Economics
Shell completes Singapore refinery sale to Chandra Asri-Glencore JV
Shell has completed the sale of its Singapore refinery and refining assets to a Chandra Asri-Glencore JV, and trade sources said the new owners had already started purchasing feedstock.
Japan's Maruzen Petrochemical to shut ethylene unit in Chiba
Japan's Maruzen Petrochemical, a unit of Cosmo Energy Holdings, will shut its ethylene unit in Chiba in the 2026/27 financial year and consolidate production at Keiyo Ethylene, its joint venture with Sumitomo Chemical, the companies said.
Varo buys Swedish refiner Preem in bet on biofuels
Varo Energy, backed by private equity giant Carlyle Group and the world's biggest trading house Vitol, said it had agreed to buy Swedish refiner Preem, betting on growing demand for biofuels.
Cenovus refinery in Ohio (U.S.), plans to shut multiple units for 6 weeks for maintenance
Cenovus will begin planned maintenance work on multiple units at its 160,000-bpd refinery in Toledo, Ohio in mid April.
INEOS Enterprises completes the sale of INEOS Composites to KPS Capital Partners for €1.7 B
INEOS Enterprises has completed the sale of its composites business to KPS Capital Partners for approximately €1.7 B. The composites business is a global leader in producing resins and gelcoats that are used to make strong, lightweight composite plastics found in everything from cars and boats to buildings and electronics.
Refractory lining reliability challenges in hydrogen-fueled process fired heaters
This article provides an overview of the potential impact of H2-rich fuel firing on refractory integrity and suggests safeguards to mitigate challenges. While this article discusses refractory issues in process fired heaters, the information presented can be broadly applicable to fired equipment where a flame is present.
Methods for increasing the heat transfer rate on steam condensation surfaces
Traditional systems rely on filmwise condensation for heat transfer; however, for large energy consumers, dropwise condensation will help improve heat transfer efficiency and reduce steam consumption and carbon footprint. This can be achieved through water treatment technologies—specifically the dropwise condensation technology—that help facilities increase productivity and reliability while reducing energy consumption.
Scaling pyrolysis: A critical step toward plastic circularity
Pyrolysis has potential to process hard-to-recycle plastics and expand the scope of recycling, but scaling up pyrolysis to meet global demand remains a significant challenge. From technical optimization to creating market confidence, addressing these barriers is essential if pyrolysis is to reduce plastic pollution and advance circularity.
Brazil's Petrobras lowers diesel prices for first time in more than a year
Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras said it will lower refinery gate diesel prices for the first time in more than a year, as local prices currently stand above import parity.
Optimize direct air carbon capture systems for petrochemical sustainability
The advent of direct air carbon capture (DACC) systems presents a groundbreaking opportunity to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) and repurpose it as a valuable feedstock for petrochemical products like methanol and synthetic fuels.
- Valero Energy Q4 profit beats estimates; shares surge 1/30
- Dow launches "Transform to Outperform" to raise the competitive industry benchmark for productivity and growth to enable improved returns 1/30
- Russian oil refineries' peak maintenance expected in January and September 1/30
- U.S. lifts some Venezuela sanctions to ease oil sales 1/30
- Keppel, Aster plan sustainable aviation fuel project in Singapore 1/30
- Boeing, Israel's Technion to develop sustainable aviation fuel, as sector grapples with 2050 goal 1/30
