Shell Chemicals offers gas-based fluids, solvents

Shell has become the first organization to offer a globally-available portfolio of natural gas-based fluids and solvents for the chemicals industry, the company announced on Tuesday. 

Its extensive supply chain, via Shell’s chemicals business hubs in Singapore, Houston and Rotterdam, makes the products available to customers across the world.

The next-generation, high-purity paraffinic fluids are made from gas-to-liquids (GTL) products manufactured at the world’s largest GTL plant -- Pearl GTL in Qatar, a joint venture of Shell and Qatar Petroleum.

They boast qualities that can enhance performance over conventional products in the market.  

“The global solvents market continues to grow, trending towards performance products with lower environmental impact that meet stringent regulatory standards,” said Graham van’t Hoff, executive vice president of Shell Chemicals. “Shell Chemicals is responding to this market demand.”

While demand is still expected from ‘traditional’ segments, such as paints and coatings, personal care, cosmetics, and inks, it is increasing in a wide range of other end-uses, such as water treatment, crop protection, oilfield chemicals, mining, industrial cleaning and consumer goods.

Shell has been using upstream and downstream gas to manufacture a range of petrochemicals at its key facilities in the UK, US, Canada and Saudi Arabia, according to company officials.

This latest offering is yet another way that Shell uses gas -- instead of crude oil -- as a feedstock to make and supply building-block petrochemicals. Access to gas feedstock from its upstream and downstream businesses is a competitive advantage that Shell says its chemicals business gets from being part of an integrated energy company.

Based on the proprietary Shell Middle Distillates Synthesis technology, the GTL fluids and solvents offer enhanced performance over conventional products in a number of applications, according to company officials. Besides their high purity, low odor and more stable and consistent composition, the new range of GTL fluids and solvents are designed to be readily biodegradable. This range is also designed to result in very low ozone formation potential.