Grace to increase price for fluid catalytic cracking catalysts

WR Grace & Co (GRA) said that it will increase the price of its fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts by 3 to 9 percent, effective 1 January 2018.

Grace is experiencing increased demand for its premium FCC catalysts including its MIDAS, ACHIEVE, and propylene maximization technologies, which are helping refiners increase FCC unit profitability, maximize petrochemical and alkylate feedstocks, and process more challenging crudes.

Read more: Grace to increase price for fluid catalytic cracking catalysts

Ineos Styrolution material selected for Guzzini’s Venice glassware

Ineos Styrolution said that its NAS 30 material has been selected for Fratelli Guzzini’s Venice product line. Sparkling clarity, flowability, ease of processing and scratch resistance are some of the key properties of NAS 30, an SMMA (styrene-methyl-methacrylate) grade.

Fratelli Guzzini, a world leader in tableware and household appliances, is known for elegant designs and the use of innovative materials. For their latest series of glassware Venice, Ineos Styrolution’s NAS 30 has become the material of choice.

The Venice collection consists of glasses of different sizes, cups, a fruit bowl, a pitcher, a sugar pot and a tray. According to Guzzini, the glassware is “clear, shiny and bright as crystal”. The quality of the Venice collection is so convincing that a leading Italian retail company runs a special promotion on it celebrating its own significant anniversary.

Read more: Ineos Styrolution material selected for Guzzini’s Venice glassware

Clariant launches new range of colourants for plastics

Clariant introduces Telasperse PVC, a new family to its range colourants for plastics. Telasperse PVC is for plasticized and non-plasticized PVC. The new family currently comprises seven colours – one blue, three reds and three yellows – as well as two blacks and a white. More colours will be added in the coming months.

Until now, plasticized PVC compounders and processors have had a limited choice of global suppliers of high-quality pigment preparations. The entry of Clariant into this important market will provide a welcome addition to their options.

Telasperse PVC products are free-flowing, dust-free powder pigment preparations, fully dispersed with approximately 40-50 percent organic pigment. If requested, they can also be supplied in pellet form. They are based on a PVC containing a non-phthalate plasticizer; the stabilization is lead-free.

Selected products in the Telasperse PVC range are suitable for food-contact applications and for toys; they have wide regulatory compliance, including RoHS, EN71-3, 94/62/EG, AP89 (I), and EU 10/2011. Although developed specifically for plasticized PVC, Telasperse PVC can also be used in some rigid PVC formulations. The preparations are also suitable for cables, profiles, and flooring.

Read more: Clariant launches new range of colourants for plastics

OGCI announces three investments in low-emission technologies

The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) said that its first three investments, moving forward the organization’s commitments into concrete action to spur the growth of promising low carbon technologies. 

OGCI is a voluntary, CEO-led initiative which aims to lead the industry response to climate change. Launched in 2014, OGCI is currently made up of ten oil and gas companies that pool expert knowledge and collaborate on action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

OGCI Climate Investments is the billion-dollar investment fund established last year by OGCI. The fund invests in promising technologies and business models that have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. OGCI Climate Investments is building a network of partners and co-investors in key sectors to leverage the expertise of this global network.

“The three investments we are announcing today have the potential to make a meaningful impact on greenhouse gas emissions. We look forward to working with these innovative teams to help them achieve commercial success on a global scale,” said Pratima Rangarajan, CEO of OGCI Climate Investments.

OGCI is partnering with United Nations Environment and the Environmental Defense Fund to provide financial and technical backing for the world’s first global methane study to fill gaps in the identification and quantification of global methane emissions. This project has the potential to inform new policy and will help to identify new initiatives to reduce emissions.

OGCI is also working with Imperial College London on research that aims to provide a more accurate picture of total greenhouse gas emissions across the natural gas value chain, from well to distribution.

Read more: OGCI announces three investments in low-emission technologies

Shell wins bid to expand pre-salt growth in deep-water Brazil

Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell) and its partners won a three, 35-year production sharing contracts for pre-salt blocks located in the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil. Shell will pay its share of the total signing bonuses, equating for all bids, of approximately $100-million. Plans for the blocks will then be considered by Shell and its partners.   

The winning bids include a block adjacent to Shell's Gato do Mato field (Shell 80 percent operating, Total 20 percent), a now unitized area to the Sapinhoa field (Petrobras 45 percent operating, Shell 30 percent, Repsol 25 percent), and the new Alto de Cabo Frio – West block (Shell 55 percent operating, Qatar Petroleum 25 percent, CNOOC Limited 20 percent). 

Prior to these bidding results, Shell had previously stated plans for $10-billion investment into the early 2020s for its existing offshore developments in Brazil to support deep water as its upstream growth priority. Shell first began working under a production sharing contract in Brazil in 2013 when it entered the Libra consortium, led by Petrobras.

Read more: Shell wins bid to expand pre-salt growth in deep-water Brazil

Chevron elects Oaktree Capital’s vice chairman to its board

Chevron Corporation (CVX) said that it has elected John Frank to its board of directors, effective 2 November. He will serve on the company’s audit committee.

Frank, 61, is vice chairman of Oaktree Capital Management LP, a firm he joined in 2001 as general counsel. Frank was Oaktree’s managing partner from 2005 until 2014.

Previously, Frank was a partner with the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. Prior to joining Munger Tolles in 1984, Frank served as a law clerk to the honourable Frank Coffin of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Read more: Chevron elects Oaktree Capital’s vice chairman to its board

Covestro, Haier extends global strategic cooperation agreement

Covestro AG and Haier Group Corporation have signed a cooperation agreement on the expansion of their decade-long partnership to a global scale.

The new partnership will enable the two parties to constantly develop advanced products featuring the latest material solutions to address the market demands of the global home appliances industry.

Jointly generating long-term growth

With its innovative developments, Covestro offers answers to current trends in the appliance industry and to customer insights. The company is well positioned to assist Haier in developing new high-performance applications. This is further supported by Covestro´s long-established worldwide production and R&D network.

In return, Haier’s global sales network will provide opportunities for Covestro’s innovative material solutions to be adopted in major markets, including Asia Pacific, the United States and Europe. By that, both companies want to grow in the long term.

Key role of energy-efficient insulation system

Two years later, both parties began to organize a series of technical exchange events. At one of these activities, Haier´s Technology Innovation Day in 2014, Covestro’s Baytherm Microcell project was selected as one of Haier’s key projects. It further improves the thermal insulation performance of household refrigerators, compared to polyurethane rigid foam used so far, and fulfils the improved energy efficiency standards set by the Chinese government. Besides that, this new technology requires no further investment and enables faster production with less material consumption.

“Covestro is committed to exploring advanced technology to empower Haier and the household appliances industry globally. This year, while we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the invention of polyurethanes, we also strive to lead the upgrading of global insulation technology development and broaden the global strategic cooperation by leveraging our expertise in innovation and global network,” said Daniel Meyer, global head of Covestro’s polyurethanes segment.

Read more: Covestro, Haier extends global strategic cooperation agreement