This course addresses industry fundamentals, including chemical structures and properties, process technologies, key producers, end-use applications, market sizes, trade patterns and sustainability issues across the key petrochemical value chains.

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Course agenda:

• Detailed look at the foundations of the petrochemical industry
• Feedstocks, including natural gas, NGLs, petroleum, coal, and biobased.
• Industry's 7 Basic Building Blocks: Syngas, Ethylene, Propylene, C4 Olefins, Benzene, Toluene, and Xylenes.
• Exploration of each building block's value chain.
• Key downstream polymers
• Polyethylene – LDPE, HDPE, LLDPE
• Polypropylene – homopolymer, random copolymer and impact copolymer
• Vinyls chain – EDC, VCM, PVC, C/A
• Styrenics – Styrene monomer, GPPS, HIPS, EPS
• Polyester chain – PX, PTA, PET
• Placing the current industry structure into historical perspective
• Interactions
• Unravels the complex synergies underlying the petrochemical industry technology, markets, and economics
• Key market and profitability drivers
• Where are future growth opportunities?

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In the world of large volume commodity resins, such as the polyolefins, vinyls, and styrenics, winners and losers are often determined by access (or not) to cheap feedstocks such as in the Middle East and North America. Consequently, producers in other parts of the world are necessarily becoming increasingly interested in second and third level derivatives to add value This new course will explore a wide variety of some of these downstream products

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Course agenda:

• Key Non-Commodity Ethylene Derivatives
• EOG/MEG
• LAOs
• Key Non-Commodity Propylene Derivatives
• Cumene value chain
• Phenol/acetone/BPA
• Polycarbonate
• Epoxy resins
• PF resins
• MMA/PMMA
• Propylene oxide
• Oxo alcohols
• Acrylic acid/Acrylates/SAPs
• Acrylonitrile
• Placing the current industry structure into historical perspective
• Key Non-Commodity C4 Derivatives
• Natural Rubber vs. Synthetic Rubber
• PBR/SBR, Butyl, EPDM, NBR, IR
• MEK
• Maleic anhydride/UPRs
• 1,4-BDO/THF/GBL/NMP/PVP
• MTBE
• Key Non-Commodity Aromatic Derivatives
• ABS
• Nylon 6,6 and Nylon 6
• Polyurethanes
• MDI/TDI
• Polyether polyols
• Key Non-Commodity C1 Derivatives
• Syngas/Methanol
• Acetic acid/VAM, PVAc, PVB
• Formaldehyde
• UF/PF/MR Resins
• Polyacetal

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Instructor(s):

Jeff Plotkin, Ph.D.,
Vice President, Training, Chemicals
S&P Global Energy

Location:

Houston, TX, USA

The course will equip chemical industry professionals with practical tools for project valuation, cash flow modeling, investment decision-making, cost analysis, and basic principle of market development and M& process

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Course agenda:

• Fundamentals of Valuation
• Concept of value
• Project valuation fundamentals
• Cash flow & return economics
• Investment decisions
• Project Economics & Conceptual Design
• Cost analysis
• Conceptual design
• Opportunity assessment
• Sales & margin forecasting
• Winning Executive Support
• Elements of good project
• Risk modeling
• CEO’s lens
• Case Studies
• "Standard” chemical projects
• New molecules
• From grave to success
• Bad examples and “pet” projects

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The race to lead in artificial intelligence, electrification, and defence is ultimately a race for materials. Semiconductors, battery chemicals, rare earths, and advanced polymers are no longer niche industrial inputs - they are strategic assets, and the supply chains that produce them are now at the centre of geopolitical competition, national industrial policy, and some of the most significant capital allocation decisions of the decade.

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Course agenda:

• Fundamentals of Valuation
• Semiconductor/Display Materials industry overview
• Semiconductor manufacturing and IC Process chemicals, covering: Wafer substrates, photoresists/ancillaries, LCD, OLED, process chemicals, etc.
• Market reviews
• Manufacturing processes and economics, covering a range of products from specialty chemicals like PGME/PGMEA, and ethyl lactate, through to OLED building blocks.
• Production economics, prices and marginsChemical business continuity: availability, security, sustainability
• Materials for AI Development
• Battery industry overview and manufacturing
• Battery value chain covering raw materials, intermediates and finished components ranging from packaging, metals, polymers
• Market dynamics, covering e.g., lithium/salts, electrolyte-LiPF6 and specialty carbonates, graphite/nanotubes and PVF
• Manufacturing processes and economics, covering e.g., lithium value chain, electrolyte LiPF6 and specialty carbonates, and PVF
• Production economics, prices and margins
• Role of the Chemical Industry in the Defense space
• Defense sector overview and applications for high-performance materials
• Markets for Advanced Polymers and Fibers including Defense sector use
• Chemical evolution and “chemical procurement” in Defense
• Relevant chemical value chains, supply criticalities, «line of sight»
• Review of key players in the Defence Chemicals sector

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One of the most complex challenges facing the chemical industry today is squaring the circle between security and sustainability.

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Course agenda:

• Squaring the Circle
• Chemical business continuity: availability, security, sustainability
• Geopolitics and regulation. What’s changed
• Conventional Feedstock
• Chemical value chains and risk
• Availability / security profiles by region (US, Europe, Middle East, Asia)
• Alternative Feedstock
• Biofuels and agriculture
• Sustainable building blocks (olefins, aromatics)
• Circular Economy
• Policy frameworks, trading schemes
• Recycling, techno-economics
• Energy and Critical Materials
• Role of renewable energy in energy security
• Critical minerals, critical intermediates, critical specialties
• Conclusions
• Global challenges
• Different regional opportunities (and challenges)

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Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is a key technology that can contribute to reducing emissions in key emitting sectors and to remove CO2 from the atmosphere while also supporting the development of CO2-based products. This course will provide and overview of the market and technology trends and provide key concepts to differentiate the challenges and opportunities that different sectors face while implementing CCUS.

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Status of the CCUS Market

• The potential role of CCUS in the energy transition
• Overview of current market conditions
• Summary of global policy

The CCUS Value Chain

• Overview of the value chain
• Global CCUS project pipeline progress by segment
• Cost analysis of CO2 capture, transportation, and storage
• Overview of CO2 utilization

CCUS trends in chemicals and fuels applications

• Overview of the market dynamics between low-carbon fuels and CO2 use
• Supply and demand balance for CO2 utilization by 2030

Engineered carbon dioxide removal

• Overview of technologies and market trends

5. Long-Term Global Outlook for CO2 capture installations

• S&P Global Commodity Insights’ base case outlook for both near-term (2030) and long-term (2050) CO2 capture installations
• Summary and discussion of key course topics

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