Economics
Japan's Maruzen Petrochemical to shut ethylene unit in Chiba
Japan's Maruzen Petrochemical, a unit of Cosmo Energy Holdings, will shut its ethylene unit in Chiba in the 2026/27 financial year and consolidate production at Keiyo Ethylene, its joint venture with Sumitomo Chemical, the companies said.
Varo buys Swedish refiner Preem in bet on biofuels
Varo Energy, backed by private equity giant Carlyle Group and the world's biggest trading house Vitol, said it had agreed to buy Swedish refiner Preem, betting on growing demand for biofuels.
Cenovus refinery in Ohio (U.S.), plans to shut multiple units for 6 weeks for maintenance
Cenovus will begin planned maintenance work on multiple units at its 160,000-bpd refinery in Toledo, Ohio in mid April.
INEOS Enterprises completes the sale of INEOS Composites to KPS Capital Partners for €1.7 B
INEOS Enterprises has completed the sale of its composites business to KPS Capital Partners for approximately €1.7 B. The composites business is a global leader in producing resins and gelcoats that are used to make strong, lightweight composite plastics found in everything from cars and boats to buildings and electronics.
Refractory lining reliability challenges in hydrogen-fueled process fired heaters
This article provides an overview of the potential impact of H2-rich fuel firing on refractory integrity and suggests safeguards to mitigate challenges. While this article discusses refractory issues in process fired heaters, the information presented can be broadly applicable to fired equipment where a flame is present.
Methods for increasing the heat transfer rate on steam condensation surfaces
Traditional systems rely on filmwise condensation for heat transfer; however, for large energy consumers, dropwise condensation will help improve heat transfer efficiency and reduce steam consumption and carbon footprint. This can be achieved through water treatment technologies—specifically the dropwise condensation technology—that help facilities increase productivity and reliability while reducing energy consumption.
Scaling pyrolysis: A critical step toward plastic circularity
Pyrolysis has potential to process hard-to-recycle plastics and expand the scope of recycling, but scaling up pyrolysis to meet global demand remains a significant challenge. From technical optimization to creating market confidence, addressing these barriers is essential if pyrolysis is to reduce plastic pollution and advance circularity.
Brazil's Petrobras lowers diesel prices for first time in more than a year
Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras said it will lower refinery gate diesel prices for the first time in more than a year, as local prices currently stand above import parity.
Optimize direct air carbon capture systems for petrochemical sustainability
The advent of direct air carbon capture (DACC) systems presents a groundbreaking opportunity to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) and repurpose it as a valuable feedstock for petrochemical products like methanol and synthetic fuels.
LLDPE/HDPE swing technology platform
This article highlights and compares the various technology platforms available to provide technical insight into the selection of the best LLDPE/HDPE platform for a given facility. A high-level overview of the various technology platforms is provided based on open-source available data and the authors’ years of technical and operating experience.
- Phillips 66 greenlights new gas plant and fractionator projects, advancing integrated wellhead-to-market strategy 5/18
- OXEA and Air Liquide renew syngas and hydrogen supply agreement for Oberhausen site 5/18
- BASF boosts refinery catalyst innovation with new R&D center in Attapulgus, Georgia (U.S.) 5/18
- Aster and Puraglobe sign MoU to bring world-leading re-refining technology to Asia 5/18
- U.S. oil refiners finally profit from biofuels due to mandates, high fuel prices 5/18
- China's April oil throughput hits lowest since August 2022, inventories rise 5/18
