BASF strengthens its dispersant business in Europe

BASF is set to double its production capacity for water-soluble dispersants based on acrylic acid at its Dilovasi, Turkey location with the introduction of a new production plant, said the company.

This investment aims to support BASF’s customers in the detergent, cleaning and chemical processing industry across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The additional capacities are expected to be fully operational by the third quarter of 2023.

In 2020, BASF had already taken steps to enhance flexibility and expand its production plant for water-soluble dispersants and other functional additives at the Ludwigshafen site. Soeren Hildebrandt, Senior Vice President Home Care, I&I and Industrial Formulators Europe at BASF, commented: "Through this additional investment at our Dilovasi site, we are addressing the rising demand for these products for modern formulations. The capacity expansion will especially benefit our European customers, supporting them in their growth while providing them with even more flexible and reliable supply options."

These water-soluble dispersants and functional additives are marketed by BASF’s Care Chemicals operating division under the brand Sokalan® and have a wide range of applications. Sokalan® PA and Sokalan® CP grades facilitate dirt removal, disperse dissolved dirt in water and prevent lime deposits on laundry, dishes and in washing machines and dishwashers. Additionally, they find use in various technical processes to prevent fouling. The latest class of products in the Sokalan® range is represented by Sokalan® NR grades, which are highly effective mineral dispersing agents because of their narrow molecular weight distribution and are optimized for the hydrophilization of pulp fibers.

We remind, BASF, Huntsman and their Chinese partners in the joint venture Shanghai Lianheng Isocyanate Co (SLIC) complete the planned separation of their joint MDI production in Caojing. The two MDI (diphenylmethane diisocyanate) plants at the Caojing site in China will be operated independently by the two companies in the future. Huntsman, together with Shanghai Chlor-Alkali Chemical, and BASF, together with Shanghai Hua Yi (Group company) and Sinopec Shanghai Gaoqiao Petrochemical, will each take over one of the MDI plants.

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The European recycling rates remained at about 27% in 2022 to 813,266 tonnes of PVC wastes in EU-27, Norway, Switzerland and the UK, said Amiplastics.

In 2021, Europe recycled 810,775 tonnes of PVC wastes. Recycling of profiles grew to around 15% to 408,000 tonnes while pipes and fittings recycling grew by 12% to about 50,000 tonnes in 2022.

The organisation is committed to recycle 900,000 tonnes/y of PVC by 2025 and 1 M tonnes/y by 2030.

We remind, Olin shut the 835,000 metric tons per year unit July 12, citing equipment failures, according to its chief customer, US polyvinyl chloride (PVC) producer Shintech. Olin announced in June that the VCM plant had been restarted but was running at reduced rates.

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thyssenkrupp Uhde and Orica have successfully completed the Kooragang Island Decarbonization Project in Newcastle, Australia with the successful commissioning of thyssenkrupp Uhde’s effective EnviNOx technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at Orica’s three on-site nitric acid plants, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

For this project, thyssenkrupp Uhde provided the proprietary equipment, including the reactor vessels and the catalysts. Orica is one of the world’s leading mining and infrastructure solution providers with a global manufacturing capability.

With the EnviNOx technology it is anticipated that this project will eliminate approximately 567,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents from the site per year which equals the annual emissions from 50,000 Australian homes. This reduction in greenhouse gas emissions corresponds to 48% of the site’s total greenhouse gas emissions and 11% of all chemical industry emissions in Australia.

Dr. Cord Landsmann, CEO thyssenkrupp Uhde: “With our proven EnviNOx technology, we at thyssenkrupp Uhde are making a significant contribution to the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions, thus improving the sustainability of manufacturing and reducing the carbon footprint of industries. We are committed to a more sustainable future and therefore support our customers in achieving their sustainability goals using our proven technologies across the value chain.”

In acknowledging a significant decarbonization milestone, Orica Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sanjeev Gandhi said: “This project clearly demonstrates that with the right policy settings and corporate commitments, emissions reduction is possible in hard-to-abate industries of our economy. We will continue to invest across our operations, to ensure Australian manufactured products remain competitive as the world transitions to a lower carbon economy.”

We remind, BASF and thyssenkrupp Uhde announced their cooperation in the marketing and further development of catalyst and process design for thyssenkrupp Uhde’s leading EnviNOx technology for N2O and NOx abatement. BASF will supply its high-performance catalysts to thyssenkrupp Uhde, enabling their customers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions even more effectively. EnviNOx reliably removes more than 99% of all N2O and NOx emissions, as at BASF’s site in Ludwigshafen, where a new unit successfully started up in the second half of 2022.

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Oil prices dipped on Monday as concerns about China's faltering economic recovery and a stronger dollar took the momentum out of seven weeks of gains on tight supply, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Brent crude futures were down 63 cents at $86.18 a barrel by 11:55 a.m. EDT (1555 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude lost 59 cents to $82.60 a barrel. Market participants are torn, weighing a tight supply-demand balance against signs of weakening demand from China, said Phil Flynn, analyst at Price Futures Group.

"Part of it seems to be the Monday morning blahs. I think we still have to face a market that's very tight," Flynn said.
Vandana Hari, founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights, said a correction may be on the cards for crude markets.

"Crude has been in overbought territory for some time now, defying expectations of a correction," Hari said. She added that the focus had been on U.S. economic optimism, to the exclusion of economic headwinds in the euro zone and China. Weighing on oil prices, the U.S. dollar index extended gains after a slightly bigger increase in U.S. producer prices in July. That lifted Treasury yields despite expectations the Federal Reserve is at the end of hiking interest rates.

A stronger dollar pressures oil demand by making the commodity more expensive for buyers holding other currencies. Separately on Monday, a Shell spokesperson said exports of Nigeria's Forcados crude oil resumed on Sunday, roughly a month after loadings of the medium sweet grade were suspended because of a potential leak at the export terminal.

We remind, China's state-controlled Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group is expected to double its purchases of Russian ESPO blend this year to about one million metric tons, according to two sources familiar with the plant's operations. The company is due to start up a 50,000 barrels per day crude processing unit at its refinery in landlocked Shaanxi province in the north later this month, after retooling work that allows the plant to process more crude.

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Following the rejection by the European Parliament in February 2020 of the European Commission’s derogations (special exclusions) covering recycling of legacy PVC compounds — which were part of a proposed wider update of restrictions on use of lead and lead compounds in PVC — the Commission has published a new and revised regulation, said Amiplastics.

Implemented as part of REACH and already in force, it addresses Parliament’s previous concerns while still including a number of derogations designed to achieve a balance between encouraging material circularity and mitigating long-term health risks.

We remind, in June, the European chlorine production reached 597,178 tonnes. With 19,906 tonnes, the June 2023 average daily production was 0.8% lower than in the previous month (May 2023: 20,065 tonnes) and 12.5% lower than in June 2022 (22,759 tonnes), according to European chlor-alkali industry association Euro Chlor. With 207,417 tonnes, the June 2023 caustic soda stocks were 22.5% lower than in the previous month (May 2023: 267,745 tonnes) but 14,363 tonnes above the level of June 2022 (193,054 tonnes).

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