Industry Trends

December 2022

See what has been happening in Asia’s petrochemicals, agrochemicals, automotive, bio energy, and mining industries over the last weeks. What are experts and industry magazines talking about?

What has been happening?

Electrifying trucking would require major chunk of power grid, Paper electrodes for Li-ion batteries now reality, Precious metals no longer needed in reactions to produce hydrogen fuel, and more. See what journals and industry experts have been discussing in the last four weeks.

Latest Industry Articles

Electrifying Trucking Would Require a Major Chunk of the US Power Grid: ATRI

Advanced BioFuels USA

Shifting all vehicles to battery electric vehicles would demand more than 40% of the country’s electricity production, the American Transportation Research Institute said in a report. — Electrifying long-haul truck runs alone on today’s roadways would require about a tenth of the nation’s power generation, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.

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Paper electrodes for Li-ion batteries are now a reality

MINING.com

Researchers at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have developed a technique to turn waste paper from single-use packaging and bags, as well as cardboard boxes, into a crucial component of lithium-ion batteries. Through a process called carbonization, which converts paper into pure carbon, the NTU team turned paper fibres into electrodes. To carbonize paper, the team exposed it to high temperatures, which reduced it to pure carbon, water vapour and oils that can be used for biofuel.

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Precious metals no longer needed in reactions to produce hydrogen fuel

MINING.com

Researchers at Rice University, Syzygy Plasmonics Inc. and Princeton University have engineered a key light-activated nanomaterial for the hydrogen economy. In a paper published in the journal Science, the scientists explain that using only inexpensive raw materials they were able to create a scalable catalyst that needs only the power of light to convert ammonia into clean-burning hydrogen fuel.

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With Diesel Prices at Its Highest, Fleets Are Cutting TCO with CNG, RNG

Advanced BioFuels USA

The unpredictable cost of diesel and the movement towards reducing emissions in the transportation sector has motivated fleets to search for dependable alternatives, with many looking to natural gas as a cost-effective, cleaner and stable option. There are several factors that go into calculating a fleet’s total cost of ownership, with fuel usually topping the list.

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Researchers create thick graphite films for clean energy technologies

MINING.com

Researchers at Korea’s Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology are proposing a strategy to synthesize single-crystalline graphite films orders of magnitude large, up to inch scale. This idea is expected to be of use from the perspective of both fundamental research and technology, particularly that associated with battery and clean energy development.

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Why the Anaerobic Digestion Industry Is Poised for Expansion

Advanced BioFuels USA

After 15-plus years of development, anaerobic digestion technology has become more refined and standardized, and is attracting significant amounts of institutional capital investment. We have been tracking anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic waste for many years, including technology, policy, and economic elements associated with the production and use of biomethane (also called renewable natural gas or RNG).

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New manufacturing process produces better, cheaper cathodes for lithium-ion batteries

ScienceDaily

Researchers have developed a new method for producing a key component of lithium-ion batteries. The result is a more affordable battery from a faster, less wasteful process that uses less toxic material.

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EV battery cathode costs spike as lithium price sets fresh record

MINING.com

Casper Rawles at BenchmarkWeek in Los Angeles. Image: Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Prices for graphite in the battery supply chain have not moved much this year, kept down by softness in the global steel industry. The often overlooked anode material may be on the brink of a breakthrough, however. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence at its BenchmarkWeek annual industry gathering in Los Angeles predicted that EVs will become the main source of demand for graphite next year.

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Petronas Makes Significant Discovery Offshore Malaysia

Rigzone.com: Latest News Headlines

Nahara-1 is a significant oil discovery’. Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB), a wholly owned subsidiary of Petronas, has announced an oil and gas discovery at the Nahara-1 well in Block SK306, off the coast of Sarawak, Malaysia.

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Indonesia Plans to Launch 5% Bioethanol Mix of Fuel in Three Years

Advanced BioFuels USA

Indonesia’s energy ministry plans to start rolling out a 5% ethanol blend of fuel made using sugarcane in three years time, starting with a few provinces of the country, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

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Indonesia Govt to Create a Mechanism for Rollout of B35 Biodiesel Policy

Advanced BioFuels USA

Indonesia’s president has asked the government to create a mechanism next year to ensure the rollout of B35 biodiesel, a senior minister said on Tuesday. B35 is a fuel containing a 35% mix of palm oil-based fuel. Indonesia, the world’s top palm oil producer, currently has a mandatory 30% mix of palm oil fuel in biodiesel, known as B30.

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Energy Absolute exploring SAF production from palm oil

Biofuels Digest

In Thailand, the Bangkok Post newspaper reports that Energy Absolute is exploring Sustainable Aviation Fuel production from palm oil. EA has been producing biodiesel for nearly two decades, currently at 800,000 liters per day, and believes it is ready to take the next step into SAF. In addition to biodiesel from palm oil, it also produces refined glycerin for cosmetics and phase change materials. About 20% of the company’s revenues come from biodiesel and related products.

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Sarawak to launch microalgae production facility in February 2023

Biofuels Digest

In Malaysia, Borneo Post Online reported that Sarawak’s premier Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said that a microalgae production facility is expected to be launched by February next year. He noted the five-hectare algae production facility will mark the state government’s commitment to achieve greener and cleaner coal power generation. “I am proud of the collaboration and progress of the industrial scale microalgae production facility.

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NTU Singapore scientists convert waste paper into component for lithium-ion batteries

Biofuels Digest

In Singapore, scientists from NTU Singapore have developed a technique to convert waste paper, from single-use packaging and bags, and cardboard boxes, into a crucial component of lithium-ion batteries. Through a process called carbonisation which converts paper into pure carbon, the NTU researchers turned the paper’s fibres into electrodes, which can be made into rechargeable batteries that power mobile phones, medical equipment, and electric vehicles.

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Japan Looks to Thailand for Bioethanol that Doesn’t Fuel Food Insecurity

Advanced BioFuels USA

Sumitomo, Kao explore projects to turn sugar and cassava waste into energy. Asia’s first plant to mass-produce biofuel that does not reduce food stocks will be built in Thailand, according to Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp., which will back the project along with a local company. Sumitomo has signed a memorandum of understanding for the project with Global Green Chemicals, a subsidiary of Thai petrochemical group PTT Global Chemical.

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Thai State-Owned PTT Group Expands into SAF Market

Advanced BioFuels USA

The Thai state-owned oil and gas company PTT Public Company Ltd. has entered into a memorandum of understanding with several of its subsidiaries—Thail Oil Public Company Ltd., PTT Global Chemical Public Company Ltd., IRPC Public Company Ltd., and PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Ltd.—on a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) collaboration project, the company announced Nov. 9.

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CNOOC Starts Production From First 3M Gas Field

Rigzone.com: Latest News Headlines

CNOOC has announced that the MDA Gas Field, the largest gas field within the 3M Project in Indonesia, has started production.

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Trelleborg supplies integrated berthing system to Thi Vai LNG terminal in Vietnam

LNG industry

Trelleborg has delivered high-performance marine fender systems, docking and mooring equipment, and ship-shore links for PetroVietnam Gas’ Thi Vai LNG terminal in Vietnam.

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Malaysia advances in the race for SAF: Vandelay Ventures readies 75 million gallon project using Sulzer tech

Biofuels Digest

Earlier this week, we reported that Vandelay Ventures has embarked on development of a 250,000 tonne (75 million gallons / 5000 barrels per day) production facility for sustainable aviation fuels and renewable diesel. The project will be located at the Sabah Maju Jaya Renewable Energy Industrial Complex (SMJREIC) in Sapangar Bay, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

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MOGE daily distributes over 18 mln cubic feet of CNG for CNG vehicles in Yangon Region

Global New Light Of Myanmar

Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) (CNG Department) raised gas supply to over 18 million cubic feet of CNG per day with a view to facilitating transport for the CNG vehicles running on Yangon streets. Earlier, MOGE distributed only 17 million cubic feet of CNG. Now, the sales volume has grown to 18 million.

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China's CATL to provide EV batteries for Honda starting in 2024

Channel NewsAsia Front Page News

Honda Motor Co said on Thursday that Chinese battery giant CATL would supply batteries for seven years for its electric vehicles (EV) in China. The Japanese automaker said the Chinese firm would provide 123 GWh worth of batteries starting in 2024 through 2030 for the Honda’s e:N Series.

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Shell launches carbon neutral Helix engine oils

NST Online Latest News

Shell Malaysia has officially launched its first Shell Helix carbon neutral engine oil series under the super premium fully synthetic range of Helix Power and Protect.

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