November 2024 Newsletter
MLT Analytics
An expert team focusing on ML and AI-based forecasts with solid domain knowledge in commodities and specialty products
Lanxess exits polymers business, dextrose converted to MEG, brewers' waste to bioplastics, and more in our 39th Edition. Read on!
Lanxess Exits Polymers Business
Announcing on October 3 that it would be selling its Urethane Systems business to Japan's Ube Corp., German materials supplier Lanxess says that it is exiting the last remaining polymer business once the transaction closes in the first half of 2025. Previously, Lanxess transferred its High Performance Materials (HPM) business unit to a joint venture with private equity firm Advent International, which subsequently agreed to acquire the DSM Engineering Materials business (DEM) from Dutch group Royal DSM.
Dextrose Will Feed Bio-MEG Facility in Indiana
Sustainea and Primient have announced a co-location partnership for the supply of corn dextrose from Primient’s facility in Lafayette, Indiana to Sustainea’s first Bio-MEG (monoethylene glycol) plant at the same site. Sustainea’s planned facility represents an investment of around $400 million and will produce a renewable, plant-based alternative to petroleum-based MEG. Sustainea is a joint venture of Braskem and Japanese trading house Sojitz.
Brewers' Waste Transformed into High-value Bioplastics
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Currently, bioplastics represent only 1.5% of global plastic production, with projected growth insufficient to meet market needs. Brewers’ spent grain (BSG), which is rich in fiber and protein, is mostly used as low-value animal feed or discarded in landfills, contributing to environmental issues. BSG has potential as feedstock for bioplastics, however, current applications are limited by poor mechanical properties and lack of scalability.
Arburg Develops Innovative Paper Injection Molding
At Fakuma 2024, Arburg demonstrated a groundbreaking advancement in sustainable manufacturing: the processing of "paper pearls" on standard Allrounder machines. This innovative injection moulding process, developed in collaboration with paper and cardboard packaging manufacturer Model, opens up new possibilities for paper fiber-based products across various industries.?
Braskem-SGC JV Kicks Off Ethanol-to-Ethylene Project
Braskem Siam Company Limited, a joint venture of bio-based polyethylene supplier Braskem and Thailand's SCG Chemicals, has appointed Japanese plant engineering firm Toyo Engineering to conduct the front end engineering and design (FEED) for a 200,000-tonnes/year bioethanol-to-ethylene plant in Map-ta-Phut, Rayong Province. The ethylene plant will utilize the EtE EverGreen process licensed by Braskem and plant engineering firm Lummus. FEED is the final design phase and represents an important step in the final investment decision (FID) of the project.
Using this ethylene plant, the derivative product, I'm green? bio-polyethylene, will be produced from renewable feedstocks such as ethanol derived from sugarcane, rather than from fossil feedstocks (such as petroleum-derived naphtha).