The_Catalyst_Review_December_2023 - 5

Clariant's SynDane® Catalyst Chosen for Shenghong's Biodegradable Plastics Project
Clariant has been awarded a major contract by Jiangsu
Shenghong Petrochemical Co., Ltd, to use Clariant's
SynDane 3142 LA catalyst for its new maleic anhydride
(MA) production plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province,
China. With a production capacity of 200,000 tons per year,
the new plant, slated for start of production in 2025, will
be one of the largest production plants for MA worldwide.
The plant in Lianyungang will produce maleic anhydride
as an intermediate product for polybutylene adipate
terephthalate (PBAT), which in turn will function as a base
product for biodegradable plastic. Using the SynDane
catalyst, Shenghong Petrochemical will be able to improve
production efficiency and reduce power consumption,
leading to annual energy savings of up to 24 million
CNY ($3.4 million USD). With its unique shape design,
SynDane 3142 LA reduces the pressure drop by 30%-35% and thereby significantly lowers compressor energy consumption.
Moreover, it can operate under high n-butane load, which reduces energy consumption even further, because less air needs
to be compressed to a lower pressure to achieve the same productivity level. The catalyst's special structure and chemical
composition also increases the selectivity towards MA which enhances product yield and reduces by-product formation,
meaning less downtime for equipment cleaning. Production efficiency is further boosted by SynDane's exceptionally long
lifetime of up to 5 years. Lastly, its wide range of space velocity up to an excellent value of 2100 h-1
improves Shenghong's
flexibility in MA production volume, allowing the company to react to market demand fluctuations more quickly. Source:
Clariant, 11/21/2023.
INEOS Styrolution, Sinopec Inaugurate
New ABS Facility in Ningbo, China
INEOS Styrolution announced the official opening of a
new world-scale acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) facility
located in Ningbo, China, together with its joint venture
partner SINOPEC. The facility has an annual nameplate
capacity of 600,000 tonnes. The official opening ceremony
was attended by Caroline Wilson DCMG, British Ambassador
to China and Hua Wei, Executive Vice Mayor, Ningbo
Municipal People's Government, among other institutional
representatives. The construction of this ABS facility in Ningbo
started in late 2020. Spanning across 26.7 hectares, with
more than 360 employees and contractors, this facility will
produce high-end ABS materials that advance the design
and functionality of many applications across numerous
industry sectors including automotive, electronics, household,
healthcare and toys/sports/leisure, for the rapidly growing
domestic market in China. Source: INEOS, 11/21/2023.
Indonesia's Pertamina Expects Balikpapan
Refinery Expansion in 2024
Pertamina expects to complete the capacity upgrade at
its Balikpapan refinery in April next year, according to the
company. Pertamina is expanding Balikpapan's capacity
to 360,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) from 260,000 bpd
currently. The refinery would also be able to produce
fuel to Euro V emission standards. On the upstream side,
Indonesia's state oil company Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE)
estimated its oil and gas production this year at 1.043
MMbpd, up 8% from last year. For 2024, the company
plans to produce 1.071 million BOEPD of oil and gas,
Pertamina CEO Wiko Migantoro told a parliamentary
committee overseeing the energy sector. The production
covers both its domestic and overseas operations.
Meanwhile, Pertamina plans to invest $5.71B next year
in its upstream operations, up from this year's $4 billion.
Source: Pertamina, 11/22/2023.
Cepsa Produces Phenol, Acetone from Waste Plastics in Spain
Cepsa SA has completed trial production of circular phenol and acetone at its La Rábida energy park in Huelva, Spain, using
pyrolysis oil derived from the chemical recycling of single-use waste plastics. The successful production test could enable it to
supply circular acetone feedstock to a new sustainable isopropyl alcohol plant being built by its chemicals subsidiary Cepsa
Química at Huelva, due to start operations in 2025. Source: Chemical Week, 11/21/2023.
the facility operating rate of its PET business. Against this backdrop, Mitsui Chemicals attempted a wide range of streamlining
initiatives to save the business, but has now determined that it is no longer feasible to secure a profit from domestic PET resin
production. Mitsui Chemicals is pursuing portfolio transformation as part of its VISION 2030 Long-Term Business Plan. The
company's Basic & Green Materials Business Sector continues to speed up efforts for business restructuring and the growth
of high-performance products, aiming through this to reduce volatility and, in turn, improve capital efficiency and lay the
foundations for achieving a steady profit. Source: Mitsui Chemicals, 11/21/2023.
The Catalyst Review
December 2023
5

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