Experts from the petrochemical and fertilizer industries will share their knowledge at an upcoming forum on the chemical sector in Abu Dhabi.

The Middle East Chemical Week (MECW) 2011 will run from October 16 to 19 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

MECW consists of two conferences, Petchem Arabia and the Middle East Fertilizer Symposium, running concurrently.

“The petrochemical and downstream industries will play a significant role in diversifying hydrocarbon resources and economic development in the Middle East by 2030,” said Dominica Andrews, project director, World Refining Association.

“Having numerous influential speakers from industry-leading companies around the world participate in the 2011 Middle East Chemical Week makes this event the ideal platform to learn from and network with the who’s who in both industries. The conferences and exhibition promise to provide attendees with everything required to build prosperous industry relationships.”

Day one of the main Petchem Arabia conference will commence with an exclusive from Faisal Al Shemsi, senior vice president, Borouge, who will present the results of the Borouge 2 project for the first time.

Discussing whether India is the next China and the evolving role of the GCC with these two countries will be Kamal Nanavaty, president of Reliance Industries.  Tasnee’s president and chief operating officer will address where the workforce of the future will come from.

On day two, attendees can expect to hear from Mark Appleyard, Regional Director, Chemicals Sector, Middle East and Africa, AGILITY, on how to gain and maintain a competitive advantage through supply chain optimization.

Exploring the methanol conversion to ethylene and propylene will be Rich Kempf, Methanol to Olefins Technology Manager, UOP.  He will discuss MTO technology, reactor design, process and economics and speak about their first commercial unit in Asia.

Prior to Petchem Arabia, a pre-conference focus day will be held to discuss how to build a sustainable downstream industry in the GCC.

A post conference focus day will be led by Dr Wolf Spaether, Director of Sales and Marketing, Industry Group Petrochemicals EMEA, Süd Chemie who will explore the latest generation of selective hydrogenation catalysts.

The Middle East Fertilizer Symposium pre-conference focus day will consist of a Gasification Innovation Workshop where Daniel Tse, Gasification Solutions Manager at GE Energy will present key considerations for gasification projects and international examples of gasification technology implementation.

The symposium will have a post-conference focus day on fertilizer catalyst innovations.

Dr Norbert Ringer, Group Project Manager, Ammonia, Süd Chemie, will present the technical features and benefits of wustite based “AmoMax-10” along with the potential energy savings in the ammonia synthesis loop whilst using this catalyst.

The MECW 2011 Awards will also be presented on October 17 to highlight excellence and best practice within both the petrochemical and fertilizer industries. – TradeArabia News Service