European PP prices increased by EUR100/tonne for CIS market in November

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The November contract price of propylene was settled in Europe up by EUR95/tonne from the previous month. As a result, European producers raised their November contract polypropylene (PP) prices for the CIS countries. But the price increase was not proportional to the rise in monomer prices, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

Negotiations over November export prices of European PP were over last week. Many market participants said almost all European producers still had export restrictions on propylene copolymers. There were fewer problems with the supply of propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP).

At the same time, the increase in the cost of propylene led to an increase in the export prices of PP for shipments in November, and in some cases it was not proportional to the increase in the price of monomer. Deals for November shipments of homopolymer PP were done in the range of EUR1,675-1,780/tonne FCA, whereas last month's deals were done in the range of EUR1,600-1,680/tonne FCA.

Deals for block copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) were negotiated in the range of EUR1,950-2,000/tonne FCA, up by EUR100/tonne from the previous month.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The board of Thirumalai Chemicals Ltd (TCL), at its meeting on the 2nd November 2021, approved the investment in a project to manufacture phthalic anhydride (PA) and fine-chemicals at its site in Dahej in Gujarat, India, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The investment will be funded by TCL’s internal accruals and borrowings.

The project includes a 90,000 ton per year PA plant. It is scheduled for commissioning in H2 FY23-24. TCL already operates a PA plant at this site, commissioned about 6 mos ago. The project will use in-house technology.

TCL manufactures about 150,000 tons o fPA, food ingredients and fine chemicals at its existing sites in Ranipet and Dahej combined. TCL also manufactures about 50,000 metric t of maleic anhydride & derivatives from butane at its wholly-owned subsidiary in Malaysia.

TCL is currently implementing a large integrated butane to maleic anhydride and food ingredients (malic, fumaric acids & other derivatives) production facility, through a 100% owned step-down subsidiary in the United States. This facility is expected to be started-up in H2 FY23-24. TCL already produces these products in India and Malaysia since 1991.

As MRC reported earlier, in August 2021, Thirumalai Chemicals Limited announced its plan to execute a project to manufacture 180,000 tons per year of Phthalic Anhydride (PA) and 30,000 tons per year of Fine & Specialty Chemicals, at its existing site at Dahej, Gujarat, and Western India. The project is expected to be executed in two successive phases. Thirumalai expects to bring the first of these two phases on-stream in about 2 years after receipt of all needed approvals. Thirumalai Chemicals further said that the commissioning of the company’s first PA plant at Dahej, was delayed by the recent pandemic wave in Gujarat.

Phthalic anhydride is used widely to make colorants, resins for construction, infrastructure & housing, additives for polymers, including polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and inks.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall production of unmixed PVC totalled 746,700 tonnes in the nine months of 2021, up by 4% year on year. All producers increased their output.

Thirumalai Chemicals Limited has been a leading producer of phthalic anhydride and derivatives over 45 years; its range of products includes Maleic Anhydride (produced by its subsidiary), food ingredients and fine chemicals. It presently has two manufacturing facilities - in South and West India; its subsidiary in Malaysia operates butane maleic anhydride & derivatives plants. All of these based on TCL’s in-house process technologies and engineering capabilities. The company sells its products primarily in India, South East Asia, Middle East and Europe, with some quantities in North America.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant Chemicals (India) Limited, a focused, sustainable and innovative specialty chemical company today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended September 30, 2021, said the company.

The sales rose by 8%, at Rs. 194.9 crore, for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 as against Rs. 180.8 crore for the corresponding quarter in the previous year. However, Profit before exceptional item & tax stood at Rs. 6 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, as compared to Rs. 12.2 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2020.

For half year ended September 2021, the Profit before exceptional item & tax stood at Rs. 25.6 crore as compared to Rs. 16.3 crore for half year ended September 2020 – witnessing a strong recovery from the pandemic that has affected global trade in recent times. The Company reported sales of Rs. 407.6 crore in the first half of 2021, as against Rs. 309.8 crore for the corresponding half of the previous year.

The company reported Profit before exceptional items & tax of Rs. 6.0 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, as compared to Rs. 19.6 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 – witnessing a decline. The Sales declined by 8% at Rs. 194.9 crore, for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 as against Rs. 212.8 crore in the previous quarter. In general the overall industry was impacted by the increasing raw material and freight costs. The first half of this fiscal continued to exhibit strong resilience despite the headwinds faced by the markets.

As per MRC, Clariant says that its board has appointed Conrad Keijzer as the company’s new CEO, effective 1 January 2021. Hariolf Kottmann, Clariant’s executive chairman ad interim, will return to his position as chairman of the board, once Keijzer assumes responsibility.

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 1,868,160 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 18% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,138,510 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 30% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

Clariant AG is a Swiss chemical company and a world leader in the production of specialty chemicals for the textile, printing, mining and metallurgical industries. It is engaged in processing crude oil products in pigments, plastics and paints.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- A Valero refinery outside of New Orleans recently produced lung-damaging soot at rates that exceeded federal limits while outpacing other major US refineries, reported Reuters with reference to disclosures by state and federal environmental regulators.

Soot, or small and fine particle pollution, has an outsized effect on poor and minority communities living near industrial sites, causing thousands of premature deaths each year from lung and heart damage, according to the EPA. In June, the EPA said it was reviewing whether to impose stricter limits on soot pollution.

The rate of pollution observed at Valero Energy's St. Charles refinery in Norco, Louisiana, based on EPA standards, is the highest among the 50 largest US refineries, according to the Reuters examination of stack test results.

It is rare for a US refinery to push up against or exceed the US Environmental Protection Agency limit on soot, which is among the most harmful pollutants, according to a Reuters examination of tests results since 2017.

Soot from St. Charles, which can process up to 215,000 bbl of crude oil every day, exceeded the federal limit during August pollution tests, sometimes by as much as 10% to 20%. Soot at that refinery has escalated since 2017, according to results from stack tests, used to measure fine particle pollution. Valero did not return messages seeking comment.

Currently, plants are required to restrict soot emissions to 1 pound or less for every 1,000 pounds of coke burned in a refinery's catalytic cracking units.

As MRC informed previously, San Antonio-based Valero Energy Corp, the second-largest US oil refiner plans to run its 14 refineries at between 88% and 92% of their combined capacity of 3.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in the fourth quarter.

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 1,868,160 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 18% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,138,510 tonnes in January-September 2021, up by 30% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.
MRC