Environment & Safety Gas Processing/LNG Maintenance & Reliability Petrochemicals Process Control Process Optimization Project Management Refining

Petrochemicals

Invista aligns with Ingenza to develop bio-based industrial chemicals

The collaboration will leverage INVISTA’s capabilities in biotechnology and catalysis, as well as its knowledge of the chemicals industry. It will also utilize Ingenza’s synthetic biology and industrial biotechnology capabilities for the development of new, bio-derived routes to industrial chemicals.

LyondellBasell opens chemical R&D hub in Houston

Research and development activities at the facility will focus on improving catalyst and process technologies to reduce manufacturing costs, improve yields, and lower capital costs of new construction for LyondellBasell's global chemicals business. The center will employ about 80 people.

Wison to build new China coal-to-methanol project

The latest award is due to be completed in the third quarter of 2014. Wison Engineering is partnering with Erdos for the second time at the Jinchengtai coal-to-methanol project, which marks an important milestone for Erdos in achieving its strategic transformation into a coal-to-chemicals business.

Wison commercializes new methanol-to-olefins technology in China

HP Editorial Staff: HP News

Wison Engineering, China’s largest private EPC provider for chemicals, started up its designed methanol-to-olefins (MTO) plant featuring Wison’s proprietary technology.

Ethane, LPG to trump naphtha as preferred ethylene feedstocks

HP Editorial Staff: HP News

The shift in the global ethylene feedstock slate will be driven by ethane-based capacity in the US and the Middle East, and low natural gas prices in the US and Saudi Arabia.

UOP licenses catalytic dehydrogenation technology to China isobutylene unit

China's Panjin Heyun New Material Co. will use UOP's C4 Oleflex process to produce isobutylene, a key ingredient for fuels and synthetic rubber. This is UOP's third C4 Oleflex license in China this year.

Toyo Engineering wins work to expand Indonesia ethylene plant capacity

The aim of the project is to expand the ethylene output of the plant, which was built on the basis of Lummus technology in the 1990s. The expansion will raise capacity to 860,000 tpy.

Fluor agrees to design major gas-to-methanol project in Louisiana

HP Editorial Staff: HP News

Fluor was awarded an engineering and design services contract by South Louisiana Methanol for a potential 5,000 tpd methanol project. It would be built in St. James Parish.

Shale boom not cutting US polyethylene user costs

Despite the shale boom, the price of polyethylene in the US has generally risen over the past few years. The type most used typically costs around 75 cents/lb, up from an average of 64 cents in 2010.

Saudi Aramco, Total set to begin exports at new Jubail refinery venture

Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Co., known as Satorp, has started operations at its 400,000 bpd refinery in Jubail in eastern Saudi Arabia and will export its first cargo this month.