EU to investigate Chinese biodiesel dumping allegation

The European Union said it would begin an anti-dumping investigation into biodiesel imports from China, which the bloc's industry says has slashed domestic production, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

In August, it began investigating whether biodiesel from Indonesia was circumventing EU duties by going through China and Britain. The latest investigation, prompted by a complaint from producer group the European Biodiesel Board (EBB), will cover the period from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30 2023.

The probe will take up to 14 months, with the possibility of provisional duties being imposed within eight months. "EU producers have submitted evidence of biodiesel imports from China coming into the EU at artificially low prices and claim that these imports are seriously harming their industry because they cannot compete with such low prices," the European Commission said in a statement.

China has been the biggest biodiesel exporter to the 27-member bloc in 2023, the EBB said in a separate statement. "In 2023, Chinese dumped imports have caused a collapse in the market and production sites closed in several member states," the EBB added.

In addition to the possible transit of Indonesian biodiesel, there were structural imbalances in biodiesel trade with China, with prices not reflecting the advanced or waste-based biofuel categories that most cargoes have been classified as, it said.

China "firmly opposes protectionist behaviour that abuses trade remedy measures," Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shu Jueting said when asked about the investigation at a regular press conference.

Biodiesel is among the alternative fuels promoted to reduce carbon emissions in transport. The EU's industry, which the Commission says is worth 31 billion euros ($34 billion) a year, has been the subject of regular disputes with trading partners.

It can be made using palm oil and shipments from Indonesia have been caught up in EU measures to restrict imports of commodities linked to deforestation. In a separate trade dispute with Beijing, the Commission in September launched a probe into Chinese electric vehicle imports it says are benefiting from state subsidies.

We remind, Russia more than doubled railway exports of gasoline in the first 17 days of December from the same period in November on lifted fuel embargo and rising production, while domestic demand is seasonally falling, data provided by two market sources and Reuters calculations showed.

mrchub.com

Topsoe, a global leader in carbon emission reduction technologies, has been selected by Essar Oil UK, a leading integrated downstream energy company, to be a technology licensor for its carbon capture facility, based in Stanlow, North West England, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Topsoe will deliver its SNOX™ technology for the removal of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, dust and other contaminants from the flue gas emitted in the production process. Topsoe’s technology will be one of a number of integrated licensed solutions supporting Essar’s plant, and will contribute to reducing their CO2 footprint.

Elena Scaltritti, CCO, Topsoe, said: “We are thrilled to have been chosen as technology licensor for Essar Oil UK and support them in meeting their decarbonization targets. The agreement represents a landmark step for Topsoe’s development in the United Kingdom, and we look forward to working with Essar on this important project, which is a great example of how the fossil industry can decarbonize itself.”

Deepak Maheshwari, CEO of Essar Oil UK, said: “We are ready to move into the next phase of Essar Oil UK’s decarbonization strategy. With an investment of $1.2 billion, Essar Oil UK is positioned to be the world’s first low carbon refinery. The industrial carbon capture facility, combined with our upcoming hydrogen fuel switching project, will reduce the refinery’s CO2 emissions by 95%. Topsoe is a valuable partner in this endeavor. With Topsoe’s SNOX™ technology we are getting a well proven and highly sustainable flue-gas treatment.”

We remind, Topsoe is pleased to have signed an MoU with Standard Gas, a decarbonization technology company, to collaborate on a UK-based project to produce renewable natural gas and methanol from residual waste feedstocks.

mrchub.com

Russia more than doubled railway exports of gasoline in the first 17 days of December from the same period in November on lifted fuel embargo and rising production, while domestic demand is seasonally falling, data provided by two market sources and Reuters calculations showed, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Russia temporarily banned exports of gasoline from Sept. 21 to cope with a domestic market shortage. Exceptions were made for fuel supplied under inter-governmental agreements, including with members of the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union.

Restrictions on gasoline exports were lifted from Nov. 17 as "saturation of the domestic market has been ensured and a surplus in the supply of motor gasoline has been created", according to the energy ministry.

According to Reuters calculations based on Rosstat data, the average daily production of gasoline at Russian refineries from December 1-17 totalled 130,311 metric tons, up by 4.8% from November and 6.5% from December 2022.

In the first 17 days of this month, Russian refineries exported by rail about 250,000 metric tons of gasoline versus 111,000 metric tons in the same period of November, data from market sources showed.

About a third of those volumes (nearly 83,000 metric tons) was supplied to the Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga. During December 1-17, Russia almost tripled gasoline exports to Uzbekistan, which signed in November an agreement on oil and oil product supplies to ensure stable supplies.

About 20,000 metric tons of gasoline were shipped by rail this month for export via the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk, data from the market sources showed.

Traders expect further growth of gasoline exports from Russia, as domestic demand is traditionally falling during the winter months.

We remind, Topsoe, a global leader in carbon emission reduction technologies, has been selected by Essar Oil UK, a leading integrated downstream energy company, to be a technology licensor for its carbon capture facility, based in Stanlow, North West England.

mrchub.com

The Chemours Company, DuPont de Nemours, Inc. and Corteva, Inc. announced their continued support for the June 30, 2023 agreement to comprehensively resolve PFAS1-related drinking water claims of a defined class2 of public water systems, said the companies.

On December 20th, the notice administrator in the South Carolina aqueous film-forming foam multi-district litigation requested an extension until January 3, 2024, to file with the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina the list of public water systems that have opted out of the settlement class.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Companies have until today to exercise their walk-away rights based on the number of opt outs from the class. The Companies have sufficient insight into this process to determine that they remain in favor of the settlement and do not intend to exercise that right.

The court on December 7, 2023, issued an order allowing water systems that elected to opt out of the settlement to rejoin the settlement class until as late as March 1, 2024. On December 14, 2023, the court held a fairness hearing on final approval of the settlement; the Companies await the court’s final order and support final approval.

We remind, DuPont announced it has been named the Best Partner in the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) category by Samsung Electronics. The prestigious award, presented at Samsung’s Material-day (M-day) event, recognizes DuPont’s significant contributions in establishing a sustainable supply chain by collaborating to develop more sustainable semiconductor materials.

mrchub.com

Samyang Specialty Solutions LLC, a leading chemical and food products maker in South Korea, has entered into an agreement to wholly acquire Texas-based Verdant Specialty Solutions Global Holding Corp. at 334 billion won ($257.4 million), said Kedglobal.

The Korean company’s holding firm Samyang Holdings Corp. signed a contract to buy a 100% stake in Verdant on Dec. 15, according to Samyang’s regulatory filings on Monday.

Samyang said the purpose of the acquisition is to strengthen its global surfactants business.

Verdant, formerly known as Solvay SA’s North American and European amphoteric surfactant unit, manufactures chemicals for personal care products, industrial applications and energy like oil and gas.

The US company supplies specialty chemicals to around 1,000 global clients including consumer goods giant Unilever plc and personal care behemoth L'Oreal S.A. It operates manufacturing facilities in the US, the UK and Germany.

The Korean firm began a specialty chemical business for personal care goods in 2017 with an acquisition of a 44.25% stake in local chemical material maker KCI Ltd. for 70.9 billion won.

Samyang expects Verdant’s product portfolio, which focuses on low foam and nonionic wetting agents, to create synergy effects with the existing business of KCI that specializes in cationic surfactants, industry insiders say.

Founded in 1924, Samyang Group operates four major businesses – food materials, specialty chemicals, bio and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging.

The mid-sized conglomerate is planning to boost manufacturing materials for healthcare goods, chip and batteries and eco-friendly products like biodegradable plastics.

The purchase of Verdant will be the company's first action point to change and enrich consumers’ lives with specialty materials and solutions, Samyang Holdings Chairman Kim Yoon said.

We remind, South Korean chemical and food company Samyang Corp. announced on Monday that it released new industrial water treatment materials Triraite Reverse Osmosis Membrane, and an electrodeionizer device Triraite EDI.

mrchub.com