Chevron Phillips Chemical to Sell Singapore Site to Aster Chemicals

Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem) announced that shareholders of Chevron Phillips Singapore Chemicals (CPSC) have reached an agreement to sell their entire stake to Aster Chemicals and Energy through its affiliate Chandra Asri.
Aster is a joint venture between Chandra Asri and Glencore. It has a fully integrated refinery capacity of 237,000 barrels per day, and a 1.1 million metric ton hashtag#ethylene cracker on Bukom Island, according to the company, as well as downstream chemical assets located on Jurong Island.

The transaction centers on CPSC's hashtag#highdensitypolyethylene manufacturing facility on Jurong Island, Singapore, which boasts an annual production capacity of 400 KTA. All approximately 150 CPSC employees are expected to receive opportunities to transition to Aster.
hashtag#CPSC is an excellent strategic fit for Aster, and we are confident the business will thrive as part of its portfolio," said Justine Smith, CPChem executive vice president of commercial. "With this transaction, we are optimizing our asset portfolio to ensure we remain competitive and continue to serve as the supplier of choice to our global customers."

While the deal remains subject to customary closing conditions, hashtag#CPChem confirmed its Asia headquarters, which oversees regional sales and marketing operations, will maintain its presence in Singapore.

Aster Chem Global has established itself as a leader in chemical distribution, providing a range of more than 350 products. The company said it has a diverse network of suppliers, enabling it to offer specialized solutions to clients across various industries.
hashtag#ChevronPhillips Chemical, jointly owned by Chevron USA Inc. and Phillips 66, is a leading global producer of olefins and polyolefins. Headquartered in The Woodlands, TX, the company employs more than 5,000 people and manages approximately $20 billion in assets across 32 manufacturing and research facilities in six countries.
The company is also a major supplier of aromatics, alpha olefins, styrenics, specialty chemicals, polyethylene piping, and polymer resins.

source:Plastics Today/Chevron Phillips Chemical

Administrator Zeldin Announces Major EPA Actions to Combat PFAS Contamination

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin outlined upcoming agency action to address Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). In this suite of actions, Administrator Zeldin announced a long list that included in part the designation of an agency lead for PFAS, the creation of effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) for certain PFAS to stop these forever chemicals from entering drinking water systems, and initiatives to engage with Congress and industry to establish a clear liability framework that ensures the polluter pays and passive receivers are protected. In line with Administrator Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative, EPA’s work in this space will advance Pillar 1: Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American, and Pillar 3: Permitting Reform, Cooperative Federalism, and Cross-Agency Partnership. 

“I have long been concerned about PFAS and the efforts to help states and communities dealing with legacy contamination in their backyards. With today’s announcement, we are tackling PFAS from all of EPA’s program offices, advancing research and testing, stopping PFAS from getting into drinking water systems, holding polluters accountable, and providing certainty for passive receivers. This is just a start of the work we will do on PFAS to ensure Americans have the cleanest air, land, and water,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.   

These actions are guided by the following principles: strengthening the science, fulfilling statutory obligations and enhancing communication, and building partnerships. With this approach, EPA will provide the foundation and investment necessary for a toolbox that will help states and communities dealing with PFAS contamination. This list is the first, not the last, of all decisions and actions EPA will be taking to address PFAS over the course of the Trump Administration. There will be more to come in the future across EPA’s program offices to help communities impacted by PFAS contamination. 

Strengthening the Science 

Designate an agency lead for PFAS to better align and manage PFAS efforts across agency programs 

Implement a PFAS testing strategy under Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 4 to seek scientific information informed by hazard characteristics and exposure pathways 

Launch additional efforts on air related PFAS information collection and measurement techniques related to air emissions 

Identify and address available information gaps where not all PFAS can be measured and controlled 

Provide more frequent updates to the PFAS Destruction and Disposal Guidance—changing from every three years to annually—as EPA continues to assess the effectiveness of available treatment technologies 

Ramp up the development of testing methods to improve detection and strategies to address PFAS 

Fulfilling Statutory Obligations and Enhancing Communication 

Develop effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) for PFAS manufacturers and metal finishers and evaluate other ELGs necessary for reduction of PFAS discharges 

Address the most significant compliance challenges and requests from Congress and drinking water systems related to national primary drinking water regulations for certain PFAS 

Determine how to better use RCRA authorities to address releases from manufacturing operations of both producers and users of PFAS 

Add PFAS to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) in line with Congressional direction from the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act 

Enforce Clean Water Act and TSCA limitations on PFAS use and release to prevent further contamination 

Use Safe Drinking Water Act authority to investigate and address immediate endangerment 

Achieve more effective outcomes by prioritizing risk-based review of new and existing PFAS chemicals 

Implement section 8(a)7 to smartly collect necessary information, as Congress envisioned and consistent with TSCA, without overburdening small businesses and article importers. 

Work with Congress and industry to establish a clear liability framework that operates on polluter pays and protects passive receivers 

source: EPA

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates)

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates)

Danimer Scientific has filed a chapter 11 bankruptcy on 18th march 2025 that really impacted the PHA market at the moment.It is because of the high production cost and limited market adoption.

As I observed from the bioplastics industry that in 2020, the company went public, and the entire team at Danimer Scientific were optimistic about expanding the PHA biopolymer plant. In 2021, the governor of Georgia, Brian P. Kemp announced plans to invest USD 700 million in expanding Danimer’s Bainbridge manufacturing operations, nearly quadrupling their workforce in Decatur County.That made them purchase Novomer company at the cost of $152 million.This happens to Danimer Scientific which holds 125 patents in 20 countries

PHA & PEF:

Bioplastic market started booming in the year 2010 and I was engaged and drafted a comprehensive landscape of the market research report on bioplastics for an American market research company. I forecasted only PEF and PHA will rule the bioplastic market in the next couple of decades.

PEF chemistry is getting stronger year by year and lots of developments have been happening in this segment.Commercialization PHA witnessed some hurdles in 2018 and will find a way to sort out the pricing of feedstocks and production cost in the coming days.

What went wrong in last 3-4 years

They struggled to have cash flow on time in the business and also they could not be able to reduce the production cost,not able to reach out the market adoption for various applications.EU policy restriction on PHA for single use plastic,market is not ready to accept PHA as higher cost as the market has other alternatives in the market.

I suggest the poly hydroxy alkanoates(PHA) manufacturers has to find a way to reduce the fermentation manufacturing cost of the PHA resin and also work out a compatibility for blending PHA with other biopolymers PLA,PBS,PCL,other biopolymers to get the cost down.

PHA application:

Lids,straws,cups,utensil,toys,shopping bags,bottles,diaper lining,plates,wipes etc

Govt Policy on sustainability:

I think the manufacturers of PHA and other bioplastics should create more awareness on bioplastic from kids to general public in various events,expo and sports.This helps them easy recognition and pay premium on certain products if it routes from sustainable renewables. Govt must draw such policy and introduce bioplastic products in govt offices and functions and offer stimulus packages to companies which struggle in the Bioplastic Industry.

In recent days,the FDA has approved PHA for biomedical applications.The application list is growing day by day for the PHA market.

I am optimistic that the demand for PHA biopolymer resin will rise three times by 2030.As the healthcare industry accepts PHA for tissue engineering,implants,drug delivery carriers,3Dprinting,medical devices,Agriculture etc.

The actual growth year for PHA biopolymers will be in 2028.

Muthuramalingam Krishnan

Wrightbus delivers 12 more hydrogen buses to Germany, 130 due by year-end

Northern Irish busmaker Wrightbus has delivered another 12 of its hydrogen-powered Kite Hydroliner single-decker hydrogen buses to Germany, bringing the total number of its fuel cell buses in the country to 43.

The latest batch will run with operator WestVerkehr GmbH in North Rhine-Westphalia, serving towns near the Dutch border including Heinsberg, Hückelhoven and Erkelenz.

The vehicles join a growing fleet of Wrightbus hydrogen buses on the continent, with more than 130 units expected on German roads by the end of 2025.

This benefits the environment and ensures that people in the region breathe better air” said Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales, while also praising the firm’s engineers in Northern Ireland for their role in bringing the Kite Hydroliner to life.

WestVerkehr Managing Director Udo Winkens described the new buses as a key part of the firm’s efforts to deliver “future-oriented mobility”.

The deployment was supported by €3.4 million in funding from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV), with State Secretary Hartmut Höppner calling #hydrogenbuses “quieter, more climate-friendly, and a real boost to local quality of life.

Local government was also quick to celebrate the move, with Heinsberg District Administrator, Stephan Pusch, saying: “The whole world is talking about the energy transition. But we don’t talk about it – we do it.

1,000km range in 10-minutes:

Each Kite Hydroliner offers a range of up to 1,000km, with refuelling times of under 10 minutes and capacity for up to 90 passengers.

The WestVerkehr fleet meets the VDV’s operating requirements and complies with the EU’s latest GSR2 (ADAS) safety regulations.

The buses are built by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland and join existing fleets elsewhere in Germany, including the 31 Kite Hydroliners already in service with Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK). That operator has eight more due for delivery before the end of the year.

According to Wrightbus, other upcoming deliveries include:

28 buses for Saarbahn GmbH

46 buses for Cottbusverkehr and Spree-Neiße-Cottbusverkehr GmbH

5 buses for Vestische Straßenbahnen GmbH

European support now in place

To support its expanding European customer base, Wrightbus has established a new service centre in Brühl, just outside Cologne which will operate under the “AllServiceOne” brand, maintaining buses of all types and from all manufacturers – hydrogen or otherwise.

The site also includes a dedicated parts warehouse, and #Wrightbus says it is the first step in building a pan-European support network, modelled on the service structure it already operates in the UK.

source:www.Drivinghydrogen.com

Simoldes Plastics and ELIX Polymers cooperating to use recycled materials for interior applications of premium vehicles

Both companies have set ambitious sustainability targets and are actively working in several circular economy projects. The goal of Simoldes BOOST project during pre-development phase is to increase the usage of renewable materials by 40% during the development phase of their products, focusing on materials with mechanical recycled content and encouraging all suppliers to participate and develop their sustainability programs. This is where ELIX Polymers high quality E-LOOP products with mechanical recycled content are a perfect match, and a technical validation process has been done with the material PC/ABS E-LOOP 5120MR, which has 30% post-consumer recyclate originated from water bottles waste.

The technical validation included mechanical, thermal, processability, odour and emission performance against the stringent requirements for automotive interior non-visible safety product. Cooperation brought the new mindset avoiding over-engineered materials into the real application. The product has shown equivalent properties compared to the traditional prime materials, but the material carbon footprint can be reduced up to a 40%. High demanding upper interior pillars (case study at ‘’A’’) with airbag have been injected in a unique lower injection process supported by high quality injection molds from #Simoldes Tools to produce textile covered parts and all component requirements have been fulfilled. Also, visible decorative parts for door panels with class A surfaces have been part of the evaluation program. The parts have been shown during Plastic in Automotive Engineering (Mannheim) conference in March 2025 and also presented to premium Automotive OEMs where high interest have been generated. #Moldflow is available for material and also complete test results according to pre-development product validation plan.

#ELIXPolymers more sustainable E-LOOP product portfolio includes ABS and PC/ABS blends with mechanical recycled content and products with certified raw materials which have circular and biobased feedstocks certified with ISCC+ using mass balance model.

source: ELIX Polymers

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : KIT Demonstrates Technologies for Circular Economy at Pilot Scale

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Carbon Cycle Lab: From Waste to Industrial Raw Materials

With rising energy costs, dwindling resources, and growing volumes of trash, humanity has a waste problem. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have created a new development platform for a more sustainable circular economy: the Carbon Cycle Lab (CCLab). Their research includes a project for chemical recycling of plastic waste, which is being shifted to pilot scale. The project’s aim is to include previously non-recyclable waste in material cycles.

Global plastic production has increased significantly over the past 70 years, reaching about 414 million tonnes in 2023. However, the recycling rate is only 10 percent. Since energy costs are expected to continue rising while resources become scarcer, industrial transformation must include higher recycling rates. KIT is contributing to efforts to achieve higher rates with its new research platform, the Carbon Cycle Lab (CCLab). With their bioliq® project, KIT researchers had already developed a complete recycling process for biological residues. The CCLab now extends their work to the chemical recycling of plastic waste. “For a carbon-neutral circular economy, we need to return waste from industry, households, agriculture, and forestry to our material cycles, and we need to use renewable energy to do so,” said Professor Dieter Stapf, who heads KIT’s Institute for Technical Chemistry. A closed carbon cycle is better for the environment and conserves scarce resources, according to Stapf. “In our country, energy and resources are scarce and expensive,” he added. “In the future, our waste will be a raw material. Recycling it is efficient and economical and will help us reduce our dependency on fossil fuel imports, which has become especially urgent with the crisis in Ukraine.

The Carbon Cycle Lab Benefits from bioliq® Insights

KIT is already conducting extensive research on the use of biogenic residues and renewable resources to produce sustainable chemicals and fuels. In the bioliq® project, which was completed late last year, KIT scientists and their partners set up the first pilot plant capable of producing tonnes of gasoline from straw. “Much of what we have learned from bioliq® is going into CCLab,” said Professor Frederik Scheiff, head of the Fuel Technology Division at KIT’s Engler-Bunte Institute. “In the last operating campaign, we demonstrated a potential way forward by converting plastic pyrolysis oils to chemical raw materials for the first time. That was something nobody else had really done yet,” Scheiff said. “We’ve learned how to develop and scale such technologies, and we’ve showed that they can also be used to convert complex and previously non-recyclable plastic waste into chemical raw materials.

source : Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Short vs Long glass fibers

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Why do Long glass fibers impart unique mechanical properties compared to short fibers ?

Like in a rope pulling game, little stress can be transferred on a short fiber, so fiber pull-out will dominate in case of a tensile fracture. A long fiber is like a longer rope with more people pulling on each side. In this case the strength limit of the rope (fiber) can be reached, and fibers will break when testing the compound in tension.

Interfacial strength also works in this analogy. If the pullers have slippery hands, they will fail breaking the rope which will slip out of hand.

This is how/why one can define the concept of fiber "critical length" below which fibers will be pulled out rather than broken in a compound tensile test.

source : Vito leo