| WTI Crude | $47.50/bbl | -0.9% |
| Brent Crude | $50.88/bbl | -0.3% |
| HH Nat Gas | $2.39/MMBtu | -13.4% |
| MB Propane | $0.72/gal | +2.0% |
| 3:2:1 Crack | $11.08/bbl | -3.2% |
IndianOil to make the first butyl acrylate in India
Italian EPC group, Maire Technimont, has announced that it was selected by IndianOil to build its new acrylic acid and butyl acrylate units in Dumad, India.
The details:
IndianOil is paying Maire Technimont $255 million to handle all of the engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning activities. The 90,000 ton per year acrylic acid unit and the 150,000 ton per year butyl acrylate unit are expected to be operational in about two years.
Zooming out:
The propylene feedstock needed to produce acrylic acid will be provided by IndianOil's nearby refinery. All of that acrylic acid will be used to produce butyl acrylate—which will be used in paints, coatings, textiles, plastics, and adhesives. IndianOil is building the plant because India lacks butyl acrylate producers and demand for the chemical is expected to increase (because of increased construction in India).
Read the press release here.
INEOS starts construction of its new ABS plant in China
Subsidiary of British chemical company INEOS, INEOS Styrolution, has announced the groundbreaking of its new acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plant in Ningbo, China.
What are they saying?
You probably know ABS best when it takes the form of LEGOs, but its "properties make it the material of choice for many everyday products across industries, including automotive, electronics, household, healthcare and toys/sports/leisure.".
Bigger picture:
The construction of this site highlights INEOS' growth strategy—a shift towards regions with high-growth projections (Asia). Just a couple of years ago INEOS acquired a polystyrene site in Ningbo from Total. The construction of the new ABS plant at this site "affirms [the company's] commitment to support the growth of [its] customers in Asia".
Read the press release here.
Sumitomo wants to combine PDH with methanol production
Japanese chemical company, Sumitomo Chemical, has announced that it's looking to combine propane dehydrogenation (PDH) with a new CO2 utilization technology.
Some context:
Because of all the new ethane crackers (which don't produce as much propylene as naphtha crackers) the world has relatively less propylene in the market. To account for that propane dehydrogenation units (which make propylene) have become more common, but the units produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide as by-products.
So what do they want to do?
In order to reduce emissions (and make money) Sumitomo wants to produce methanol from that hydrogen and carbon dioxide. That's a lot easier said than done, as hydrogenating carbon dioxide is no simple task. With help from Shimane University, Sumitomo is hoping to come up with a viable solution.
Read the press release here.
The Reboiler:
- Citgo is looking to overhaul one if its refineries next year
- Brazos Midstream will use Honeywell's recycle split vapour technology
- Russia, Iran, and the US are set to make more methanol
- The EPA is looking to regulate NMP
- Portugal's oil and gas company shuts down a refinery
MOTD: ethanol
Today's MOTD is a personal favorite… ethanol.
Ethanol is no stranger to humans—we've been using it as the intoxicating agent in alcoholic beverages for thousands of years. Today, we produce about 30 billion gallons of ethanol per year and over 80% of it is made in the US (from corn, think of companies like POET and ADM) or in Brazil (from sugarcane).
One of the largest uses of that ethanol is as a gasoline additive (nearly all gasoline in the US contains 10% ethanol), but ethanol is also a commonly used chemical feedstock.
As a chemical feedstock it's converted into ethyl acrylate (for use in coatings and adhesives), ethyl acetate (used as a solvent), and ethylamines (to synthesize pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals, and surfactants).
