Plastic petrochemicals Sustainability recycling 20-12-2018 - Arhive
-China – Polyethylene Terephthalate
PET and its chain continue to be weak.
PET Bottle grade export 1,030/1,070 $/ton – PET Bottle grade domestic market 8,200/8,300 yuan/ton – PET Filament grade SD domestic market 8,050/8,200 yuan/ton – PET Filament grade BR domestic market 8,150/8,250 yuan/ton
PTA Taiwan 850/860 $/ton – PTA domestic market 6,500/6,600 yuan/ton – MEG $ 675/690 $/ton – MEG domestic market 5,700/5,800 yuan/ton – PX Korea 1,030/1,045 $/ton
POY 150D/48F domestic market 8,650/8,800 yuan/ton – DTY 150D/48F domestic market 10,450/10,600 yuan/ton – PSF domestic market 8,950/9,050 yuan/ton
-Producers sign more 2019 Asian paraxylene contracts as plants seen to start up on time
More term contract negotiations for Asian paraxylene were concluded this week between producers and buyers as major greenfield refineries will be starting production on time — refuting earlier talk of delays, traders and end-users confirmed Wednesday.
The term contracts were negotiated at premiums of minus 50 cents/mt to $3/mt for Platts CFR Taiwan/China term cargoes, depending on the origin, they stated.
Even though premiums for 2019 CFR Taiwan/China PX term cargoes have concluded in favor of producers at differentials that are slightly higher than those signed for the 2018 contracts, they fall short of previous expectation of flat to a small single digit alpha premiums, after producers lowered their offers following purported delays in major refinery startups.
-Titan-Polymer plans to start production of polymer filament
The Moglino SEZ (Pskov Region) will allocate funds from the regional budget for the purchase of land for the Titan Polymer subproject, reports Рln-pskov .
The issue of acquiring additional land plots for a special economic zone was discussed yesterday at the regional government.
Another site is required for the plant “Titan-Polymer” by the Moglino SEZ for the implementation of its polymer project, the company plans to invest about 6 billion rubles in production.
-Crude Oil Prices Trend
-EU says Mercosur FTA talks end without agreement, will restart in 2019
A round of talks to reach a free trade agreement (FTA) between the EU and Mercosur ended without agreement, but negotiations will restart in 2019, a Commission spokesman has confirmed.
Brazil and Mercosur flags (source: Fernando Bizerra Jr/EPA/REX/Shutterstock)The two trade blocs met between 10 and 13 December in Uruguay, but “…more work is still needed at technical level, notably on the EU’s outstanding issues, and meetings will resume under the Argentinian presidency of Mercosur,” said the Commission spokesman.
Mercosur includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, and operates under a six-month rotating presidency, currently filled by Uruguay.
The Commission spokesman added talks would resume under a new context for Mercosur, saying; “Following the elections in Brazil, a new president and government will be in place as of the beginning of January.
-Groups present recycling technology research roadmap
Bales of plastic materials for recycling.A European chemicals and plastics industry report identifies technology developments needed to help usher in a circular economy for plastics.
The 29-page document, “Plastics Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda in a Circular Economy,” was released by the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem).
Founded by six different industry groups in Europe, SusChem describes itself as a forum to bring together businesses, academia, policymakers and others to use chemical sciences to solve societal problems.
-Asia PS to stay buoyant on limited spot supply, steady demand
Asia’s polystyrene (PS) market is poised to stay buoyant in the near term on snug supply and healthy downstream demand.
Chinese workers use expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam to build houses. (Imagine China/REX/Shutterstock)
In the week ended 14 December, spot prices of general purpose PS (GPPS) gained $10/tonne from the previous week to $1,260/tonne CFR (cost & freight) China/Hong Kong, according to ICIS data.
Prices have been on an uptrend since hitting a 16-month low of $1,215/tonne CFR China/Hong Kong on 30 November, the data showed.
High-impact PS (HIPS) prices were assessed on 14 December at $1,335/tonne CFR China/Hong Kong, up $10/tonne at the low end of the previous week’s price range.
-Russia’s Oil Production Could Be Lowered To 11.1 Million Bpd In 2019
Due to the OPEC+ production cuts, Russia’s crude oil production in 2019 could be lower than originally planned—at 552 million tons, or 11.085 million bpd, Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday.
According to Novak, plans for next year were for Russia’s oil production to stand at 555 million tons-556 million tons, or 11.145 million bpd-11.165 million bpd, as per S&P Global Platts calculations based on a conversion rate of 7.33 barrels to one metric ton.
A lot will depend on Russia’s oil production policy after the first half of 2019, the Russian minister told reporters on Tuesday.
-Smart and e-textiles draw attention at IFAI Expo
As global trade uncertainties show little sign of abating, textile trade shows are becoming a litmus test for market confidence and nowhere more so than in North America at this present time. The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) held their annual EXPO2018 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre in Dallas, Texas on 15 – 18th October attracting 4,350 participants. Now in its 98th year, the show covers market segments then include medical, health, protection, safety, Smart fabrics, with applications from military to medical, Sportswear, automotive, Space, construction and engineering.
Jeff Rasmussen, Director of Market Research at IFAI presented an overview of the US market for advanced textiles/product (ATP). With a growth of 8.8% in 2017, Rasmussen predicts a similar growth level for the current year buoyed by consumer confidence driven by a slight lowering in the US unemployment rate. He noted a trend towards a strengthened between the smart textile market and other advanced textile sectors such as protective and performance.
“The great technological innovation used at Lux-on enables us to increase the industrial sustainability of a new production concept.”
Italian bio-plastics company Bio-on and multi-utility company Gruppo Hera will be creating a new joint venture (JV) to develop what they describe as a revolutionary technology to produce bio-polymers from carbon dioxide (CO2). Bioon Hera bioplastic carbon dioxide
Bio-on will take 90% of the shares in the company and Gruppo Hera will take 10%, with the possibility of the latter increasing its share to 49.9% in the future. The new company will be called ‘Lux-on’
“Houses of ParliamentIt’s great that this strategy has some teeth. It is great that they are linking this to the bio-economy strategy and the industrial strategy to help the transition to the circular economy.”
The UK government has acknowledged that the bio-based industry is a growing sector and that innovative new packaging types could help reduce the environmental impact of plastic in its new waste strategy, which was launched today.
In order to make it easy for people to do this, the government wants to introduce new standards for bio-based and biodegradable plastics. In 2019, it will launch a call for evidence to help with the process.
Essentially, industry stakeholders will be asked for their views in order to examine the demand for bio-based and biodegradable plastics and its benefits and challenges.
-Evonik partners with Compounding Solutions
Evonik Corp.’s high performance polymers business line has a new distribution agreement with Compounding Solutions L.L.C. for its Care medical grades for the North American medical device market.
The agreement covers Compounding’s Vestamid Care ML polyamide 12, Vestamid Care ME polyether block amide, Trogamid Care clear polyamide and Vestakeep Care Peek medical grade polymers for the North American temporary contract medical device markets as of September, according to an Evonik news release.
-Cotton USA to show innovative technologies at Heimtextil
Cotton USA will show the global home textile industry What’s New In Cotton, with innovative technologies to drive sales growth, at its booth in hall 12.0 / stand C 71 at Heimtextil expo. The biggest international trade fair for home and contract textiles, with new trends and textile innovations, will be held from January 8-11, 2019, in Frankfurt, Germany.
Cotton USA invites attendees to visit the booth to learn about its collaboration with leading brands and retailers around the world, as well as how to license the Cotton USA Mark, which quantitative consumer research proves is of high value to consumers and can drive both preference and higher prices, CCI said.
-Huhtamaki appoints Michael Orye as Executive Vice President, Fiber Packaging
Michael Orye (46), M.Sc.(Economics), has been appointed Executive Vice President, Fiber Packaging and member of the Global Executive Team at Huhtamaki latest as of June 12, 2019. He will report to CEO Jukka Moisio and be based in Amsterdam.
Michael Orye joins Huhtamaki from Amcor, where he has held various leadership positions in South Africa, Europe and USA since 2002.
His current position is Managing Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Amcor Flexibles.
Prior to that he has worked as Vice President Medical Europe, Managing Director Amcor Flexibles Winterbourne as well as held general management and business development roles in Amcor Flexibles USA. Before joining Amcor, he worked as a project manager for Danisco in China.
