The Catalyst Review October 2019 - 5

COMMERCIAL NEWS
Spheripol technology as well as a 200 KTA polypropylene plant using LyondellBasell's Spherizone technology. The facility will be built
in Boxing City, Shandong Province, China. Source: Lyondellbasell, 10/8/2019.
Mitsui Chemicals Group's Bio-Polypropylene Adopted for Project Commissioned by Ministry of the
Environment...
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. is collaborating with Kaisei Inc. to commercialize bio-polypropylene (bio-PP). Mitsui Chemicals is conducting
the world's first bio-PP industrialization demonstration test, and plans to conduct multifaceted evaluations of technologies,
quality, economic efficiency, and environmental impact such as GHG reduction. The new production method being attempted for
commercialization sees various biomass materials, mainly non-edible plants, fermented to produce isopropanol (IPA), which is then
dehydrated to obtain propylene in a first-of-its-kind IPA method. Compared to other biomass production approaches studied by other
companies thus far, this could prove to be a more cost-effective way to manufacture bio-PP. Kaisei Inc. will cultivate biomass raw
materials used by Mitsui Chemicals, collect wastes generated from biomass raw materials, and supply electricity to manufacturing
facilities and manufactures fertilizers through its effective use. Source: Mitsui Chemical, 9/26/2019.
Saudi Aramco Rapidly Restores Production Capacity, Expects Stabilization of Global Supply...
Saudi Aramco President & CEO Amin Nasser said that the company's production capacity, suspended earlier due to terror attacks
on its plants at Abqaiq and Khurais, would be fully restored by the end of September. It was disclosed that production at Khurais
resumed 24 hours after the attack. Meanwhile, Mr. Nasser stated that production at Abqaiq is currently 2 million barrels per day
and its entire output is expected to be restored to prior rates by the end of September. The Company adjusted deliveries and
shipments to customers by drawing on inventories and offering additional crude production from other fields. Source: Saudi Aramco,
9/17/2019.
Indian Oil Plans $317-Million Investment...
Indian Oil has announced plans to build an R&D center near
an existing facility at Faridabad, India. The planned investment
totals 22.8 billion Indian rupees ($317.2 million). The project is
due to be completed in three years after the company receives
environmental approval from India's Ministry of Environment,
Forest, and Climate Change. The planned facility, named Indian
Oil Technology Development & Deployment Centre (R&D-II),
will focus its research on petrochemicals and polymers; refining
process technologies; industrial and synthetic lubricants;
alternative and renewable energy; automotive oils; engines-
fuel and lubes; fuel and additives; grease and metal working oil;
catalysts; pipeline research; biotechnology; and nanotechnology.
Source: Chemical Week, 9/12/2019.
Eramet, BASF and SUEZ Partner to Develop an
Innovative Closed-loop Process for the Recycling
of Lithium-ion Batteries...
The "Recycling Li-ion batteries for electric Vehicle" (ReLieVe)
project, founded by Eramet, BASF and SUEZ, will receive a
substantial funding of €4.7 million by EIT Raw Materials, a
consortium initiated and funded by the European Union, and the
three members. The objective is to develop an innovative closedloop process to recycle lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles
and to enable the production of new lithium-ion batteries in
Europe. As of January 2020, and over a two-year period, the
project ReLieVe will carry out a series of activities for the largescale development of this innovative process and the structuring
of an integrated industrial sector: from the collection and
dismantling of end of-life batteries going into recycling all the way
to the manufacturing of new electrode materials. Source: BASF
Catalysts, 9/11/2019.
The Catalyst Review

October 2019

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The Catalyst Review October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Catalyst Review October 2019