Braskem launched cornerstone of new PVC plant

(Braskem) -- Braskem held a ceremony to launch the cornerstone of its new PVC plant located in Marechal Deodoro in the state of Alagoas. Construction of the new plant has already begun and should create around 2.500 direct jobs until completed. With investment estimated at R$ 1 bln, which is the highest ever made by Braskem in a single project, the new industrial unit is scheduled to start operations in the first half of 2012.

The new plant will have annual production capacity of 200 KTa. Braskem already has a PVC unit in Alagoas, and this project will bring its annual PVC production capacity in the state to 460 KT. The new plant will make Alagoas the largest producer of PVC in Latin America, which should help strengthen the PVC manufacturing complex that already exists in the state. In addition to Alagoas, Braskem also has annual PVC production capacity of 250 KTat its plant in Camacari in the state of Bahia.

The installation of the new unit reflects the robust growth in the construction industry in Brazil, with growing demand for PVC, which is used in pipes and fittings and in profiles and frames. In 2010, the construction and sanitation sector drove growth of 18% in domestic PVC demand.

MRC

(Styron) -- Styron announced plans to expand its latex capacity at its Zhangjiagang, China production facility. The projected additional capacity of latex will help to better serve the growing demand for latex in China's paper and paper board industry, which is projected to grow significantly over the next few years.

⌠The China market continues to show tremendous growth, and this expansion reinforces our leadership in meeting customer needs, said Chris Pappas, President and CEO of Styron LLC. ⌠Zhangjiagang is the ideal location for Styron to expand our latex production and offerings. We've built and operated a plant on this site since 2002 and will continue to benefit from its strategic location, local resources, employees and community support.

The new unit, expected to commence production in Q4 2012, will be adjacent to Styron's existing latex manufacturing units at Zhangjiagang, and will complement Styron's other latex production facilities located in Korea, Indonesia and Australia. The expanded latex production facility will significantly enhance Styron's ability to help regional customers move to optimised product formulations with higher value in use'.

MRC

(Central Asia Newswire) -- A South Korean company hopes to invest up to USD 1.3 bln in a new Kazakh factory. Leading South Korean chemical manufacturer LG Chem is seeking to invest up to USD 1.3 bln in a Kazakhstan facility to produce polypropylene, a material used in laboratory equipment, textiles and packaging. Kazakh energy officials are also looking for another partner in the venture located in the Western Caspian Sea province of Atyrau.

International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), headquartered in the Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi, tops their list of potential investors, the news agency reported Kazakh Vice-Minister of Oil and Gas Aset Magauov as saying.

Total investment in the integrated chemical complex is expected to reach USD 4 bln. South Korean banks will provide USD 2.7 bln toward the project, while the remaining USD 1.3 bln will be invested by the participants.

The Atyrau chemical plant will initially produce 551 KTa of polypropylene. Output will be ramped up to 882 KTa with launch of the facility's second phase.

MRC

(ICIS) -- EU chemicals production in January increased 7.0% year on year as the sector continues to move closer to the peak output levels of 2007, the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) said on Wednesday. Chemicals production in the EU now stands at about 1.4% below the peak output achieved in 2007, Cefic said.

In its latest chemical trends report, Cefic said the EU has a trade surplus with all major markets except for China. There was a EUR 47bn (USD 67bn) trade surplus for the EU chemicals sector in 2010, up by 10% from 2009.

⌠The record trade surplus reflects a long-term trend of increased trade flows between the [EU] and the rest of the world, he said.

In terms of output, polymers production in January rose by 6.5% year on year, while basic inorganics and petrochemicals rose by 5.9% and 6.0%, respectively. Specialty chemicals production was up by 3.6% from January 2010, while consumer chemicals output rose by 9.3%.

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(LANXESS) -- Substantial amounts of hydrocarbons leak through the walls of plastic fuel tanks in gasoline engines to the outside and pollute the atmosphere - a phenomenon known as permeation. Lanxess is therefore working on special blow-moldable grades of polyamide 6 that act as an extremely effective barrier against gasoline fuels. One example of such a material is Durethan TP 142-011. ⌠The polyamide 6 is so effective in suppressing fuel permeation that test results are well below the upper limit for motorcycle tanks, which was recently tightened considerably by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is also impact-resistant, a quality it lends to the blow-molded tanks it is used to make, said Maik Schulte, a development engineer at LANXESS. The material is an especially good alternative to high-density polyethylene, which has been used to make many plastic tanks for gasoline engines until now. It also has considerable advantages over other tank materials, such as aluminum, sheet steel and multi-layer plastic composites.

MRC