Solvay to license technology to Hubei Sanning Chemical for its mega plant fully dedicated to caprolactam production

Solvay to license technology to Hubei Sanning Chemical for its mega plant fully dedicated to caprolactam production

MOCOW (MRC) -- Solvay has entered into an agreement to license its leading-edge hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) technology to Hubei Sanning Chemical Industry Co. Ltd. for its 500 kilotons per year caprolactam facility with a planned launch by end of 2023, as per the company's press release.

“This is the first licensing agreement Solvay has allocated for its proprietary hydrogen peroxide mega scale high productivity process technology in China,” said Peter Browning, president of Solvay Peroxides global business unit. “The licensing model provides a process design package for the construction of the H2O2 mega plant by Hubei Sanning Chemical alongside its new caprolactam facility, with access to Solvay’s operating experience and range of services to ensure optimized and reliable H2O2 plant operation.”

Solvay is the leading global producer and supplier of hydrogen peroxide solutions and a technology leader in the hydrogen peroxide production process operating several H2O2 mega plants. Hubei Sanning Chemical will install a single H2O2 production line providing a capacity of 200 kilotons per year to be utilized entirely as a raw material in the production of caprolactam, the monomer used to manufacture nylon 6 (PA6) products such as yarns and filaments.

Solvay will also provide Hubei Sanning Chemical with its proprietary chemicals for the anthraquinone process, which ensure a reliable and consistent high productivity H2O2 process.

“We are honored to be awarded Solvay’s first license for its world-renowned hydrogen peroxide production technology in China,” said Wanqing Li, chairman of Hubei Sanning Chemical Industry. “The new H2O2 mega plant in China and Solvay’s collaboration will be key for us to build the new project for caprolactam, PA6 and downstream products.”

Nylon 6 is a versatile polymer used in a variety of industries such as automotive, electrical and electronics, and when extruded as fibers is extensively used in the textile industry for clothing and home furnishings and for nets in the fishing industry.

As MRC reported earlier, in August, 2020, through the acquisition of the Solvay polyamide (PA) business, BASF enhanced its R&D capabilities in Asia Pacific with new technologies, technical expertise, and upgraded material and part testing services. BASF is planning to integrate the R&D centers from Solvay into its R&D existing facilities in Shanghai, China, and Seoul, Korea. The enhanced capabilities will boost BASF’s position as a solution provider to develop advanced material solutions for key industries.

We remind that BASF shut down an unspecified unit at its 420,000-metric ton/year steam cracker site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, due to a technical defect. Unscheduled flaring started on 13 January, 2021, at the northern part of the Ludwigshafen site and was expected to last until 17 January, 2021.

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 2,487,450 tonnes in 2021, up by 13% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whreas.shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

Founded in 1969, Hubei Sanning Chemical Co., Ltd is one of China’s biggest manufacturers of agricultural chemicals, fine chemicals and petrochemicals located in Yichang City in western Hubei province. The company’s diverse range of products include coal-derived chemicals, ammonia, nitrogen and potash fertilizers, sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and lactam-derived products. Since 2007 it operates as a subsidiary of Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Mining Group Co., Ltd. with 5,500 employees which includes 500 R&I technicians. The company delivered 12.247 billion RMB in sales in 2020.

Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 24,100 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet plan crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities.
MRC

India to ban single-use plastic items from 1 July 2022

MOSCOW (MRC) --The Government of India will be banning harmful single-use plastic items from 1st July 2022, according to Sanatan Prabhat.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India has notified all the organisations involved in the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of these items. In this notice, they have been instructed to make the required preparations for the ban of these single-use plastic items before 30th June.

In this notice, it has also been warned that those breaking the rules will be strictly punished. This includes punishments like forfeit of the products, fines for harming the environment or banning the business related to that product.

Thus, the following items will be banned: Earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration; plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays; wrapping or packaging films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers, etc.

We remind that, as MRC wrote previously, GAIL (India) Ltd, India’s principal gas transmission and marketing company under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, is on track to start up its propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility and polypropylene (PP) plant in Usar, Maharashtra by 2024. GAIL has recently chosen Lummus Technology’s CATOFIN process and Clariant’s tailor-made catalysts for India’s first PDH plant. Its upcoming 500 kiloton per annum PDH facility in Usar will be integrated with the downstream PP unit. The cost of PDH-PP project is estimated at USD1.2 B.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,487,450 tonnes in 2021, up by 13% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whreas.shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
MRC

Westlake establishes 2030 target to reduce CO2 emissions

Westlake establishes 2030 target to reduce CO2 emissions

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Westlake has set a target to reduce its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 20% by 2030, based on 2016 levels, the said the company.

Westlake will measure the emissions on a per-tonne basis. As part of its goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions, Westlake plans to pursue energy-efficiency projects, use more power from less carbon-intensive electricity providers, add more hydrogen as a fuel gas and adopt other ways to improve operations, the company said.

In regards to hydrogen, other chemicals companies are exploring its use as a fuel. Enterprise Products already has plans to use that hydrogen as a fuel for the heaters of a second PDH unit that it is building in Mont Belvieu, Texas. The move should reduce the carbon emissions at the plant by almost 90% or 450,000 tonnes/year.

Dow plans to use hydrogen as a fuel for a cracker it is building in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta province in Canada. Scope 1 emissions occur from sources that are controlled or owned by a company. The gases could be emitted from burning fuel in boilers, furnaces or vehicles. Scope 2 emissions are indirect ones associated with electricity, steam, heat or cooling that are bought by a company.

Westlake's target does not include Scope 3 emissions. These are produced by activities or assets not owned or controlled by the company but that are still in the company's value chain. Scope 3 emissions arise from a company's upstream and downstream transportation and distribution, business travel, employee commuting and how the company's products are treated after they are sold.

As MRC informed earlier, Westlake Chemical also declared FM on Aug. 31, 2020, for all its North American PVC and VCM, which left it in force in mid-October, 2020. Westlake's shutdown of its Lake Charles complex has idled 38% of its US VCM production, resulting in two VCM plants with a combined capacity of 952,318 mt/year going offline. The complex also has three upstream chlor-alkali plants with a combined capacity of 1.27 million mt/year of chlorine and 1.36 million mt/year of caustic soda - 46% of the company's overall North American chlor-alkali capacity.

Westlake Chemical announced a 3 cent/lb (USD66/tonne) increase in February PVC prices in the US. The announcement of the price increase followed the explosion at the ethylene dichloride (EDC) plant in Lake Charles (Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA) of the Westlake Chemical company. The Lake Charles plant has a production capacity of 2.22 million tons of EDC per year. The company from this facility supplies EDC and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plants near Baton Rouge and New Orleans, as well as to production in Mississippi.

Westlake Chemical Corporation is an American manufacturer and supplier of petroleum products and polymers headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company's products include ethylene, polyethylene, styrene, propylene, caustic, polyvinyl chloride and plastic products.
MRC

Bostik acquires China adhesives firm PMP

Bostik acquires China adhesives firm PMP

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Arkema’s adhesive subsidiary Bostik is planning to acquire specialist producer Shanghai Zhiguan Polymer Materials (PMP) to cater to the fast-growing electronics market in Asia, said the company.

The deal to acquire hot-melt adhesives producer PMP is expected to close in the first quarter 2022. The price of the acquisition was not disclosed.

PMP specialises in reactive hot-melt polyurethane (PU) adhesives, used in consumer electronics in bonding applications of devices such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops, and generates more than EUR1m in annual sales.

The deal will enable Bostik to strengthen its portfolio of engineering adhesives, building on existing operations in cyanoacrylate, methyl methacrylate (MMA) and UV technologies developed through acquisitions of Afinitica, Nitta and AEC Polymers.

As per MRC, Bostik, the Specialty Adhesives business line of Arkema, continues to expand its manufacturing capacities with the opening of a new facility in Gujarat. Together with its existing plant in Bangalore, the new plant will serve the fast growing demand in India for adhesives in industrial markets.

Bostik develops high-performance and high-value-added bonding and sealing products for the nonwoven, industrial, construction, and consumer markets. Bostik employs about 4,900 people across 48 production facilities - 18 in Europe, 10 - in North America, 8 - in Asia, 6 - in Australia and New Zealand, 2 - in Africa, and 4 - in South America.

Arkema is a leading European supplier of chlorochemicals and PVC. Kynar and Kynar Flex are registered trademarks of Arkema Inc.
MRC

thyssenkrupp to build three major polymer plants for SASA in Turkey

thyssenkrupp to build three major polymer plants for SASA in Turkey

MOSCOW (MRC) -- thyssenkrupp Uhde’s subsidiary Uhde Inventa-Fischer signed a contract to build three new polymer plants for SASA Polyester Sanayi A.S in Adana, Turkey, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

One plant is planned to produce 1,050 metric tpd (380,000 tpy) polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for low viscosity application combined with a Co-PET plant with a capacity of 100 metric tpd (36,000 tpy). The third plant will use Uhde Inventa-Fischer’s proprietary patented MTR (Melt-to-Resin) technology to produce 330,000 tpy of resin for the production of PET bottles.

Dr. Mustafa Kemal Oz, GM of SASA POLYESTER SANAYI A.S. said, “We are pleased to choose again Uhde Inventa-Fischer for our new investments. SASA is racing to global leadership in polyester production with its state-of-the-art world class production facilities. It is an honor to continue our cooperation with UIF who has been always a good business partner of our growth strategy.”

Werner Steinauer, CEO of Uhde Inventa-Fischer said, “We are very proud that SASA chose us to build further state-of-the-art PET plants after we were assigned to build already Line 1, Line 2, and Line 3.”

Scope of delivery for all plants includes basic and detail engineering, delivery of all necessary components, technical services regarding plant erection as well as supervision of erection and commissioning.

As MRC wrote before, in January, 2022, thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers signed a supply contract with Shell for the large-scale project ‘Hydrogen Holland I’ in the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Under the contract, thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers will engineer, procure and fabricate a 200 MW electrolysis plant based on their large-scale 20 MW alkaline water electrolysis module. First construction work for the electrolysers will likely begin in spring 2022. Shell’s final investment decision to build the ‘Holland Hydrogen I’ is expected in 2022, after which the intended start of production will be in 2024.

thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers offers world-leading technologies for high-efficiency electrolysis plants. The company, a Joint Venture with Industrie De Nora, has extensive in-depth knowledge in the engineering, procurement, and construction of electrochemical plants and a strong track record of more than 600 projects with a total rating of over 10 gigawatts already successfully installed. With its water electrolysis technology to produce green hydrogen, the company offers an innovative solution on an industrial scale for green value chains and an industry fueled by clean energy – a major step towards a climate-neutrality.
MRC