Green Chemicals Blog
Naphtha
Will Russia’s invasion of Ukraine trigger more renewables investments?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has accelerated the surging fossil feedstock price that has continuously climbed throughout 2021. Tecnon OrbiChem consultants have reported their analysis of the impact of these surging prices in several key chemical intermediates. As Russia plays an outsized role in global energy markets given that it is the world’s third-largest oil producer … Continue reading
LG Chem proceeds with sustainable materials investments
South Korea-based chemical company LG Chem has been making several news headlines within the past few months as the company announced its intention to invest KRW10 trillion ($8.5 billion) in eco-friendly and high-growth materials by 2025. Over 30 projects including M&As, joint ventures, strategic investments focused on ESG-based business portfolio are currently being reviewed according … Continue reading
More bio-based naphtha production ahead
I can barely keep up with news and capacity announcement on renewable diesel/HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) so I’ll just mention two big ones that I came across last week. UPM said last week that it is moving forward with its biofuels growth plans and starts the basic engineering phase of a next-generation biorefinery, which would … Continue reading
VIDEO: Phillips 66 to build world’s largest Renewable Fuels Plant
Biorefineries for producing renewable diesel and associated hydrocarbons have been popping up like mushrooms all over the world and it is more interesting when oil companies such as Total in Italy and now Phillips 66 in the USA are converting their old crude oil refineries into biorefineries. Phillips 66, a diversified energy manufacturing and logistics … Continue reading
VIDEO: Sierra BioFuels Plant Construction in Nevada
Abengoa just released this video of the ongoing construction of Fulcrum Bioenergy’s Sierra Biofuels Plant outside of Reno, Nevada. As I like to post videos once in a while and yesterday was Earth Day, this just reminded me of the progress of several technologies now being commercialized such as using municipal waste as feedstock for … Continue reading
Neste expands renewables capacity in Singapore
This news from Neste is well-timed as I just released my special report on global renewable diesel production (or what in the EU sometimes call hydrotreated vegetable oil or HVO production) in my December Biomaterials report published by Tecnon OrbiChem. Neste Corporation announced today its decision to invests around EUR 1.5 billion to expand Neste’s … Continue reading
IKEA, Neste collaborate on bio-polypropylene
While development of fermentation-based polypropylene has mostly disappeared, several companies have long been producing polypropylene based on biomass balance approach. Neste and its partner IKEA recently announced their plan to start a pilot production of bio-based polypropylene plastic using renewable raw materials such as used cooking oil or vegetable oils. Neste’s green diesel biorefinery also … Continue reading
New Feedstock Paradigm: Winners and Losers
The chemical industry had adapted to crude oil prices that had been fairly stable at around $100-110/bbl since early 2011, so the rapid slide in prices in Q4 2014 and into this year has caused much heart searching in the industry. The USA and the Middle East had enjoyed a huge advantage of low ethane … Continue reading