World news

China | Lummus selected for DPC facility

Lummus Technology has been awarded a technology contract by Zhangzhou CHIMEI Chemical Co., a subsidiary of CHIMEI Corp. of Taiwan, for a grassroots diphenyl carbonate (DPC) plant in Fujian Province, China.

Zhangzhou CHIMEI will build a new polycarbonate (PC) production plant that leverages the Versalis DPC technology licensed by Lummus. The plant is expected to reach mass production in 4Q24.

Zhangzhou CHIMEI’s new PC plant will implement eco-friendly features, introduce advanced technologies to optimise energy effi ciency, and produce intermediate products that can be recycled and reused in the circular economy.

PC materials are some of the highest performing materials in the market because of their high-temperature resistance, high-impact strength and transparency.

Lummus’ scope for this award includes the technology license, process design package services, operator training and technical services.

USA | EIA expects increasing consumption of natural gas by US industry

Based on the US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) September ‘Short-Term Energy Outlook’, industrial sector natural gas consumption is expected to rise throughout 2021 and to exceed pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

The EIA forecasts the growth to continue into 2022, with natural gas delivered to industrial consumers averaging 23.8 billion ft3/d next year. If realised, this amount would be near the current record high for annual industrial natural gas consumption set in the early 1970s.

In its report, the EIA expects natural gas consumption in the US industrial sector to average 23.5 billion ft3/d in the second half of this year and 23.2 billion ft3/d for 2021. If realised, this amount of industrial natural gas consumption would exceed the 2019 average of 23.1 billion ft3/d and mark the most US industrial natural gas consumption since 1997.

The Netherlands | Shell to build biofuel facility

Royal Dutch Shell plc has announced a fi nal investment decision to build an 820 000 tpy biofuels facility at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam, the Netherlands, formerly known as the Pernis refi nery. Once built, the facility will be among the biggest in Europe to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel made from waste.

A facility of this size could produce enough renewable diesel to avoid 2 800 000 tpy of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions a year, the equivalent of taking more than 1 million European cars off the roads.

The new facility will help Europe to meet internationally binding emissions reduction targets. It will also help Shell to meet its own target of becoming a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, in step with society’s progress towards achieving the climate goals of the Paris Agreement. Advanced production methods will be used to make the fuels. The facility is expected to use technology to capture carbon emissions from the manufacturing process and store them in an empty gas fi eld beneath the North Sea through the Porthos project.

Sweden | Honeywell and Preem conduct commercial co-processing trial to produce renewable fuel

Honeywell has announced the completion of a commercial refi nery trial with Preem AB for the co-processing of biomass-based pyrolysis oil in a fl uidised catalytic cracking (FCC) unit.

Utilising UOP’s proprietary bioliquid feed system with OptimixTM GF Feed Distributor, pyrolysis oil was successfully co-processed in the FCC at Preem’s Lysekil refi nery to produce partially renewable transportation fuel.

This test marks the sixth commercial co-processing trial conducted by UOP worldwide of this technology in an FCC, and the fi rst pyrolysis oil co-processing trial in Scandinavia using UOP’s Optimix GF Feed Distributor technology.

To meet Sweden’s long-term goals of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions, fuel suppliers must reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels. Co-processing of biomass-based pyrolysis oil is one method to reduce the carbon intensity of transport fuels at the refi nery compared to blending of biofuels downstream.

WORLD NEWS

DIARY DATES USA | MEGlobal Americas plans 100% renewable electricity at petrochemical plant

MEGlobal Americas Inc. has entered into an agreement with Calpine Energy Solutions LLC to purchase renewable energy to fulfi l 100% of the expected power needs at MEGlobal’s Oyster Creek, Texas, petrochemical site, beginning in 2023. The deal highlights the strong commitment made to sustainability by the EQUATE Petrochemical Group, of which MEGlobal is a part.

12 - 13 October 2021

Gulf Coast Conference

Galveston, Texas, USA www.gulfcoastconference.com MEGlobal will purchase more than 1.5 million MWh of renewable 12 - 15 October 2021 & electricity over the fi ve-year term of 21 - 22 October 2021 the agreement, resulting in the Downstream USA displacement of more than Online & Houston, Texas, USA 600 000 t of carbon dioxide. www.reutersevents.com/events/downstream When compared to common 13 - 14 October 2021 Valve World Expo Americas Houston, Texas, USA carbon offsets, the amount of displaced CO2e from this purchase is equal to the amount of carbon www.valveworldexpoamericas.com sequestered by more than 1.8 million acres of forest in a year.

25 - 27 October 2021

Opportunity Crudes Conference

Online www.opportunitycrudes.com

Russia | SIBUR and TAIF finalise merger terms

01 - 04 November 2021

Sulphur + Sulphuric Acid 2021

Online www.sulphurconference.com

15 - 18 November 2021

ADIPEC

Abu Dhabi, UAE www.adipec.com

15 - 18 November 2021

ERTC

Madrid, Spain www.worldrefi ningassociation.com/ertc21

01 - 02 December 2021

14th Annual National Aboveground Storage Tank Conference & Trade Show

The Woodlands, Texas, USA www.nistm.org

05 - 09 December 2021

23rd World Petroleum Congress

Houston, Texas, USA 23wpchouston.com

14 - 16 December 2021

Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia

Houston, Texas, USA tps.tamu.edu

To keep up with all the latest news on key industry events in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, visit hydrocarbonengineering.com/events

SIBUR and TAIF have entered into an agreement fi nalising the creation of a combined entity that will leverage the facilities of PJSC SIBUR Holding and create a petrochemical company in Russia.

The new company will support Russia’s leadership in the chemical, petrochemical, and oil and gas sectors, while making the country’s products more globally competitive thanks to economies of scale, higher production effi ciency, better sales processes, and improved customer service in line with global best practices.

Following the completion of all ongoing investment projects, the new combined company will be among the top fi ve producers of polyolefi n and rubber globally. The company’s investment programme will yield further growth of chemical non-commodity exports and import substitution, as well as unlock new ways of tackling sustainability and environmental challenges.

Europe | BP and Brightmark explore plastics renewal plants

BP and Brightmark have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly evaluate opportunities for the development of the next generation of plastic waste renewal plants in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The companies will evaluate opportunities for projects that convert end-of-life waste plastics otherwise destined for incineration, landfi ll, or export, into valuable petrochemical feedstocks for plastics and other industrial applications.

Brightmark’s proprietary plastics renewal process recycles plastic waste that has reached the end of its useful life, including items not currently recyclable using conventional mechanical processes (types 3 – 7), such as plastic fi lm, fl exible packaging, styrofoam, and plastic beverage cups.

As a fi rst step, Brightmark and BP intend to work together to develop plans that could lead to the construction of an initial European plant.