Braskem and Nexus to jointly convert plastic films into circular feedstock

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Braskem S.A., the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas and leading producer of biopolymers in the world, has announced its investment in Nexus Circular LLC, according to SpecialChem.

Using a proprietary advanced recycling technology, Nexus converts a range of hard-to-recycle plastics especially landfill bound plastic films into its circular feedstocks which can then be converted back into virgin plastics (fully circular).

Nexus has optimized the technology to create a highly efficient and economic system providing cost-effective, superior quality and environmentally friendly products for its partners and customers.

Mark Nikolich, CEO, Braskem America, stated, "At Braskem we have a clear, long-term vision which is committed to a Carbon Neutral Circular Economy where nothing is wasted, and everything is transformed. A critical element of achieving this vision is investing in pathways that advance the circular conversion of hard-to-recycle plastic waste to valuable new materials, diverting it from landfills and improving our environmental footprint."

"Nexus shares our vision for accelerating the commercialization of advanced recycling with their own proprietary innovations and we couldn't be more excited to be a new investor in their journey," added Nikolich.

Eric Hartz, president and co-founder at Nexus Circular said, "We are so pleased to have Braskem join Nexus' advanced recycling endeavors and receive their support to accelerate our impact and growth worldwide."

The present investment in Nexus is one component of Braskem's strategy to drive plastics circularity, which includes projects aimed at recycling infrastructure, mechanical recycling, and advanced recycling - all of which are critical to meeting Braskem's and our clients' ESG commitments in the years to come.

In addition to the expansion of Braskem's recycled product portfolio in 2021, Braskem is also a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, The Recycling Partnership's Polypropylene Recycling Coalition and Cyclyx.

Braskem is strongly committed to a Carbon Neutral Circular Economy where nothing is wasted, and everything is transformed. To support this vision for the future Braskem has clearly stated targets for growing the company's recycled content product portfolio to sales of 300,000 tons by 2025 and 1 million tons by 2030.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,265,290 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2021, up by 14% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,363,850 tonnes in January-November, 2021, up by 25% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

Braskem S.A. produces petrochemicals and generates electricity. The Company produces ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene, xylenes, butadiene, butene, isoprene, dicyclopentediene, MTBE, caprolactam, ammonium sulfate, cyclohexene, polyethylene theraphtalat, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
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1. Shell to increase dividend and buy back more shares as oil and gas prices boost earnings

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shell will increase its dividend and buy back more shares after high prices for oil and gas helped it deliver bumper full-year earnings after a strong fourth quarter, reported Financial Times. The UK-headquartered oil group’s adjusted earnings for 2021 - the profit measure most closely tracked by analysts - rose to USD19.3bn, from USD4.8bn a year earlier when the pandemic hit oil demand. Earnings for the last three months of the year were USD6.4bn, beating average analyst estimates of USD5.2bn and up from USD393mn in the same period a year earlier and USD2.9bn in the fourth quarter of 2019.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Modumetal, a leading provider of nanolamination coating technologies, announced it has raised USD14 MM in Series A-2 funding led by Atlas Innovate and Rotor Capital, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Modumetal will use the funding to further accelerate commercialization of its oil and gas coating solutions, scale its operations, and expand its customer base in new key industries that include automotive and sustainable energy end markets. The company is rapidly expanding production capabilities as it has achieved specifications across some of the largest oil and gas and EPC companies in the industry.

Modumetal is also developing licensing partnerships to grow into new markets and drive adoption of new products. The first nanolamination systems that Modumetal has commercialized provide corrosion resistance, durability, and increased strength.

“We are revolutionizing nanolaminated materials, making industrial products more corrosion resistant to withstand the harshest environments on the planet and supporting new industrial capabilities that would not be possible without Modumetal,” said Dennis Creech, Chief Executive Officer of Modumetal. “This latest funding will enable us to continue scaling our business to meet the increased demand from a growing number of industrial customers, including global companies in the energy and automotive sectors. I look forward to working with our investors and with Tushar and Robert to seize on the many opportunities in front of us.”

As MRC informed earlier, DuPont is to invest around USD 5 m at facilities in Germany and Switzerland to increase capacity for automotive adhesives. The investment will expand capacity to support growing demand for advanced mobility solutions for vehicle electrification. New equipment has been delivered and installed that will increase manufacturing capacity as well as accelerate delivery of product samples to customers.

We remind that DuPont is also 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 is to be constructed. The launch of new facilities was scheduled for 2021.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lummus Technology announced that its Green Circle business and Synthos S.A. have reached a major milestone in the development of advanced bio-butadiene technology, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

After completing a successful feasibility study in 2021, Lummus and Synthos have concluded that the bio-butadiene technology is ready for implementation, and the companies have agreed to move into the engineering and design phase of the project.

Given the confidence in the technology and the strong market demand for renewable materials, Synthos has committed to building a plant with a capacity of 40,000 metric t of bio-butadiene per year – twice as much as the companies had originally planned. In addition to the plant capacity expansion, Synthos has confirmed that it will license BASF’s butadiene extraction technology from Lummus and leverage Lummus’ digitalization capabilities for operational efficiency and reliability.

"Since Lummus began collaborating with Synthos last year, it has become evident that this technology has the potential to be the new standard in our industry due to its renewable sourcing, production efficiency and low carbon footprint,” said Leon de Bruyn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lummus Technology. “The petrochemical industry is quickly adjusting to ambitious sustainability requirements, and at Lummus we continue to lead this change on multiple fronts. The commercialization with Synthos of this bio-technology for more sustainable rubber products is one of several sustainable process solutions that are making a positive impact."

"Synthos is making great strides in developing a synthetic rubber product portfolio with a significantly reduced environmental footprint. Entering the next phase of our collaboration with Lummus is another step toward our commitment to help our customers achieve their performance and sustainability goals," said Matteo Marchisio, Synthetic Rubber Business Unit Director of Synthos. "We believe the availability of sustainable synthetic rubber made from bio-butadiene will play an important role in the industry's ability to meet the demands of modern mobility, and we are proud to partner with Lummus Technology to lead the way."

As per MRC, Synthos announced the final investment decision for the construction of a new Butadiene Extraction Unit with associated logistic infrastructure to be built in Plock, Poland. Air Liquide Engineering and Construction licenses the BASF NMP Butadiene Extraction technology and has been awarded with the overall engineering, procurement and Construction services and supplies for the project. The commissioning of the Butadiene Extraction Unit and first production are scheduled for 2024. The Butadiene extraction Unit will have a BD capacity of 120 kt/y.

Synthos S.A. is a chemical producer and a key player in the global synthetic rubber market. Synthos S.A Capital Group’s line of business involves the production and sales of chemical products used as raw materials and intermediate products in a wide range of industries, in particular, in the tire industry, the construction industry and the packaging industry.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shell will increase its dividend and buy back more shares after high prices for oil and gas helped it deliver bumper full-year earnings after a strong fourth quarter, reported Financial Times.

The UK-headquartered oil group’s adjusted earnings for 2021 - the profit measure most closely tracked by analysts - rose to USD19.3bn, from USD4.8bn a year earlier when the pandemic hit oil demand.

Earnings for the last three months of the year were USD6.4bn, beating average analyst estimates of USD5.2bn and up from USD393mn in the same period a year earlier and USD2.9bn in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Ben van Beurden, Shell’s chief executive, said 2021 had been a “momentous year” for the business. As a result, the company was “stepping up” its distributions to shareholders, he said, with a commitment to buy back USD8.5bn in shares in the first half of 2022 and raise its dividend by roughly 4 per cent to 25 cents a share in the first quarter.

The bumper profits mark a stark turnaround for the group after a bruising 2020, when Shell recorded its lowest earnings since the unification of Royal Dutch and Shell Transport in 2005 and the only annual loss in the company’s history.

As MRC wrote before, Shell Chemicals expects its new petrochemical complex in southwest Pennsylvania to come online by the end of 2022, Royal Dutch Shell CFO Jessica Uhl said February 3, during the company's Q4 2021 earnings call.

We remind that Royal Dutch Shell plc. said in November, 2021, that its petrochemical complex of several billion dollars in Western Pennsylvania is about 70% complete and in the process to enter service in the early 2020s. The plant's costs are estimated to be USD6-USD10 billion, where ethane will be transformed into plastic feedstock.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MR''s ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,265,290 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2021, up by 14% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,363,850 tonnes in January-November, 2021, up by 25% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

Royal Dutch Shell plc is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenue and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors". Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.
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