LANXESS developed a system for PU cast elastomers

LANXESS developed a system for PU cast elastomers

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LANXESS has developed a hot cast and cold cure system for PU cast elastomers, said the company.

With this new technology, a Vibrathane MDI ether prepolymer can be cured with a novel Vibracure curative at room temperature driving ease of use, energy savings, EH&S improvement and, last but not least, a significant reduction of CO2 emissions.

As the novel Vibrathane & Vibracure system is cured at ambient temperature, the processor can turn off hot tables or ovens, decreasing significantly the risk of burn associated with hot surfaces and, therefore, improving the operator’s safety. The new MDI ether based prepolymer also facilitates the manufacturing of larger and complex parts such as mining pipelines which curing process is always challenging and productivity limited by equipment occupancy.

Energy consumption has always drawn attention from polyurethane processors as it accounts for a significant proportion of the total manufacturing costs. Depending on the polyurethane plant set up, this system can drive savings up to 40 to 50% of the total energy consumption.

The novel Vibrathane & Vibracure hot cast / cold cure system is one of the company’s latest initiatives to enable the PU industry to improve their carbon footprint. Gerald King, Head of Application Technology EMEA at LANXESS Urethane Systems, says: “Sustainability has increasingly come into focus within the last decade and, by driving clear energy savings, with this new development we offer our customers a more sustainable product and thus contribute to climate protection."

The 3K system can be processed by meter mix machine or by hand. It has been chemically designed to offer PU processors full flexibility in producing a wide range of elastomers from a single prepolymer reaching a hardness range from 60 A to 55 D. The cold cure system shows a similar performance in final elastomer properties to the equivalent hot cure.

LANXESS’ new development addresses an important concern of PU processors towards easy processing, cost savings and time efficiency, while allowing the industry to support sustainability objectives.

As per MRC, LANXESS is continuing the systematic expansion of its production for synthetic iron oxide pigments. The company is the only supplier worldwide to produce these pigments using the Laux process. Specialty chemicals company LANXESS has expanded its capacity for black synthetic iron oxide pigments at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site by more than 5,000 metric tons per year.

According to ICIS-MRC Price report, the deficit for PET remained in the Russian domestic and foreign markets. Spot PET prices have been increasing since the beginning of the month, and spot buyers of the material have to pay a much higher price for PET chips at the end of the third quarter than contractual ones.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.1 billion in 2020. The company currently has about 14,800 employees in 33 countries. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.
MRC

PPG named chairman of European coatings association

PPG named chairman of European coatings association

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Roald Johannsen, PPG vice president of automotive coatings for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has been elected chairman of the board of the European Council of the Paint, Printing Ink and Artists’ Colours Industry (CEPE), the US-based coatings major said.

He succeeds Andre Vieira de Castro, CEO of Portugal-based Argacol – Tintas e Vernizes, who has been CEPE chairman since October 2020.

The biggest challenge for the European coatings industry is to ensure that the sector stays ahead of the fast-changing regulatory environment and that it remains competitive, Johannsen said.

Based at PPG’s European headquarters in Rolle, Switzerland, Johannsen has more than 30 years of experience in the paints and coatings industry across several geographies and sectors. He joined the CEPE board in September 2018 and has served as vice chairman for the past year.

“I am honored and privileged to assume the role of CEPE Chairman. I have a real passion for this industry and I want to ensure the best possible representation, so that paints, coatings, printing inks and artists’ colors are seen as part of the solution to enhance and enable sustainability," Johannsen said.

He adds, “I am looking forward to working with the CEPE board and team and all our stakeholders to raise the image and relevance of the coatings sector and increase awareness of the important role it plays in supporting the carbon neutral ambitions of the European Union’s Green Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan and Chemical Strategy for Sustainability. Our biggest challenge going forward is to ensure that our sector stays ahead of the fast-changing regulatory environment and we remain competitive."

As MRC reported earlier, in June 2021, PPG announced an expansion of its coatings manufacturing capacity in Europe for packaging applications. The investments at sites in The Netherlands and Poland will support growing customer demand in the region for the latest generation of coatings for aluminum and steel cans used in packaging for beverage, food and personal care items. The projects include a further expansion of the company’s location in Tiel, The Netherlands, which will increase the plant’s production capacity for PPG INNOVEL non-BPA internal coatings for beverage cans by 30%. Expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022, the project follows a 50% expansion completed at the end of 2020.

BPA is the main feedstock for the production of polycarbonate (PC).

As per MRC's ScanPlast, Russia's overall estimated consumption of polycarbonate (PC) granules totalled 50,300 tonnes in the first half of 2021 (excluding imports and exports to/from Belarus), compared to 47,300 tonnes a year earlier. Demand increased by 6%.

PPG Industries Inc. is an international American company manufacturing paints and varnishes, chemicals, optical components, specialty materials, glass and fiberglass. The company includes over 150 production units and representative offices in more than 60 countries around the world. PPG is one of the 500 largest US corporations by sales.
MRC

Braskem and Antilhas to supply stand-up pouch monomaterial packaging

Braskem and Antilhas to supply stand-up pouch monomaterial packaging

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Braskem and Antilhas, a Brazilian company recognized in the market for its innovations in packaging, are now supplying the stand-up pouch (SUP) monomaterial packaging, launched to the market in 2019 , to Mae Terra, said the company.

The new product, made 100% of polyethylene, without lamination and which brings sustainable characteristics and a circular cycle, will be used for the first time in the food sector to package the new line of Ritto special rice.

As the name suggests, monomaterial packaging is produced from a single raw material, a characteristic that guarantees a high recyclability rate as it does not have a mixture of materials in the product formulation. In addition, its recycling generates a post-consumer recycled resin of higher quality and with a wider range of application possibilities.

According to Americo Bartilotti, director of Braskem's packaging and consumer goods business, the initiative is a reflection of the company's efforts to encourage a sustainable cycle in the plastic chain.

The packaging was produced using EB (Electron Beam) technology, an innovative process of external printing by curing with an electron beam patented exclusively by Antilhas. This technology guarantees superior print quality, with the same gloss as laminated material and the possibility of external finishes with sensory appeal. In addition, the technology allows additional benefits in the operational process: reduction of up to 50% in electrical energy consumption, without losing the color quality and brightness of the final material; and a reduction of up to 95% of volatile organic compounds, a factor that reduces the emission of gases that cause the greenhouse effect.

Monomaterial stand up pouch packaging can be used in applications in different sectors such as cosmetics, food and home & personal care. In addition, the solution also contributes to guaranteeing and maintaining the characteristics, quality and protection of the product.

The Molecoola , environmental accelerated by Braskem Labs loyalty program in 2020, was invited by companies to support the real roundness process and practice for the solution. Through the initiative, the participant earns points in the exchange of post-consumer waste, being able to convert them into products of partner brands, including Mother Earth itself. To engage consumers in action, Mother Earth will boost the program's score.

At the end of the process, all packaging will be returned to Braskem, which will be responsible for recycling and returning the waste to the production chain.

As per MRC, Braskem said its Mexican subsidiary Braskem Idesa has reached a new gas supply agreement with Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) to settle differences between the companies and build a USD400 million ethane terminal. Braskem Idesa will build a world-scale ethane terminal in Laguna de Pajaritos in Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz state, the joint venture said. The project will be in the CIIT - Interoceanic Corridor of the Tehuantepec isthmus.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,396,960 tonnes in January-July 2021, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 841,990 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up by 29% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.

Based in Sao Paulo, Braskem is a leading Brazilian petrochemical company and the main producer of polyethylene and polypropylene in the country. The company owns the largest petrochemical facilities in Latin America and is the fifth largest in the world in petrochemical production. Braskem operates 18 chemical plants with a production capacity of over 11 million tonnes of chemical and petrochemical products per year.
MRC

U.S. crude stockpiles fall to lowest in three years

U.S. crude stockpiles fall to lowest in three years

MOSCOW (MRC) -- U.S. crude oil inventories last week fell to their lowest in nearly three years while gasoline stockpiles rose, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday, as the industry continued to recover after Hurricane Ida, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Crude inventories fell by 3.5 million barrels in the week to Sept. 17 to 414 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 2.4 million-barrel drop. Inventories now sit at their lowest levels since October 2018, and that tightness, along with strong demand, has helped drive oil prices higher.

Weekly figures on refining activity and oil production showed a return to pre-hurricane activity. Crude production jumped 500,000 barrels per day in the week to 10.6 million bpd, as Gulf offshore facilities resumed operations. Refinery crude runs rose by 960,000 bpd in the last week, with utilization rates up 5.4 percentage points to 87.5% of capacity as refiners restarted key units.

Overall product supplied jumped as a result to 21.1 million bpd, and for the past four weeks, product supplied - a proxy for demand - averaged nearly 21 million bpd, roughly in line with pre-pandemic levels. Overall oil prices were stronger on the day, with U.S. crude up 1.4% to USD71.47 a barrel, while Brent gained 1.4% to USD75.43 a barrel as of 10:47 a.m. ET (1447 GMT).

Undercutting the optimism, U.S. gasoline stocks rose by 3.5 million barrels to 221.6 million barrels, compared with expectations for a 1.1 million-barrel drop. Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, fell by 2.6 million barrels versus expectations for a 1.2 million-barrel drop. Net U.S. crude imports rose last week by 519,000 bpd, the EIA said.

As per MRC, U.S. oil refiners hunting to replace crude lost after a storm hit the U.S. Gulf of Mexico last month have been turning to Iraqi and Canadian oil, while Asian buyers have been pursuing Middle Eastern and Russian grades, analysts and traders said. Royal Dutch Shell, the largest producer in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, this week said damage from Hurricane Ida to an offshore transfer facility will limit Mars sour crude supplies into early next year. The grade is used heavily by U.S. Gulf refiners and companies in South Korea and China, the top two export destinations for Mars.

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 1,396,960 tonnes in January-July 2021, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 841,990 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up by 29% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.
MRC

AOC raises October prices of various resins for EMEA region

AOC raises October prices of various resins for EMEA region

MOSCOW (MRC) -- AOC Resins (Collierville, Tennessee) has announced a price increase for its entire portfolio of Unsaturated Polyester (UPR) and Epoxy Vinyl Ester (VE) resins, and its Neoxil Sizings & Binders products sold in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), as per the company's press release.

The price increase will take effect on October 1, or as soon as contracts allow, and will be EUR100-200 per ton (depending on resin chemistry).

The price rise was caused by steep increases in energy prices, fees for logistics services (increasing as a result of reduced capacity availability), and the cost of raw materials, sai AOC on its site.

“In addition, the availability of key raw materials from our contract suppliers has been severely hampered and we are continuing to have to resort to other, significantly more expensive, sources. This leaves us no choice but to further raise the prices of our products as a result, realizing that supply can continue to be somewhat irregular given these additional supply routes”, explains Fons Harbers, Vice President Marketing & Sales EMEA of AOC.

As MRC informed earlier, in October 2020, AOC, Kaprain and Spolchemie announced they had reached agreement on AOC acquiring the Unsaturated Polyester Resin (UPR) manufacturing operations located at the Spolchemie site in Usti nad Labem (Czech Republic). This footprint extension will allow AOC to further improve service and logistics to its customers in Central/ Eastern Europe as well as in Germany, and will make new products (e.g. based on recycled PET) available for customers around Europe.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, the estimated PET consumption in Russia reached 59,050 tonnes in July, 2021, up by 9% year on year. Russia's overall PET consumption totalled 470,250 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up by 12% year on year.

AOC is the leading global supplier of specialty resins and materials utilized in a wide range of applications including Coatings and Protective Barriers, Colorants and Visual Effects, Adhesives and Specialties, and Composite resins. With strong capabilities worldwide in manufacturing and science, the company works closely with customers to deliver unrivaled quality, service, and reliability for today and create innovative solutions for tomorrow.
MRC