Dupont Clean Technologies raises October catalyst prices

MOSCOW (MRC) -- DuPont Clean Technologies (part of DuPont), a global leader in process technology licensing & engineering, has announced an additional global price increase of USD1.80/liter for its cesium MECS sulfuric acid catalyst products and USD0.30/liter for all other MECS sulfuric acid catalyst products, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The company raised its prices for the state above products due to further supply chain cost and complexity increases.

Additional surcharges may apply for freight, near-term delivery and specialty product grades.

Subject to the terms of applicable contracts, the new pricing will take effect immediately.

As MRC reported previously, DuPont is investing USD400 million in the production capacity of Tyvek nonwoven fabric made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) at its site in Luxembourg. A new building and a third work line at the production site will be constructed. The launch of new facilities is scheduled for 2021.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, August estimated HDPE consumption increased to 133,000 tonnes from 129,600 tonnes a month earlier. Domestic producers reduced their exports, whereas imports increased. Overall HDPE shipments to the Russian market totalled 934,080 tonnes in the first eight months of 2021, up by 10% year on year. Production grew by 10%, whereas imports fell by 23%.

The Clean Technologies division of DuPont is a global leader in process technology licensing & engineering, with an unwavering commitment to customer support. The company provide extensive global expertise across our portfolio of offerings in key applications - MECS sulfuric acid production, STRATCO alkylation, BELCO wet scrubbing and IsoTherming hydroprocessing. Offering critical process equipment, products, technology and services, The company enables an array of industrial markets, including phosphate fertilizer, non-ferrous metals, oil refining, petrochemicals and chemicals, to minimize their environmental impact and optimize productivity.

DuPont is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. The company's employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, healthcare and worker safety.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The introduction of contested taxes on plastic and sugary drinks has been postponed for a fifth time and will not now come into force until 2023, said Reuters.

Italy’s much-delayed EUR450/tonne Plastics Packaging Tax has been postponed until 2023. A press release from the Council of Ministers following their meeting to approve the ‘Budget planning document for 2022’ confirmed the tax will be postponed until 2023, along with a sugar tax.

The tax has been delayed several times – it was supposed to be implemented on 1 January 2022 according to several recyclers in the country – so this postponement will most likely not come as a surprise to the plastics industry.

The tax will be payable by packaging producers, with recycled plastics and compostable biodegradable plastics set to be exempt. According to local press, several industrial associations and trade unions in Italy, as well as political parties and ministers within the current government had been calling for a postponement or even cancellation of the tax.

A similar tax is expected to come into force in Spain in February 2022, while the UK will introduce a ?200/tonne Plastics Packaging Tax from April next year.

Earlier it was reported that the Italian government planned to introduce a tax on plastic packaging in the country in the amount of EUR450 per tonne in January 2022.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras, formally known as Petroleo Brasileiro SA, posted mixed production figures on Wednesday as the state-run oil company ramps up output at some major oilfields while also jettisoning a number of legacy production assets as part of a wider divestment drive, reported Reuters.

In a securities filing, Petroleo Brasileiro SA said it produced 2.83 MM barrels of oil equivalent per day in the third quarter, up 1.2% in quarterly terms, but down 4.1% from the same period last yr.

Crude production came in at 2.269 MM barrels per day (bpd), a 1.9% increase in quarterly terms and a 4% decrease from the third quarter of 2020.

Among the highlights of the quarter, the company said, was the entrance into operation of the Carioca, a type of massive offshore platform known as an FPSO, in the deepwater Sepia field. The firm also has begun commercially producing gas at its P-69 platform in the Tupi field, Petrobras said.

The company did not offer an explanation for the annual decrease in production. However, Petrobras production numbers have been hit by oilfield divestment in recent years, which have hurt output figures by taking production assets off the books. Maintenance and COVID-19 related stoppages also commonly affect production at Petrobras.

In terms of domestic sales, the company registered strong growth for multiple refined products in both quarterly and annual terms, indicating that an upswing in consumption has continued apace. That is despite high prices which have driven some politicians to question Petrobras' market-based pricing policy.

The company sold 441 MMbpd of gasoline domestically in the third quarter, up 14.3% in quarterly terms and 17.9% in annual terms. Domestic diesel sales came in at 867 MMbpd, up 6.4% from the previous quarter and 15.7% from the same quarter last yr.

As MRC informed before, Petrobras said earlier this monthit had halted talks with Brazilian conglomerate Ultrapar on the sale of the state-run oil company's Refap refinery, part of its program to sell eight plants. The company said it would relaunch the process of selling Refap in the future but did not provide a date.

We remind that in August 2021, Petrobras hired JPMorgan Chase & Co as an advisor to sell its stake in the petrochemical company Braskem SA.

We also remind that Braskem is no longer pursuing a petrochemical project, which would have included an ethane cracker, in West Virginia. And the company is seeking to sell the land that would have housed the cracker. The project, announced in 2013, had been on Braskem's back burner for several years.

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 1,638,370 tonnes in the first eight months of 2021, up by 10% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 989,570 tonnes in the first eight months of 2021, up by 30% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas shipments of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Petrobras is an integrated energy firm. Petrobras' activities include exploration, exploitation and production of oil from reservoir wells, shale and other rocks as well as refining, processing, trade and transport of oil and oil products, natural gas and other fluid hydrocarbons, in addition to other energy-related activities.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Stepan plans to invest USD220m to build a new alkoxylation plant at its site in Pasadena, Texas, said the company.

The new plant will provide “a flexible capacity” of 75,000 tonnes/year, capable of both ethoxylation and propoxylation, and better position the company to serve growing global demand in its surfactant and polymer businesses, it said.

"We are excited to expand the alkoxylation capabilities of our North American network at the Pasadena site. This world-scale, state of the art investment will enable Stepan to support the growth in our core markets," said F. Quinn Stepan Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stepan.

The plant is expected to come online in late 2023. When operational it will bring Stepan's alkoxylation network to three plants and position the company with a footprint in the globally strategic US Gulf Coast, it added.

As MRC informed before, Stepan conducted planned maintenance at its 90,000 tonnes/year phthalic anhydride (PA) plant Millsdale, Illinois, US, from early October to end-October, 2020.

Phthalic anhydride is widely used in for the production of paints and varnishes and plasticizers for PVC products. In a small amount it is used in the manufacture of rubber products, tires. In addition, it is used in the light, pharmaceutical and electrical industries.

According to MRC's DatasScope report, last month's SPVC imports to the Ukrainian market decreased to 2,300 tonnes from 2,700 tonnes in August, Ukrainian companies reduced their shipments of polymer from the USA. Overall SPVC imports reached 20,800 tonnes in January-September 2021, compared to 26,800 tonnes a year earlier. Limited export quotas of European and North American producers were the main reason for such a major fall in imports.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- ExxonMobil has initiated the process for engineering, procurement and construction contracts as part of its plans to expand carbon capture and storage (CCS) at its LaBarge, Wyoming facility, which has already captured more CO2 than any other facility in the world, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The expansion project will capture up to 1 MM metric tons of CO2, in addition to the 6-7 MM metric tons already captured at LaBarge each yr.

“The expansion of our carbon capture and storage operations at LaBarge underscores our commitment to advancing CCS projects around the world,” said Joe Blommaert, president of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions. “This technology is critical to help meet society’s lower-emissions goals, and with the right policies in place, is immediately deployable. ExxonMobil has long supported policies that provide a predictable price on carbon emissions, which enable new or expanded carbon capture and storage investments.”

The LaBarge expansion project is in the design and permitting phase and a request for bids for engineering, procurement and construction contracts has been issued to third parties. A final investment decision is expected in 2022 and will be based on several factors, including regulatory approvals. Operations could start as early as 2025.

The proposed USD400 MM investment is the latest in multiple expansions of carbon capture at LaBarge. The location currently represents nearly 20% of all CO2 captured in the world each yr. The expansion will further mitigate emissions by capturing up to an additional 1 MM metric tons of CO2 each yr.

ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions is evaluating several other large-scale CCS projects in the US Gulf Coast, Europe and Asia. The company has an equity share in approximately one-fifth of global CO2 capture capacity and has captured approximately 40% of all the captured anthropogenic CO2 in the world.

ExxonMobil established its Low Carbon Solutions business to commercialize low-emission technologies. It is initially focusing its CCS efforts on point source emissions, the process of capturing CO2 from industrial activity that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere, and injecting it into deep underground geologic formations for safe, secure and permanent storage. The business is also evaluating strategic investments in biofuels and hydrogen to bring those lower-emissions energy technologies to scale for the highest emitting sectors of the global economy.

As MRC reported earlier, ExxonMobil plans to build its first, large-scale plastic waste advanced recycling facility in Baytown, Texas, and is expected to start operations by year-end 2022. The new facility follows validation of ExxonMobil’s initial trial of its proprietary process for converting plastic waste into raw materials. To date, the trial has successfully recycled more than 1,000 metric tons of plastic waste, the equivalent of 200 million grocery bags, and has demonstrated the capability of processing 50 metric tons per day.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,638,370 tonnes in the first eight months of 2021, up by 10% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 989,570 tonnes in the first eight months of 2021, up by 30% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas shipments of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

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