Toxic Chemical Industry Developments, Dec. 2022
Dec. 30, 2022
Bloomberg News documents the “staggering climate impact” of plastics production
The story features graphics based on new analysis by Material Research.
“The infrastructure in the US is growing,” notes reporter Leslie Kaufman. “There are currently 201 working factories that support plastic production. But another 36 projects — some new, some expansions of current plants — are in permitting or construction and should be complete by 2029, according to the organization Material Research. If all become fully operational, they will potentially add at least 94 million tons of emissions on top of what occurs now.”
Dec. 29, 2022
3M PFAS factory in Illinois led country in perfluoromethane emissions
“At a sprawling 3M chemical manufacturing complex here, where the company makes adhesives for Post-it notes, golf clubs and LCD displays, several hundred pounds of a potent climate killer are vented into the atmosphere each day,” reports Inside Climate News.
“The 566-acre facility on the east bank of the Mississippi River, which also makes resins and fluorochemicals, released 73 tons of perfluoromethane (CF4) into the air in 2021, more than any other facility in the country, according to data the company reported to the Environmental Protection Agency. …
“Unlike some PFAS, CF4 is considered non-toxic. But when it comes to warming the climate, CF4 is 7,380 times more potent than carbon dioxide on a pound-for-pound basis over a 100-year period. Releases of the fluorocarbon from the plant in 2021 equal the greenhouse gas emissions of 116,000 automobiles. However, unlike the carbon dioxide of car exhaust, which remains in the atmosphere for an estimated 300-1,000 years, CF4 sticks around, warming the planet, for 50,000 years.”
Dec. 28, 2022
Massive petrochemical development planned in Oman
Oman announced that its state energy company, OQ, plans to develop a 2,000 square kilometer (772 square mile) petrochemical development zone jointly with the Kuwait Petroleum International and Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (Sabic, part of Saudi Aramco). This was the most recent in a series of Saudi petrochemical alliances, including projects to develop complexes in Europe projects with Polish refining firm PKN Orlen, and in its existing refinery in Yanbu, in collaboration with China’s Sinopec.
Signing the agreement to develop the petrochemical complex in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm in the Omani-Saudi-Kuwaiti partnership (Oman News Agency) (from Asharq Al-Awsat news)
Dec. 23, 2022
Clairant (Switz.) to build chemical park in China
“Clariant announced earlier this month it would expand its care chemicals facility in Daya Bay, Guangdong province, at its existing Daya Bay manufacturing site,” reported China Daily. “It will become a new global hub for Clariant's healthcare business support and see capacity increases for existing products as well as the introduction of a range of new products by the end of 2024.”
Dec. 20, 2022
Saudi Aramco, TotalEnergies (France) announce petrochemical & plastics project in Saudi Arabia
“The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) and TotalEnergies (based in France)have announced that construction of a world scale petrochemical facility in Saudi Arabia will begin in 2023, with an investment of around US$11 billion,” reported Energy.digital. It will be located in Jubail, on the east coast, integrated with the existing SATORP refinery. It will convert refinery off-gases, naphtha, ethane, and natural gasoline into higher value petrochemicals. It will have the capacity to produce 1.65 million tons per year of ethylene, and it will produce polyethylene. Startup is planned for 2027.
Nov. 10, 2022
United Nations agency finds global plastics trade reached record $1.2 trillion in 2021
“Global exports of plastics or goods made from plastic has more than doubled in value since 2005, passing the $1 trillion benchmark in 2018 and reaching nearly $1.2 trillion in 2021,” reported the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
“This upsurge of plastics in global trade includes products made from plastic, like many children’s toys, products with plastic components, such as electronic gadgets and products wrapped in plastic – everything from office furniture to DVDs to snacks. It also includes the raw materials used to make plastics – mainly fossil fuels – and the waste shipped overseas that contain plastics, such as discarded smartphones. According to UN estimates, about 75% of all plastic produced since 1950 has become waste.”
UNCTAD estimated that the volume of plastics trade reached 369 million metric tons in 2021, up from 218 million in 2005.