Toyo awarded contract for acetylene black project in Thailand

Toyo Engineering Corp. (Tokyo) has been awarded engineering and procurement contract for an acetylene black project by Denka SCGC Advanced Materials Co., Ltd., a joint venture company of Denka Company Ltd. and SCG Chemicals plc (SCGC; Bangkok, Thailand), said Chemonline.

Acetylene Black is a type of carbon black used for applications such as EV lithium-ion batteries and high-voltage transmission cables for offshore wind power generation and contribute to carbon neutrality. TOYO’s proposal for an optimal design and procurement plan that would enable early completion of the project and extensive project experience in Thailand was highly evaluated and led to the contract award.

Taking advantage of the expertise we have gained in the plant engineering business, TOYO will contribute to the development of both companies in the petrochemical product field, as well as to the realization of a carbon-neutral society and the rapid growth in the Southeast Asian market.

We remind, Braskem, the leading global biopolymer producer, announced the opening of its Representative Office in Tokyo, Japan one of the key markets for Braskem's I'm greenT bio-based Polyethylene (PE), said the company.
This expansion reinforces our continuous commitment to the Japanese market and the continued development the biopolymer solutions based on renewable feedstock.

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Following the studies already conducted in 2021 on the recyclability of coextruded polyethylene/polyamide multilayer films, the independent institute cyclos-HTP GmbH has completed further extensive investigations into the recyclability of multilayer films containing polyamide 6 and ethyl vinyl alcohol copolymer, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The subjects of the studies commissioned by BASF SE are coextruded PE/PA6/EVOH high-barrier films as well as and laminated PA6/PE films in household packaging waste. It has now been demonstrated that these two film types are also compatible for recycling in the polyethylene film stream.

“The results show that PE film waste streams containing PA can be processed without significant adjustments to the recycling process. The certification confirms the standard market practice of PA-containing film waste already being recycled by film manufacturers today,” says Dr. Matthias Zorn, Senior Manager Market Development Polyamides for extrusion applications at BASF.”

The compatibilizer, which is incorporated additionally into laminated structures to enable distribution of the PA component in the PE matrix, plays an important role. In coextruded structures, the already present tie layer used to bond PA and PE in the film becomes an effective compatibilizer during the recycling process. “If additional functionalized polyethylene (PE-g-MAH) is also added as a compatibilizer during primary film production, the polyamide is even recognized as a valuable material in the polyethylene recyclate by cyclos-HTP,” says Zorn.

The study on adhesive-laminated PE/PA films, which was set up in cooperation with SUDPACK, a leading manufacturer of high-performance films, clearly shows how these films, which were previously considered non-recyclable, can also be made recycling compatible. In this project, a laminating adhesive from Henkel was used. Based on the new studies, a broad portfolio of PA-containing packaging can now be certified as recycling compatible.

Due to their unique property profile, polyamides reduce the amount of material used in packaging applications and therefore help to reduce packaging waste. They also improve the mechanical, thermal and processing properties of the packaging. While PE/PA/EVOH films are used in many cheese and sausage packagings requiring a high oxygen barrier, laminated structures are mainly found in printed film packaging in this segment.

Last year, the German minimum standard for determining the recyclability of packaging subject to system participation pursuant to Section 21 (3) VerpackG already recognized the recyclability of coextruded PE/PA films. The certification is another important fundament for a fact-based classification of polyamides in packaging. The results are made available both to the CEN standardization group, which is developing a “Design for Recycling” guideline at European level, and to the Central Agency Packaging Register, which sets the German minimum standard for assessing recyclability every year.

We remind, BASF SE, the German chemical giant, has achieved a major breakthrough with the formal approval of $136.2 million state grant dedicated to the establishment of a green hydrogen plant at its Ludwigshafen headquarters. This financial endorsement signals a critical advancement for the Hy4Chem-EI project, a collaborative endeavor between BASF and Siemens Energy, propelling it into the eagerly anticipated construction phase.

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Indian refiners have resumed Venezuelan oil purchases through intermediaries, with Reliance set to meet executives from state firm PDVSA next week to discuss direct sales following the easing of U.S. sanctions on the South American country, said Reuters.

The resumption in trade between the OPEC producer and what was the second largest destination for its oil comes after Washington in October temporarily lifted sanctions banning Venezuelan oil exports, prompting a flurry of spot sales of crude and fuel through middlemen and traders, mostly to China.

But Venezuela's oil output has been volatile, limiting what it can offer for export. India last imported Venezuelan crude in 2020. Access to Venezuela's heavy oil could cap import costs for India, which has become a major Russian oil buyer, and further reduce its reliance on the Middle East.

Three Indian refiners have bought some 4 million barrels of Venezuelan crude for February delivery at between $7.50 and $8 per barrel below dated Brent on a delivered ex-ship basis, five trade sources said.

Of those, trading house Vitol sold 1.5 million barrels to Indian Oil Corp and 500,000 barrels to HPCL-Mittal Energy (HMEL), a joint venture between state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corp and Mittal Energy Investment, they added.

Reliance had previously received an offer for a prompt cargo at $16 a barrel below dated Brent on a free-on-board basis, another source said, but it was unclear if the deal had gone through as limited tankers were available.

The South American country is producing some 850,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude with a target of soon reaching 1 million bpd, Venezuela's deputy oil minister said last month, a goal it has repeatedly missed. Reliance once was PDVSA's second-largest crude customer and in turn an important supplier of fuel to Venezuela.

"The Reliance team has already scheduled meetings with PDVSA executives in Caracas," one of the people said, adding that the discussions are expected to include crude sales to India and fuel imports for Venezuela. PDVSA, Reliance, IOC, HPCL-Mittal Energy and Vitol did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The Venezuelan firm is also separately negotiating with PetroChina, which is seeking up to 8 million barrels per month crude, but no deal has been signed.

We remind, seaborne diesel and gasoil exports from Russian ports rose 8.5% in November from a month earlier to about 2.8 Mmt after an export ban was lifted and production grew, data from traders and LSEG showed. Russia temporarily banned exports of diesel from Sept. 21 to cope with a domestic shortage. The embargo was partially lifted on Oct. 9, with Russia resuming ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) exports via Transneft pipelines. On Nov. 22 Russia lifted a ban on exports of summer diesel.

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Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras lowered the average price of the jet fuel it sells to distributors by around 6%, data from the firm's website showed on Friday, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The move marks the second-consecutive monthly cut in Petrobras' jet fuel prices, after four months of hikes.

Brazilian government officials are pushing Petroleo Brasileiro SA to slash jet-fuel prices as part of an intensifying campaign to make the state-owned oil company help control inflation.

Silvio Costa Filho, minister of ports and airports, and tourism minister Celso Sabino are blaming high jet-fuel costs for the roughly 24% jump in airline ticket prices last month in Brazil. Petrobras, they said, should do more to bring them down.

We remind, seaborne diesel and gasoil exports from Russian ports rose 8.5% in November from a month earlier to about 2.8 Mmt after an export ban was lifted and production grew, data from traders and LSEG showed. Russia temporarily banned exports of diesel from Sept. 21 to cope with a domestic shortage. The embargo was partially lifted on Oct. 9, with Russia resuming ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) exports via Transneft pipelines. On Nov. 22 Russia lifted a ban on exports of summer diesel.

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Ecuador's state oil company Petroecuador said that crude oil output surpassed 400,000 bpd for the first time since January 2021, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The increase in production comes as new President Daniel Noboa faces a deep economic crisis that's pushed thousands to migrate. In a statement, Petroecuador said crude oil production reached 401,852 barrels while barrels of oil equivalent reached 411,873 including natural gas and associated gas.

The company said the Sacha oilfield was its most productive with 78,259 barrels. Another key oilfield Auca saw production at 77,512 bpd while the zone comprising Apaika, Eden and ITT reached 99,852 bpd.

In a separate press release on Sunday, Petroecuador said it had contained an oil spill that affected the Shushufindi river in the Sucumbios province in Ecuador's northeastern Amazon region.

The company said it had begun cleaning operations but did not say how much oil had been spilled. It added that while the cause was still under investigation, the spill could have been related to pitting in a pipeline.

In November, Petroecuador said it will shut down a large drilling project in the Yasuni ecological reserve in the Amazon rainforest in August 2024, following a referendum to end it to protect nature and indigenous people.

The company estimates that lost revenue from the project due to the looming suspension will likely total about $680 MM next year.

We remind, Egypt's Suez Canal economic zone and Scatec ASA have signed a memorandum of understanding worth $1.1 B to supply ships with green fuel, a Suez Canal statement said on Sunday. The MoU agreed on the sidelines of the COP28 conference held in Dubai envisages production of 100,000 tons of green methanol per year by 2027, the statement said.

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