Fire breaks out at Shell chemical Plant in UK
A fire which broke out at a Shell-owned Chemical Plant on the same site as Essar Oil UK’s Stanlow refinery in northwestern England on Wednesday has been extinguished. Essar said that operations at its refinery were unaffected by the fire, the cause of which is currently unclear. The Shell Higher Olefins Plant (SHOP) is separated from the refinery by a road and rail tracks. Essar operates the chemical plant as well as the refinery. “Earlier this afternoon, a fire occurred at the SHOP chemical plant,” an Essar spokesman said. The fire was extinguished later on Wednesday, he added. Read More
Teijin Limited has agreed to acquire Inapal Plasticos SA (Inapal), a leading automotive composite supplier in Portugal. The shares of Inapal will be purchased by Teijin Holdings Netherlands BV, the Teijin Group’s holding company in the Netherlands. The acquisition was completed at the beginning of August 2018. Inapal, headquartered in Leca do Balio, Porto, Portugal, is a tier-one supplier of composite components to the automotive and heavy truck industries. The company’s capabilities include Class A body panels, structural and underbody components using a variety of materials and processes. Read More
LyondellBasell has officially broken ground on what will be the largest propylene oxide (PO) and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) plant ever built. The Houston area project is estimated to cost $2.4 billion, representing the single-largest capital investment in the company’s history. Once in operation, the plant will produce 1 billion pounds (470,000 metric tons) of PO and 2.2 billion pounds (1 million metric tons) of TBA annually. Startup of the plant is planned for 2021. To optimize product balances and realize synergies between LyondellBasell sites, two facilities will be constructed on existing manufacturing sites. The 140-acre PO/TBA plant will be built at the LyondellBasell Channelview Complex located in Channelview, Texas. Read More
BASF SE has introduced Luminate, a new generation of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts for gasoil refiners. The Luminate catalyst is tailored to deliver superior conversion while improving coke selectivity, which can help refineries maximize profitability. This is BASF’s first catalyst based on a new Improved Zeolite Y (IZY) technology. Commercial trials in multiple FCC units showed that the catalyst delivers superior liquid product yields with lower delta coke. “The Luminate catalyst is an innovative new addition to BASF’s advanced and industry-leading refinery catalysts portfolio. Read More
