Taiwan Styrene Monomer Corp extends shut down of its SM plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Taiwan Styrene Monomer Corp (TSMC) has extended the shutdown at its styrene monomer (SM) plant by another two weeks, reported Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Taiwan informed that plant was expected to remain off-stream for two weeks. It was shut on October 1, 2014 owing to technical issues.

Located at inYuan in Taiwan, the plant has a production capacity of 160,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed previously, Styrindo Mono Indonesia (SMI) is in plans to shut its No.1 styrene monomer (SM) plant for maintenance turnaround in H2 November 2014. The plant is slated to be shut for around one month. Located in Merak, Indonesia, the plant has a production capacity of 100,000 mt/year.

We also remind that Taiyo Petrochemical shut down its SM plant for maintenance in September 2014. The shutdown is expected to remain in force for around 30 days. Located at Ube in Japan, the SM plant has a production capacity of 370,000 mt/year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA), one of the key opposition groups which has cast the bill as job killer and cash-grab by grocers groups, plans to take the matter to the voters themselves next November, said Plasticsnews.

"Fortunately, California’s constitution provides voters the opportunity to stop bad laws through the referendum process. Our research confirms that the vast majority of California voters are opposed to legislation that bans recyclable plastic bags and allows grocers to charge and keep fees on other bags. So we have taken the necessary steps to gather signatures and qualify a referendum to repeal SB 270 on the November 2016 ballot," said APBA Executive Director Lee Califf in a Tuesday statement.

"Since state lawmakers failed their constituents by approving this terrible bill, we will take the question directly to the public and have great faith they will repeal it at the ballot box. Ultimately the voters will decide and, until then, California families — including thousands of our industry’s workers — will be protected from the implementation of this unprecedented scam."

Much like the 11th hour retooling of the bill that got it through the state legislature, Brown waited until the last possible day to sign the measure into law. Under the new law, single-use plastic bags will be prohibited as of July 1, 2015, and Californians will pay a minimum of 10 cents for each reusable plastic or recycled paper bag at grocery stores.

In 2016, the ban will extend to pharmacies and liquor stores. "Reusable" bags are defined by the law as those designed for at least 125 uses and made of at least 25 percent recycled plastic. Eventually, the recycled-content requirement will go up to 40%.

"California policy makers have made a clear statement in enacting the bag ban: Producers are responsible for the end of life impacts of their products," said Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste, a major supporter of the bill. "If a product is too costly to society and the environment, California is prepared to move to eliminate it."

California is the first to enact a state-wide ban on plastic bags, though the county-by-county bans in Hawaii have created a de facto state-wide ban, as well.

As MRC wrote before, cities in a number of Asian countries, including China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan, are currently on the warpath against plastic shopping bags.
The cities have passed local laws that ban such bags, on the basis that they clog sewers and drainage canals, cause street flooding, choke animals and are responsible for other forms of environmental damage.
China and Taiwan, for example, impose heavy fines on violators. Other countries are appealing for a switch to the production and use of biodegradable bags.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Huntsman Corporation announced today that it has received final clearance and approval from the European Commission to acquire the Performance Additives and Titanium Dioxide businesses of Rockwood Holdings, Inc., said the producer in its press-release.

The acquisition is expected to close October 1, 2014. Huntsman is acquiring the Rockwood businesses for USD1.1bn, plus the assumption of USD225m in pension liabilities.

The deal will make Huntsman the largest processor of sulfate ores, a key raw material which is also a cheaper alternative to chloride ores, and the number two player in titanium dioxide, behind DuPont.

As MRC wrote before, the Commission opened a broad investigation in March, concerned that the deal may result in higher prices in sulphate-based titanium dioxide, a pigment used as a whitener in products from toothpaste to cars.

Huntsman Corporation is a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals with 2013 revenues of over USD11 billion. Huntsman is a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals. The company's operating companies manufacture products for a variety of global industries, including chemicals, plastics, automotive, aviation, textiles, footwear, paints and coatings, construction, technology, agriculture, health care, detergent, personal care, furniture, appliances and packaging.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, will showcase its leading desiccant products and its newly expanded line of container desiccants, Container Dri II dedicated to the transportation industry during the 9th China (Shenzhen) International Logistics and Transportation Fair (CILF) on October 14-16, 2014, reported the company on its site.

In the increasingly globalized supply chain, uncontrolled humidity and condensation on shipment en route to international destination can easily compromise business’ bottom line. Mold, corrosion, spoilage and warping are just some of the harmful effects caused by moisture during transportation, whether it is via shipping container, rail, barge or truck.

Clariant’s Container Dri II portfolio offers a comprehensive line of container desiccants that provide versatile protection against damaging humidity and moisture during intermodal transport. Available in bags, poles and strips, these industry-leading products aggressively absorb up to three times their weight in moisture, and trap it as a thick gel that will not spill or drip, reducing relative humidity to less than 40%. The product reduces dew point temperatures that cause harmful "container rain", keeping cargoes safe and dry for up to 90 days.

Container Dri II claims this top-performing spot thanks to the absorption capacity of up to 300% with its calcium chloride desiccant bags.

As MRC reported earlier, in July 2014, CB&I and Clariant announced that their new Ziegler-Natta (ZN) polypropylene catalyst plant in Louisville, Kentucky, is on schedule to begin production in 2015. The plant is part of a long-term strategic partnership between Clariant’s catalysts business and CB&I’s Lummus Novolen Technology business. Based at Clariant’s largest US production hub, the new facility will combine innovative catalysts jointly developed by both companies with high-capacity output.

Clariant AG is a Swiss chemical company and a world leader in the production of specialty chemicals for the textile, printing, mining and metallurgical industries. It is engaged in processing crude oil products in pigments, plastics and paints.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Imports of polypropylene (PP) in Kazakhstan increased to 11,500 tonnes in the first eight months of this year, up 18% year on year, according to MRC analysts.

August PP imports in the country seasonally increased to 2,100 tonnes, compared with 1,900 tonnes in July. Total PP imports in Kazakhstan increased to 11,500 tonnes in January - August 2014, compared to 9,700 tonnes in the same time a year earlier.

The main suppliers of polypropylene in Kazakhstan were Russian producers, with about 52% from total imports in the country. The second largest supplier of PP in the local market was South Korea.

Local production of polypropylene, Neftekhim Ltd, launched in 2010, delivers PP to export markets. Annual capacities of the producer are 35,000 tonnes/year. Export volumes of PP from the country were 14,600 tonnes in the first eight months of the year, which was almost two times more than in 2013.

In the near future, the company plans to increase its presence in the domestic market.
MRC