Huntsman becomes new member of the ACC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Huntsman Corporation announced that it has joined the American Chemistry Council (ACC), an advocacy organisation for the US chemical industry, based in Washington, DC, USA, as per GV.

Huntsman President and CEO ­Peter Huntsman has been appointed to ACC’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

As MRC informed before, in March 2017, Huntsman Corporation announced a plan to close the white end finishing and packaging operation of its titanium dioxide (TiO2) manufacturing facility based in Calais, France, during the third quarter 2017. The announced plan follows the 2015 closure of the black end manufacturing operations and would result in the closure of the entire facility.

Huntsman Corporation is a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals with 2016 revenues of approximately USD10 billion.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sasol reported that construction of its new alkoxylation plant in Nanjing, China, has started, with the new plant expected to be fully operational by early 2019, said Engineeringnews.

The new production unit will modernise and expand Sasol's current alkoxylation capacity, research and development facility and technical support capability in Nanjing, while strengthening its position in China and allowing it to better meet the growing demand for specialty chemicals in this growth market.

This project entails the construction of an alkoxylation plant with a capacity of about 150 000 t/y, with the option of using either branched or linear alcohols to meet differentiated customer requirements in applications such as detergent, personal care, textiles and leather, metal working and lubrication, paper inks and coatings and the oil and gas recovery markets.

"With China's economy forecast to represent 40% of the world chemical demand by 2020 and its ongoing shift towards high-value and differentiated segments, China is an important market for Sasol. The new production unit will more than double Sasol's alkoxylation production capacity and Sasol's state-of-the-art technology offers our business partners significant benefits in terms of safety, reliability and flexibility," said Sasol chemicals business VP Fleetwood Grobler.

The new site, located in the Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park, occupies about 35 acres.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Indian oil Corp Ltd (IOCL), India's largest refiner and oil marketing company, is in plans to undertake maintenance at its polypropylene (PP) plant at Panipat refinery in northern India, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in India informed that the plant is planned to be taken off-stream early-July 2017. It is likely to remain under maintenance turnaround for around 4 weeks.

Located at Panipat in the northern Indian state of Haryana, the PP plant comprising two units has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year each.

As MRC wrote previously, IOCL shut its PP plant at Panipat refinery in northern India for a two-week turnaround in early September 2016.

Indian Oil Corporation Limited, or IndianOil, is an Indian state-owned oil and gas corporation with its headquarters in New Delhi, India.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) — China's Sinopec has not received a government order to relocate the Yanshan oil refinery, contradicting an earlier news report that the plant would be moved to develop the Xiongan New Area, said Reuters.

Sinopec's statement followed an earlier report from business media Caixin saying Sinopec would move the Yanshan oil refinery to the district of Caofiedian. Yanshan is one of Sinopec's largest plants in northern China, capable of refining 10 MMtpy of crude, or about 200 Mbpd.

Caixin said the relocation will help save water resources for Xiongan, citing Xu Kuangdi, chief adviser for the planning for the Xiongan economic zone.

Yanshan's fresh water consumption has dropped by 60% in the past 10 yr, Sinopec said in the statement. In 2016, Yanshan used 0.46 t of water to refine 1 t of crude oil.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation or Sinopec Limited is a Chinese oil and gas company based in Beijing, China. Sinopec's business includes oil and gas exploration, refining, and marketing; production and sales of petrochemicals, chemical fibers, chemical fertilizers, and other chemical products; storage and pipeline transportation of crude oil and natural gas; import, export and import/export agency business of crude oil, natural gas, refined oil products, petrochemicals, and other chemicals.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell Process Solutions, with the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), will establish a new industrial cyber security center of excellence (COE) for Asia Pacific in Singapore. The COE will feature a cyber security research and development lab, an advanced training facility and a security operations center that provides managed security services, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

"Honeywell's major investments in new industrial cyber security technologies, services, and advanced research – including this new center of excellence in Singapore – will further strengthen our ability to secure and protect industrial assets, operations and people," said Jeff Zindel, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Industrial Cyber Security. "The COE will provide a world-class innovation platform for smart industry, critical infrastructure protection and securing the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in the Asia Pacific region."

The new facility in Singapore, which is the first for Asia Pacific, is a further expansion of Honeywell's global network of innovation centers. The lab will be used for proprietary research and development of new cyber security technologies and products, hands-on training and certifications, and testing and validation of industrial cyber security solutions. It will enable rapid development and introduction of innovative cyber security solutions to the regional and global markets.

The facility will also deliver managed industrial cyber security services to help users reduce the risk of security breaches and proactively improve their security posture. Managed services include continuous security and performance monitoring and alerting, security asset management, and incident response with 24-hr expert support 365 days a year.

The COE will be located at Honeywell's office in Singapore's Changi Business Park and is expected to open by the end of 2017. In addition, Honeywell is opening a similar facility in Dubai this year. Honeywell's first cyber security lab is based in Atlanta.

As MRC informed earlier, UOP LLC, a division of Honeywell International Inc. has won a contract from Dangote Oil Refinery Company Ltd. for critical equipment, technology licensing and design services for a world-scale integrated refinery and petrochemical plant.

Honeywell UOP's Advanced MTO process combines the UOP/Hydro MTO process and the Total/UOP Olefin Cracking Process to significantly increase yields and feedstock efficiency. The process converts methanol from coal and natural gas into ethylene and propylene. At the heart of the technology are UOP's proprietary catalysts, which make it possible to efficiently adjust the ratio of propylene and ethylene produced so operators can most effectively meet demand for those products.
MRC