Unipetrol proceeding with rebuild of fire damaged ethylene plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Unipetrol is going ahead with reconstruction of its 544,000-t/y Zaluzi ethylene plant in Litvinov, Czech Republic, damaged by fire earlier this year, as per GV.

Linde Engineering will provide engineering, procurement and construction management for the project, while Technip will be responsible for delivering some technological components, including four new pyrolysis furnaces.

The ethylene plant, as well as a polypropylene facility and two polyethylene units with a combined capacity of 595,000 t/y, were all closed following the August fire.

The ethylene plant is expected to resume operating at 65% capacity in July 2016, with full capacity “very roughly estimated” for October 2016, Unipetrol said.

"We are doing our maximum in order to put the ethylene unit into operation in the shortest possible term," noted Unipetrol Chief Executive Marek Switajewski.

As MRC reported earlier, in mid-August 2015, Unipetrol halted the petrochemicals plant at the site and the adjacent refinery after a fire.The fire started after an explosion was triggered by a failure of the ethylene facility’s cooling system.

Unipetrol , a.s. is a group of companies operating in the petrochemical industry in the Czech Republic. In 2005 Unipetrol became a part of the PKN ORLEN Group, the largest oil processor in Central Europe. The UNIPETROL Group is oriented mostly towards oil processing, fuel distribution and petrochemical production. In all of these business areas the Unipetrol Group is among the key players both in the Czech Republic and on the Central European market. The Group ranks among the leading firms in the Czech Republic in terms of its revenues, and employs almost 4,000 people.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The future of the plastic pipe market looks attractive with opportunities in the potable water, waste water supply, electrical and telecommunication, agriculture, chemical, and oil and gas sectors, reported Plastemart with reference to Lucintel.

The global plastic pipe market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2015 to 2020. The major growth drivers for this market are infrastructure development, rise in construction activities, replacement of aging pipelines made of traditional materials, growing population, and growing urbanization rate.

In this market, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP) are the major raw materials used to manufacture plastic pipes. Lucintel predicts that the demand for PE plastic pipes will experience the highest growth in the forecast period, supported by growing demand in the chemical sector and sewage applications. It is forecast that the wastewater supply, agriculture, and chemical sectors are expected to show above average growth during the forecast period.

Within the plastic pipe market, wastewater supply is expected to remain the largest application followed by potable water supply applications. The growth of residential and commercial construction and the boom in infrastructure development are expected to spur growth for this segment over the forecast period.

Asia Pacific is expected to remain the largest market as well as have the highest growth over the forecast period due to growth in drainage, sewage, storm, and other wastewater supply applications, especially in China and India, with increasing urbanization and high growth in construction and infrastructure development.

For market expansion, the report suggests new product development, where the unique characteristics of plastic pipes can be capitalized. Emerging trends, which have a direct impact on the dynamics of the industry, are the usage of anti-microbial plastic pipes to improve hygiene and replacement of traditional material pipes with eco-friendly ABS and PE plastic pipes. Mexichem SAB de CV, China LESSO Group Holdings Limited, Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd, Formosa Plastics Group, and Advanced Drainage Systems Inc. are among the major manufacturers of plastic pipes.

As MRC informed previously, global demand for plastic pipe will rise 8.5% annually through 2017 to 11.2 billion meters, according to a report by Cleveland-based Freedonia Group Inc. Growth will be the result of increased construction spending, a rebound in the U.S. market, and gains in market share from copper, concrete, and steel, thanks to lower cost, installation ease and performance advantages.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Scientists have developed a new reusable polymer that can remove pollutants from flowing water within seconds, just like air fresheners trap invisible air pollutants in the home and remove unwanted odoursas per Timesofindia.

Researchers from Cornell University have used the same material found in air fresheners, cyclodextrin, to develop a technique that could revolutionise the water-purification industry. The team, led by Will Dichtel, associate professor at Cornell University, developed a porous form of cyclodextrin that has displayed uptake of pollutants through adsorption at rates vastly superior to traditional activated carbon - 200 times greater in some cases. Activated carbons have the advantage of larger surface area than previous polymers made from cyclodextrin - but they do not bind pollutants as strongly as cyclodextrin. The findings were published in the journal Nature.

"What we did is make the first high-surface-area material made of cyclodextrin combining some of the advantages of the activated carbon with the inherent advantages of the cyclodextrin," Mr Dichtel said."These materials will remove pollutants in seconds, as the water flows by," he said. Whereas activated carbon filters must undergo intense heat-treating for regeneration, cyclodextrin filters could be washed at room temperature with methanol or ethanol.

Recyclability is another advantage of the cyclodextrin polymer, Mr Dichtel said. Whereas activated carbon filters must undergo intense heat-treating for regeneration, cyclodextrin filters could be washed at room temperature with methanol or ethanol.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company, has announced that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Push Group Co., Ltd. (Push Group), with respect to the formation of a new joint venture focused on the production of cellulose acetate-based specialty products, including high-quality plastics and films, reported the company in its press release.

"This is an exciting opportunity for Celanese, together with Push Group, to add a specialty cellulose plastics focus to our leading cellulose acetate capabilities and our leading engineered thermoplastics platform, and participate in the development of the next generation of products manufactured with cellulose acetate flake," said Scott Sutton, president, Materials Solutions for Celanese.

Push Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sichuan Wuliangye Group Co., Ltd., and is based in Yibin, China. Although definitive terms of several ancillary agreements are still under negotiation, Celanese and Push Group have concluded the negotiation of the joint venture agreement that would govern their relationship and have agreed to extend the period of exclusivity related to formation of the project.

Pursuant to the terms of the joint venture agreement, Push Group would contribute certain existing cellulose acetate-related assets, and Celanese would contribute certain technology and its leading cellulose acetate operational know-how and experience. The execution of the Joint Venture Agreement and certain other remaining ancillary documents is expected to occur before the end of March 2016, with closing of the transaction subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals and third party consents.

As MRC reported earlier, in October 2015, Fairway Methanol LLC, a 50-50 joint venture between Mitsui and Celanese, commenced production of methanol at its planned annual production capacity of 1.3 million tons in Texas, USA.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Texas, Celanese employs approximately 7,500 employees worldwide and had 2014 net sales of USD6.8 billion.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The future of continuous fiber thermoplastic (CFT) market looks good with opportunities in aerospace and automotive industries, as per Reaserch&Markets.

The global continuous fiber thermoplastics market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2015 to 2020, according to a new market report by Lucintel. The major driver of growth for this market is increasing level of penetration in aerospace and automotive industries, largely to address the increasing requirement of lightweight, recyclable, and environment friendly products.

In this market, glass & carbon fibers are major reinforcements and polyamide (PA), polypropylene (PP), polyetherimide (PEI), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), & polyetheretherketone (PEEK) resins as major matrices are used for making continuous fiber thermoplastics. Lucintel predicts that the demand for CFT is likely to experience a good growth rate in the forecast period supported by growing demand in end-user industries. On the basis of comprehensive research, Lucintel forecasts that aerospace segment is expected to show above average growth during the forecast period.

Within the CFT market, the aerospace industry is expected to remain as the largest market by value and transportation industry by volume. The development of advanced aircraft models and new applications in the aerospace and automotive industry are expected to spur growth for these segments over the forecast period.
North America is expected to remain the largest market shipment due to growth in demand from aerospace and automotive industries. Asia Pacific & Rest of the World is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period because of increasing penetration of CFT in sporting goods, automotive, and industrial goods industries. For market expansion, this report suggests innovation and new product development to achieve higher stiffness and strength, where the unique characteristics of CFT can be capitalized. The report further suggests the collaboration with customers to create win-win situations and development of high performance products for the end users. Emerging trends in the global CFT market, which have a direct impact on the dynamics of the industry, include the development of new applications and collaboration of players in different nodes of industry. Cytec, Tencate, LANXESS, Owens Corning, Fiber Glass Industries, and Polystrand are among the major suppliers of CFT.

MRC