Oil prices are continuing to drop in the background of the delta variant of the coronavirus, which is spreading quickly and causing market uncertainty, as well as the potential increase in the supply of oil production by Opec member countries.

PTTGC America (GCA) and the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio have entered into a MOU to develop and operate a new recycling complex in Swaco’s green economy business park in Ohio, USA. The complex, which includes the construction of a new plant, is expected to manufacture recycled polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate into products.

The future of process plant communication will be triggered by one key technology: Ethernet-APL. This end-to-end Ethernet solution will enable the free flow of information to and from the field and finally unleash the full potential of the visions behind Industry 4.0.

Air Products will develop a new industrial gas complex on BOO basis and supply hydrogen, nitrogen and steam to Indian Oil Corporation’s Barauni Refinery in Bihar, India. The project will help the Indian firm to expand its current production capacity of Euro-VI or BS-VI compliant gasoline and diesel at the site.

Global chemical company Kuraray switched the documentation procedure at its process plant in Höchst, Germany and opted for Rösberg’s Prodok NG computer aided engineering system for instrumentation and control. Stepwise and automatic migration of the existing plant data to the new consistent CAE system enabled Kuraray to set the course for future plant modernizations.

Chinese petrochemical company Sinopec has developed a new process to convert crude oil directly into chemicals. The new "Crude Oil to Chemicals" (COTC) process is a major technological breakthrough. China is thus becoming the global technology leader in catalytic cracking of crude oil.

China has announced massive investments in one of the country's largest petrochemical industry sites. In Zhanjiang, at the southern tip of the People's Republic in Guangdong Province, another 45.2 billion dollars is being pumped into a Verbund site which will focus on petrochemicals and steel production over the next five years. The German chemical giant BASF is right in the middle of all this.

Both Germany and Europe have set the goal of becoming greenhouse gas neutral by 2050 at the latest. This means that energy consumption throughout the economy must be switched to carbon-free sources. Hydrogen will play an important role here, especially in activities that are otherwise impossible or difficult to decarbonize - for example, in the steel and chemical industries, aviation, ships or parts of the transportation sector. One of the crucial factors for rapid conversion is the question of how the production costs for green hydrogen can be reduced to a competitive level.

With a new MDI technology, Covestro aims to improve efficiency and environmental protection. Everyone is talking about sustainability — including the chemical industry. With the quartet of regenerative energies, alternative raw materials, recycling solutions and CO2-saving technologies, Covestro wants to become a front runner. A completely new MDI technology should also help.

In line with the Paris agreement and an aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Perstorp will be converting majority of its polyols produced at the largest production plant in Perstorp, Sweden, to pro-environment products.