Seabrook biodiesel plant shutting down
Renewable Energy Group will not renew its lease at a biodiesel plant in Seabrook, the company said last week, with plans to shut down operations in November.
The facility, capable of producing 35 million gallons of the diesel replacment a year, couldn’t process multiple feedstocks, the company said.
“The plant has run very well but has always been relatively challenged due to its leasing agreement coupled with a lack of Renewable Energy Group’s hallmark multi-feedstock processing capability,” said President and CEO Cynthia ‘CJ’ Warner.
Renewable Energy Group, a global producer and supplier of renewable fuels, acquired and commissioned the plant in 2008. The company said it is working to find new jobs within the company for its Seabrook employees.
“It is never an easy decision to shut down a plant,” Warner said. “We greatly appreciate the team at Renewable Energy Group Houston for their dedication to safety and operational excellence.”
Despite the announcement, Warner said the company remains focused on executing its growth strategy.
“We will continue to work with our existing customers and vendors to provide clean fuel solutions that are delivering meaningful carbon reduction today,” Warner said.
Refiners are turning to biofuels, including those made from agricultural products, because they release fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. But production has declined as feedstock prices rise.
Moreover, the Renewable Fuel Standard, a federal program that requires transportation fuel sold in the U.S. to contain a minimum amount of renewable fuels, requires that some transportation fuels come from biofuels.
The closing of the Seabrook plant leaves 14 biodiesel plants operating in the Gulf Coast region, down from the 18 in 2019. Almost 75 operate in the U.S., the Energy Department said.
Six are injured in blast at Westlake Chemical plant
Six people were injured in an explosion last week at Westlake Chemical’s Petro 2 plant in Sulphur, La., the Houston chemical manufacturer said in a statement.
The injured were contract workers, employed by one of three firms performing planned maintenance of the facility, which was offline at the time of the accident. The company didn’t say what caused the blast, which occurred late Sept. 27, but it said it had notified local, state and federal officials and will cooperate with any investigation.
The workers were taken to area hospitals for treatment. Four of the individuals have been released from the hospital, according to Westlake.
Annually, the plant can produce about 680,000 metric tons of propylene, which is used in plastic containers, sealants and tubing.
The explosion didn’t affect the area around the plant, Westlake said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the injured individuals and their families,” the company said in a statement.
Huntsman partners with South Korean firm
The Woodlands chemicalmaker Huntsman Corp. and KPX Chemical, a polyurethanes producer in South Korea, have formed a joint venture to serve carmakers in that country.
KPX Huntsman Polyurethanes Automotive Co. will create and provide polyurethane to South Korean automakers from a specialty polyurethanes manufacturing facility at KPX Chemical’s plant in Ulsan.
The deal combines Huntsman’s global supply chain and polyurethane production, used in foams, insulation, textiles and automotive manufacturing, with KPX Chemical’s polyol technology. Polyol is used in seats, armrests and headrests of most automobiles.
Operations at KPX Huntsman Polyurethanes Automotive Co. are expected to begin by the end of October.
KPX Chemical President Kim Moon-young said the partnership will help the company meet growing demand for autonomous vehicles and electric transport solutions that support South Korea’s mandate to reach carbon neutrality nationwide by 2050.
For Huntsman, continued business growth in the automotive industry is a “priority,” said Tony Hankins, president of the company’s polyurethanes division and CEO of Huntsman Asia Pacific.