PTT Global restarts LDPE plant in Thailand

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Thailand's PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) has restarted a low density polyethylene (LDPE) plant, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Thailand informed that the plant restarted on October 18, 2013. It was shut on July 10, 2013 owing to technical issues.

Located in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, the plant has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote previously, in June 2013, Indonesian state-owned energy company Pertamina signed an agreement to purchase petrochemical products from Thailand’s PTT Global Chemical. The agreement serves as a pre-marketing strategy for Pertamina and PTT’s joint Indonesian petrochemical business. Under the agreement, PTT will deliver at least 5,000 tonnes of polyethylene and polypropylene products each month to Pertamina for sale in Indonesia.

PTT Global Chemical is a leading player in the petrochemical industry and owns several petrochemical facilities with a combined capacity of 8.45 million tonnes a year. PTTGC is 49% owned by state-controlled parent PTT Pcl, and uses ethane and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the gas plant as feedstock for its I4-2 olefins plant.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Arkema, has presented its latest significant innovations in its fluoropolymers, high-performance polyamides, polyolefins, organic peroxides, and plastic additives ranges at K2013, reported the company on its site.

Arkema’s R&D in specialty polymers make the company one of most innovative chemicals manufacturers in the world.
Developing lightweight materials to replace metal and reduce oil consumption in transport, producing technical polymers from renewable raw materials, or improving the efficiency of key components to contribute to the development of new energies, are three of R&D Arkema’s five priority areas.

The company's biosourced technical plastics (Rilsan 11, Pebax Rnew, Altuglas Rnew), ultra high performance polymers (Rilsan HT, Kynar, Altuglas Composite, Altuglas ShiedUp), plastic additives (Durastrength, Clearstrength, Plastistrength) as well as tie and sealing layer materials (Evatane, Lotryl, Lotader, Orevac, Evasin) are helping meet these major sustainability challenges.

The пroup has turned eco-technologies into reality with increasingly efficient materials, the key to the competitiveness of its downstream markets.

Arkema offers the plastics industry an extensive range of high performance materials for the oil&gas, automotive, aerospace, packaging and consumer goods applications.

As MRC wrote previously, this summer, Arkema announced a comprehensive range of PEKK (Poly Ether Ketone Ketone) ultra high performance polymers comprised of three families of products whose properties meet the requirements of aerospace, oil exploration and electronics applications. These new materials significantly expand Arkema’s high performance materials offerings to high added value markets.

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

MOSCOW (MRC) -- UOP LLC was recently selected by PT Pertamina to develop a master plan to improve operational flexibility and augment the production of petrochemicals, said Plastemart.

Pertamina is Indonesian state-owned oil and natural gas corporation based in Jakarta. UOP will prepare a "bankable feasible study" to recommend modernization plans for five largest refineries of Pertamina.

These include refineries in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan; Cilacap, Central Java; Dumai, Riau; Plaju, South Sumatra; and Balongan, West Java. The feasibility study, partially funded by a USD1.07 million grant from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, will focus on viable methods for upgrading the refineries for processing heavier lower-quality crude oil. At the same time, UOP will also evaluate the viability of a centralized terminal for crude imports.

As MRC wrote before, Pertamina has signed an agreement to purchase petrochemical products from Thailand’s PTT Global Chemical. The agreement serves as a pre-marketing strategy for Pertamina and PTT’s joint Indonesian petrochemical business. Under the agreement, PTT will deliver at least 5,000 tonnes of polyethylene and polypropylene products each month to Pertamina for sale in Indonesia.

Pertamina is an Indonesian state-owned oil and natural gas corporation based in Jakarta. It was created in August 1968 by the merger of Pertamin (established 1961) and Permina (established 1957). Pertamina is the world's largest producer and exporter of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- A consortium of eight Taiwanese firms is preparing to file an application with the Taiwan government for a joint venture refinery and naphtha cracker in China, according to Apic-online.

The planned project would be an equally-owned joint venture with China's Sinopec Group in the Gulei Development Zone in Zhangzhou in China's Fujian Province, and would be the first such project proposed since Taiwan lifted its ban on investments in Chinese naphtha crackers.

The consortium is comprised of Ho Tung Petrochemical, Hsin Tay Petroleum, LCY Chemical, USI, Asia Polymer, TSRC, Grand Pacific Petrochemical and BOC Lienhwa Industrial Gases.

As MRC informed before, Sinopec officially commenced operations at its new lubricant facility in Singapore. The lubricant plant, with an initial production capacity of 100,000 tpy, is the company's first direct overseas investment. The company, a unit of China Petrochemical Corp., said it plans to expand its operations in Asia-Pacific, with the Singapore plant as its regional hub.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Borealis, a leading supplier of advanced infrastructure plastics solutions for the pipe and fittings industry, has recently introduced two new BorSafe products exhibiting higher resistance to chlorinated disinfectants, said the producer in its press release.

Pipes based on BorSafe ME3440-D and BorSafe HE3490-DS-H have shown in trials to last at least three times longer than conventional polyethylene (PE) pipes. The extended lifetimes of pipes based on these new product materials will thus enhance the quality of drinking water in the long term in demanding chlorinated disinfection conditions.

The BorSafe family of PE pressure grades for infrastructure and pipe systems is based on Borealis' proprietary Borstar bimodal technology and each grade meets or exceeds stringent international standards for drinking water applications. Most significantly, BorSafe ME3440-D and BorSafe HE3490-DS-H exhibit improved resistance to aggressive disinfectants. In trials carried out on test equipment developed for this purpose by one of the market leaders in water distribution, pipes made with BorSafe ME3440-D and BorSafe HE3490-DS-H were shown to have lasted three times longer than standard PE pipes. Thanks to their bimodal design, the new grades also feature excellent mechanical properties which enable installation in difficult laying conditions. Finally, with one medium density (MD) PE80, more adapted to small diameters, and one PE100, the new BorSafe products cover the full range of pipe diameters and offer fully versatile solutions across all pipe sizes.

"The enhanced properties of these new BorSafe grades have been developed at the request of our partners in the water distribution industry," explains Anton Wolfsberger, Borealis Marketing Manager Energy and Infrastructure. “Their improved resistance to chlorinated disinfectants is a welcome supplement to other well-known product benefits such as superior flexibility and faster and safer installation in all types of laying conditions."

As MRC wrote before, Borealis is investing 65 million Euros in upgrading its Borstar PE2 plant in Porvoo, Finland. The major project will upgrade the Borstar PE2 plant technology to the third generation and extend its platform. The Austrian company announced earlier this year that it was investing 25 million Euros in Porvoo plant to install new hot oil heater unit at the phenol complex.

Borealis AG is Europe's second largest producer of polyethylene and polypropylene and is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

MRC