SIBUR developed an additive to extend the life cycle of polymers

SIBUR developed an additive to extend the life cycle of polymers

MOSCOW (MRC) - SIBUR has developed and patented an additive to extend the life cycle of polymers, the company said in a statement.

RF Patent No. 2717664 "Concentrate Composition and Method for Increasing the Viscosity of a Polymer" was obtained by SIBUR last year. The invention relates to the use of bottle plastic - PET, one of the most popular types of polymers in processing.

"The development took about a year. We needed to find a solution that would allow us to obtain a product of better quality. We did it. And this is the result of the teamwork of our R&D center," commented Irina Ryzhikova, a leading researcher at NIOST.

The additive developed at NIOST allows maintaining the basic physical and mechanical properties of this material at the primary level even after its mechanical processing. "This increases the number of possible PET recycling cycles and removes restrictions on the options for its recycling, which could arise due to a decrease in the quality of the material after mechanical processing," said Vladimir Bushkov, General Director of NIOST.

Commitment to the principles of a circular economy and the development of polymer recycling are among the key focuses of SIBUR's Sustainable Development Strategy. Plastic has a high recyclability and can be reused in a production cycle up to 10 times or more. The use of recycled polymers in production reduces the impact on the environment: it reduces the carbon footprint of the final product and helps to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.

The company’s statement notes that according to the results of the International Conference on Intellectual Property, the additive developed at SIBUR, which allows to extend the life cycle of polymers, was included in the list of ten main Russian inventions of the 21st century.

Earlier it was reported that the Polyef is planning to produce PET granules with the addition of secondary raw materials in 2022 in Bashkiria. The company's demand for secondary raw materials is estimated at 34 thousand tons annually, contracts have already been signed for the supply of more than 50% of this volume. At the same time, the Russian Environmental Operator (REO) plans to implement an investment project for the production of PET flakes from used food packaging for further supply to SIBUR. The supply of recyclable materials is expected to begin in 2024.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PET consumption totalled 411,200 tonnes in the first six month of 2021, up by 12% year on year. Russian companies processed 62,910 tonnes in June, compared to 85,890 tonnes a month earlier.

SIBUR is a vertically integrated gas processing and petrochemical company operating at 26 production sites located in various regions of the Russian Federation. SIBUR sells products to over 1,400 consumers in the fuel and energy complex, automotive, construction, FMCG, chemical and other industries in 75 countries around the world.

US crude, fuel inventories rise as production rebounded from recent storms

US crude, fuel inventories rise as production rebounded from recent storms

MOSCOW (MRC) -- US crude oil, gasoline and distillate inventories rose last week as the production rebounded from recent storms, reported Reuters with reference to the US Energy Information Administration's statement.

Crude inventories rose by 4.6 MMb in the week to Sept. 24 to 418.5 MMb, EIA data showed, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.7 MMb drop.

The rebound came as US crude output jumped by 500,000 bpd to 11.1 MMbpd, a level consistent with activity before Hurricane Ida slammed into the US Gulf Coast about a month ago. Analysts consider weekly production data less reliable than monthly figures, which are released on a lagging basis.

Refinery crude runs rose by 68,000 bpd in the last week. Refinery utilization rates rose by 0.6 percentage point to 88.1% of total capacity on the week.

US gasoline stocks posted a modest gain of 193,000 barrels to 221.8 MMb, compared with expectations for a 1.4 MMb rise. Gasoline product supplied was 9.2 million bpd over the last four weeks, or about 1% below pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019.

Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 385,000 barrels in the week to 129.7 million barrels, versus expectations for a 1.6 MMb drop.

Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub for US futures rose by 131,000 barrels in the last week, the EIA said.

US oil prices briefly dipped on the news before rebounding to trade around even on the day, down 3 cents to US75.26 a barrel as of 10:39 a.m. ET (1439 GMT). Brent lost 14 cents to USD78.95 a barrel, also recovering some losses.

As informed earlier, Shell said earlier this month it observed damage from Hurricane Ida to its transfer station West Delta-143 offshore facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. West Delta-143 serves as the transfer station for all production from its assets in the Mars corridor in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico to onshore crude terminals. Shell said then it was not yet safe to send personnel offshore to learn the full extent of the damage and estimate the effect on production.

We remind that in late August, 2021, US crude stocks dropped sharply while petroleum products supplied by refiners hit an all-time record despite the rise in coronavirus cases nationwide, the Energy Information Administration said. Crude inventories fell by 7.2 million barrels in the week to Aug. 27 to 425.4 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 3.1 million-barrel drop. Product supplied by refineries, a measure of demand, rose to 22.8 million barrels per day in the most recent week. That's a one-week record, and signals strength in consumption for diesel, gasoline and other fuels by consumers and exporters.

We also remind that US crude oil production is expected to fall by 160,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2021 to 11.12 million bpd, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a monthly report, a smaller decline than its previous forecast for a drop of 210,000 bpd.
MRC

Karpatneftekhim resumes PE production

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Karpatneftekhim (Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk region), Ukraine's largest petrochemical plant, has resumed its high density polyethylene (HDPE) production, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

The plant's clients said the Ukrainian producer resumed its PE output on 28 September after an unscheduled shutdown due to technical issues. The outage was not long and lasted for about 5 days. The plant's annual production capacity is 120,000 tonnes.

Karpatneftekhim is one of the largest enterprises of Ukraine's petrochemical complex. Currently, the plant can produce annually 300,000 tonnes of PVC, 200,000 tonnes of caustic soda, about 180,000 tonnes of chlorine, as well as 250,000 tonnes of ethylene and 100,000 tonnes of polyethylene.
MRC

COVID-19 - News digest as of 30.09.2021

1. TotalEnergies expects rise in use of renewable energy in future

MOSCOW (MRC) -- TotalEnergies said that it expected a big rise in renewable-based electricity, solar and wind forms of energy, partly due to a general increase in electrification in the industrial and business world, reported Reuters.
TotalEnergies added it expected that oil in general would plateau before 2030, while natural gas would continue to play a role as a transition fuel. Producers and traders had said at an industry conference on Monday that global oil demand was expected to reach pre-pandemic levels by early next year as the economy recovers, although spare refining capacity could weigh on the outlook.

MRC

Crude oil futures drop on higher inventories and stronger dollar

Crude oil futures drop on higher inventories and stronger dollar

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Crude oil futures were lower mid-morning Sept. 30 as investors adopt a wait-and-see approach ahead of OPEC+ meeting, while a stronger dollar and the increase of US crude stocks added further headwinds to energy prices, reported S&P Global.

At 10:30 am Singapore time (0230 GMT), the ICE November Brent futures contract was down 24 cents/b (0.31%) from the previous close at USD78.40/b, while the NYMEX November light sweet crude contract was 5 cents/b (0.05%) lower at USD74.78/b.

"The rally in oil prices continue to take a pause, with investors largely digesting the US dollar strength and unexpected increase in crude inventories," IG Market Strategist Yeap Jun Rong told S&P Global on Sept 30, adding that the recent oil price rally may also carry a more cautious tone ahead, as investors adopt a wait-and-see approach going into the OPEC+ meeting next week.

According to the US Energy Information Administration data showed late Sept. 29, total US commercial crude oil stocks climbed 4.6 million barrels to 418.54 million barrels in the week to Sept. 24. U.S. crude oil inventories are about 7% below the five year average for this time of year. Total motor gasoline inventories increased by 200,000 barrels on the week, while distillate fuel inventories increased by 400,000 barrels. The build was largely in line with recent expectations, with recent American Petroleum Institute data showing stockpiles were up 4.1 million barrels in the week.

"US oil output reached 11.1 million b/d after slumping to 10 million b/d early this month due to Hurricane Ida, while refineries are restoring production," said ANZ research analysts in a note on Sept. 30, adding that recovering US oil production has helped to build inventories.

Nevertheless, a tight market for oil is still remain to be seen amid the supply constraint with the growing demand. Meanwhile, a stronger US dollar has added further pressure to crude prices. The US dollar index was seen at 94.29 in midmorning trading and on pace to close at a one-year high.

As MRC informed earlier in late August, 2021, US crude stocks dropped sharply while petroleum products supplied by refiners hit an all-time record despite the rise in coronavirus cases nationwide, the Energy Information Administration said. Crude inventories fell by 7.2 million barrels in the week to Aug. 27 to 425.4 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 3.1 million-barrel drop. Product supplied by refineries, a measure of demand, rose to 22.8 million barrels per day in the most recent week. That's a one-week record, and signals strength in consumption for diesel, gasoline and other fuels by consumers and exporters.

We remind that US crude oil production is expected to fall by 160,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2021 to 11.12 million bpd, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a monthly report, a smaller decline than its previous forecast for a drop of 210,000 bpd.
MRC