higher refining costs because of its distance from US oil fields, has seen fuel production capacity drop about 40% since 2000.

Federal data shows that only eight refineries remain out of the 17 that were operating on the US East Coast in 2000.

As MRC wrote previously, POET, the largest biofuels producer in the United States, is in discussions with Flint Hills Resources to acquire the entirety of Flint Hills’ ethanol assets. Flint Hills, a refining, biofuels and petrochemical company, is based in Wichita, Kansas, and is currently the fifth-largest ethanol producer in the United States. Its biofuels division includes six ethanol plants with a combined capacity of about 800 million gallons per year, 1.5 million tons of distillers grains and about 200 million pounds of corn oil, Reint said.

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 744,130 tonnes in the first four month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, PP deliveries to the Russian market were 523,900 tonnes in January-April 2021, up by 55% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell is partnering with Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) and with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR–IIP), Government of India, to supply molecular sieve adsorbents (zeolites) to accelerate setting up of Medical Oxygen Plants (MOP) in the country to address the ongoing pandemic, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Honeywell UOP has assured a timely supply of adsorbents to enable the country to produce sufficient medical grade oxygen to meet the increased demand, and has partnered with DRDO and CISR-IIP and their associates to identify and supply alternative adsorbents to optimize cost and streamline supply-related logistics without compromising output from plants.

Honeywell has instituted a cross-functional team to support DRDO and CSIR-IIP in this critical project. Scientists from Honeywell UOP, DRDO and CSIR-IP are collaborating to establish the suitability of absorbents for oxygen production in India. “Excellent cooperation is extended by Honeywell in application and supply of zeolite, an important constituent of Medical Oxygen Plants (MOP). This is helping industries to fabricate MOPs,” said Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, and Chairman, DRDO.

"Honeywell is committed to helping India address the current pandemic and is making every effort to find meaningful ways to engage with the Government of India in the fight to save lives,” said Dr. Akshay Bellare, President, Honeywell India. "We are shipping our global supply of Honeywell UOP adsorbents from Italy to India to help the Government of India install life-saving oxygen plants across the country. Our technologists and scientists are collaborating with DRDO and CSIR-IIP scientists to solve for India’s needs."

Honeywell UOP, a pioneer in the adsorbents industry, developed the first commercially viable adsorbent for medical oxygen applications more than 40 years ago. The technology enables adsorption of nitrogen from air using a pressure or vacuum swing system to obtain oxygen purity up to 95%.

Honeywell UOP’s range of molecular sieve adsorbents are used in large MOPs. Honeywell UOP also offers OXYSIV molecular sieve adsorbents that help make smaller and more energy-efficient medical oxygen concentrators.

With a legacy of eight decades in India, Honeywell UOP has been a strong partner with both state-owned and private Indian companies to help expand India’s refining and petrochemicals sector while improving efficiency and enhancing environmental performance and regulatory compliance. In 2013, the company established the Honeywell India Technology Center (HITC) in Gurugram. HITC supports Honeywell UOP's work in developing and licensing process technologies used in refining and the production of petrochemicals and renewable fuels.

As MRC informed earlier, Honeywell announced that Lotte GS Chemical Corp. will use Honeywell UOP Q-Max, Phenol 3G, and Evonik MSHP technologies to produce more than 565,000 metric tons per year of phenol and acetone at its petrochemicals facility in Yeosu, Korea. UOP is providing a license for the technology, in addition to basic engineering design services, key equipment, catalysts and adsorbents and technical services.

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 744,130 tonnes in the first four month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, PP deliveries to the Russian market were 523,900 tonnes in January-April 2021, up by 55% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Solvay is globally launching Bio Amni, the first partially bio-based polyamide textile yarn developed by the company, said the company.

It is a polyamide 5.6, which is produced entirely at the company's textile industrial unit in Brazil. The development of Bio Amni® follows the growing global trend in demand for more sustainable textile products, especially bio-based materials. Solvay's research and innovation teams worked on the creation of the product for two years.

"Sustainability is one of the main drivers of the global textile market,” says Antonio Leite, global vice president of polyamides and fibers at Solvay. “Solutions and products must add value to the entire consumer chain - from its base to end consumers of textiles - and have less of an impact on the environment. Solvay’s Bio Amni® is part of a portfolio evolution to offer customers the most innovative products on the market."

The textile sector currently faces three main challenges in relation to the environment and sustainability: resources, the production process, and disposal. Solvay already has developed sustainable alternatives in the production process, using cleaner energy sources, closed water circuits, and zero effluent emissions at its industrial unit in Brazil, as well as more biodegradable products to support more sustainable disposal. With Bio Amni®, Solvay is now offering its first partially bio-based textile yarn, further expanding on its diverse portfolio of sustainable products.

With the launch of Bio Amni®, sustainable textiles will now account for 30 percent of Solvay's global polyamide portfolio, a figure which the group expects to reach 50 percent in the next three years. Bio Amni® is just the latest of Solvay's innovations for the global textile market. In 2020, as a quick response to COVID-19, the company launched Amni® Virus-Bac OFF, a functional polyamide that inhibits contamination between textiles and users, preventing the fabric transmitting viruses, including coronaviruses, and bacteria.

The company also created Amni Soul Eco®, the world's first biodegradable polyamide textile yarn, which facilitates the decomposition of textile articles in about three years after disposal in controlled landfills.

As MRC informed earlier, in August, 2020, through the acquisition of the Solvay polyamide (PA) business, BASF enhanced its R&D capabilities in Asia Pacific with new technologies, technical expertise, and upgraded material and part testing services. BASF is planning to integrate the R&D centers from Solvay into its R&D existing facilities in Shanghai, China, and Seoul, Korea. The enhanced capabilities will boost BASF’s position as a solution provider to develop advanced material solutions for key industries.

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 744,130 tonnes in the first four month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, PP deliveries to the Russian market were 523,900 tonnes in January-April 2021, up by 55% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased.

Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 24,100 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet plan crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of EUR10.2 billion in 2019. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels (SOLB) and Paris and in the United States, where its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a Level I ADR program.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Amcor announced its support for the launch of the U.S. Plastics Pact’s Roadmap to 2025, an aggressive national strategy for how the U.S. Pact, Amcor and other signatory organizations – known as Activators – will achieve four 2025 targets, said the company.

Launched today, the plan delineates specific actions, responsibilities and timeframes necessary to realize a circular economy for plastics in the United States.

Launched in August 2020, the U.S. Plastics Pact is a consortium led by The Recycling Partnership and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global network. The network creates a holistic ecosystem of industry stakeholders with a common strategy: to address plastic waste at its source.

"Amcor is committed to creating responsible packaging that is recycled and reused,” said Amcor VP of Sustainability David Clark. “Our innovation is designing more and more of our packaging to be recycled and using more recycled content, but we need progress on infrastructure and consumer participation too.

The U.S. Pact Roadmap is designed to advance these goals and measure progress through annual reporting.

"The Roadmap is designed to help U.S. industry leaders act on the significant, systemwide change needed to realize a circular economy for plastics by 2025.” said U.S. Plastics Pact Executive Director Emily Tipaldo. “The timeframe is short, and the workload is immense, but if we choose to do nothing, the visions of a circular economy across the U.S. will give way to the status quo. We look forward to working with all our Activators to drive this critical change."

As MRC informed earlier, Packaging supplier Amcor has broken new ground in the Argentine dairy market by developing the first fresh milk bottle made of transparent post-consumer recycled (PCR) PET resin. The custom-designed one-litre container for leading dairy maker Mastellone Hnos SA, headquartered in Buenos Aires, supports the positioning of the La Serenisima Original milk brand as a natural product while also delivering optimum shelf life and increased sustainability benefits.

As per ScanPlast, Russia's calculated consumption of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) grew to 263,660 tonnes in the first four months in 2021, up 13% compared to the same period in the previous year. 78.3% of the increase in consumption falls on the share of bottled PET chips due to the virtual absence of exports and an increase in the volume of imports.

Amcor works with leading companies around the world to protect their products differentiate brands, besides improving value chains through a range of flexible and rigid packaging including specialty cartons, closures, and services. The company is focused on making packaging that is increasingly light-weighted, recyclable and reusable, and is made by using a rising amount of recycled content. Presently, Amcor has operations at 250 locations in 40-plus countries.
MRC