The Urethane Blog

Everchem Updates

VOLUME XXI

September 14, 2023

Everchem’s Closers Only Club

Everchem’s exclusive Closers Only Club is reserved for only the highest caliber brass-baller salesmen in the chemical industry. Watch the hype video and be introduced to the top of the league: read more

January 27, 2021

Path to Sustainable MDI

Covestro : receives first delivery of sustainable benzene from Total

01/27/2021 | 04:50am EST

Covestro has received its first delivery of 2,000 metric tons of sustainable benzene from Total and by that achieved a further milestone on its way towards a Circular Economy. The ISCC Plus-certified raw material was supplied by Total Refining and Petrochemicals Normandy platform in northwestern France, and transported to Covestro’s Antwerp site. There it serves as a precursor for aniline, an important chemical product from which Covestro produces diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) at the Krefeld-Uerdingen Chempark. MDI is the initial base for rigid polyurethane foam, which for decades has provided highly efficient thermal insulation for buildings and refrigeration equipment, as well as for applications in the automotive and many other industries.

‘Through the partnership with Total, we are supporting our customers in the rigid foam sector to make their production even more sustainable and to position themselves accordingly,’ says Daniel Meyer, Global Head of the Polyurethanes segment at Covestro. ‘They can use this drop-in solution immediately in their existing manufacturing processes without any technical conversion. The product quality is on par with that of petrochemical-based products.’

‘This commercial partnership with Covestro demonstrates Total’s goal to produce and commercialize new sustainable products, helping our clients to reduce their carbon footprint,’ says Jean-François Renglet, Vice President Marketing Base Chemicals Division at Total Refining and Chemicals. ‘It is in line with Total’s ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 for all its activities worldwide, from production to the energy products used by its customers.’ Gradual transition to alternative raw materials

By gradually transitioning its production to alternative raw materials, Covestro aims to replace fossil raw materials and make its value chains more sustainable. Just recently, the company itself received ISCC Plus certification for the production of renewable aniline in Antwerp and MDI in Uerdingen, as well as for the production of polycarbonate at both sites. For Covestro, the project is part of a comprehensive program with which the company, together with partners, aims to propel the transition to a circular economy and ultimately become fully circular itself.

Mass balance certification across the entire value chain makes production more sustainable – reducing the product’s CO₂ footprint and the use of fossil raw materials – and more transparent. The acronym ISCC stands for International Sustainability and Carbon Certification, an internationally recognized system for the sustainability certification of biomass and bioenergy.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/COVESTRO-AG-24239914/news/Covestro-receives-first-delivery-of-sustainable-benzene-from-Total-32285230/

January 27, 2021

Path to Sustainable MDI

Covestro : receives first delivery of sustainable benzene from Total

01/27/2021 | 04:50am EST

Covestro has received its first delivery of 2,000 metric tons of sustainable benzene from Total and by that achieved a further milestone on its way towards a Circular Economy. The ISCC Plus-certified raw material was supplied by Total Refining and Petrochemicals Normandy platform in northwestern France, and transported to Covestro’s Antwerp site. There it serves as a precursor for aniline, an important chemical product from which Covestro produces diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) at the Krefeld-Uerdingen Chempark. MDI is the initial base for rigid polyurethane foam, which for decades has provided highly efficient thermal insulation for buildings and refrigeration equipment, as well as for applications in the automotive and many other industries.

‘Through the partnership with Total, we are supporting our customers in the rigid foam sector to make their production even more sustainable and to position themselves accordingly,’ says Daniel Meyer, Global Head of the Polyurethanes segment at Covestro. ‘They can use this drop-in solution immediately in their existing manufacturing processes without any technical conversion. The product quality is on par with that of petrochemical-based products.’

‘This commercial partnership with Covestro demonstrates Total’s goal to produce and commercialize new sustainable products, helping our clients to reduce their carbon footprint,’ says Jean-François Renglet, Vice President Marketing Base Chemicals Division at Total Refining and Chemicals. ‘It is in line with Total’s ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 for all its activities worldwide, from production to the energy products used by its customers.’ Gradual transition to alternative raw materials

By gradually transitioning its production to alternative raw materials, Covestro aims to replace fossil raw materials and make its value chains more sustainable. Just recently, the company itself received ISCC Plus certification for the production of renewable aniline in Antwerp and MDI in Uerdingen, as well as for the production of polycarbonate at both sites. For Covestro, the project is part of a comprehensive program with which the company, together with partners, aims to propel the transition to a circular economy and ultimately become fully circular itself.

Mass balance certification across the entire value chain makes production more sustainable – reducing the product’s CO₂ footprint and the use of fossil raw materials – and more transparent. The acronym ISCC stands for International Sustainability and Carbon Certification, an internationally recognized system for the sustainability certification of biomass and bioenergy.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/COVESTRO-AG-24239914/news/Covestro-receives-first-delivery-of-sustainable-benzene-from-Total-32285230/

January 26, 2021

BASF Announces TDI Increase

January 26, 2021

Dear Valued Customer,


Effective February 15, 2021 or as contracts allow, BASF Corporation is raising the price for all Lupranate® TDI products by $0.11 per pound, and all Pluracol® polyol products by $0.14 per pound.


Your BASF Account Manager will provide further details of this announced increase and is available to answer any questions you may have. We appreciate your continued support for BASF Urethane Chemicals.

January 26, 2021

BASF Announces TDI Increase

January 26, 2021

Dear Valued Customer,


Effective February 15, 2021 or as contracts allow, BASF Corporation is raising the price for all Lupranate® TDI products by $0.11 per pound, and all Pluracol® polyol products by $0.14 per pound.


Your BASF Account Manager will provide further details of this announced increase and is available to answer any questions you may have. We appreciate your continued support for BASF Urethane Chemicals.

The Shepherd Chemical Company

We are excited to announce a couple well-deserved leadership changes here at Shepherd, effective January 4th.

Please join us in congratulating Jennifer Haggard on her promotion to Global Business Leader [Carboxylates and Organics] and Kelly Wray for taking on the role of General Manager for Shepherd Chemical!

Jennifer’s work at Shepherd has strengthened key commercial relationships and has been instrumental in growing Shepherd’s North American PU catalyst partnership with Everchem. Her energy, creativity, and commitment to long term business development will be a great asset to Shepherd’s CXO segment team.

Kelly Wray is a Chemical and Environmental Engineering graduate of the University of Toledo and has a twenty year track record of advancing Shepherd’s core purpose and living our core values. Kelly has demonstrated the ability to build relationships of trust characterized by a healthy challenge process and open knowledge sharing with team members and customers in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Kelly’s sales and business segment leadership have resulted in growing revenues and strong, long term strategic partnerships. His leadership in the General Manager role will continue to catalyze healthy growth and increasing impact for good in each of our core purpose arenas