Qatar Petroleum to use a mix of ethane, NGLs as feedstock for two upcoming petrochemical projects

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Qatar will use a mix feed of ethane and natural gas liquids as feedstock for two upcoming petrochemical projects, according to Plastemart.

The NGLs will come from the second phase of Ras Laffan refinery 2 (LR2), a USD1.5 bln project that will consist of a 146,000 b/d processing capacity condensate refinery.

The first project is a 80:20 venture between Qatar Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell. The USD6.4 bln project includes a world-scale steam cracker to be built at Qatar's Ras Laffan industrial city and a 1.5 million m tpa monoethylene glycol plant and 300,000 m tpa linear alpha olefins.

The other project is a 80:20 venture between QP and Qatari oil major Qapco. The USD5.5 bln petrochemicals complex will produce 1.4 mln tpa of ethylene and other products, 850,000 m tpa of high density polyethylene, 430,000 m tpa of linear low-density polyethylene, 760,000 m tpa of polypropylene and 83,000 m tpa of butadiene.

We remind that, as MRC informed previously, Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO), has signed a license agreement with Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology LLC, a wholly owned Subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, for UNIPOL polypropylene process technology. The 540,00 tonnes per year polypropylene (PP) production facility will be located in Ras Laffan, Qatar, and will produce homopolymers, random copolymers and impact copolymers from a mixed feed cracker. The QP/QAPCO facility will be the first polypropylene plant in Qatar. UNIPOL PP Process Technology positions polypropylene manufacturers to meet and exceed increasing demand for high quality polypropylene.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lanxess has run a production campaign of bio-based PBT in LANXESS’ world-scale production plant using 20 metric tons of bio-based BDO made with Genomatica’s commercially-proven process, reported Lanxess on its site.

This BDO fully complied with the demanding LANXESS specifications for petro-based BDO allowing a direct feed of 100% bio-based BDO into the continuous production process.

The properties and the quality of the resulting bio-based PBT are fully equivalent to conventional petro-based PBT with regard to all tested parameters. The world-scale PBT plant, with a capacity of 80,000 tonnes per year, is located in Hamm-Uentrop, Germany, and operated as a joint venture in which Lanxess has a share of 50%.

Genomatica’s BDO process technology converts sugars - a renewable feedstock - into the major chemical BDO in a patented, ’direct’ fermentation process.

"We were excited to validate the bio-based BDO made with Genomatica’s process as a one-to-one replacement for petro-based BDO for the production of our PBT," said Hartwig Meier, Head of Global Product and Application Development of the High Performance Materials Business Unit of LANXESS. "This is a strong signal to the market and a tremendous step forward in our future plans to offer our high-tech plastic Pocan in a bio-based version, too. Due to its unchanged properties Pocan compounds based on bio-based PBT can directly be used in established application fields such as automotive or electro & electronics area. This fits very well with our strategy of ‘Green Mobility’."

We remind that, as MRC wrote previously, Lanxess is strengthening its product portfolio for biocides to serve the megatrend urbanization. Thus, in early April, the German specialty chemicals group acquired Singapore-based PCTS Specialty Chemicals Pte. Ltd. for an undisclosed amount. Through the acquisition, Lanxess is now one of the leading suppliers of biocides for paints and coatings in the rapidly-growing Asia-Pacific region.

Genomatica is a widely-recognized technology leader for the chemical industry. It delivers new manufacturing processes that enable its licensee partners to produce the world’s most widely-used chemicals a ‘better way’, from renewable feedstocks, with better economics and greater sustainability than petroleum-based processes.
Genomatica’s first process, for BDO, is now commercial. Genomatica is also developing processes for other high-volume chemicals, including butadiene.

Lanxess is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 8.8 billion in 2011 and currently around 16,900 employees in 31 countries. The company is currently represented at 48 production sites worldwide. The core business of Lanxess is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. The company posted lower earnings in the first quarter of 2013 as expected due to a weak market environment, particularly in the tire and automotive industries. First-quarter sales were down by 12% year-on-year to EUR 2.1 billion, mainly due to lower volumes and fallen selling prices.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Teknor Apex Company has introduced a new rigid vinyl compound with a specially developed UV-blocking formulation, which provides clarity for photobioreactor and other outdoor tubing, along with high gloss and toughness for weatherable profile applications, as per Plastemart.

Apex RE 9118A is a transparent compound with less than 15% haze. The UV-blocking formulation substantially reduces the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation on the PVC while permitting passage of wavelengths that are essential in processes like algae farming for biofuel and other applications. The tensile, flexural, and impact properties of the compound are comparable to those of standard general-purpose rigid vinyl.

The new material is the only one available from a diversified PVC compounder that combines good clarity and high resistance to UV, said Michael J. Renzi, business development manager for the Vinyl Division of Teknor Apex.

"By virtue of its lower cost, lighter weight, and greater resistance to breakage, rigid vinyl provides a superior cost-performance alternative to the glass piping used in ‘green energy’ applications, as well as to high-cost engineered thermoplastics such as polycarbonate," said Mr. Renzi. "Our PVC compound withstands continued exposure to sunlight while allowing passage of energy needed for bioprocessing and enabling technicians to monitor the status of their systems."

As MRC reported earlier, in March 2013, Teknor Apex presented three new thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) wire and cable compounds that combine the rubber-like durability and flexibility valued by hospital and clinical professionals and the high degree of purity required for meeting stringent medical standards.

Teknor Apex is one of the world's leading custom compounders headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA. The company produces PA compounds in the UK, the U.S.A., and Singapore. Teknor Apex is one of the world's leaders of specialty PVC compounds which are used in a wide range of applications from wire and cable to automotive, medical, consumer and industrial products. The company also produces thermoplastic elastomers, nylon, bioplastics, chemicals, specialty compounds.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The output of finished products with the addition of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in Russia increased in January-May, reported MRC analysts, according to Rosstat.

Producers of coatings, PVC windows and profiles showed stable growth rates.

In January-May 2013, the production of paints and varnishes in Russia grew by 11.7% year on year. The rise in production of polymer-based paints and varnishes exceeded 16% in January-May 2013.

According to official statistics, Russia produced 144,600 tonnes of coatings in May. The output of polymer-based coatings made 112,000 tonnes.

Russian producers of plastic windows demonstated no less rapid growth. According to official statistics, the production of finished products in this sector rose by 12% in January-May 2013.

High rates of production growth in these sectors contribute to increased consumption of TiO2 by Russian companies. As reported earlier, amid stronger demand in the Russian domestic market, imports of titanium dioxide in January-May 2013 rose by 38% (10,800 tonnes) year on year and totalled about 39,000 tonnes.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Nizhnekamskneftehim, the third largest high density polyethylene (HDPE) producer in Russia,
stopped its production, according to MRC analysts.

Today, on 27 June, Nizhnekamskneftekhim shut down its HDPE production. HDPE output was stopped because of problems at ethylene production unit. The plant's representatives have not disclosed the duration of the outage, but they do not rule out the possibility of resumption of polyethylene (PE) production in the next 4-5 days.

The annual PE capacity of the plant in Nizhnekamsk is 200,000 tonnes. According MRC ScanPlast, in 2012 the
overall output of PE by Nizhnekamsk plant totalled slightly more than 202,000 tonnes. Over the first five months of 2013, the company produced 84,000 tonnes of PE.
MRC