CHEMICALS & PETROCHEMICALS
BASF ’ s Verbund site at Zhanjiang in Guangdong , China .
ester base stocks capacity in Jinshan is to be doubled ; also , BASF gave final approval for the construction of a Verbund site in Zhanjiang . Elsewhere in Asia , Aramco is investing in a refinery with a steam cracker in South Korea . The Middle East is also booming . Dow and Al-Hejailan Group have agreed to build a MDEA plant . Aramco , Sinopec and SABIC signed an agreement for the Gulei II refinery and cracker , and Aramco and TotalEnergies have agreed to build a new complex in Jubail . In anticipation of demand for equipment , Aramco has signed 59 new agreements with local manufacturers .
shrink wrap . Bio-sourced plastics can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and require less energy to process ; however , disposal or recycling can be a problem , as if they are mingled with conventional plastic , they can slow down the rate at which these break down and are liable to emit methane , a greenhouse gas . There is thus an urgent
Bioplastics
If the petrochemicals industry is to become more sustainable , it must break free of its dependence on fossil fuels . However , there is little sign of this happening quickly . An obvious recourse is to rely on plastics that are bio-based or bio-sourced ( i . e . wholly or partly derived from biomass ); if these are also biodegradable or compostable , this is a bonus , though not all bio-sourced plastics biodegrade quickly . Currently , only 1 % of plastics are bio-sourced , but the market is expected to grow over 10 % per year between 2021 and 2030 . The five largest producers are the USA , Germany , Brazil , and Canada . Bio-sourced plastics are expensive compared to traditional materials because of the complex process used to convert corn or sugarcane . Apart from corn starch , other sources include milk , tapioca , and vegetable fats . Applications for PLA , one of the most common bio-sourced plastics , include plastic films , bottles , medical devices , and
Recycling diagram . Image : ExxonMobil . π www . valve-world . net Valve World February 2023
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